the Arminian party of which since he hath instanced in none particularly I will make bold to borrow two or three testimonies out of the tractate of Gomarus before remembred And first hee brings in Bullenger who in his comment on the first of the Revelation calls it Ecclesiae consuetudinem an Ecclesiasticall Ordinance and after addes Sponte Ecclesiae receperunt illum diem The Church did of its owne accord agree upon that day for wee reade not any where that it was commanded Next Ursinus telling us that God had abrogated the Iewish Sabbath addes presently that hee left it free unto the Church Alios dies eligere to make choise of any other day to be selected for his service and that the Church made choyse of this in honour of our Saviours Resurrection Zanchius affirmes the same Nullibi legimus Apostolos c. We reade not any where saith hee that the Apostles did command this day to bee observed in the Church of God onely wee finde what the Apostles and others of the faithfull used to doe upon it Liberum ergo reliquerunt which is an argument that they left it holy to the disposition of the Church Arotius Simler David Paraeus and Bucerus which are all there alleaged might bee here produced were not these sufficient Adde hereunto the generall consent of our English Prelats the Architects of our reformation in the time of King Edward the sixt who in the Act of Parlament about keeping holy dayes have determined thus together with the rest of that grand assembly viz. Neither is it to bee thought that there is any certaine time or definite number of dayes prescribed in holy Scriptures but that the appointment both of the time and also of the number of the dayes is left by the authority of Gods Word to the authority of Christs Church to bee determined and assigned orderly in every Country by the discretion of the rulers and Ministers thereof as they shall judge most expedient to the true setting forth of Gods glory and edification of Gods People Which preamble is not to be understood of holy dayes or of Saints dayes onely whose being left to the authority of the Church was never questioned but of the Lords Day also as by the body of the Act doth at full appeare Exam. In this Section the Prefacer makes a greater bluster by farre then in the former For to except against the proportion of time as of one day in seven to be set apart for the service of God in these dayes of the Gospell is so unreasonable a course and that not onely in the judgement of a Christian conscience but even in the judgement of a naturall man that I cannot easily devise any thing more unreasonable For whereas all confesse that by the very light of nature some time ought to bee set apart for the service of God and not so onely but that a fit and competent proportion of time is to bee consecrated to holy uses as Gomarus acknowledgeth though one of the most eager opposers of the morality of the Sabbath that hitherto have beene knowne Albeit this convenient proportion of time cannot bee so convincingly concluded upon by the light of nature as to draw all to an unanimous consent thereunto yet after God himselfe hath gone before us herein by blessing the seventh day and sanctifying it and that upon the ground mentioned both Gen. 2. and in the fourth Commandement henceforth as Chrysostome observeth God hath manifested that one day in seven is to be set apart I may say consequently that one day in seven is that fit proportiō of time which is to be sanctified to Gods holy worship and service and that God hath now manifested as much ever since the Creation And herupon as I imagin Azorius the Jesuite in his institutions is bold to conclude that this course is most agreeable unto reason Now if the Lord under the Law did require such a proportion of time to be sequestred from profan use to Divine at the hands of the Iewes can it enter into the heart of a sober man that God should require lesse of us Christians under the Gospell then he did require of the Jewes under the Law Or that God hath now left it to the liberty of the Church whether they will set apart the proportion of one day in seven or lesse to bee spent in Gods worship If wee consider the service of the day as whereby God is honoured undoubtedly God hath deserved more service at our hands under the Gospell then hee did at the hands of the Jewes under the Law for as much as the love of God to mankinde was never so revealed in former times as in these latter times So God loved the World that he gave his only begotten Sonne c. And hereupon undoubtedly it is that our Saviour professeth that from the time of Iohn the Baptist the Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force To such an height of devotion hath the Love of God manifested in his Sonne inflamed his true servants according to that of Iohn We love him because he loved us first Againe if wee consider the service of that day as such wherby our soules are profited and promoted in faith and holinesse never was there more need then in these dayes of sanctifying a better proportion of time unto God Service rather then a worse and that in each respect For the truth of God was never so encombred with oppositions before the comming of our Saviour in the flesh as it hath beene since No heretiques to speake of were knowne to trouble the peace of the Church in those former times in comparison to the multitude of heresies that have beene broached since and began to bee set on foote in the very dayes of the Apostles Saint Paul professing that even then the mystery of iniquity did worke And whereas Saint Peter tells us that false teachers should come privily bringing in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them Saint Iude tells them to whom hee writes that such were already crept in turning the grace of God into wantonnesse and denying God the onely Lord and our Lord Jesus Christ And Saint Iohn after the same manner little children saith hee it is the last time and as you have heard that Antichrist shall come even now there are many Antichrists And no marvaile for as much as the mysteries of godlinesse concerning the Trinity of persons and incarnation of the Sonne of God whereat carnall wits are so apt to stumble were never so punctually and distinctly expressed in the books of the old Testament as now they are particularly delivered in the writings of the Apostles and Evangelists So that had wee in these dayes two Sabbaths in a weeke insteed of one all were little enough to instruct our people and strengthen them against the oppositions made by men of carnall mindes and thereby to keepe them in the right way of Gods saving truth
the rest to wit in the way of fitnesse for holy use because of the worke of God on that day Whence it is evidently concluded that the Apostles did not thinke it indifferent therefore though it were left to their liberty in as much as no Commandement was given to them thereabout for ought wee reade yet by the spirit of God they were directed to make choyse of this day and that in reference to such a worke on that day as the like on no other Not that the sanctifying of a rest on this day would make us more holy then the sanctifying of a rest on any other day but onely in reference to some speciall worke of God on that day upon which consideration the ancient Fathers doe generally insist and Bishop Andrewes and Bishop Lake after them doe joyntly rely and not Beza onely Secondly That both Ursine and Paraeus call this a probable reason onely now give me leave to insist upon this and try whether I cannot shew that this reason is more then probable And that first à Posteriori For let us soberly consider how came it to passe that not onely the day whereon Christ rose but answerably hereunto the Day of the weeke to wit the first Day of the weeke was accompted by the Apostles and so commonly called the Lords Day and generally knowne to Christians by that name otherwise S. Iohn had not beene so well understood in his Revelation chap. 1. vers 10. Is it not apparent that Christs rising did ever after give the denomination of the Lords Day to the first day of the weeke Againe the day of Christs Paspassion upon the Crosse is not called the Lords day and why the day of the Resurrection rather surely because S. Paul saith that Christ was declared mightily to be the Sonne of God by the spirit of sanctification in his Resurrection from the dead Hereby then was he manifested to be the Sonne of God the very Lord of Glory and is not this reason more then probable why it should bee called the Lords day Secondly consider that day of the moneth or that day of the yeare whereon the Lord rose wee no where finde that it was usually called the Lords Day but onely that day of the weeke not the day of the weeke wherein hee ascended into Heaven but the day of the weeke wherein hee rose Now the Jewes Sabbath was called the Lords Sabbath the Lords holy Day Es 58. 13. If thou shalt turne away thy foote from my Sabbath from doing thy will on my holy Day Hath the Lord a Day under the Gospell but no Sabbath no holy Day what an unreasonable conceite were this that hee should have an holy Day one in every weeke under the Law and none under the Gospell Now if the Lord hath a day that is peculiarly called his under the Gospell and that day is in the Scripture styled the Lords Day I appeale to every Christian conscience whether the sanctifying of this day as holy to the Lord ought not by more then probable yea even by necessary reason come in place of the sanctifying of the seventh day as an holy rest to the Lord in the dayes of old Otherwise we should have two different dayes in the weeke the one called the Lords Day the other the Lords holy Day or no holy day at all though wee have the Lords Day Lastly consider the very definition of a thing probable which Aristotle makes to be such as seemes so in the judgement of most or in the judgement of most of the wisest or of some few provided they are wiser then the rest but the sanctifying of the first day of the weeke to the Lord that is the Lords Day to the Lord hath seemed fit not to some of the wisest onely in the Church of God but to all even to all the Apostles yea and Evangelists and Pastors and teachers in their dayes and to the whole Church for 1600. yeares since and shall wee call the reason moving them hereunto onely probable 2. yet all this is but a posteriori which yet for the evidence of it I presume most sufficient for the convicting of every sober Christian conscience of that truth to the demonstration whereof it tends I come to give a reason hereof à priori The first creation in the wisedome of God who proceeds not merely according unto probable reason drew after it a Sabbath day the seventh day where on God rested But if God vouchsafeth us a new creation in the same congruity may wee not justly expect a new Sabbath Now the Apostle tells us plainly that old things are passed away and that all things are become new 2 Cor. 5. 17. and this he brings in upon shewing what Christ hath deserved at our hands in as much as he died for us and rose againe vers 15. the end whereof was this that he might be Lord both of quicke and dead Rom. 14. 9. and concludes that whosoever is in Christ is a new creature 2 Cor. 5. 17. And how are we in Christ but by faith Gal. 2. 20. And what is the object of this our faith let the same Apostle answer us If thou confesse with the mouth the Lord Iesus and believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved so that this faith in Christs resurrection is to us the beginning of a new creature And Christs resurrection Sedulius calls nascentis mundi primordium And Athanasius saith That as the Sabbath was the end of the first creation so the Lords Day is the beginning of the second creature And this is it that Bishop Andrewes and Bishop Lake doe worke upon for the celebration of the Lords Day as by Divine institution But I am not a little sensible of some appearance of incongruity rising hereupon Almighty God did not thinke it fit that the first day of creation should be our Sabbath but the seventh from the creation as whereon himselfe rested but in the second creation the first day is made our Sabbath To this I answer two things the first is this if man should not rest unto God till the second creation is finished hee should not rest at all in this world And the sixe dayes being the dayes of Gods worke the seventh was the first of mans worke which God would have to be an holy worke most convenient whereby to take livery and seasin of the world For albeit God commanded Adam to dresse the garden and keepe it when he placed him in it yet it is nothing probable it had need of dressing so soone as it was made and no mention of rest commanded at the first onely it is said that because God rested that day from all his works therefore he blessed the seventh day and sanctified it This I deliver to save the expression of Athanasius 2. But in my judgement there is an exact congruity betweene rest and rest in each creation For as God rested the seventh day from the
worke of creation so Christ rested the first day of the weeke from his worke of Redemption which was the meritorious cause of the new creation For Christs dying and continuing under the power of death for a certaine time I may justly reckon as one worke of Redemption in which time hee suffered ignominy not onely from the reproach of the world but from the weaknesse of his servants faith whose voyce was wee thought it had been he who should have redeemed Israel As for Zanohy in the place cited by Gomarus hee confesseth hunc diem ex traditione Apostolica esse optimo jure ab Ecclesia retentum That the Lords Day is to be observed by Apostolicall tradition and by the best right retained by the Church this the Prefacer in his wisedome omitted indeed hee saith we no where reade that the Apostles commanded it but left it free but take with you the rest ita liberum ut omnino ipse dies sanctificandus sit nisi charitas aliud postulat In such a manner free that omnino undoubtedly the day it selfe ought to be sanctified unlesse charity require otherwise I conceive his meaning is and the meaning of all that use this language that wee are to keepe it by no other obligation not of speciall commandement than the reason of the day doth minister unto us it being the day that the Lord hath made joyfull to Gods Church by the resurrection of Christ from the dead and in this sense they say it doth not bind mens consciences to wit as a Precept doth whether we know the equity of it or no. And it were very strange that Christians in keeping any holy day in the weeke should not make choice of the Lords Day for that without any expresse commandement Anetius saith no more than that Christians changed the Sabbath unto the Lords Day and can any man doubt but that the Apostles were meant hereby For which is most likely that the practice and judgement of others was a leading cause to the Apostles or rather that the judgement and practise of the Apostles was a leading cause unto all others Simler hath no more but this that he calls it the custome of the Church so doth Tilenus yet he proposeth it as likely to have had its institution from Christ Paraeus in the very place cited by Gomarus ascribeth the change of the day to the Apostolicall Church and expressely saith that the Apostle commanded the Corinthians to meet together the first day of the weeke and make their collections I wonder the Prefacer omits Cuohlinus was it because that which others call consuetudinem Ecclesiae hee calls consuetudinem Apostolicam In the last place Bucer is named by the Prefacer but Gomarus is well content to omit what is delivered by him But to the contrary I will not forbeare to set downe what I find in his booke De Regno Christi lib. 1. cap. 11. For having formerly described what are the true workes of holy rests added upon the backe of it Eapropter For this cause the Lords Day was consecrated by the Apostles themselves to these kind of actions Which ordinance of theirs institutum he calls it the antient Churches observed most religiously Then he shews the cause why they changed the day 1. The first reason given is to testifie that Christians are not obliged to the Pedagogie of Moses law 2. The second is to celebrate the memory of Christs resurrection which was performed on the first day of the weeke So that not one of the Authors mentioned by him makes any thing for him And if the passages of the sixe mentioned by him and related by Gomarus did make any thing for him we have no lesse of the ancient Fathers to the contrary as namely Athanasius Cyril Eusebius Austin lately mentioned to whom adde Sedulius operis Paschalis lib. 5. cap. 21. The glory of the eternall King illustrating the first day of the weeke with the trophy of his resurrection primatum cum religione concessum dierum censuit retinere cunctorum thought good it should have the primacy of all dayes granted unto it with religion that is with an holy celebration thereof Adde unto him Gregory mentioned in the first Section affirming that Antichrist affecting to imitate Christ shall command the Lords Day to be kept holy Adde to these the universall consent of Christendome in antient times for when the question was proposed unto them as usually it was thus Dominicum servasti Hast thou kept the Sabbath their answer was this Christianus sum intermittere non possum For Brentius alleged by him to little purpose let mee represent what Gerard the Lutherane writes of our Christian Sabbath in his common places tom 3. pag. 146. Est Sabbatum Christianum quo juxta Apostolorum constitutionem dies hebdomadae primus publicis ecclesiae congressibus dâ—stinatus est Our Christian Sabbath is that whereby the first day of the weeke is destinated to the publique assemblies of the Church by the constitution of the Apostles See how plainly hee referres the celebration of this day to Apostolicall constitution and pag. 148. he sheweth the analogie between the Jewes Sabbath and our Christian Sabbath consisting in two or three particulars 1. As on the seventh day God rested from the six dayes worke of creation in remembrance of which benefit the Sabbath was instituted in the old Testament so in the first day of the weeke after Christ by his death and passion had accomplished the mysterie of our Redemption he returned gloriously as a conqueror from the dead in remembrance of which benefit the first day of the weeke is celebrated in the new Testament 2. As in the old Testament the Sabbath was instituted that it might be a memoriall of their deliverance out of Egypt Deut. 5. 15. So in the new Testament the Lords Day is a memoriall of our spirituall deliverance out of the kingdome and captivity of Satan procured unto us by the resurrection of Christ a type whereof was that deliverance of the children of Israel out of Egypt 3. By Christs death and resurrection were abrogated Leviticall ceremonies and legall shadowes amongst which the Sabbath is reckoned Col. 2. 17. Therefore the change of the Sabbath into the Lords Dav is a publique testimony that Christians are freed from legall shadowes and that difference of dayes which in ancient time was ordained Adde to him Melanchthon alleged by Walaeus pag. 265. affirming that the Apostles for this cause changed the day that in this particular they might give an example of the abrogation of the ceremoniall Lawes of Mosaicall policy As for our Popish Divines for which he referres us to Doctor Prideaux it is apparent that more of them are alleaged for the jus d vinum of the celebration of the Lords Day then for the contrary one of them Silvester by name professeth expresly that his opinion was the common opinion which was for the Divine institution of it And Azorius the Jesuite as hee
