so I conclude with P. Martyr Of euery seuen daies one must be reserued to God P. Martyr in Gen. 2. he meaneth one whole day not a peece of it Therefore there must needes be certaine other holie dueties and parts of Gods worship which wee must walke in the rest of the day when the congregation is dissolued and when wee are alone by our selues which are the priuate religious exercises of a Christian man in which he sanctifieth the rest of the Sabbath and they are all such parts of Gods seruice which a man can doe by himselfe alone or with others of his houshold or neighbours whereby he might prepare himselfe or them for the publike ministerie which is the chiefest or afterwards make it most profitable to himselfe or them Vnto which it seemeth Master Bucer had respect whē as he speaking of such things as are to be done vpon the Sabbath and hauing named those that are publike Bucer in Matth. 12.11 as to heare the word to receiue the Sacraments to prouide for the poore vnto them addeth In the first part of the day wee ought to prepare our selues for the publike assemblies Instituere ad pietatem familiam to instruct a mans houshold vnto goldines In the former part of the day therefore euery one must prepare himselfe for the Church that hee might come thither with profite for if in all worldly things that bee of any moment we doe prepare our selues then much more ought we to doe it in heauenly whereunto wee are most vnfit as they in themselues are the greatest especially when the benefit of them is so great if we be prepared and the daunger is so perilous if we be vnprepared for the preaching of the word is the sauour of life vnto life 2. Cor. 2.15 or the sauour of death vnto death And in the Sacramēt is offered vnto vs the bodie and bloud of Christ 1. Cor. 11.24 to nourish vs vp vnto euerlasting life but if we eate and drinke vnworthily we procure Gods iudgement against our selues 29 The Lord in speaking to his people from heauen in an extraordinarie manner Exod. 19. did command them to be prepared extraordinarily by which practise of his he declared that in the ordinarie ministerie of the word there ought to bee some ordinarie preparation if wee will bee partakers of it with profite The ground is prepared for the seede the stomacke for meate the whole bodie for phisicke this is the immortall seed 1. Pet. 1.23 whereby we are begotten into an assured hope of a farre better life This is the food and phisick of our soules whereby our life is preserued and we kept from eternall death therefore we must bee prepared for it The want of which preparation is the cause that the word is so vnprofitablie heard of a great many And this is so much the more diligently to be marked because it is so little known lesse practised in the world For if the daye were as long againe as the longest in the middest of Sommer a great many would spend away the time I know not how and neither at home nor in the way nor at the Church thinke to prepare themselues one whitte And if they haue made a few prayers at their first comming in then if seruice bee not begunne they are as ready to talke of any worldly matter with any that will giue them the hearing as euer they were if it were halfe an hower together yea though the minister be there vntil he begin the first word for want of which preparation either they can receiue nothing or it dooth them no good which is the very chiefe cause of so much fruitlesse hearing of so many good sermons as is euery where that they which otherwise haue good wits and great affections here are both senselesse and without feeling so that they sit more be like stockes then men conceiuing no more then the very stooles they sit vpon carrying away no more then they brought with them And if it be not so what is the cause that many reasonable men hearing one man at one time speaking one and the same worde of God so plainly that if it were possible young children might vnderstand it some shal so greatly profit by it Matth. 11.19 that wisedome should be iustified of her children others shall so meerely not conceiue one word as though they had been deaffe a sleepe or in a trance or starke dead all the while And that it is so indeed let the intolerable ignorance of men euery where after this long preaching of the word Vnder the most happie raigne of her gracious Maiestie whome God still long preserue to that ende and ad as many happie yeares vnto he raigne as may be speake for it and see whether wee complaine before wee haue cause Nay let mens owne wofull experience tell themselues that when they haue most prepared themselues they haue most profited by the publicke ministerie and contrariwise then haue they been most vnprofitable at it when they haue come most vnreuerently and vprepared to it In so much that a man of meaner giftes shall some times bee more profitable to them when they are thus prepared then another that hath more excellent graces at whom they may well wonder but receiue no profit by him when they be not propared for it I know the Lord is mercifull and he doth not alwayes deale with men according to their deserts therefore many times when they come vnprepared he blesseth his owne ordinance vnto thē Matth. 28.20 that he might performe the trueth of that promise which hee hath annexed vnto it and his mercie is aboue al our sinnes but how can men looke for any such thing ordinarilie And doth he not it vnto them to teach them that he would bestow vpon thē greater mercie by these meanes if they would prepare themselues for it How wee out to prepare our selues before wee come to the Church But how shall men prepare themselues Surely first of all let them bee perswaded that they ought to prepare themselues and this is the beginning of their preparation then let them examine themselues not onely how they haue spent the weeke past and euery daye in it calling themselues to an account before God what sinnes they haue committed day or night to bee humbled for them what benefites receiued that they might bee thankefull and what dueties they haue done that they might bee comforted therein all which though they bee shortlie spoken they are not so soone done here is not so much neede of a good capacitie to conceiue as a good conscience to practise but also generally what is their estate what graces they want what bee their sinnes past what their infirmities present and because the Lorde hath appoynted his worship to comfort vs ouer these let vs pray vnto God before hand that the prayers of the Church might be directed the Minister of the word so