of creation the first day of the weeke was the Lords rest from the work of redemption in the morning thereof rising from his grave and in respect of Christs resurrection on this day what colour hath any other day of the weeke comparable hereunto to make it fit to stand in competition with this Yes saith D. Walaeus the Thursday may and that in consideration of Christs ascension on that day yet Doctor Walaeus well knowes that that day of the week was never thereupon called the Lords Day either by the Apostles or by the Church as the day of our Saviors resurrection was Againe consider Christs resurrection and ascension are to be computed but as one compleate motion save that he was to stay some time by the way here on earth for the confirming of his Disciples faith and giving them commission for preaching the Gospel and order to wait at Jerusalem untill they were endued with power from on high to carry the glad tidings of salvation all the world over So Christs dying and continuing under the power of death is but one worke of Redemption He confesseth that Christs resurrection afforded an argument to the Church Apostolicall to prefer this day before all others very well even before the day of his ascention for religious assemblies as al the ancients testifie But it followeth not therefore that Christ by this his fact did institute the same day to the same end Now this is a very strange phrase by his fact on the day to institute the day to such an end T is well knowne facts doe not institute otherwise than as therefrom may be concluded that such a day is to be kept and in this sense he doth as good as confesse that Christ by his fact did institute for the Apostolicall Church did hereupon preferre this day as he confesseth all the ancients doe testifie And did they not inferre this there-hence also as most agreeable to the Will of God Doctor Walaeus proceedeth thus So God in the creation of the world rested the seventh day but unlesse God had proposed this rest of his as an example and confirmed it by precept never had the Church of the old Testament beene bound as from heaven to the weekly observation thereof To this I answer that the like may be said of the observation of one in seven yet seeing God did cōmand this proportion to the Jews without any new commandement we can inferre that surely God requires as good a proportion of us Christians In like manner seeing God commanded unto them the day of his rest from creation we without any the like commandement may better inferre that Christs resting day from the worke of Redemption ought to be our rest than they could that the seventh day ought to betheir rest 2. Man could not possibly have knowne how many dayes God was creating the world so to know what day he rested that they might conforme unto him in their rest unlesse God had revealed it unto them but supposing God had revealed it and withall had called it his holy day and it were knowne unto them that one day in the weeke must be set apart as Gods holy Day in this case I appeal to every Christian conscience whether this were not sufficient to conclude that surely the day of the Lords rest being his holy Day ought to be the day of our rest and our holy day Now thus the case stands with us Christians we know what day our Saviour rose having finished the worke of mans Redemption we know the Jewes Sabbath is abrogated we know the proportion of one day in seven remaines still to be consecrated as an holy day to the Lord we know the Lord prescribed to the Jewes for their Sabbath his resting day from the creation which is called his holy day And in like manner we know that under the Gospel the first day of the weeke being the day of our Saviours resurrection is called by Saint Iohn the Lords Day as for Easter and Pentecost the case is nothing like those festivalls being not of single dayes but of whole weeks once in a yeere yet this proportion we find betweene them and the weekely Sabbath There are in a yeere seven times seven weeks and a fraction lesse than halfe a seven so that the memory of the creation was seven times in a yeere celebrated more than the memory either of their deliverance out of Egypt or of their reaping the fruits of the land of Canaan the one farre surmounting the other yet their Easter began the day of the yeere whereon they came out of Egypt And Doctor Lake Bishop of Bath and Wells Thes 41. de Sabbat professeth that God sets out the day by the worke he doth on the day the worke I say done doth difference a day from a day and Thes 43. Now then when God doth any remarkable worke then will he be honoured with a commemoration day for that worke If the worke concerne the whole by the whole Church and by a part if it concerne a part and Thes 44. And his Will is understood often by his Precept but when we have not that the practice doth guide the Church 45. This is a Catholique rule observed in the institution of all sacred feasts both Divine and Humane 46. The worke of the day is the ground of hallowing the day whether it be weekely monethly or yeerely as particulars evince in Scripture and history The very light of nature doth give testimony unto this as appeareth by the common practice of the heathens as to give some instance hereof what is the originall of the observation of the Fryday as a festivall day amongst Mahumetanes surely this on that day Mahumet fled from Mecha to Jethrib and so that day is accounted the first day of his kingdom and from thenceforth it was ordained to be the first day of their yeere and of their weeke So then the Will of God in the judgement of this reverend Divine is manifested not onely by Precept but by his Worke. And yet I know none speakes more of Precept in this particular than Doctor Walaeus as I have often alleged him pag. 172. Fifthly I grant Iunius went too farre in affirming that Christ did observe the same every weeke betweene his resurrection and ascention but neither doth the contrary appeare by Scripture undoubtedly the two first he did and it is not manifest that the three following he did not and though Cyril inferres here-hence the reasonablenesse of our Christian assemblies on this day yet wee doe not but as Doctor Walaeus concludes that which hee concludes not from any one place but from many places together that do we Neither is it any thing to the purpose that Doctor Walaeus observes of Christs appearing on other dayes as Ioh. 21. 24. once which was at a fish meeting And as little materiall is it that at such other times of his meetings he spake of the kingdome of God Sixthly On like sort Christ sending down
my selfe and takes but one to himselfe of which I rob him also No no assuredly I shall not be able to indure his wrath for these things one day and therefore I will leave them and regard his holy day hereafter better than I have done And in his exposition of the Commandements by way of question and answer p. 44. reproves expressely Summer-games on the Lords Day and in his Examen of conscience annexed to the fourth Commandement he speakes against going to Church-ales and Summer-games nay is it not apparent that by the very act of Parliament 1◠Caroli that to goe out of a mans owne parish about any sports or pastimes on the Sabbath day is to profane the Sabbath For to prevent the profanation of the Sabbath is that statute made Now unlesse the sports themselves be profanations of the Sabbath it is as evident that to goe forth of a mans parish unto such sports is no profanation any more than to goe out of a mans parish walking or to conferre in pious manner with a friend or to fetch a Physitian or Surgeon if need be or to heare a Sermon And it is very strange that wee of the reformed Churches shall justifie such liberty on the Lords Day which Papists condemne on their holy dayes who usually complaine of dancing upon such dayes as Polydor Virgil upon Luke and Parisiensis de legibus cap. 4. And of old such courses have beene forbidden by the decrees of Leo and Anthemius Emperours It is condemned also in the synod of Toledo Can. 23. as Baldwin the Lutheran shewes who also writes devoutly against such courses on the Lords Day and gives this reason For if the labours of our calling are forbidden in the holy day how much more such recreations and p. 48. He shewed how the Sabbath was profaned by unchast dancings and any manner of wantonnesse what need I here to make mention of Austin who professeth and that against the Jewes that it is better to goe to plow then to dance and that it were better for their Women to spin Wooll then immodestly to dance as they did yet now a dayes such as oppose the same courses as Austin did are censured for Judaizing thus the World seemes to be turned upside downe Is it not high time Christ should come to set an end to it Dielericus the Lutherane complaines of the like profanations of the Sabbath too much in course amongst them in his Analysis of the Gospells for the Lords Day p. 559. and let every Christian conscience be judge whether to follow May-poles May-games and Morrice dancing be to sanctifie the Sabbath as God commands if any man shall say that the fourth Commandement concerned the Jewes and not us Christians hee must therewithall renounce the booke of Homilies For it professeth that this Commandement binds us to the observation of our Sabbath which is Sunday the words are these So if we will be the children of our Heavenly Father we must be carefull to keep the Christian Sabbath Day which is the Sunday not only for that it is Gods Commandement but also to declare our selves to be loving children in following the example of our gracious Lord and Father Then complaining how the Sabbath is profaned Some use all dayes alike The other sort worse For although they will not travaile nor labour on the Sunday yet they will not rest in holinesse as God commandeth but they rest in ungodlinesse and filthinesse prancing in their pride pranking and pricking poynting painting themselves to be gorgeous and gay They rest in excesse superflutty in gluttony and drunkennesse like Rats and Swin they rest in brawling and railing in quarrelling and fighting they rest in want onnesse in toyish talking in filthy fleshlinesse and concludes after this manner so that it doth too evidently appeare that God is more dishonored and the Divell better served on Sunday then upon all the dayes of the weeke beside And that distinction which Calvin makes of the Jewish observation of the Sabbath and our Christian observation of a Sabbath is for ought I know generally receaved of all and the distinction is this that the Jewes observed their Sabbath so strictly in the point of rest for a mysterious signification but wee observe it in resting from other works so farre forth as they are Avocamenta à sacris studiis meditationibus avocations from holy studies and meditations now it is apparant that sports and pleasures are as strong avocations from holy studies and meditations as worldly cares and both equally are noted out to be such as choake the Word Luk. 8. 14. And therefore this day is altogether appointed to this end even to recreate our selves in the Lord For seeing God purposeth one day to keepe an everlasting Sabbath with us when God shall be all in all to make us the more fit for this even the more meete partakers of the inheritance of Saints in light therefore hee hath given us his Sabbaths to walke with him and to inure our selves to take delight in his company who takes delight to speake unto us as from Heaven in his holy Word and to give us liberty to speake unto him in our prayers confessions thanksgivings and supplications on other dayes wee care for the things of this World on this day our care should be spirituall and heavenly in caring for the things of another World so our pleasures should be spirituall on this day If thou shalt call the Sabbath a delight to consecrate it as glorious unto the Lord. Now have we not as much cause to performe this duty under the Gospell as ever the Jewes had under the Law And indeed there is no colour of reason against this but by affirming that now the setting of a day apart for Gods service is left at large to the liberty of the Church and albeit the Church hath set apart the Lords Day for this yet their meaning herein is no more then this that they shal come to Church twise a day and afterwards give themselves to what sports soever are not forbidden them by the Lawes of the Land so that now a dayes wee are free from the obligation to the fourth Commandement and yet we are taught by the Church aswell at the hearing of this Commandement as atany other to say Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keepe this Law and the booke of Homilies urgeth us to the sanctifying of our Christian Sabbath which is Sunday saith the booke expressely and that by vertue of Gods expresse Commandement And therefore I cannot but wonder at the indiscretion of this Prefacer who catcheth after such a superficiall advantage as the denomination of a feast amongst the Jewes not considering how little sutable it is to the grounds of his Tenet For by his Tenet after evening Prayer the Sabbath is at end the Churches meaning being not any further to oblige them to the sanctifying of the Lords Day but to give them liberty to use
rest But I know none that maintaines any other rest from works then as they are avocations from sacred studies and meditations whereas the Jewes observed it for some mysterious signification sake and thereupon were tyed to a more rigorous rest But let them speake plainly and say we are too rigorous in thinking sports and pastimes unlawfull on the Lords day And herein I appeale to every Christian conscience whether these be not as great avocations from sacred studies and meditations as the workes of our ordinary callings Then againe which of us comes nearest to Judaisme herein Is it not against the Jewes that Austin professeth Melius est orare quam saltare Better to goe to plough then to dances and Foeminae vcstrae melius lanam facerent quam saltarent Better it were your women should spin wooll then dance as their course was in their festivalls Againe why should their opinion be Jewish by maintaining it out of the old Testament rather then out of the new Then who are they that maintaine it onely by the old Testament And lastly not one that I know neither doe I thinke it can be justly obtruded on any doe maintaine the succession of the Lords day in the place of the Jewish Sabbath either by the originall institution of it as from the creation or by the fourth commandement yet upon these nullities is founded the imputation of both impudency and ignorance in oppugning the received opinion of Divines That confidently taken up for a received opinion among divines which is in no tolerable sort proved not one Ancient alleaged for it and but two Papists quoted the one of which I have shewed to be of a plaine contrary opinion And of Protestant Divines I have represented no lesse then eleven maintaining the Apostolicall and divine constitution of the Lords day besides Gerardus the Lutheran to affront Brentius Nay Doctor Prideaux himselfe Sect. 7. maintaines that it is of Divine authority and as I remember in the vespers at the last act unalterable by the Church That the Priesthood being changed there is made also a change of the law we beleeve because the Apostle saith it Heb. 7. 12. it is well if the Schoolemen make the word of God their principles but of what Law of the morall law or of the tenne commandements or any one of them yet we willingly confesse a change of one particular in one of them not rather of the law of sacrifices such a change as to set an end to them That herence the Schoolemen conclude that at this day the morall law bindeth not as it was published and proclaimed by Moses but as at first it appertained no lesse to the Gentiles then to the Iewes this I say is a mystery And to confesse a truth when I met with this in a certaine manuscript of one Brewers it seemed to me a very wilde discourse from this place of the Apostle to inferre so much but now I meet with it in a lecture of so judicious and learned Divine as Doctor Prideaux I will suspend my judgement and waite untill I heare what those Schoolemen are and where it is that they make such inferences that being made acquainted with them I may judge of them according to my capacity as they deserve Certainely Zanchy in the place quoted makes no such Inference from that place Heb. 7. 12. yet the Doctrine which he delivers is good and sound though the instance he makes of the Sabbath too weake to prove it as appeares to all that acknowledge the Commandement of sanctifying the Sabbath to be given to Adam immediatly after his creation who deserve to be accompted more hot spurres then they in whom The desire of prey doth over-runne the sent Now what one of our Divines can be alleaged to derive the authority of the Lords day from the law of Moses I am verily perswaded not one The sanctifying of the Lords Sabbath they derive from thence and the sanctifying of one day in seven but not the authority of the Lords day But if it may appeare otherwise that the Lords day by good authority is substituted in the place of the seventh to become our Christian Sabbath such as our Saviour fore-prophecied of Matth. 24. 20. then from the fourth commandement they may make bold to conclude that it ought to be sanctified And this Zanchy himselfe justifies in the place quoted Chap. 19 as before hath beene shewed And our booke of homilies expresly tell us that now Sunday is become our Sabbath But we keepe not the seventh day the rest on that day being ceremoniall and prefiguring the rest of Christ that day in his grave And as for the authority whereby wee have substituted the Lords Day in the place of the seventh we answer that we are not they that have substituted but the Apostles have substituted it unto our hands God having marked out that day unto them by a worke nothing inferior to the worke of Creation to wit the worke of Christs Resurrection such a worke as brings with it a new Creation and therewithall a new Sabbath as Doctor Andrewes observes out of the ancients and delivered as much in the Starre Chamber And whereas under the Law the Jewish Sabbath was called the Lords Day Now under the Gospell the first day of the weeke is called the Lords Day in the language of the holy Ghost in the new Testament And whereas our Saviour gives us plainly to understand that wee are to have a Sabbath under the Gospell Math. 24. 20. as the aforementioned Doctor Andrewes doth observe in his patterne of Catecheticall doctrine In common reason and in the conscience of a Christian what day ought to be this our Sabbath rather then the Lords Day so called in the language of the holy Ghost especially considering that not that day of the yeere but that day of the weeke is called the Lords Day as by most generall acknowledgement of all the ancients hath beene supposed And to urge one place more out of the old Testament then here is in a violent manner obtruded upon us Psal 118. 14. This is the day which the Lord hath made let us rejoyce and be glad in it is evidently spoken of that day wherein the stone which the builders refused was made the head of the corner Now by that stone the holy Ghost chiefely understands the Lord Christ Mat. 21. 42. Marc. 12. 10. Luc. 20. 17. Acts 4. 11. 1 Pet 2. 7. and when was hee made the head of the corner but in the day of his Resurrection the Apostle professing that He was declared mightily to be the Sonne of God touching the spirit of sanctification by the Resurrection from the dead And under what stile did they reject him and condemne him as a blasphemer but for making himselfe the Son of God As for the rigorous observation of the rest prescribed unto the Jewes as from kindling of fire and dressing of meate some qualifie that rigour conceaving that kindling
become the more unfit for holy excerises and to performe that dutie which God requires and hath deserved at our hands How were Ionathans eyes enlightned upon the tasting of a little honey 1 Sam. 14. 29. But this Translator desires as it seemes from the generalitie of mans good to seale up an opinion in the minde of his Readers that the Sabbath was made not onely for the service of God and for the promoting of a man in the knowledge and feare of God but for the furthering of his carnall pleasures also But never was it knowne that our Saviour justified any libertie to such courses on the Sabbath Neither were any such things as it seemes in course in the dayes of the Prophet Amos who reprehends them for saying Am. 8. 5. When will the Sabbath be gone that they might returne to their worldly courses Rather they could wish their sun might stand still on that day as sometimes it did in the dayes of Ioshua if libertie were given to sports pastimes and pleasures on that day and it wvre wondrous strange that libertie should bee debarred them from kindling a fire to set forward the structure of the Sanctuarie made to this very end that the Lord might dwell among them And from so precious a worke as the embalming of the body of Christ the Lord of the Sabbath and that at the very end of the day if at that time they were not restrained from any sensuall course of recreation according to the common fashion of the world Undoubtedly howsoever it stands now with us Christians in the dayes of our Saviour they that rested on their Sabbath from embalming the body of Christ and that according to the appointment which is as much as to say according to the Law of God surely they by the same Law of God were much more restrained from worldly pleasures these standing far more in opposition to the sanctification of the Lords Sabbath then the emblming of the body of the Sonne of God who was Lord of the Sabbath And therefore this text is most unseasonably and impertinently alleaged by the Translator to serve his turh being farre more fit to crosse his purposes then any way to promote them So from the consideration of the title I come to the preface If the antiquitie of this controversie concerning the Sabbath were any thing materiall this Praefacer were foundered at the first For what if the Sabbath bee a part of the Law of Moses Was not the law of sanctifying the name of God the law forbidding images the law commanding them to have no other Gods but him that brought them out of the land of Aegypt the law commanding to honour parents to abstaine from murther adultery theft were not all these the Law of Moses Is not the law of sanctifying the Sabbath one of the tenne Commandements delivered by God from Mount Sinai as well as the other nine and was it not kept in the Arke as well as the rest Circumcision was no law of Moses and therefore albeit it be said Ioh. 7. 22. That Moses gave unto them Circumcision yet forth with it is added not because it is of Moses but of the Fathers so that Moses rather confirmed it then was the first giver of it So that the Law of Moses in this place is to bee understood of the ceremoniall law not of the morall law contained in the Decalogue and among these tenne Commandements that of the Sabbath is one and commended unto them in that state as none so much Remember the Sabbath day to sanctifie it and not onely before Moses but before Abraham and Noah also wee read that the seventh day God rested from all the workes that hee had made and that therefore God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it Of any Minister or Pastor in the Church of England that maintaines us Christians to be obliged to the observation and sanctification of the Jewish Sabbath or of any Sabbath that is a shadow of things to come the body whereof is of Christ I never heard or read Yet for some hundred yeares in the Primitive Church not the Lords day onely but the seventh day also was religiously observed not by Ebion and Cerinthus onely but by pious Christians also as Baronius writeth and Gomarus confesseth and Rivet also that we are bound in conscience under the Gospell to allow for Gods service a better proportion of time than the Jewes did under the law rather than a worse And further it is well knowne that besides the weekely Sabbath there was variety of observation of times amongst the Jewes and divers of them called Sabbaths also as some think not one whereof was mentioned in the Decalogue or pronounced by the Lord from Mount Sinai as the fourth Commandement was for the sanctifying of the weekly Sabbath So that this Praefacer every way sheweth miserable loosenesse in his discourse And if Ebion and Cerinthus and Apollinaris how wretched heretickes soever did still inforce the sanctification of the Jewish Sabbath whose wretchednesse yet consisted not so much in inforcing this as in inforcing all the ceremonies of Moses the Jewish Sabbath long after Cerinthus continuing to be observed by many pious Christians as Baronius observeth others and Saint Paul doth oppose all such doctrine and practise in these passages of his here mentioned did not this Author know that upon these very passages of Saint Paul the Anabaptists and Socinians as vile heretickes as Ebion and Cerinthus and Apollinaris for their blood have gone so farre as not onely to overthrow the observation of the Jewish Sabbath but the sanctifying of the Lords day also The opinion of the law ceremoniall standing still in force which indeed was the opinion of the heretickes mentioned is I confesse a dangerous point and such as not onely seemed as this Praefacer minceth it out of what degree of wisdome or providence I know not to confirme the Jewes in their incredulitie but indeed justly might confirme them nor onely occasion but justly cause also others to make question of our Saviours comming in the flesh not so the observation of the seventh day to sanctifie it for ought this Author hath hitherto manifested or throughout this preface of his doth manifest and the sanctification of this day is apparantly commanded in the moral law spoken from Mount Sinai And those Christians who a long time kept this seventh day holy as well as the Lords day had no opinion of any danger at all in this their observation And it stood the ancient Fathers upon to oppose the observation of the law ceremoniall Yet what saith Austin against these heretickes to whom this Author in the first place referreth us All that hee delivers against the Cerinthians in reference to this particular is onely this They say that wee ought to bee circumcised and that other like precepts of the Law are to bee observed I translate it for the benefit of the common people Of the Ebionites thus
plainly to import A manifest argument in my judgement that the observation of that day as in place of the Jewes Sabbath in the very days of the Apostles doth even convince their consciences that it can savour of nothing lesse than Apostolicall institution which because they doe impugne therefore they desire to impugne the use thereof as nothing so antient as to be received of the Apostles themselves For consider I pray how should the converted Jewes come to change their Sabbath if not by order from the Apostles themselves whose doctrine it was that Christ came to set an end to all ceremonies And as for the substitution of a day in the place of it that all did joyntly concurre herein without any dependance of some upon the judgement of others what strange strength of convicting evidence must there needs be in the resurrection of Christ to draw them hereunto farre beyond Almighty Gods resting on the seventh day from his worke of creation What could be devised to inferre greater morality by the very light of nature than this which should be so forcible to move all to concurre herein and that with the first But if they received it some from others how improbable it is that the Apostles should receive it from the Churches and not rather the Churches from the Apostles Then consider we no where reade of any difference here-abouts among the Apostles counting Paul amongst them who received from the Lord after his ascension into heaven what he delivered unto others How then came it to passe that they all so throughly and at the first agreed herein If as having received it from the Lord then the case is cleare that it is of most Divine institution But if onely as drawne hereunto by the consideration of Christs resurrection on that day being guided by the Spirit of God infallibly to order as other things so the time of Divine service to prevent the danger of division and confusion upon just ground even this is enough to manifest the strength of evidence which the Lords resurrection carrieth with it as to convince them so to appoint and to convince others of the reasonablenesse thereof seeing all Churches did so universally and so earely yeeld thereunto and since that time so constantly persevered therein The resurrection therefore of Christ is nothing inferiour to the Lords rest on the seventh to draw us to the sanctifying thereof And the Apostles ordering it in this manner especially as his extraordinary Ministers is answerable to the Lords Commandement for the sanctifying of the seventh especially that very commandement by just analogie having force also in this And albeit Walaeus saith no more pag. 174. of those three places Acts 20. 7. 1 Cor. 16. 2. Apoc. 1. 10. than that the whole Church reformed hath constantly gathered therehence Diet Dominicae usum the use of the Lords Day yet both pag. 183. he doth manifestly imply the Apostles to have instituted it where he saith that quae ab ipsis Apostolis instituta non sunt such things as have not beene ordained by the Apostles were never in that manner observed in all Christian Churches throughout the world as the observation of the Lords Day And before pag. 172. he concludes that the first day of the weeke was by the Apostles substituted in the place of the seventh and commended to the Church and that potestate singulari by singular power and as they were extraordinary Ministers of Christ put in trust by his Spirit to be faithfull in giving Precepts marke this well not onely touching faith and manners but also de Ecclesiae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 recto ordine for the well ordering of the Church and that in this particular what day of the weeke is to be observed by force and analogie of the fourth Commandement to prevent dissention and confusion among the Churches And I am verily perswaded that as many as stand for the Divine institution of the Lords Day would rest fully satisfied with this Austin I am sure who is alleged by Walaeus in the first place as maintaining it to be of Christs institution writes thus of it Serm. de temp 251. Dominicum ergodiem Apostoli Apostolici viri ideo religiosa solennitate habendum sanxerunt quia in eadom Redemptor noster à mortuis resurrexit this being premised let us come to the consideration of that which he delivers about the justification hereof from pag. 152. where he acknowledgeth that among the ancient Writers and Doctors of the reformed Church there have beene some who have referred the celebritie of this day to the fact and institution of Christ At the first by Christs fact in this place I understood Christ apparitions to the Apostles as they were assembled together on this day But upon better consideration and ponderation of the passages alleged by him out of Austine and Cyril I thinke rather that by Christs fact he means Christ resurrection or perhaps btoh the one and the other For the sentence taken out of Austine hath reference to the one and that out of Cyril to the other And Doctor Lake Bishop of Bath and Wells in his thes 36. de Sabbato referres unto both this first day Christ sanctified not onely by his resurrection but by sundrie apparitions before his ascention by sending them the Holy Ghost But the latter seem to depend on the former And therefore that learned Bishop in his defence of that Thesis 36. writes thus I say not that the Apostles imprinted any holinesse upon the first day of the weeke it was Christs resurrection that honoured that day which I say the Apostles were to respect not arbitrarily but necessarily you may perceive the reason in my Thesis you cannot observe from the beginning of the world any other inducement to the institution of feasts but Gods worke done on the day Now neither Austin nor Cyril speake of any institution made by Christ Eusebius I confesse doth intimate such an institution and Gregory the great and so doth Athanasius seeme to expresse as much and Sodulius after him but I am apt to conceive that they meant no other thing hereby than that the consideration of Christs resurrection by the suggestion of Christs Spirit should move the Apostles to ordaine and establish the celebration of this day unto the Christian world Junius in my judgement seemes to have no other meaning when he professeth the cause of the change of the day to be the resurrection of Christ and the benefit of instauration of the Church in Christ it is true he saith afterwards that the Lords Day succeeded the seventh Christi observatione atque instituto by Christ observation and ordinance but I understand thereby no other ordinance than is bespoken by Christs resurrection on the day and observation of the day For anon he tells us that the Lords Day was observed Christi facto exemplo institutoque Apostolorum vereris Ecclesiae observatione constantissimâ by Christs fact example and by the ordinance
yet undoubtedly many things are done that are hardly credible should be done much more might bee done though indeed they are not Yet this is none of our arguments but such as it is let us not extenuate it but take it aright as it deserves to be taken Torniellus supposeth that Enosh did apart himselfe from the sonnes of Cain Now Enosh was not alone in this for the Text saith Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord not Enosh alone Now in separation they that separate from the same company in an holy manner have reason to congregate themselves the same holinesse is as powerfully effectuall to the one as to the other and they are called the Sonnes of God in distinction from the sonnes and daughtes of men Gen. 6. 2. though then the very sonnes of God began to degenerate And that these meetings of many should be without a set and appointed time I cannot devise any colour of probability 1. For that they could not all meete in one congregation 2. that meeting in diverse the children of God should desire that at one time their meeting might be the prayers of many concurring in the same faith and joyning together doe besiege Gods Eares and worke an holy violence upon him 3. otherwise there would be a breach of society and mutuall commerce that being an holy day in one place or countrey which was not in another 4. being divided farre off it would be most difficult to make new appointments 5. little likelihood of agreement herein if left unto themselves without some divine direction and appointment But to returne the next portion of the discourse is this And as for the not falling of the Manna on the Sabbath day this rather was a preparation to the Commandement then any promulgation of it But suppose it had beene a promulgation of it what could that hinder the discourse of Iacobs not neglecting Labans flocke upon conscience of the Sabbath which was long before the children of Israells going downe into Egypt whereas Manna fell not untill their departing out of Egypt and comming into the Wildernesse which was diverse hundreds of yeeres after But yet the ordering of the Manna in the falling of it six dayes and not the seventh doth evidently argue that this seventh standing in just correspondency to the seventh day from the Creation as appeares by the story following the dividing of time into weekes and septenaries from the Creation was exactly observed from the Creation all along untill that time And no lesse evidently doth it manifest that the Sabbath day was observed before the Law given on Mount Sinai and consequently either by light of nature directing them to the day of the weeke whereon God rested or by Commandement and Commandement wee finde none before that on Mount Sinai unlesse that in Gen. 2. 3. Goe for a Commandement from the beginning The first mention wee reade of the Sabbath is that Exod. 16. 23. Where Moses saith This is that which the Lord hath sayd to morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord and let every one judge whether there bee any forme of a Commandement in this and whether hee doth not speake unto them of a Sabbath as of a thing formerly well knowne unto them and v. 25. To day is the Sabbath unto the Lord to day yee shall not find it in the feild This is not spoken as if the condition of a Sabbath were any new thing unto them But let us see whether there be any great strength in that which followeth Put the case that Iacob on the Sabbath had neglected Labans flook and that the Israelites under Pharaoh had not made up their tale of brickes neither had he escaped a chiding nor they the insolent fury of their taskmasters And now according to the principles of these Sabbatarians what would you counsaile them to doe did they observe the Sabbath they were sure of punishment from man did they neglect it they were sure of vengeance from the Lord unto such streights are they reduced who would impose the Sabbath as a perpetuall Law of nature As for the first of these wee cannot be ignorant that both flockes of sheepe and heads of greater cattell were looked unto in the time of the most rigorous observation of the Sabbath Our Saviour observes the Jewes practise notwithstanding all their rigour this way was to unloose their Oxe and leade him to watering Neither was Laban so rigorous a Lord to Iacob being from the first his unckle and afterwards his father in Law and one that had as good meanes to know the story of the Creation as Jacob and how that the Lord from the beginning Blessedthe seaventh day and sanctified it afterwards Iacobs posterity met with Taske-masters in Egypt And if the Aegyptians had made conscience of setting some time apart for the service of God according to the suggestion of that light which is confessed to extend so farre by nature how improbable is it they would deny this unto their servants The Kings of Persia did not use them so hard but promoted their sacrifices that they might pray for the King and the Kings Children Traian made a Law that the Jewes should not be molested on their Sabbath The Turkes at this day give liberty unto Christians for the free exercise of their religion And why should wee thinke the Aegyptians more rigorous to the Israelites then the Babylonians were to the Iewes Or if alike why may not a man conclude as well of the Iewes in Babylon as of the Israelites in Egypt that If they did observe the Sabbath they were sure of punishment from man if they did neglect it they were sure of vengeance from God The Canon of Laodicea enjoyning the celebration of the Lords day hath this caution si possint which is thought to be spoken in reference to servants under the tyranny of Heathen masters And if the observation of the Sabbath may give way to the exercise of charity towards others and of mercy towards beasts may it not much more to the exercise of mercy towards our owne bodies yet what if all this were granted who seeth not that if there be any strength in this argument they may by as good reason dispute against the profession of Christianity under persecuting tyrants For if they doe professe christianity under such they are sure of punishment from man if not they are sure of vengeance from God So that to no such straights are wee put as is devised like as the state of the question obtruded upon us is devised also but that I have formerly cleered and shewed that wee are to distinguish 1. of time in generall to be set apart for Gods service 2. of the proportion of time in speciall 3. of the day under that proportion of time in particular And how farre the light of nature doth direct us in all these That the sanctification of the seventh day as commanded from the beginning unto man
grant the Sabbath day was observed together with the Lords day by some Christians Baronius imputes it to the Orientales and gives the reason why formerly represented If any man inferre herehence that the celebration of the Lords day is grounded upon the constitution of the Church onely let him make it good for there is no reason that words should carry it much lesse the voyce of one Papist who here is quoted I am sure Dominicus Bannes and Sixtus Senensis are of another opinion formerly produced and hereafter follow many Canonists that maintaine the contrary by the relation of Azorius and one of them Sylvester by name professeth that it is Communis opinio that it is of Divine authoritie If Brentius thinkes otherwise yet Gerardus refuseth to tread in his steps though both are Lutherans And if the Remonstrants concurre with Brentius it is nothing strange they are so neer a kin to the Socinians and Anabaptists who renounce altogether the observation of the Lords day I have formerly reckoned up and produced no lesse then eleven of our Protestant Divines maintaining the ordinance thereof to be Divine and Apostolicall Besides the Ancients who are many and they expresse for the same and not one that I know avouched to the contrary Precept indeed we have not for this in the new Testament but that w ch is better then a precept For had the Apostles commanded it and the Churches not practised it their commandement had beene obnoxious to various interpretations but they tooke order to establish it as appeares de facto And D. Lake tels us that where divine precept is wanting practise guides the Church and that the worke of the day is the ground of hallowing the day and the worke of redemption is nothing inferiour to the worke of creation and I appeale to every Christian conscience whether upon suspition that we Christians must have a Sabbath to observe as the Jewes had for which we have the expresse words of our Saviour Matth. 24. 20. D. Andrewes concurring with us in this and that this Sabbath must be some one day in the weeke which from the ordinance of God immediately from the creation that God himselfe hath declared unto us as Chrysostome observeth and reason concludeth as much for this and that from consideration of the proportion of time which the Lord required of the Jewes under the law for undoubtedly we should sinne if we should allow God a worse proportion under the Gospell and it is evident that no ceremoniality can be found in the sanctification of one day in seven or in the rest of one day in seven I say let every one judge whether in Christian reason any day in the weeke be to be preferred for this before the Lords day that being the day of Christs resurrection the day wherein The Stone which the Builders refused was made the head of the corner and this day not of the yeere but of the weeke being in Scripture-phrase called the Lords day like as the Jewish Sabbath was formerly called the Lords holy day Es 58. Adde unto this that D. Prideaux here justifieth their observation who maintaine the celebration of the Lords day to be by authority divine consisting in these particulars 1. That it seemed a dangerous thing to the whole Fabricke of religion should humane ordinances limit the necessity of Gods worship Or that the Church should not assemble but at the pleasure of the Clergie and they perhaps not well at one among themselves For what would men busied about their Farms their yokes of Oxen and domesticke troubles as the invited guests in the holy Gospell would they not easily set at naught an humane ordinance would not prophane men easily dispense with their absenting themselves from prayers and preaching and give themselves free leave of doing or neglecting any thing were there not something found in Scripture which more then any humane ordinance or institution should binde the conscience yet it is easie to conjecture what would be answered to all this for excommunication upon disobedience to the Church may be a bond strong enough to oblige them hereunto Or if men be not so sensible hereof yet the lawes of the land and penall statutes may provide for such restraints by such punishments as whereof every naturall man will be sensible enough we have other considerations to propose as 1. Touching the proportion of time to be allowed to Gods service which concerneth the quantity of the service it selfe 1. This is a thing very considerable and of moment 2. We have no example that the quantity of service to be performed to the master was left unto the conscience or pleasure of the servant but rather is to be prescribed by the Master especially by such a Master as God is 1. Who hath made us 2. Who will infinitely reward us 3. To serve whom is our most perfect freedome and happinesse 4. And who is able to give us strength to performe it 5. And who is tenderly sensible of our weaknesses as he is most privy to them 6. And after God hath discovered this unto us and required the proportion of one day in seven to be consecrated to him and that under the Law surely reason doth suggest that we cannot performe lesse unto him under the Gospell 2. As touching the particularity of the day under this proportion 1. We read that there is one that is Lord of the Sabbath Now in reason who shall appoint this day but he that is Lord of it especially considering that it is his holy day Es 58. and such festivalls were said to be of his making Psalme 118. 24. This is the day which the Lord hath made not of mans making secondly but it may be said he may leave unto man the appointing of it if it please him I answer that in this case it stands them upon to shew their Charter for this Thirdly for my part I see no cause we should desire any such liberty but rather pray unto God to blesse us from it 1. For as I am flesh I shall bee sure to put it off to the end of the weeke and I may be gone out of the world ere that day comes and when that day comes I shall be as loath to come to the service that day requires as ever and assoone weary of it and say when will the Sabbath be gone that I may returne to my former courses secondly as I am spirit I have cause to make choyce of the first day for à Iove principium and Adam and Eve being after the beasts of the field made on the sixt day and planted in Paradise the seventh day was the first entire day to him 4. Doctor Lake Bishop of Bath and Wells observes that festivalls dayes have ever beene commended unto us by some notable worke done on that day Now what worke like unto the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the weeke 5. Bishop Andrewes observes in his Starre Chamber speech that this