that superstition of the Iewes which that graue father singularly wel deseruing of al the Church of God Beza in Cantic SoloÌ„ Homil. 30. Master Beza speaketh of When it is counted such a great sinne to open a shop windowe Non item si lusum si potatum si scortatum fuerit But not so great if a man vpon this day giue himselfe to gaming to swilling and to playing the harlot Yea as another learned diuine sayth Gualt in Act. 13. Homil. 88. Hodie eò res deuenit In our time things are so come to passe that amongst Christians they may be accounted very good men who breake the Sabbath by their handie labor when they most doe prophane it with horrible wickednes neither at any time doe they more offend in pride and disdaine in drunkennes ryot lust then vpon that day which should be wholly consecrated vnto God and to the meditation of his workes and of our eternall rest And seeing these thinges are done openly and commonly sayth hee doe we yet maruaile what is the cause of the calamities of our time And Master Bucer complaineth yet a great deale more Bucer in Psal 92. I am nihil ferè scelerum est Now there is almost no wickednes which is not especially committed vpon the Lords holy day there is opâ—â—â—â—ying drinking filthy dauncing harlotting fighting and quarrelling and I would to God greater things then these were not committed I will not say as he sayth Et nusquam ferè licentiùs quam in ipsis principum Episcoporum aulis For I hope better things of them and such as accompanie saluation but in too many places of towne and countrie So that I may say of them as father Chrysostome doth Chrysost de Lazar. conciâ— pri Thou hast receiued the Sabbath day of God to clense thy soule from sinne and thou vpon that day dost most of all â—ommit sinne Whereupon it comes to passe that all the weeke following they are so much the more wicked bâ— how much that which was appointed for their good they haue turned into sin vnto themselues so that as the Gospell which in it selfe is the sauour of life vnto liâ—e by mens abuse is turned into the sauour of death aâ—d the bread of the Lords table which is the food of life is turned into poyson when men doe not rightly therein discerne of the Lords body and so by eating it and driâ—king the Lords cuppe 1. Cor. 11.29 they procure his iudgement against â—hemselues so this day of the Lords resurrection which is therefore the day of life vnto vs is by their wickednes â—ade vnto them the day of euerlasting death Euen as Master Caluin sayth Caluin vpon Deut. 5. ser 34. When the Sunday is spent not onely in games and pastimes full of vanitie but in things which are altogether contrary vnto God that men thinke they haue nâ—t celebrated the Sunday except GOD therein be by many and sundrie waies offended when men I say vnhallow in such sort this holy day which God hath instituted to leade vs vnto himselfe is it any maruaile if wee become brutish and beastlie in our doings all the rest of the weeke But to reserue all such prophane beasts vnto the iudgement of God whose holy daye of rest as they doe despise so vnlesse they repent and amend GOD hath sworne long agoe Heb. 3.18 that they shall neuer enter into his heaueÌ„ly rest There are others of whom in the same place he speaketh Caluin ibid. Who glut themselues by ryotting and are shut vp in their houses because they dare not shew a manifest contempt of their duetie in the open streetes so that the Sunday is to them a retreat to withdraw themselues from the congregation of God whereby one may see what affection they haue to all Christianitie and the seruice of God when by this which was giuen vs for an aide and helpe to drawe neerer vnto God they take occasion to withdraw themselues the further from him For as he sayth a little before if we imploy the Sunday to make good cheere to sport our selues to goe to games and pastimes shall God in this bee honoured Is not this a mockery Is not this an vnhallowing of his name But let vs that be Christians be of another minde and let vs as Saint Augustine sayth shewe our selues Christians by keeping holy the Lords day August ad Casul â—pist 86. vnto whom so manie as feare God let me say as they did at the Councell of Paris Concil Paris lib. 3. cap. 5. Salubriter admonemus We do admonish all the faithfull for the saluation good of their soules that they would giue due honour and reuerence vnto the Lords day because the dishonour of it is both contrarie vnto Christian religion and doth without all doubt bring destruction to the soules of all that continue it And there is great reason of it For seeing that daye is appointed for all the partes of Gods worship Bulling in Ier. câ—ncio 65. He that despiseth the Sabbath makes no great account of the true religion as master Bullinger very wisely noteth and therefore the Sabbath is many times put for the practise of all religion and the Prophets when they complaine of the decay of all religion say that the Sabbaths are polluted as hee also obserueth in the same place according to which rule if wee will iudge of the religioÌ„ of men we shall find that amongst a great many it is very little or none at all because they haue not that due care of the