resurrection brings with it a new creation and calls for a new Sabbath and I find this to have beene the observation of Athanasius about 1300. yeeres agoe 6. If we were left at liberty in the choyce of the day it is to be feared that if there were twenty dayes in the weeke there would be twenty differences betweene us thereabouts 7. Lastly if left at libertie I find no reason why we should keepe our selves to the observation of the same day this is so apt and prone to breed in us an opinion of the necessitie thereof and so plunge us into superstition ere we are aware and thereby make our whole service of God on that day distastfull unto him To proceed the Practise of the Apostles is in Scripture represented unto us in three severall places the first whereof is Act. 20. 7. upon the first day of the weeke when the Disciples came together to breake bread Paul preached unto them The practise is improved thus why is it said expressely that the Disciples came together to heare the word preached and receive the Sacraments rather on this day then any other rather then on the Iewish Sabbath were it not then a custome to celebrate on that day their publique meetings the Sabbath of the Iewes beginning by degrees to vanish It is farther confessed that the Fathers and all interpreters almost doe so conceive it Observe not a Father is found to take it in any other sense only the Magdeburgenses and Calvin are said to stick at the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if it might signifie some one day of the weeke and yet in Scripture phrase it is apparant that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Marc. 16. 9. is all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 20. 19. And it is Salmasius his observation that the Pythagoreans called the first day of the weeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 insteed of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But the Doctor professeth that from a casuall fact he seeth not how a solemne Institution may be justly grounded but it is not proved that this fact was casuall nay the text carryeth in the face of it manifest evidence against casualitie For it is said that they came together to eat bread all then convening to a sacred action how could this be done if they had not agreed hereupon before especially it being a businesse whereabout they came that required solemne and sacred preparation all which affront casualitie Take the circumstances aright The Disciples from divers parts came together that day about solemne and sacred action therefore it was ordered before to meet together on that day Now this concludes only concerning them and therefore Wallaeus professeth that the force of these three texts taken apart doe not conclude but joyntly Now by the next place 1. Cor. 16. 2. it appeareth that the same day was the ordinary day of meeting for the Corinths and for the Churches of Galatia also Now how came it to passe the same day was the day of meeting about holy exercises in the Church of Ephesus the Church of Corinth and in the Churches of Galatia could this ordinary course for so much is signified 1. Cor. 16. 2. of so many Churches concurring herein come to passe by chance or could their consent herein so many Churches so farre distant one from another be wrought by chance and not rather in all reason was wrought by authority Apostolicall And as for the second place 1 Cor. 16. 2. whereas the exception is that there it is said the Apostles ordered collections on that day but not their meetings yet Doctor Andrewes in his Starre Chamber speech alleageth it as the Apostles precept for their meetings on that day and so doth Paraeus for though it be not expressed yet so much is implyed as by the reason formerly mentioned hath beene argued especially considering the last place Revel 1. 10. where the first day of the weeke is called the Lords day a notable evidence of the divine authority the Scripture phrase no where calling any the Lords day or the Lords Altars or the Lords feasts but such as are of the Lords institution and in this particular Bishop Andrewes compares the Lords day with the Lords Supper professing the notion to be a like in both And hereupon it is most ingenuously acknowledged that The alteration of the name doth intimate that the Sabbath was also altered in relation to Gods worship but the appointment of the tim c. wherein endeth this Section And the next begins with this question what then shall we affirme that the Lords day is founded on divine authority and the answer is For my part without prejudice to any mans opinion I assent unto it how ever the arguments like me not whereby it is supported well therefore let us lovingly and candidly as it becomes the gates of the muses conferre about these arguments First this inference offends me That in the cradle of the world God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it therefore all men are bound to sanctifie it by the Law of Nature since I both doubt whether the Patriarches did observe it before Moses time and have learnt also that the Law of nature is immutable Doctor Andrewes in his patterne of Catecheticall Doctrine writes saying This is a principle that the Decalogue is the Law of nature revived and the law of nature is the Image of God But let us consider the argument It is one thing to except against the antecedent another to except against the inference made herence As touching the Antecedent it is one thing what God hath ordained and may be another thing what the Patriarches observed we say God ordained it in as much as hee commanded it in these words Therefore God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it that is commanded man to sanctifie it as hath beene proved and is also confessed only to helpe themselves as it were at a dead lift they say those words in Genesis are uttered by way of anticipation as much as to say because God rested on that day therefore God commanded man to rest on the same day and sanctifie it but when 2500. yeeres after for the unreasonablenesse of which interpretation and the incongruitie thereof unto the same words repeated in the fourth commandement I appeale to that which I have formerly discoursed he reupon Now if God from the beginning ordained the seventh day to be kept holy wee leave it to every sober conscience to judge whether it be not most likely that both Adam and the holy Patriarches observed it for we insist not in this argument upon humane observation but meerely upon Divine institution And though God did from the beginning command it yet it followeth not that all men are bound to sanctifie that day unlesse they have some evidence of Gods command wherewith we are made acquainted by the Scriptures If the law of nature be meant a light of nature convincing us we doe not infer herence or at all maintaine
the fall which I thinke more then probable though the Broughtonists hasten the fall before the Sabbath And I cannot without good reason yield that the patriarchs had no set time for divine service I meane a weekely time 31 True it is that Christ did rest from suffering upon the seventh but the last enemy death was not apparently overthrowne untill the reunion of his soule and body till he rose againe for our justification c. Therefore did the apostles make that the consummation of redemption in Christs Person 35 You cannot finde in all the 14. to the Romans that the Apostle is positive in the doctrine of dayes he expresseth a mutuall indulgence untill men had attained 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning the liberty from Moses Law Neither doth he beare out the Gentiles against the Jewes but qualifie rather the destempered zeale of the Gentiles that were too hot against the Jewes Sensus dictorum sumendus est ex causis dicendorum It is plaine that there was a questioÌ„ whether the Christian gentile should be pressed to observe the ceremonies whereunto the christian Jewes were pertinaciously addicted but never was there for ought I read a question whether the Jewes should keepe the Lords day for I think they never refused it Had there been such a quarrell I would enlarge the sense of that Chapter as you doe to our question but seeing there was not I see not how it should be reasonably done 36 I say not that the Apostles imprinted any holinesse upon the first day of the weeke It was Christs resurrection that honoured that day which I say the Apostles were to respect not arbitrarily but necessarily You may perceive the reason in my Theses You cannot observe from the beginning of the world any other inducement to the institution of feasts but Gods worke done on the day If it were not a continued worke as the dwelling in Tabernacles But you thinke the Apostles did not prescribe the observation of that day No you confesse they made choice of it and were moved so to doe by the reason which I alleage And were they not scattered over all the world where they came did they not all give the same order for the sacred assemblies And shall we thinke that this could be done without an apostolicall prescript 37. 43. I conjoyne them because one answer will cleare both Let us then first agree what it is for a thing to be Liberae observationis The Questionist in his interpretation which commonly is received leaveth a possibility for an alteration by humane auctority if any reason shall perswade a conveniency so to doe though so long as publike auctority commandeth it he will have it dutifully observed Whereupon will follow a Consectary or two First that this Law doth not immediately bind the conscience because Merè humani Iuris positivi Secondly that Extra scandalum a man may transgresse it For example a Tradesman may worke in his Chamber if no body bee privy to it If this be the Commentary upon Libera observatio and if it be well inquired into you will finde that I doe not mistake the meaning then I professe I cannot like of such a Libera observatio For I am perswaded that if all Christendome should meete and have never so plausible a ground they cannot alter the day de jure though de facto they may but it is worse then pâ—evishnesse so to doe And why they cannot alter the first ground Christs rising upon that day Secondly they cannot alter the uniforme order that upon that undenyable ground was set down by the Apostles themselves which were infallibly guided by the Holy Ghost And out of these grounds I deduce that the Law doth immediately bind their conscience And that it is to be observed even where it may be transgressed without any scandall Christ and the Apostles were not absolutely bound to lay such a foundation of the Lords Day and so it was Liberae institutionis but they having layd it I deny that it is now Liberae Observationis so that under God I know no power that can alter it The Fathers speake of the Jewish Sabbath and Allegorize that as it was carnally used by the Jewes But we shall wrong the Fathers if we thinke they held that there was no Morality in the Letter of the Commandement For though there were a mystery figured in it yet they doe not deny that there was a morall proportioning of time for Divine Service prescribed therein which is the seventh part of the weeke It is one thing to say that all our life time we must be religious in our conversation and keepe a spirituall Sabbath anotherthing to affirme that we must not have a solemne weekely day wherein to intend onely Divine worship This last point the Fathers doe not say the former they doe and to argue from their Omission is to extend their words beyond their meaning at least their meaning is not adaequate to the sense of the Commandement No nor to their practise For they did constantly observe a seventh part of the weeke which I say is the first principle contained in the fourth Commandement Though I deny not but there is moreover a limitation to the seventh day from the Creation exprest which Christ and his Apostles altered but this alteration cannot overthrow the first principle they may both well goe together To the particular allegations out of the Fathers I will answer no more then that what they say is true but doth not contradict what I hold For the mysticall sense doth not overthrow the literall of the Commandement And they understand the seventh day precisely from the Creation which we confesse altered and speake not of the divine Ordinance for the apportioning of time but the carnall observation of the Jewes And your answer to the first Question grounded on the Fathers words may passe for good but there is more in the Commandement then so Your Answer to the second I cannot so well approve because it is Exclusive As for your third answer That the fourth Commandement is not the Law of nature but a positive law take the Law of Nature for Morall Reason then I think there is more then meere positivenesse in it For morall reason teacheth to honour the day whereon the work is done and that morall reason which gave this in charge was Apostolicall and so of a commanding power in both And then you see that it is neither meerely positive nor meerely naturall but mixt and so binding accordingly ut supra ad Thesin 37. 43. You adde two Questions 1 Whether seeing the Lords day succeeds the Jewish Sabbath wee are to keepe it in the same manner and with the same strictnesse First I hold in my Theses that our Lords day doth properly succeed the Sabbath instituted at the Creation Whereupon I separate all the Accessories from Moses Law Secondly The Jewes did misconsture the stricknesse of their Sabbath as appeareth by the many
at the first yet others say it might be afterwards and give instance in the rain-bow which though in course of nature extant before yet was not a signe till after the Flood and though I know some who would not admit of this instance yet the Thesis seemes very possible and clearely of such a condition was matrimony ordained without all question before the fall 3. What is that which they say is not ceremoniall is it the service of the day in the sanctifying of it None that I know maintains that to be necessarily ceremoniall Or is it the rest of the day Observe well and you shal find no rest expresly commanded at the first but only it is signified that God dedicated it to his service which yet I confesse willingly draws after it a rest from all works opposite or impedimentall to the sanctification of it 4. Thus they take little care to satisfie the Fathers who generally concurre in acknowledging the ceremoniality of it And we are too weak in these dayes to beare up an opinion in flat contradiction to the Ancients and to keepe our selves blamelesse Yet Doctor Andrews Bishop of Winchester ere hee died in his pattern of Catechetical doctrine professeth against the ceremoniality of it but so as acknowledging it to prefigure the rest we shall have from our sins in Christ and that therefore the day is changed though as he thinks the ceremony not thereby proved Yet pag. 241. having proposed such a question Whether we must observe the Sabbath as the Jewes did not to kindle a fire nor to dresse any meat on that day answereth thus We say No for this was but ceremoniall and belonged only unto them 5. Upon this ground to wit upon the denying of the ceremoniality of the particular day they will hardly be able to justifie the abrogation of it For albeit they find some ground for observation of the Lords day yet no ground at all for the abrogation of the seventh And that which is only positive must still continue till it be abrogated by as good authority as whereby it was made 1. And wee find the practise of the Church for the observation of both some hundreds of yeares continued 2. And it seemes congruous to reason in the judgement of those who oppose both the institution of it forthwith after the creation and the morality of one day in seven that wee should consecrate to Gods service rather more dayes than fewer And surely to discover as good ground for â—â—servation of the Lords day now as for observation of the seventh formerly is the greatest difficulty that I find in this argument if not insuperable whereof yet wee shall find our selves in greater measure eased if we can shew manifest evidence for the abrogation of the seventh which was sabbaticall to the Jewes Now first this is clearly performed by acknowledgeing the ceremoniality of it which yet I doe not affect should be acknowledged without proofe Secondly thus also the Fathers shall fairely be satisfied Thirdly and the Introduction of the Lords day in the place therof advanced Fourthly especially if the ceremoniality be so cleared as plainly to manifest that the body thereof was Christ which is a very hard taske to performe of all other ceremonies yea of all other Sabbaths or any other Sabbath save of the weekely Sabbath But of all these to wit 1. Of the originall institution of it 2. Of the morality of one day in seven as perpetually to be observed 3. Of the authority of the Lords day introduced into the place of the seventh by more than Ecclesiasticall or Humane constitution we shall speak more by occasion of the severall passages in this discourse which comes to be examined so to make way to enquire about the sanctification of the Lords day whether in opposition as much to worldly sports and pastimes or more rather as to the works of our calling For to the consideration hereof we are now driven it being now held that they who speak or write against such sports and pastimes upon the Lords day our Christian Sabbath doe oppose truth Now whether we do oppose truth in standing for the sanctification of the Lords day and maintaining these pastimes specified to be an impediment thereunto we desire to commend our selves to the judgement of every Christian conscience upon consideration of our reasons herein represented Our Savior commands us to give unto Caesar that which is Caesars and unto God the things that are Gods and wee hold our selves bound to hearken unto his voice as we hope to be saved by his grace And because in some cases it may bee doubtfull what belongs unto Caesar and what belongs unto God by reason of the darknesse of our understanding and weaknesse of our judgement it behooves us so much the more to labour in the investigation of this difference and carefully looke unto it that under colour of giving unto Caesar that which is Caesars we doe not give unto Caesar that which is not Caesars and not give unto God that which is Gods and under colour of giving unto God that which is Gods we doe not give unto God that which is not Gods and not give unto Caesar that which is Caesars And albeit D. Prideaux his Lecture was neither delivered as I am perswaded by word of mouth nor afterwards set forth in print to strengthen so sharpe proceedings against the Ministers of God as now are in course yet seeing it hath been of late translated and published in English with a Preface to the justifying of the same proceedings even then as it seemes intended and that neither according to any Law or Canon that we know of therefore I am driven who otherwise I am verily perswaded should never have set hand unto this worke but left it unto others who are better versed in practicall and pastorall Divinity than my selfe to give my self to the examination both of the Preface and of the Booke it selfe for we labour as it were for life under the burthen of it and this is set forth as it seemes to promote our condemnation THE DOCTRINE OF THE SABBATH DELIVERED in the Act at Oxenford Anno 1622. By D. PRIDEAUX His Majesties Professor in Divinity in that UNIVERSITIE And now translated into English for the benefit of the common people Marke 2. 27. The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath Together with an Examination thereof The Preface of the Translator to the Christian Reader OF all the Controversies which have exercised the Church of Christ there is none more ancient than that of the Sabbath So ancient that it tooke beginning even in the Infancie of the Church and grew up with it For as we reade in the Acts There rose up certaine of the Sect of the Pharises which beleeved saying That it was needfull to circumcise the people and to command them to keep the Law of Moses whereof the Sabbath was a part which in the generall as the Apostles
God ordained it should be sanctified but only by way of anticipation for the time to come But this was not the opinion of the Jewes Manasseth Ben Israel a moderne Rabbin in his booke intituled The Reconciler Conciliator according to the argument of that his writing which is to reconcile places of Scripture in shew disagreeing and that upon enquiry into all the Rabbins both ancient and later in his 36. Question upon Exodus writes thus as out of the opinion of the Ancients those words Thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in Egypt observe how he expounds them Ac si diceret cogita in Aegypto ubi serviebas etiam ipso Sabbato per vim te coactum ad labores as if he should say thinke with thy selfe that in Egypt where thou servedst thou wast by force constrained to labour on the very Sabbath Evidently manifesting not out of his owne particular opinion but as out of the generall opinion of their ancient Rabbins that the Sabbath and the observation thereof was a duty in the very dayes of the Patriarchs And in the end concludes thus Igitur Deus benedictus cupiens Sabbatum cujus sanctimoniam tantis document is approbaverat in aeternum ab omnibus coli decem praeceptis illud inseruit quo scientes praecepta aterna esse etiam hoc inter ea habendum intelligerent Therefore the blessed God it is fit I should translate it for the benefit of the common people desiring that the Sabbath might bee observed for ever of all whose sanctity by so many documents he had commended placed it in the Dialogue that it made it one of the tenne Commandements to the end that knowing those precepts to bee everlasting they should understand that this Commandement also was to be accomplished amongst them And indeed Tertullian himselfe professeth that the Jewes were of this opinion as Rivetus observes out of his booke against the Jewes thus translated God from the beginning did sanctifie the seventh day resting from all the workes that hee had made and that thereupon Moses said unto the people Remember yee the Sabbath day to sanctifie it And therefore when Mercer saith concerning the meaning of these words Genes 2. 3. Hebraei fere referunt in futurum the Jewes for the most part referre it to the time to come he is to be understood of the later Jewes but of this more shall be spoken ere wee part from this section 4 Fourthly not one of the ancient Fathers is alleaged by our adversaries delivering his opinion upon that passage Genes 2. 3. to shew what hee conceives to bee the true meaning thereof which yet is the onely ground whereupon our doctrine is built concerning the originall institution of the Sabbath and seeing it contains a meaning at first sight manifestly contradictious to that which they affirne as wee interpret it of the weekely Sabbath without reference unto the Jewish manner of observing it therefore in this case it stood them upon to take notice of that place and by some faire interpretation vindicate themselves from suspition of contradicting the expresse Word of God 5 Tertullian himselfe justifies our doctrine namely that God from the beginning sanctified the seventh day as Rivetus shewes out of his fourth booke against Marcion cap. 12. where hee sayth Christum ipsum Sabbati diem benedictione Patris à primordio sanctum benefactione sua efficâ—re sanctiorem That Christ himselfe made that day more holy by his well doing on that day which by the benediction of the Father was made holy from the beginning So that Tertullians meaning in the place alleaged to the contrary cannot bee that the ancient Patriarchs simply observed not the weekely Sabbath but onely that they observed it not after that manner the Jewes did and that the like interpretation must bee given of the passages alleaged out of other of the Ancients 6 For further proofe whereof observe that Theodoret albeit on the 20. of Ezekiel hee saith in like manner that God prescribed unto the Jewes the sabbaticall vacations Ut haec civilis administrationis ratio peculiaris à Gentium quidem eos distingueret institutis that this peculiar administration might distinguish them from the customes of the Gentiles yet Wallaeus shewes that the same Theodoret in his questions upon Genesis doth manifestly declare that even from the beginning of the creation God did ordaine this day to rest and sanctification As who having created the creatures in six dayes by the rest of the seventh day manifested the creation to be perfected like as in seven dayes hee concluded the whole circle of dayes And that by blessing the seventh day and sanctifying it he declared Quod non illum diem inutilem putabat ad creandum sed ad quietem accommodatum statuit The meaning whereof in effect is this that hee did not thinke that day unfit to have any thing created therin but onely it was his pleasure to ordaine it for a day of rest The same Author shewes Chrysostome to bee of the same opinion in his 10. Homily on Genesis whose words in Latine he rendreth thus Iam hinc ab initio doctrinam hanc nobis insinuat Deus erudiens in circulo hebdomodae diem unum integrum segregandum reponendum ad spiritualem operationem Now from the beginning God insinuates this instruction teaching that in the circle of the weeke one entire day is to bee sequestred and imployed on spirituall actions These authorities in my judgement should bee of the greater force for as much as they deliver their opinion by way of interpretation of Gods Word and that according to the plaine literall meaning and that such as whereunto every Christians conscience not fore-stalled with prejudice is prone enough to yeeld by reason of the native evidence of the words For they denote an externall action and transient not an internall and immanent in God all of which kinde are eternall which externall action is the dedication of the day to holy uses which cannot bee imagined to bee done any other way as I should thinke then by commanding it to bee sanctified The same Author shewes Austin to have beene of the same judgement writing thus When God sanctified the seventh day because thereon hee rested from all his workes hee did not deliver ought concerning the Fast or Dinner of the Sabbath nor afterwards when to the Hebrew people hee gave commandement for the observation of the day it selfe did hee mention ought as touching the receiving or not receiving of food onely commandement is given concerning mens vacation from their owne or from servile workes which vacation the former people receiving as a shadow of things to come in such manner rested from their workes as now wee behold the Iewes to rest Hee citeth also Theophilus Patriarch of Antioch a most ancient writer in his second booke to Autolychus writing thus Furthermore as touching the seventh which amongst al people is celebrious most men are in great ignorance For this
saith Veteres subrogarunt diem dominicum in locum Sabbati The Ancients subrogated the Lords Day in place of the Sabbath But he takes no notice of that which immediately followes in Calvin as a reason of the former thus For whereas in the Lords Resurrection is found the end and accomplishment of the true rest which the ancient Sabbath shaddowed by the very day which set an end to shadowes Christians are admonished not to stick unto the shadowing ceremonie Where observe First as touching the persons noted by Veteres the Ancients first and then by Christiani Christians Are not these the Apostles as much as any other and they in the first place as wee best knew what that was which did set an end to shadowes and accordingly to give notice of the pregnant signification of the Day of the Lords Resurrection and therefore 1 Cor. 16. 2. Hee doth intirely referre this to the Apostles as whom he confesseth constrayned by the Iewish superstition to have abrogated the Sabbath and in the place thereof ordeyned the Lords Day Secondly observe that the accomplishment of that which was signified by the Jewish Sabbath he ascribes to the Resurrection And Doctor Andrewes Bishop of Winchester in his speech delivered in the Starre Chamber in the case of Traske professeth that It hath ever beene the Churches doctrine that Christ made an end of all Sabbaths by his Sabbath in the grave That Sabbath saith he was the last of them And that Christs Resurrection brought with it a new Creation and a new Creation requires a new Sabbath And hee alleageth Austin Ep. 119. saying The Lords Day was declared to Christians by Christ his Resurrection and from thence began to have its festivity But that at this time Calvin should thinke it alterable by the Church no colour of proofe is brought and most unreasonable it is for any to conceave the Sabbath to be as alterable now as in the Apostles dayes it was when from the Saturday they translated it unto the Sunday For that alteration depended upon a second Creation as both Bishop Andrewes observes and that out of Athanasius de Sabbato circumcision◠And Bishop Lakes was of the same opinion as his discourse in Manuscript yet to be seene doth manifest So that unlesse this Prefacer can devise a third Creation and maintaine withall the rest on the Lords Day to bee as ceremoniall as the Jewes rest on the seventh Day was there is no colour why the Christian Sabbath on the Lords Day should bee as alterable now as the day of the Jewish Sabbath was As for the 3. conclusions which hee saith Calvin resolves upon the first whereof hee saith to be this that one day in seven is not the morall part of the fourth Commandement I say Calvin avoucheth no such thing and Wallaeus shewes that generally the friends of Calvin maintained the contrary between whom neverthelesse and Calvin it was never known that there was any contention herabouts And already I have shewed how unshamefastly this Prefacer abuseth Calvin in alledging one halfe of his sentence and leaving the other part quite out so making Calvin to deliver that absolutely which he affirmes onely conditionally The second resolution which he obtrudes upon Calvin is that the day was changed from the last day of the weeke to the first by the authority of the Church and not by any divine ordinance It is true Calvin sayth not that the day was changed by divine ordinance neither doth he say that it was changed by the authority of the Church but in plaine termes professeth that the Apostles changed it in one place and that admonition was given for the change of it by the consideration of the Day of Christs Resurrection in another to wit Institut lib. 2. cap. 8. Sect. 36. Now let every sober conscience consider whether that day which was first ordained by authority Divine the apostles would alter by lesse authority then authority Divine especially considering that Christs redemption of the World is the restauration of the World which is as a new Creation and as the Lord rested the seventh day from the workes of Creation so the day of Christs Resurrection was the day of his rest from the worke of redemption so that still the day of the Lords rest is the day of our rest not indeed the day of the Lord our Creators rest that ceasing as being ceremoniall as before hath beene shewed out of Doctor Andrewes but the day of the Lord our Redeemers rest which brought with it a new Creation is now the day of our rest And who was nearer or dearer unto Calvin then Beza whose words upon Revel 1 10. are to this effect He calls that the Lords Day which Paul calls the first of the Sabbaths 1 Cor. 16. 2. Acts 20. 7. on which day it appeares that even then were made the more frequent assemblies by Christians like as the Iewes came together in their Synagogues on the Sabbath Day wherby it may appeare that the fourth precept of sanctifying the seventh day as touching the day of the Sabbath and legall rites was ceremoniall but as touching the worship of God is of the morall Law unalterable and perpetually to continue in this life And that day of the Sabbath continued in force from the creation of the World to the day of Christs Resurrection which being as it were another Creation of another spirituall World as the Prophets speake then for the Sabbath of the former world or seventh day was assumed the first day of this new World the holy Ghost without doubt dictating thus much to the Apostles As for the third last resolutiō which he pins upon Calvins sleeve namely that the day of rest to be sanctified to the Lord is yet alterable by the church as at first it was neither that first alteration is by Calvin sayd to be made by the church but expressely by the apostles they admonished hereof by the day of Christs resurrection and Beza professeth that our Christian assemblies on the Lords Day are of Apostolicall and Divine tradition And observe I pray how Bishop Andrewes pleades for Episcopall authority as by Divine right in his answer to the first Epistle of Peter Moulin An est apostolicum factum aliquod jure non apostolico Apostolico autem id est ut ego interpretor Divino Nec enim aliquid ab apostolis factum non dictante hoe iis spiritu Sancto Divino Is there any fact of the Apostles by right not apostolicall But by apostolicall that is as I interpret it by Divine For neither was there any thing done by the Apostles which the holy and divine Spirit did not dictate unto them Shall this be of force for the institution of Bishops and shall it not be of force for the institution of the Lords Day as by Divine right But put the case it were so in every particular of Calvin as this Prefacer avoucheth how comes it about that our adversaries practise
to choake us with the authority of Calvin shall we beurged to yield to the authority of Calvin who are reproched usually as Calvinists and so nicknamed In my time of being in the University we heard by credible relation how in one of the Colleges questions were set up to be disputed Contrà Ioannem Calvinum and that disputations of that nature were sometimes concluded in this manner Relinquamus Calvinum in hisce faecibus and we commonly say there is no smoake without some fire No longer agoe then at the act in Oxford last save one Anno 1634. I heard Calvinists reckoned up amongst Papists Pelagians Arminians Puritans as sectaries at least if not as Heretiques by him that preached the act Sermon on the Lords Day in the afternoone and is it fit that we should be pregravated by the opinion of Calvin a man whose memory seemes to be hated by men of this Prefacers spirit so as few men more The fourth Section NEither was hee the onely one that hath so determined For for the first that to keepe holy one day of seven is not the morall part of the fourth Commandement our Doctor hath delivered in the third section that not Tostatus onely but even Aquinas and with him all the schoolemen have decreed upon it Nor was there any that opposed it in the schooles of Rome that I have met with till Catarinus tooke up Armes against Tostatus affirming but with ill successe that the Commandement of the Sabbath was imposed on Adam in the first cradle of the World there where the Lord is sayd to blesse the seventh Day and to sanctifie it 2 As for the Protestant schooles besides what is affirmed by Calvin and seconded by the Doctor in this following discourse this seemes to be the judgement of the Divines in the low Countries Franciscus Gomarus one knowne sufficiently for his undertakings against Arminians published An. 1628. a little treatise about the originall of the Sabbath and therein principally canvased these two questions First whether the Sabbath were ordained by God immediately upon the Creation of the World Then whether all Christians are obliged by the fourth Commandement alwayes to set a part one day in seven to Gods holy worship both which he determines negatively And Doctor Rivet one of the foure professors in Leyden although he differs in the first yet in the second which doth most concerne us Christians they agree together affirming also joyntly that the appointing of the Lords Day for Gods publique service was neither done by God himselfe nor by his Apostles but by the authority of the Church For seconds Gomarus brings in Vatablus and Wolfgangus Musculus and Rivet voucheth the authority of our Doctor here For so Gomarus in the assertion and defense of the first opinion against this Rivet De quibus etiam cl doctiss Doctor Prideaux in oratione de Sabbato consensionem extare eodem judicio by Rivets information libenter intelleximus I will adde one thing onely which is briefely this The Hollanders when they discovered Fretum le Morire An. 1615. though they observed a most exact accompt of their time at Sea yet at their comming home they found comparing their accompt with theirs in Holland that they had lost a day that which was Sunday to the one being Munday to the other Which of necessity must happen as it is calculated by Geographers to those that compasse the World from West to East as contrary they had got a day had they sayled it Eastward And what should these people doe when they were returned if they must sanctifie precisely one day in seven they must have sanctified a day a part from their to her Countreymen and had a Sabbath by themselves or to comply with with others must have broken the morall Law which must for no respects be violated See more hereof at large in Carpenters Geogr. p. 237. Exam. That Calvin hath any where so determined this Prefacer hath not prooved but shamefully dismembred him thereby to make him to deliver something absolutly which he delivers onely conditionally and that in opposition unto Papists who will have the Lords Day to be kept not onely for order and policy sake but by reason of some mystery and this Calvin professeth to be Jewish Aquinas his words are these Habere aliquod tempus deputatum ad vacandum Divinis cadit sub praecepto morali sed in quantum in hoc praecepto determinatur speciale tempus in signum creationis Mundi sic est praeceptum ceremoniale To have some time deputed wherein to rest for things Divine falls under the morall precept But for as much as in this precept is determined a speciall time in signe of the Creation of the World so it is a praecept ceremoniall Where I doe observe first that this ceremoniality is apparently ascribed to the seventh day and that considered as a signe of the Creation and not to one day in seven And this indeed may well be the concurrent opinion of Schole Divines As for Abulensis of what authority is he to preponderate any one of our Divines nay I appeale to every humane conscience whether no more be morall in this precept then to set some time apart for Gods service For what is it nothing materiall whether we set apart for divine Service one day in a weeke or one day in a month or one day in a yeare or one day in twenty yeares or one day throughout the whole course of a mans life what conscience can be found so cauteriate as to justifie this If so then let him proceed and say it is nothing materiall whether wee consecrate unto God one houre in a day or one houre in a weeke or one houre in a month or one houre in a yeare or but one houre throughout the whole course of a mans life So that I presume every sober man by the very light of nature will be driven to confesse that not only some time ought to be set apart for Gods worship as the Schoolemen commonly teach but that a convenient proportion of time ought to be destinated unto this Now let reason itselfe judge whether any more convenient proportion of time can be devised for this then the proportion of one day in seven And herein let us oppose Azorius to Tostatus if Tostatus doe oppose the morality of one day in seven which is more then I finde a Papist to confront a Papist who plainly affirmeth Rationi maximè consentaneum esse that it is most agreeable to reason that after six workedayes one day should bee consecrated to the service of God Especially since God hath discovered unto us that this is his good pleasure namely that one day in seven should be consecrated unto his service First that we might not be left at large to our own hearts to proportion out the time for Gods Service Secondly for the maintenance of uniformity herein amongst his people who being left unto themselves might and in all
of travellours nay our life is a warfare and the Divell and his angells of darknesse goe about continually like so many roaring Lyons and hungry Beares seeking whom they may devoure So that we travell to Heaven as it were by dennes of Lyons and over mountaines of Libbards And will any wise man say that it matters not much in this case whether we acquaint our selves with the Armour of God one day in a weeke or one day in a moneth or one day in a yeare to arme our selves against such ghostly and watchfull enemies Secondly considering that it was never knowne that any master from the highest to the lowest was so foolish to leave it to his servant to cut out what proportion of service he thinkes fit wherewith to satisfie his master for his keeping and for the wages which he expecteth at his hands These things considered I say this first argument of Doctor Wallaeus is of great evidence and force and therefore it is to be well weighed and considered what answer either Doctor Rivetus or any other doth make unto it and what satisfaction it gives Now the answer that hee makes unto it proceeds not in his owne name but in the name of another to wit in the name of Gomarus and such as concurre with him To this they answer saith he that it is no inconvenience that there is no certaine number or circle of dayes defined for Gods service by any precept It is enough that the nature of publique worship in generall comprehended in the fourth Commandement doth require that not only certaine dayes be observed but that the number of them be sufficient also nor fewer then the right institution of the Church the salvation of men and glory of God doe require and that God by not defining it hath not left unto us a wild licentiousnes but a prudent liberty And therefore that it cannot be differred to one day in twenty or thirty much lesse to one of a thousand 2. Over and above they note saith he that from the morall reason of precept it is gathered what number of dayes is sufficient for Divine Service namely that seeing we are eased of the burden of ceremonies whereof the Iewes were not and yet God required one day in seven to be kept holy by them we may be more frequent in Divine offices but ought not to be lesse but yet that GOD hath not precisely tied Christians to any that is as I take it to any day in the weeke whereas it should be to any proportion of time otherwise it is nothing to the present purpose 3. Doctor Rivetus addes this of his owne that Whereas this also is morall that some rest be granted to servants and labourers in charity the labour for so many dayes cannot be exacted of them without some rest To this I reply Here we have acknowledged that not only some time but also a sufficient proportion of time is to be set apart for Gods publique service and that by the very light of nature for that I conceave to be his meaning and not with reference to the precise Commandement commanding it but with reference unto it as it is morall and so acknowledged by light of nature For it is apparent that the Commandement in requiring a seventh doth therein require one day in seven and not leave it at randome what proportion of time but defines it 2. I appeale to every mans conscience and that as guided by the very light of nature so farre as it may be justly thought to be incorrupt whether it be not more fit the Lord himselfe should set downe what proportion of time he thinkes sufficient then that the definition hereof should be left to the servant and that for these considerations 1. If it be left unto man how improbable is it that all the Nations of the World as Christians are or may be found in all will concurre in judgement and if they doe not who seeth not what a way is hereby opened to miserable distraction and confusion consider what Socrates hath written of different rites in keeping Lent and in observing holydayes 2. If it be left to man it is very likely that little enough will be thought sufficient so burthensome unto flesh and bloud is Gods service and the major part in most Nations if not in all even of the best as is to be feared is not truly regenerate Foras our Saviour tells us though many be called yet but few are chosen 3. upon this he concludes it may not be differred to the twentieth day yet it is well knowne that Brentius hath professed it may be differred to the fourteenth upon Leviticus 25. 8. as Doctor Bownde alleageth him Now if so great a writer hath beene of opinion that from the seventh it may be put off to the 14 th why may not another rise up and maintaine that from the fourteenth it may bee put off to the twentieth so dangerous it is to forsake that light which God hath given us in his Word and by way of divination hunt after a new light of evidence in the counsailes of our owne hearts In the light of my conscience it seemes most absurd that it should be left to the servant to cut out what proportion of service he thinkes good unto his master 2. It is well that both he and Gomarus thinke we are bound to cut out a better proportion of Gods Service then was prescribed to the Iewes rather then a worse yet Brentius as great a writer as any of these thinkes otherwise as wee have heard 3. doth only our freedome from the yoke of ceremonies requires this and not much more 1. the love of God revealed unto us in Christ in the dayes of the Gospell 2. the encombrance of Gods Truth with errors and heresies and those very dangerous ones 3. and in a word the strong opposition that in these daies of the Gospell is made and will be made more and more as the end of all things doth approach both unto faith and holinesse It is noted to be the sinne of Christendom not to receave the love of the truth 2 Thess 2. And of these latter times Paul hath prophesied that men should be lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God 3. as for this opinion of Gomarus and Rivetus I am glad they are so farre convicted of truth in this argument as to professe that we ought to keepe holy rather more dayes then fewer But why then doe not the states of Holland under whom they live if they be of the same opinion make it good by practise And the French-Churches also But they want example in antiquity for this Who seeth not that this is delivered onely to serve turne and helpe at a dead lift when no other way is open to shift off the Argument 3. And lastly whereas he grants with Calvin that after so many dayes to wit after six for no other number was specifyed rest must bee granted to servants on the
seventh doth not this evidently convince that that day must bee our Christian Sabbath For what shall the masters keepe one and the servants another or shall the servants not give themselves to the service of God on the day of their rest but rather on the day of their labour in the workes of their proper callings observe I pray how at every turne the light of Gods direction doth meete with us to keepe us in the good wayes of the Lord if we will not wilfully shut our eyes against it Now let that seventh day which is our Christian Sabbath be well observed first and then let the states take what order they shall see good for the observation of another day also Yet we finde by experience that hardly are men able to maintaine a poore living by labouring hardly six whole dayes in the weeke I come to the second which Rivetus recapitulates in briefe thus 2. It is drawn from the number of six dayes allowed for worke which number cannot consist unlesse it be terminated in rest and in cessation on the seventh To this Rivetus answereth that the six dayes of labour are in reference to the seventh of rest the determination of which seventh day being now taken away a man may worke on any day so long as some day be chosen whether by Divine constitution or humane and reasonable disposition for Divine Service which may be in such sort that fewer dayes shall be left for worke But consider What more reasonable disposition humane then that which is conformable to constitution Divine now it is apparent that God required of the Jewes one day in seven neither was it ever knowen to bee abrogated the particularity of the day is abrogated not the proportion of time ground we have for the one by the ceremoniality of it no colour of ground for the other nor did ever I thinke any man set his wits on worke to devise a ceremonialitie of one day in seven 2. But what shall the morality of rest granted to servants be altered also under the Gospell did Calvin any where teach this may not masters exact as many dayes worke of their servants under the Gospell as under the Law hath not Christ deserved at the hands of servants to be as serviceable to their masters as ever Lastly are those dayes of the World such as wherein a labouring man may maintaine himselfe by the labour of five dayes in a weeke as well as by the labour of six A long time I have found it observed by traffiquers in the World that nothing is more cheape then mens labours a notable evidence how unprofitable servants wee have beene unto God and therefore hee makes the labour of our hands and sweate of our browes to afford very unprofitable service unto us Can these Divines make the World more favourable to crafts-men and bring their commodities in better request then they are if they could let them then change the morality of fervants rest and for one in seven allow them one in three or foure or five their masters will bee the more easily brought to entreat their consciences to condescend Or if Kings had power to make the commodities of their owne Country more worth and the commodities of other Countries lesse worth which upon due consideration will bee found as needfull equally then place might bee made for this Till then let us bee content with Calvines morality of the fourth Commandement in reference to servants rest namely one day after six and therewithall consider whether our Christian Sabbath must not bee confined to that day as the onely day of rest for servants and I hope wee shall not thinke it fit to allow one Sabbath for the masters and another for the servents 3. The third is drawne from the examples of the Apostles and the apostolicall Church who in place of the Iewes Sabbath observed the first day of the weeke without variation therefore by force of the precept one day in seven is to be observed still Never any hath beene found to change this therefore that which hath beene kept from the beginning of the VVorld and shall continue to the end is to bee taken for such as by the Analogy of Gods Commandement binds all men To this Rivetus answereth that the consequence is not firme for as much as Christians observed the Lords Day not of necessity by reason of any binding praecept but of free choise Yet was it wisely done of them lest by a greater change they might offend the Iewes And that it might be a free monument of their maintaining the weekly remembrance of Christs Resurrection Hee sayeth they did it freely but of things freely done without any conscience of duty obliging it was never knowne that so universall a concurrence was found as the observation of the Lords Day Nay Philosophers observe that things freely done as often come to passe to the contrary Againe then it was free for them to observe one day in fourteene as well as one in seven as Breatius professeth and consequently as well one in twenty which Rivetus denies Nay it stood them upon to change the observation lest men by universall and perpetuall practise might bee confirmed in an opinion of the necessity of that which is not necessary It is apparent that as the Lords Day under the Law was one day in seven So the Lords Day in the Gospell was and still is one Day in seven And both himselfe and Gomarus are driven to professe that we may not allow a lesse proportion then one in seven to Divine worship And I appeale to every conscience to judge by the very light of nature whether the Lord requiring of the Jewes one day in seven to bee consecrated unto him it doth not manifestly follow that wee Christians can allow no lesse then one in seven and whether it bee not fit that the Lords Day should bee our holy Day and as for the allowance of more in a weeke then one let them persuade their owne Churches thereunto first and then it will bee time enough for us to hearken unto them And what should move them to illustrate the memory of Christs Resurrection weekly whereas they contented themselves with a yearely memoriall if at all they observed any such of his Nativity Passion and Ascension and sending downe of the Holy Ghost Why doth hee not consider that the day of the weeke onely whereon Christ rose is called the Lords Day in Scripture whereon Iohn the beloved Disciple received from his loving Lord and master that Divine revelation of his concerning things to come 4. If the number of seven that is the observation of one day in seven in this Commandement be changeable then as ceremoniall or as politicall not as ceremoniall for then the Church ought not to observe it Nor as politicall for in the morall Law precepts politicall are not given And to this Rivetus answereth that the observation of the seventh day is ceremoniall and that the Primitive
Church kept it not neither did the Primitive Church keepe it nor doe we keepe it as ceremoniall but another seventh day for Ecclesiasticall policy sake not civill When hee saith we keepe another seventh day he implieth that by the seventh formerly mentioned hee meant that particular day of the weeke which the Iewes kept and that wee indeed acknowledge to bee ceremoniall but in this interpretation of Wallaeus hee manifestly corrupts his adversaries argument which is plainly directed against the ceremoniality of one day in seven indefinitly considered and not against the ceremoniality of the Iewes seventh Yet when he saith the Primitive Church did and we doe keepe a seventh but not as ceremoniall hee speaks to the point but his words following have no coherence herewith so that hee may seeme to shuffle miserably in this affecting to decline that which he is not able to answer But take wee him at the best he must say that the observation of one day in seven was ceremoniall if hee speakes to the purpose Now let him shew us if he can the ceremoniality of one day in seven and how Christ was the body of it nothing more common then to affirme that the Iewes Sabbath was ceremoniall hand over head without any distinction of the sanctification of the day and the rest much lesse distinguishing betweene the rest of one day in seven and the rest of the seventh At length I found a faire way opened for the explication of the ceremoniality found in the rest on the seventh day But as for any ceremoniality in the rest of one day in seven never I thinke any man set his wits on worke to devise that Lastly after such a ceremoniality is devised wee will conferre whether in reason such a thing ought to bee still observed as was ceremoniall unto the Iewes and why may wee not as well observe circumcision with the Ethiopians who observe it only in conformity to Christ who was circumcised Now because Rivetus brings arguments also to the contrary to prove that the observation of one day in seven under the Gospell is not necessary but free it is fit we should consider them also to prove what force is in them If by force of the Commandement a seventh day is to be kept then that day is to be kept which the Commandement hath defined which is the Sabbath of the Iewes To this I answer by denying the consequence and not contenting my selfe with a bare deniall I prove it to bee inconsequent For whereas God in commanding the seventh hath therewithall commanded one in seven and withall specified which of the seven shall bee rested on and sanctified unto his service If it may bee made appeare that the particularity of rest on the seventh day be abrogated and no colour can be brought for the abrogation of the proportion of time to wit of keeping one day in seven it will evidently appeare herewithall that this consequence of Doctor Rivetus is unsound Now this wee prove to bee most true forasmuch as the Jewes rest on the seventh day was ceremoniall profiguring Christs rest on that day in his grave as both the fathers of old and moderne Divines both Papists and Protestants both Lutheranes and Calvinists have acknowledged but never any man was found to devise a ceremoniality of resting one day in seven they may as well give themselves to devise a ceremonality in the setting apart of some time in generall for Gods holy worship and service 2. Now this puts me in minde of another way clearely to demonstrate the inconsequence of Rivetus his argument thus If it will follow that in case wee are bound to such a proportion of time by vertue of this Commandement therefore wee are bound also to keepe the seventh day Then it will follow as well that because wee are bound to set apart some time for the service of God by vertue of this Commandement as all confesse therefore we are bound also to keepe such a proportion of time as is here specified and the seventh day also which is here particulated For like as God doth not command such a proportion of time in speciall but by commanding the observation of the seventh day in like sort neither doth God Command a time in generall to bee set apart for his service but by commanding of such a proportion of time in speciall and such a Day in particular 2. His second argument runnes thus if the observation of every seventh day bee morall it must bee knowne by light of nature but so it is not Therefore it is not morall and seeing it is not politicall it must bee ceremoniall and therefore doth nor oblige by force of Law morall To this I answer first Let but Doctor Rivetus stretch his wits to describe unto us what ceremoniality can possibly bee devised in the obsertion of one day in seven and when hee hath devised it I dare appeale to his owne judgement and conscience for the appobation of it For I doe not thinke it possible for the wit of man with any colour of reason to devise a ceremoniality to be constituted in the observation of one day in seven speaking of it indefinitly as wee doe the body whereof can bee found in Christ for of such ceremonies wee speake that as shadowes are to flee away when the body comes in place 2. Neither doth it follow that because it is not morall nor politicall therefore it is ceremoniall for some will say that it is positive as touching the defining of some particular necessarily required to the performance of a morall duty As for example not to go further then the matter in hand for instance it is generally confessed to be a morall duty by naturall instinct that some time is to bee set apart for Gods service but of our selves wee are to seeke of the proportion of time it is fit for none so much as for God himselfe our Creator and consequently our great Lord and master to define what proportion of time shall be allowed for his service now this they call positively morall as belonging to the execution of a morall duty Yet indeed not so much a circumstance thereof in proper speech as the specification of the generall concerning the circumstance of time 3. Yet to draw nearer to the morality of it what shall nothing bee morall that is not knowne to bee so by light of nature for what I pray is not our nature now corrupt nay hath not Aristotle professed that matter of morality is not capable of demonstration but onely of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 perswasion Nay how is it knowne by the light of nature that some time is to bee set apart to the worship of God that made us but upon presupposition that God is knowne to bee our Creatour and is this knowne by the light of nature How came Aristotle then the greatest Philosopher that ever was and his whole schoole how I say came they to be ignorant
of it but upon presupposition of the History of the Creation knowne unto us Doctor Feild spares not to professe as Master Broad reportes him that by light of nature it is known that one day in seven ought to bee consecrated to Divine Service Yet I am not forward to say so much but rather with Chrysostome that now from the Creation God hath manifested that one day in a weeke is to bee appōrtioned for his service and with Azorius that it is most agreeable to reason after six dayes of worke to set apart one to his service And seeing God did require such a portion of time to bee consecrated unto him under the Law Undoubtedly and by the very light of nature it is cleare and evident that no lesse proportion of time can wee in conscience allow unto him under the Gospell 3. I come to his third argument which is this the necessity of one day in seven cannot consist with that liberty which the Apostle intimates Col. 2. 16. Let no man judge you in meate and drinke or in the part of a day or of Sabbaths which are shadowes of things to come Which they explicate by a similitude As nature requires meates and drinke but Christian liberty is not tied to choise of meates according to Moses his Lawes so reason dictates that some time is to be set apart for Gods publique worship but the Gospell freeth us from the necessity of the Iewish Sabbath To this I answer 1. By granting the conclusion for the Iewish Sabbath Christians observe not 2. but one day in seven they alwayes have observed a manifest evidence that they never conceaved this to be any impeachment to their Christian liberty And no marvell for they manifestly perceaved that God required this proportion of time under the Law and from the beginning of the World how much more should we be carefull to performe no lesse under the Gospell And indeed rest on the seventh day did pregnantly represent before hand Christs rest that day and that day alone full and whole in the grave But as for any ceremoniality to be found in the speciall proportion of time to wit as one day in seven never any man devised any ceremoniality therein more then in the time in generall which all confesse by the very light of nature is to be consecrated unto God So that we have no need of Doctor Rivetus his answer to helpe us in the solution of this his argument And whereas he conceaves our Christian liberty to be impeached if any proportion of time be observed of necessity by force of precept and of free choise 1. This is as much as to say that our liberty is impeached if we suffer our Lord and master to prescribe unto us his servants what proportion of service we shall performe unto him and not rather have him leave it to the servant to cut out unto him as little or as much as he thinkes good yet we do not deny but he may allow unto him more all that we stand for is that we ought not to allow him lesse under the Gospell then he required under the Law and then he required from the beginning of the World 2. I marvell that Doctor Rivetus doth not observe how herein he contradicts himselfe for hath he not formerly rested in this answer of Gomarus that by vertue of the fourth Commandement we must allow unto him dayes sufficient for his service and that these dayes must be rather Frequentiores then Rariores more rather then fewer and if it be no prejudice to our Christian liberty to be tyed and that by vertue of the fourth Commandement to allow unto him a better proportion of time for his service then that of one day in seven how can it bee prejudiciall to our Christian liberty to allow unto him this and that by vertue of the fourth Commandement Now whether Doctor Rivetus his answers to the arguments of Wallaeus or his owne arguments to the contrary bee of any force to hold him to that opinion which he conceaves to bee Calvirs in opposition to the Doctrine delivered by Wallaeus I am consent the indifferent may judge as also whether the two causes mentioned by him for the observation of the Sabbath contained in the Commandement doth not infer the third also which Rivetus opposeth namely the proportion of one day in seven And that this is as free from all colour of ceremoniality as any of the other two The first was that some time is to be set apart for Gods Service now this generall is not commanded there but as contained in the speciall to wit the proportion of one day in seven Both of them being equally contained in the particularity of the seventh day in that Commandement expressed And as for the morality of rest to bee allowed to servants after six dayes of labour this doth clearely draw with it the confinement of the time appointed for Gods Service to the proportion of one day in seven unlesse the day of rest for servants shal not be the day consecrated to the exercises of piety And I much wonder that Doctor Rivetus a man of such judgement and perspicacity doth not observe this The only way to helpe this anomaly is in plaine termes to professe that some rest is to be allowed to servants by their Masters but in what proportion that is not defined but left at large to the pleasure of their Masters And as for ceremoniality in the proportion of one day in seven never any man devised any such thing more then in the setting apart of some time in generall for Gods Service all confessing this to be a duty known by the very light of nature But I doe not finde that Calvin hath any other meaning then that we are not so tied to one day in seven but that more time then this may be consecrated to Divine Service which as I have disputed before so now I am the more confirmed herein Doctor Rivetus manifesting this to be his opinion also as well as it was the opinion of Gomarus For in this he rests as may appeare by his answer to the first argument of Doctor Wallaeus Neither is it true that Calvin did censure them who simply maintained that the observation of one day in the weeke doth still remaine as morall but that so maintained it as in reference to some mysterious signification as Doctor Wallaeus hath manifested and the words immediatly following in Calvin doe evince which are these but this is no other thing then in contumely of the Jewes to change the day and in heart to retaine the same holinesse of the day Here commonly the alleagers of Calvin to the same intent that Doctor Rivetus doth use to make a period as if Calvin delivered this absolutely whereas Calvin proposeth it onely conditionally as appeares by the other halfe of the sentence thus If so bee there remaine yet unto us a signification in the dayes equally mysterious to that which
antiquity did afterwards retaine and use yet notwithstanding saith he we doe not read that the Apostles did impose upon mens consciences in the new Testament the observation of that day by any Law or Precept but the observation was free for order sake Let us duly weigh and consider this together with the reasons following Calvine distinguisheth the observation of a day for order sake and the observation of a day for some mysterious signification sake had Chemnitius thus distinguished we would have subscribed thereunto and confessed that now adayes wee observe no day for any mysterious signification sake but onely for order sake And thus under the Gospel wee are freed from observation of daies for mysteries sake not free from observation of one certaine day in the weeke for order sake As for his phrase of imposing the observation of the Lords day upon mens consciences this phrase is most improper and unseasonable in this case it is onely proper and seasonable in case the thing imposed be of a burthensome nature like unto that Saint Peter speakes of Acts 15. 10. saying Now therefore why tempt yee God to lay a yoke on the Disciples neckes which neither our Fathers nor we were able to beare Such indeed was the yoke of circumcision which provoked Zippora according to common opinion driven to circumcise her sonne to save her husbands life to throw the fore-skin at her husbands feet calling him a bloody husband for urging her thereunto But what burthen is it save unto the flesh to rejoyce in the Lord to sabbatize with him to walke with him in holy meditation Was it no burthen to the godly Jewes to consecrate one day in seaven to the exercises of Piety under the Law and shall it bee a burthen to us in the time of the Gospell Or can it bee conceaved to bee a greater burthen unto us to keepe our Christian Sabbath on the Lords Day then on any other day of the weeke was there ever any day of the weeke markt out unto us with a more honourable or more wonderfull worke to draw us to rejoyce in the Lord thereon then the first day of the weeke whereon our Saviour rose by his Resurrection to bring life and immortality to light yet we confesse we reade of no Law nor Precept for this in the new Testament but we reade that ever under the Gospell wee must have a Sabbath to observe Math. 24. 20. And wee know and Chemnitius knew full well that it belongs to the Lord of the Sabbath to change it and consequently to ordaine it and that it was changed and the Lords Day observed generally in the Apostles dayes none that I know makes question of and how could this bee but by the Apostles ordinance and is it likely they would take upon them this authority without a calling And why should that day of the weeke and not that day of the yeare bee called the Lords Day if not for the same use under the Gospell that the Lords Day was of under the Law especially that day under the Law which was the Jewes Sabbath being now abrogated and lastly wee finde it manifestly spoken of the day of Christs Resurrection Psal 118. 24. This is the day that the Lord hath made let us rejoyce and be glad in it yet lastly wheras Chemnitius will have it free and hee hath already manifested that hee speakes of it in this sense as not to be so tied to this day but that we may observe other dayes wee willingly grant that in this sense it is free Now let us consider his reason following For saith hee if we are freed from the Elements which by God himselfe in the old Testament were ordained and commanded how should we be tyed by the decrees of men But alas this reason of his hath no proportion the Elements hee speakes of were but shaddowes the body whereof is Christ and now Christ is revealed they were wont to bee called not onely Mortua but mortifera Yet the observation of one day in seven still continues to bee the Commandement of God delivered not to Moses as ceremonies were but by word of mouth proclaimed on mount Sina and naturall reason suggests unto us that wee must allow unto Gods service as good a proportion of time under the Gospell as hee required of the Jewes under the Law Now if one day in seven must bee set apart in common reason what day is to bee preferred for this before the Lords Day the day of Christs rest from the worke of redemption in suffering the sorrows of death as the day of the Lords rest from the Creation was appointed to the Jewes for their Sabbath And this Resurrection of Christ bringing with it a new Creation Shall wee preferre the Saturday the Jewes festivall before it shall wee preferre the Friday the day of the Turkes festivall before it shall wee affect power and liberty to make any other day in the weeke the Lords holy day rather then that the Word of God commends unto us for the Lords Day in the time of the Gospell This I suppose may suffice for answering the rest also whensoever their suffrages shall bee brought to light for I presume none of them hath sayd more then Chemnitius hath done Azorius the Jesuite professeth of two things in this argument that they are most agreeable to reason First that after six worke dayes one entire day should bee consecrated to God 2. that the Lords Day should bee it Doctor Fulke in answer to the Remish Testament professeth that to change the Lords Day and keepe it on Munday Tuesday or any other day the Church hath no authority For it is not a matter of indifferency but a necessary prescription of Christ himselfe delivered to us by his Apostles This was printed in the dayes of Queen Elizabeth and dedicated unto her Majesty what Bishop as gouernour in this Church of England hath ever beene known to take exception against this Doctor Andrewes Bishop of Winchester in his starre Chamber speech in the Case of Traske professeth that the Sabbath to wit of the Iewes had reference to the old Creation but in Christ we are new Creatures As the Apostle S. Paul speakes a new Creation and so to have a new Sabbath And this he saith is deduced plainly 1. by practise 2. by precept that these two onely the first day of the weeke and the Sacrament of the Supper are called the Lords to shew that Dominicum the Lords is alike to be taken in both So that give power to the Church to alter the one and you may as well give power to the Church to alter the other He shewes also it was an usuall question put to Christians Dominicum servasti Hast thou kept the Lords Day And their answer was this Christianus sum intermittere non possum I am a Christian and I cannot intermit it Lastly he allegeth the Synod of Laodicea Can. 29. acknowledged in that of Chalcedon 133. that Christian men
may not Judaize not make the Saturday their day of rest but that they are to worke on that day giving their honour of celebration to the Lords Day Doctor Lake Bishop of Bath and Wells in his Thesis of the Sabbath 39. The Church hath received it the Lords Day not to be liberae observationis of free observation as if men might at pleasure accept or refuse it 40. But to be perpetually observed to the worlds end For as God onely hath power to apportion his time so hath he power to set out the day that he will take for his portion For he is Lord of the Sabbath 46. The worke of the day is the ground of hallowing the day whether it be weekely monethly or yeerely as particulars evince in Scripture and History 47. No man can translate the works therefore no man can translate the day This is an undoubted rule in Theologie Adde unto these Iunius and Piscator who maintaine the subrogation of the Lords Day into the place of the Jewish Sabbath to have beene made by the ordinance of Christ and Beza acknowledgeth it to be traditionis Apostolicae verè divinae Doctor Brownde in his Treatise of the Sabbath lib. 1. pag. 47. having recited the opinion of Iunius referring the institution of the Lords Day to Christs ordinance as who rose from the dead on that day addeth hereunto after this manner Like unto the which because nothing can ever fall out in the world comparable unto it in glory and power therefore this day must continue in his first honour of sanctification unto the end of all things and no day be set up like to it or it changed into any other day lest the wonderfull glory of that thing be darkned and the infinite power of it weakned I meane the glorious and mighty worke of our redemption which by the sanctification of this Sabbath is commended unto us and we by keeping that holy still doe commend it to our posterity And this is it that is alleged as a reason of the observation of this day in the Apostles constitutions It is called the Lords Day because it declares unto us Christ crucified and raised up againe and it is worthily commended to be kept as the Lords Day that wee might give thankes unto thee O Lord Christ for all these benefits for say they there is that grace bestowed upon us by thee Qua sua magnitudine omnia beneficia obscurat which by the greatnesse and as it were by the brightnesse of it doth obscure and darken all other So that though the day was once changed upon these considerations nay they being such as they be it could not but be changed yet forsomuch as the like cause can never be offered unto men to move them to enter into this consideration therefore the day must not onely not be changed any more but it must not so much as enter in mens thoughts to goe about to change it And therefore I doe so much the more marvell at him who saith That the keeping holy of the Lords Day is not commanded by the authority of the Gospel but rather received into use by the publique consent of the Church And a little after The observation of the Lords Day is profitable and not to be rejected but yet it is not to be accounted for a commandement of the Gospel but rather for a civill ordination And that the Church might have appointed but one day in ten or foureteene for the publique rest and Gods service Lastly Master Perkins maintaines the same not to mention Doctor Willet and that by divers reasons in his cases of conscience which because they are modestly answered by Doctor Rivet in his commentary upon the Decalogue I thinke good in this place to take them into consideration A FOVRTH DIGRESSION MAKING GOOD M r. PERKINS his Arguments for the Divine institution of the Lords Day against the answer made unto them by Doctor RIVETVS THeir first Argument saith he is taken from the appellation of the Lords Day I suppose faith Master Perkins it is called the Lords Day as the last supper of Christ is called the Lords Supper for two causes First as God rested the seventh day after the creation so Christ having finished the worke of the new creation rested on this day from the work of Redemption Secondly as Christ did substitute the last supper in roome of the passeover so hee substituted the first day of the weeke in roome of the Jewes Sabbath to be a day set apart to his owne worship To this Doctor Rivet answereth after this manner First hee denies that there is the same reason of the Lords supper the Lords Day and that for two reasons first because we have a manifest institution thereof and Christs Precept for the observing of it Not so of the Lords Day Secondly if there were a Precept for keeping the Lords Day yet were it Ecclesiasticall and so mutable For men may choose daies for the worship of God as touching the particularity of this day or that But the institution of the Sacraments is of Divine authority by the consent of all To this I replie that Doctor Rivetus corrupts Master Perkins his answer in the proposing of it for he sayth not the same is the reason of the Lords Supper and of the day which wee call the Lords Day but supposeth and that most modestly that either of them being called the Lords they are called so in the same Notion That like as the Lords Supper is so called because he instituted it so the first day of the weeke is called the Lords Day because hee instituted the observation of it And this Doctor Thysius collegue to Doctor Rivetus maintaines as well as Master Perkins and Doctor Andrewes Bishop of Winchester in his speech against Traske saying that both these to wit the first day of the weeke and Christ last Supper are called the Lords to shew that Dominicum the Lords is alike to bee taken in both For what reason can bee given why the day of Christs Resurrection not according to the day of the yeare wherein hee arose but according to the day of the weeke wherein hee arose should bee called the Lords Day but to signifie First that it was to succeed in the place of the Lords Dayunder the law which was the Jewish Sabbath 2. And that it was the good pleasure of God and not of man onely that it should bee consecrate to his service For consider wee have many other dayes consecrated by the Church unto Divine service which yet were never called the Lords Dayes And the Lords Day and the Lords feasts in the Old Testament and in the language of the Holy Ghost are no other then such that are of the Lords institution Secondly Doctor Rivetus omits the maine force of Master Perkins his argument or at least slightly passeth it over which is this As God rested the seventh day after the Creation so Christ having ended the
in his hands set downe every ship that entred into the road as his when he was not owner of any one of them So I shall make it appeare that this Prefacer hath title to none of the sides he boasts of for the countenancing of his way in any one of the particulars mentioned The first particular is about the originall institution of the Sabbath as whether God commanded it immediatly upon the creation This author denies the institution of it before the promulgation of the law upon mount Sina And what strength of suffrages doth he bring for this amongst the Protestants whether Lutherans or Calvinists Surely not one Lutherane that I know but of others all that he avoucheth by himselfe are but Doctor Prideaux and Gomarus and by his assistance Vatablus and Musculus on the contrary are alleged by Walaeus 1. Luther himselfe 2. Zuinglius 3. Calvin 4. Beza 5. Peter Martyr 6. Bullinger 7. Zanchius 8. Ursinus 9. Gualterus 10. Aretius 11. Bertramus 12. Mercerus 13. Antonius Fayus 14. Iunius 15. Zepperus 16. Martinius 17. Alstedius The same is justified by Rivetus who voucheth no lesse than thirty Writers of note to concurre in this Now let the indifferent judge on whose side is the miracle this Prefacer speakes of in his rhetoricall amplifications on his side or on ours Yet not one English Divine is mentioned either by Walaeus or Rivetus amongst this number 2. Then as for Papists Tostatus indeed disputes against this opinion of ours but his reasons I have answered and Catarinus a Popish Prelate as well as Abulensis is acknowledged by this Author to oppose Tostatus in this neither hath he or Doctor Prideaux undertaken to answer him Onely this Prefacer after his bold fashion saith that Catarinus tooke up armes against Tostatus with ill successe it hath beene manifest that for ought doth appeare Catarinus hath had better successe than Tostatus For Pererius takes Tostatus his part yet all the Rhemists on Apoc. 1. 10. doe manifest themselves to take part with Catarinus and Gomarus acknowledgeth as much of Marius And Rivetus also allegeth Augustinus Steuchus Genebrard Iacobus Solianus Cornelius de Lapide Emmanuel Sa and Ribera all concurring against Tostatus and all Papists yea many of them Jesuites Hereby let the reader judge of the modesty of this Author and on whose side the feigned miracle is on his side or on ours For it is manifest hitherto that the men he speakes of of seveverall perswasions otherwise are by farre more for us than for him But it may be in this particular his glory is that the Fathers are rather for his opinion than for us But upon what ground Is it from any evidence of Scripture nothing lesse not one of them building hereupon and as for evidences they bring none save that the Scripture doth not particulate that the Patriarches of old observed the Sabbath Yet it was not to be held a generall rule that Argumentum non valet ab authoritate negativè the argument drawne from authority doth not hold negatively in matter of fact Secondly not onely our Divines as Hospinian and Walaeus that the meaning of the Fathers is onely this that the Patriarches did not observe it after a Jewish manner but Iacobus Salianus a Papist affirmes the same particularly of Tertullian as Rivetus voucheth him in his answer to Gomarus pag. 21. And it may be made apparant from Tertullian himselfe otherwise hee cannot be freed from contradiction as who plainly manifesteth his opinion in our side as Rivetus citeth him pag. 23. So that the Fathers alleged by our adversaries being rightly understood make nothing for them yet we want not variety of Fathers making expressely for us and against them and that grounding themselves upon expresse Scripture Gen. 2. 3. therefore The Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it which our adversaries have no other meanes to avoid than by saying that it is spoken by anticipation according whereunto the meaning of Moses must be thus because the Lord rested the seventh day from creation therefore he blessed the seventh day and sanctified it but would you know when to wit 2000. and 4. or 500. yeeres after And lastly the dividing of times into weekes proved to be the most ancient division of times in the world received by all nations and made a festivall day thereupon as many have most learnedly proved it doe justifie the sanctification of the Sabbath to have had its beginning and course from the very creation So that in this particular wee have on our side both Scripture and reason and Fathers and the opinion of men of severall professions as this author presseth it both Papists and Protestants both Lutheranes and Calvinists and this Prefacer can lay no just title to any one of them in this particular The second point he hath insisted upon is about the morality of one day in seven For this he pretends onely Papists in the first place and not a Father throughout and as Chrysostome to the contrary hath professed that God from the beginning hath manifested that on that day in the circle of the week must be consecrated unto his service much lesse Scripture And it is apparant that God commanded that the proportion of one day in seven should bee allotted to his service and it was never to bee abrogated nor ever did any man devise any ceremoniality therein And to this day it hath continued in the Church of God To Tostatus wee have opposed Azorius the Jesuite professing that it is most agreeable to reason after six worke dayes to consecrate one to Gods service Adde to him Stella upon Luke Jacobus de Valentia Dominicus Bannes As for Aquinas that which hee accounts ceremoniall in the fourth Commandement was expressed by him to bee not one day in seven but the particulating of the seaventh day But whereas he goes no farther in illustrating the morality of this Commandement then in saying that some time must be set apart for Gods service I appeale to every mans conscience whether the very light of nature doth not suggest that not onely some time but a convenient proportion of time ought to be consecrated unto God and when God hath manifested this to bee one day in seaven under the Law doth not the very light of nature suggest that wee should sin against God if wee should not allow unto him as good a proportion of time under the Gospell And further if the Lords Day be of Divine institution amongst us Christians is it not still the Law of God even unto us to allow unto him one day in seven Now Doctor Prideaux himselfe alleageth more Papists for this opinion than for the contrary and one of them to wit Silvester professeth it is the common opinion as Azorius voucheth him And as for Protestants to side with him herein hee alleageth none but Gomarius and Rivet it may seeme by his carriage that Vatablus â—nd Musculus also are for him in this but that is untrue they are alleaged
10. Commandements and then Christ should come to destroy the Law and not to fulfill is contrary to our Saviours own words Math. 5. 17. 2. That all other things in the Law were so changed that they were cleane taken away as the priesthood Sacrifices and Sacraments this day namely the Sabbath was so changed that it yet remaines For it is evident by the Apostles practise Acts 20. 7. 1 Cor. 16. 2. Apo. 1. 10. that the day of rest called the Sabbath was changed from the seventh day to the first day of the weeke and so was observed and kept holy under the name of the Lords Day 3. That it is not lawfull to use the seventh day to any other end but to the holy and sanctified end for which in the beginning it was created 4. As the Sabbath came in with the first man so must it not goe out but with the last 5. That we are restrained upon the Sabbath from works as the Jewes were though not in such strict particular manner as they were yet in generall we are forbidden all kind of worke upon the Lords Day as they were which may hinder the service of God Now the Author that hee intimates as opposing these positions hee describes by the title of his booke in the margent which is this The Catholique doctrine of the Church of England printed at Cambridge p. 37. And the author of his booke I have heard to be Master Rogers and it seemes likely enough especially by the 2. first positions Doctor Willet concludes in this manner after hee had made use of divers allegations for the confirmation of his doctrine in opposition to the fore-mentioned Author but these allegations are here superfluous seeing there is a learned Treatise of the Sabbath already published of this argument which containeth a most sound doctrine of the Sabbath as it is said in the former positions which shall be able to abide the triall of the Word of God and stand warranted thereby when other humane fantasies shall vanish howsoever some in their heate and intemperance are not afraid to call them Sabbatariorum errores yea hereticall assertions a new Iubilee S. Sabbath more then either Iewish or popish institution God grant it be not layd to their charge that so speake or write and God give them a better minde About two yeares before this were set forth Master Perkins his cases of conscience wherein hee manifesteth his concurrence with Doctor Bownde in the doctrine of the Sabbath Neither doth Doctor Andrewes in any materiall thing differ from Doctor Bownde Master Perkins Doctor Willet In the next relation of his which is of a familiar nature undoubtedly the Prefacer deserves to be believed That in a Towne of his acquaintance the preachers there had brought the people to that passe that neither baked nor roste meate was to be found in all the Parish for a sunday dinner throughout the yeare and hee concludes it with such an Epiphonema These are the fruites of such dangerous doctrines as if the fortunes of the Church or state were hazarded for want of bak't meate or rost meate on the sundayes And to confesse a truth though I never was nor never am like to be so precise yet considering my meane condition I have divers times thought thus with my selfe why should my provision hinder any of my servants from Sermons on the Sabbath day so little did I feare any dangerous consequence of this practise but since I am better informed by the suggestions of this judicious Prefacer I will take heede how I cherish such thoughts in my brest henceforth and if hee come at any time to take paines amongst us seeing I finde hee respects bak't meate and rost meate so well it shall goe hard but wee will have a tith Pig for his entertainement And so much the rather that I may cleare my selfe from Judaisme for Iack of Newbery my Countreyman being a great Clothier in his dayes and then strangers came from farre to buy Cloath at his House and amongst the rest a company of Jewes were sometime entertained by him being a very hospitallous man and an excellent house-keeper his house being accounted the best Inne in the Towne to make himselfe merry caused the table to bee furnished with all variety of Hogges flesh which they perceaving tooke it for a flout but after they had grumbled a while upon it hee made shew as if but then hee had remembred himselfe of his errour and not till then considered that they were Jewes and forthwith hee commanded all the dishes to be remooved and other dishes already prepared to be set on the board wherewith his table was as well furnished as it was with guests But to returne it is an easy matter now a dayes to accuse of any thing as Doctor Prideaux hee saith accuseth us of Judaisme but si accusare sufficiat quis innocens erit when hee or Doctor Prideaux shall prove their accusations then let us be condemned and if wee be not condemned till then wee care not Yet it is untrue which hee pins upon Doctor Prideaux his sleeve as if hee should alleage Austin saying that they who literally understand the fourth Commandement doe not yet savour of the spirit neither S. Austin speakes this of the fourth Commandement nor is hee so alleaged by Doctor Prideaux but of the seventh day Quisquis diem illum observat ficut litera sonat carnaliter sapit As much as to say whosoever keeps that day which the Jew keepes savoureth carnally Neither did I know any of my brethren to stand for the sanctifying of the seventh day in correspondency to the seventh day from the Creation but onely of one day in seaven which day must also be prescribed by God as the seventh day of the weeke was to the Jewes which is the next thing imputed unto us but the Lords Day is the first day of the weeke to us Christians Sect. 8. This when I had considered when I had seriously observed how much these fancies were repugnant both to the tendries of this Church and judgments of all kinde of writers and how unsafe to be admitted I thought I could not goe about a better worke then to exhibite to the view of my deare Countreymen this following Treatise delivered first and afterwards published by the Author in another language The rather since of late the clamour is encreased and that there is not any thing now more frequent in some Zelotes mouthes to use the Doctors words then that the Lords Day is with us licentiously yea sacrilegiously profaned Section first To satisfie whose scruples and give content unto their mindes I doubt not but this following discourse will be sufficient which for that cause I have translated faithfully and with as good propriety as I could not swerving any where from the sense and as little as I could from the phrase and letter Gratum opus agricolis a worke as I conceave it not unsuitable unto the present times
profaning of their Sabbaths so Polidor Virgil complaines of the like corruptions among Christians on their festivalls lib. 6. cap. 8. not imploying their time in prayer and in the exercise of Gods Word for which cause such festivalls were instituted but in all manner of evill courses tending to the corrupting of mens manners and that herein they imitate Heathens though of ancient times Tertullian as hee sayth reprehended Heathens for such courses as in his Apologeticum speaking of the holy solemnity of their Emperours Therefore saith hee Christians are compted enemies to the State because they doe not dedicate vaine lying and rash honors to their Prince Forsooth it is a great good office to make bonfiers and dances in publique and to feast in every parish to transforme the City into the habite of a Taverne Vino lutum cogere which Junius sayth was a fruit of their desperate Luxury and a signe of their madnesse and fury he proceedes to strive who shall exceed one another in running about to doe injuries to commit impudencies to provoke unto lust And is the publike joy after such a manner exprest to wit by publique shame O how deservedly are we Christians to be condemned he speakes it ironically who by carrying our selves soberly chastly honestly doe oppose the vowes made and the joyes expressed for the Emperors to wit when for their sober and chast and vertuous carriage on such dayes not concurring with others to the same excesse of riot were censured as enemies untotheir Princes Yet even in those primitive times the manners of Christians became degenerate as Baldwin observes in his cases of conscience p. 479. and that out of Tertullian as whom hee observes to have complained of it namely that Christans imitated the manners of the Heathen in this yea and grew worse then they in his booke de Idol c. 14. O melior fides nationum in suam sectam quae nullam Christianorum solennitatem sibi vendicat non Dominicam non Pentecostem etiam si nossent nobiscum non communicassent ne Christiani viderentur nos ne Ethnici pronuntiemur non veremur O the fayth of the Nations better then ours towards their own sect as who chalenge not to themselves any Christian solemnity not that of the Lords Day nor that of Whitsuntide Had they known it they would not communicate with us lest they should seem Christians we Christians feare not to be accompted Heathens O what a zelote did Tertullian shew himselfe in this nay what thinke wee of Leo and Anthemius Emperours were not they zelotes too in that decree of theirs alleaged by the former Baldwin Diesfestos majestati Altissimi dedicatos nullis volumus voluptatibus occupari undoubtedly they meane hereby worldly pleasures such they would have no place on holy festivities and why but because they accounted those holy festivalls profaned thereby And may not King Iames also be censured for a zelote in making that proclamation of his for the reformation of abuses in profaning the Lords Day at his first comming into the Land to receave this Kingdome as his rightfull inheritance In the Conference before his Majesty at Hampton Court I finde mention made of it by D. Reynolds in this manner To the former Doctor Reynolds did adde the profanation of the Sabbath day and contempt of his Majesties proclamation made for the reforming of that abuse of which he earnestly desired a streighter course for reformation thereof and unto this he found a generall and unanimous assent All these be like were zelotes So was his Majesty also that now is together with all the Lords both spirituall and temporall and the house of Commons in that Act made in the first yeare of King Charles to preserve the Lords Day from profanation wherein are forbidden expressely and by name bearebaiting bulbaiting enterludes common playes and in generall all other unlawfull exercises and pastimes and over and above all meetings and assemblies or concourse of people out of their owne parishes for any sports or pastimes whatsoever and consequently no man ought on the Lords Day goe forth of his owne parish to any may-game or to see a Morrice-dance or dancing about May-poles and seeing the Apostle professeth that it is good to be zealous alwayes in a good thing Gal. 4. 18. and Christ hath died for us to redeeme us from all iniquity and to purge us a peculiar people unto himselfe zealous of good workes Tii 2. 14. let them in the Name of God be such zelots still this zeale being a zeale of Gods Glory and it becomes us to be zealous of his Glory considering how zealous hee is for our good Esay 9. 7. Esay 59. 17. Of the sufficiency of the following discourse we shall by Gods helpe consider in due time But I confesse it may be very sutable to these times whereof the Apostle prophecied men should be lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God and undoubtedly it will suit well with their affections like a sweete morsell to the epicure which hee roules under his tongue but all the praise is in parting and I would they would but thinke of that of the Prophet What will be the end thereof when wee shall give God cause to say of our Sabbath as hee sayd of the Jewish I have hated your Sabbaths And if there be any such practises of Satan on foote as to bring in the Jewish Sabbath let it be considered in the feare of God what doctrine doth more promote therein whether that which makes the celebration of the Lords Day Divine or rather that which makes it merely of humane institution and who seeth not that if it be left to the liberty of the Church they may bring in the Jewish Sabbath if it pleaseth them Though it be notoriously untrue as may be made to appeare both by Scripture evident reason and authority humane both ancient and moderne both Papists and Protestants that the Sabbath was not ordained immediately upon the creation yet were that negative granted since God hath manifested in his Law that he requires one day in seven to be set apart for his service it evidently followes even by the very light of nature that it were most unreasonable wee should allow him a worse proportion of time for his service under the Gospell that consequently the observation of one day in seven is to be kept holy unto the Lord is now become morall and perpetuall unto the very end of the world neither was it ever heard that any man did set his wits on worke in devising a ceremoniality in the proportion of one day in seven A prefiguration of Ghrist in some respect hath beene found in the Jewish rest on the seventh day of the weeke but of any prefiguration of ought in Christ by an indefinite proportion of one day in seven the world dreamed not of till now neither doth any man offer to devise what possibly this might prefigure in Christ As for the third it cannot be denied but that
Walaeus hath represented Chrysostome Theophilus Antiochenus Austin Theodor maintaining that the justification of the Sabbath hath beene from the Creation To these Rivetus addes Tertullian as of the same mind howsoever alleged on the adversaries part And he also acknowledgeth the Jewes to be of the same opinion Beda is alleged indeed by Perenius as on the part of Tostatus but no such thing appeares in his Hexameron but rather expressely the contrary his words being these of the Sabbath semper celebrari solebat as I have shewed in my answer to the preface Sect. 1. Where also are represented the testimonies of Athanasius and Epiphanius as maintaining the institution of the Sabbath to have beene from the Creation which also hath beene shewed to have beene the opinion of Philo and Iosephus and divers of the Jewish Rabbins and of the author of the Chaldee-Paraphrase upon the Psalms and of divers others Againe concerning the passages alleged out of some Fathers to the contrary not onely Hospinian answereth that those proceed of the rigorous observation of the Sabbath but Iacobus Salianus a Papist in particular thus interpreteth Tentullian and Tertullian must be in some such sense understood as namely either of observation of other Sabbaths in use among the Jewes or of the rigorous observation of the Jewish Sabbath or of the Jewish manner in observing it by particular sacrifices appointed for that day for as much as he clearely professeth that the Sabbath day was à primordio sanctus as Rivetus sheweth and that the other Fathers which are but foure truly alleged are to be interpreted by some such manner I have endeavoured to evince by divers reasons in my answer to the Preface And though some are willing to admit that of Torniellus that in the accomplishment of the Creation the Angels did observe the Sabbath provided he recompence them in this particular now in question and adde that the observance of it here upon the earth was not till many ages after Yet this naked authority being little worth his reason is so weake in the former that we have cause to suspect it will not prove any thing stronger in the latter though I should have beene content to afford it due consideration had it been proposed As for the Angels singing and shouting for joy this was performed as Torritallus acknowledgeth the day wherein the foundation of the earth was laid which undoubtedly could not be after the first day of the creation For if the foundation of the earth was not laid then when the Lord said that it was without forme and voyd and the waters covered it I cannot devise when it should be It is granted that it may be probably conjectured that the sanctification of the Sabbath was before the Law as concurring herein with Calvin but that Calvin saith that no more is not proved neither is that passage exhibited wherein Calvin should deliver his mind so coldly thereof but Calvin in his harmony upon the foure bookes of Moses and on the fourth Precept is expresse that Diem septimū sibi sumpsit Deus ac consecravit completa mundi creatione that God assumed and consecrated the seventh day unto himselfe upon the finishing of the worlds creation And it is enough for us that then it was instituted and hereupon let every sober reader judge whether it be not more then probable that the holy Patriarches at least observed it Neither doe we affect that any man should rest satisfied with our conjectures but let our reasons be considered and the plaine Text of Scripture professing that because God rested the seventh day therefore hee blessed the seventh day and sanctified it and let them yeeld thereunto no more in this particular then whereof it doth convince a man in conscience Yet who those late Writers be who are so unsatisfied in this point I know not well I verily thinke they are very few Protestants Gomarus as I remember allegeth but two Vatablus and Musculus whereas Walaus and Rivetus between them have alleged no lesse than thirty maintaining the contrary As for the Papists we shall take notice of them in the next Section It is confessed that this proofe is good God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it therefore he commanded it to be kept holy by his people The sanctifying of the day in the true notion thereof being nothing but Gods commanding man to sanctifie it which yet if any man deny I appeale to my former argument delivered in the former Section for the justifying thereof Onely it is said that therence it followeth not that Then or at that time to wit the very day whereon God rested he commanded it to be kept holy by his people Now this exception also I have remooved in the former Section And it is very strange we should be to seeke of the time in reference whereunto this is delivered most of all if spoken onely in reference to 2500 yeares after and not the least intimation of so strange an anticipation beyond all example as Walaeus and Rivetus have proved When Abulensis saith that Moses spake this by anticipation rather to shew the equity of the Commandement then the Originall If the booke of Genesis were written before the Commandement was given on mount Sina this interpretation must suppose that the Lord had already revealed to Moses what hee would doe on Mount Sina and what ground is produced for the building of so much as any conjecture hereof thereupon And what wise man would expect that any man should be satisfied herewith Doth it not concerne them who maintaine this affirmative to make it good by Texts of Scripture If after the Commandements were delivered on Mount Sina what neede of representing the equity thereof seeing the equity and that in this very way is expressed in the Commandement it selfe and that in such manner as to manifest evidently that God did not now begin to command this but that hee commanded it of old even from the Creation as already I have disputed and proved And though Abulensis were of this opinion yet Catarinus was not and though Pererius the Jesuite tooke part with Tostatus yet Rivetus hath shewed that Cornelius de lapide Emmanuel Sa. Ribera all Jesuites do not but with Catarinus rather or that Steuchus Eugubinus Genebrard and Iacobus Salianus concurre with them against the opinion of Tostatus Gomarus acknowledgeth Marius also to be of the same minde all Papists and let mee adde unto these all the Remists as appeares in their notes upon Apoc. 1. 10. Enosh might call upon the Lord and Abraham offer sacrifice without relation to a set and appointed time oftner and seldomer as they had occasion It was in the former Section signified to be Torniellus his reason which here is answered now Torniellus was of a contrary opinion to us in this particular yet hee confesseth that it seemed hardly credible neither doth the Doctor deny it onely hee saith that Enosh might so doe hee doth not say hee did
would not condemne And Gomarus who is most opposite to us in this argument professeth that seeing not onely a time but a sufficient proportion of time is to be set apart for Divine service therefore we must now under the Gospel allow rather a better proportion of time for Divine service than a worse And in this also Rivetus rests in his answer to the first argument of Walaeus contending for one day in seven as necessarily to be allowed to the worship of God For Bullinger I know not where to seeke that which the Doctor aimes at As for Bucer I have shewed before out of him that the Lords Day was by the Apostles themselves consecrated to Divine actions which ordinance the antient Churches observed most religiously and that one of the chief causes hereof was that they might celebrate the memory of Christs resurrection which fell out on the first day of the weeke of power to abrogate this day left unto the Church he saith nothing but to the contrary rather that all they who desire the restoring of Christs Kingdome ought to labour that the religion of the Lords Day may be soundly called backe and be of force Yet saith he it is agreeable to our piety to sanctifie other festivalls also to the commemoration of the Lords chiefe workes whereby he perfected our redemption as the day of his incarnation nativity the Epiphany the passion the resurrection ascension and Pentecast And the place which Doctor Rivet explic decal pag. 189. col 2. allegeth out of Bucer in Mat. 10. to prove that he maintained the day to be alterable is nothing to the purpose and as little doe they make for it which hee allegeth out of Musculus To find out what Chemnitius saith hereupon I turne to his Examen of the counsell of Trent concerning festivalls There pag. 154. col 2. he saith that Christ to show that he kept the Jewes Sabbath freely and not of necessitie against the opinion of necessity touching the abrogation of the Mosaicall Sabbath hee taught both by word and deed By word in saying that the Sonne of man is Lord of the Sabbath and by his deeds as in healing on the Sabbath day and defending his Disciples in plucking the eares of corne Now hereby I take it to be manifest and acknowledged by Chemnitius that none hath power to abrogate the Sabbath but he that is Lord of the Sabbath And seeing even Christians were to have their Sabbath as appeareth by those words of our Saviour pray that your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath day which is delivered of the time about the destruction of the Temple by Titus at what time Paul had suffered martyrdome divers yeeres before by whose writings it doth appeare that the Lords Day was kept in place of the Jewes Sabbath both by the practice of the Apostles and the Churches of Galatia and Achaia as Chemnitius acknowledgeth from the force of those places Acts 20. 7. 1 Cor. 16. 2. and Apoc. 1. 10. in the next columne it followeth that the Lords Day was the Christian Sabbath and so to this day continueth and consequently that none hath power to alter it but hee that is Lord of the Sabbath which is Christ himselfe it being accordingly called the Lords Day Therefore if any pretend that Christ hath delegated this power of his unto the Church it stands upon them to make it good But Chemnitius proceeds pag. 155. col 1. and shewes how the Apostles at the first tolerated their weak faith who without superstition observed dayes Mosaicall Rom. 14. and that such as were stronger in faith after the abrogation of the old Testament judged all dayes to be equall in themselves and none more holy then another We willingly grant as much and adde the reason hereof to wit because the holinesse of the day preferred before his fellowes consisted in some mysterious signification which had reference unto Christ as to come all which kind of shadowes the body being come are now vanished away Hee proceeds saying The Apostles also manifested by their example that in the new Testament it was free to come together either every day or what day soever they thought good to handle the Word and Sacraments and to the publique or common exercises of piety So the Sabbath day and other festivall dayes they taught All this wee willingly grant but here-hence it followeth not that one day of the weeke was not of more necessary observation for the exercises of piety than another Farther saith he that they might manifest that the exercises of Ecclesiasticall assemblies were not tied to certaine dayes they daily persevered in the doctrine of the Apostles and in breaking bread Act. 2. and 5. and 1 Cor. 5. Now we willingly acknowledge that we Christians are not so bound to one day in the weeke as namely to the Lords Day as that we may not have our holy assemblies more often than once but onely so that we may not keep them lesse often nor omit the celebration of the Lords Day like as the Jews might not omit the celebration of their weekely Sabbath though sometimes many dayes together besides were kept holy by them So we Christians also having our Sabbath as our Saviour signified we should have when he said Pray that your flight be not in the Winter nor on the Sabbath day which Sabbath of ours wee keepe on the Lords Day though we may keep other days holy yet we may not omit this and if any shall take upon them to alter this Sabbath we may be bold to demand of them quo warranto by what warrant from the Lord of Sabbath But Chemnitius proceeds thus Now whereas afterwards the false Apostles did so urge those free observations of the Mosaicall Sabbath and other feasts as by law and with opinion of necessity as to condemne their consciences who observed them not Paul forbad the observation of them All which we willingly acknowledge but that hereupon they began first to ordaine another day in the weeke for their Ecclesiasticall assemblies and exercises of piety which yet Chemnitius proves not I leave it to the indifferent to judge by comparing his opinion with that of Austins who professeth as Chemnitius well knew that the Lords Day was declared unto Christians by the Lords resurrection and from thence began to have its festivity alleged by Chemnitius himselfe p. 156. especially considering the reason moving thē hereunto which Chemnitius confesseth to have been on that day the Lord rose from the dead And seeing all festivals as Bishop Lake observes have beene observed in regard of some great worke done on such a day for the good of man whether ever any day brought forth a more wonderfull or more comfortable worke to mankind than the first day of the weeke which was the day of our Saviours resurrection from the dead let the Christian world judge This day Chemnitius saith seems to be called by Saint Iohn the Lords Day which appellation all