Sabbath that they should And thus saith Master Caluin Caluin vpon Deut. 5. ser 34. that the Prophet Ieremie in many places rebuking the Iewes for breaking of the Sabbath speakes vnto them as if they had in generall broken the whole law and not without cause for he which setteth at naught the Sabbath daye hath cast vnder foote all Gods seruice as much as is in him and if the Sabbath daye be not obserued all the rest shall be worth nothing Now besides seeing the end of all is that the fruit of Gods worship might appeare in our godly conuersation to the glorie of his name and our eternall saluation euen as it was ordayned of God at the first to keepe Adam in his integritie if we by the grace of God escape all these horrible prophanations of this daye and haue attained vnto some tolerable care of keeping holy the day then let vs see what we are bettered thereby and what is the fruite of our profession thereon For then may wee haue comfort that we vse it aright when there proceeds that good of it thereby for which God ordained it and which wee see it bringeth forth in many others And therefore I may say with Master Bucer Bucer in Mat. 12.11 if we do truely and religiously serue God vpon the Lords day aboue all others Declarent hoc mores Let our manners shewe it let the holinesse
haue done amisse in this we shall not be able to abide it or to answer one worde for a thousand so great cause haue wee to be humbled before God and to repent vs not onely for our sinnes generallie but particularlie for breaking the Sabbath that so we might see how greatlie we do stand in neede of Christ Iesus without whom we should haue perished so many thousand times and how vnspeakable the loue of God is towards vs in him in deliuering from so endlesse miserie so many times deserued by the testimonie of our owne conscience more by the iudgement of him who is greater then our conscience 1. Iohn 3.20 and knoweth all things And thus we truely vnderstanding and rightly applying the lawe it shall be indeed as it is most properlie called our schoolemaster vnto Christ Gal. 3.24 that wee might bee made righteous by faith and leade vs by the hand vnto our Sauiour when it letteth vs set as in a glasse how in our selues we are more then lost and that none can saue vs but onely he who is truelie called Matth. 1.21 Iesus because hee saueth his people from their sinnes Of whose saluation then may we bee assured that we are truelie partakers when besides the perswasion of the forgiuenes of our sinnes we haue power from him to dye vnto sinne and liue vnto righteousnes as well in this commandement as in any other seeing that he hath not onely borne the punishment of sinne but also tooke it away and as he became a sacrifice for sinne 1. Iohn 3.8 Ephes 4.8 Coloss 2.15 so he came to destroy the workes of the diuell and hauing ascended vp on high hath led captiuitie captiue and spoyled the prince of darkenes who is throwne out and hath giuen rich giftes vnto men not onely vnto his church generallie but particularlie to euery member of the same so that now if any man be in Chrst Iesus he is a new creature 2. Cor. 5.17 and he himselfe now liueth no more but Christ Iesus liueth in him Galat. 2.20 But if we be the olde men wee had wont to bee and bee no more carefull to obserue the rest of the sabbath then we haue been in times past then are we not as yet partakers of the benefite of Christ and so are vnder the curse of the lawe which one daye will sease vpon vs to our endlesse confusion 2. Pet. 1.10 Therefore let vs labour to make sure our election and calling by Gods workes and let vs striue to be perswaded that the Lord hath passed ouer the faultes of our youth wherby we haue infinitelie broken the holy rest of the Sabbath in thought worde and deed in the blindenes of poperie and light of the Gospell openlie and secretlie at home and abroad alone by our selues and with others and that the Lord hath receiued the sacrifice of his sonne as a ful recompence for them by that same second grace which wee haue receiued from the strength of his sacrifice that we doe giue our selues whollie to serue him in all holy obedience vnto this commandement more carefullie in all time to come and that by his grace wee are inabled thereunto and to desire continually to growe in it all which wee know can come from none other then from him who hath obtained it of his father for vs. And thus the lawe shall keepe vs also with Christ that we fall not away from him when it teacheth vs daylie to growe in humilitie for our sinnes past and maketh vs to be carefull of dueties to come Phil. 2.12 labouring to finish out our saluation in feare and in trembling The second booke declaring the seuerall parts of Gods worship whereby we ought publikely and priuately to sanctifie and keepe holy the Lords Day with other and by our selues Deut. 5.12 Keepe the Sabbath day to sanctifie it as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee 13. Sixe dayes thou shalt labour and doe all thy worke 14. But the seuenth day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God thou shalt not do any worke therein thou nor thy sonne nor thy daughter nor thy manseruant nor thy mayde nor thine oxe nor thine asse neither any of thy cattell nor the stranger that is within thy gates that thy manseruant and thy mayde may rest as well as thou 15. For remember that thou wast a seruant in the landâ— of Egypt and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence by a mightie hand and a stretched out arme therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to obserue the Sabbath day THe second and last part of this Commandement is The second part of the Commandement is to sanctifie the daye of Rest that wee carefullie spend the day of Rest vpon the holy seruice of God alone which though it be last in order yet is the chiefe and principall thing in the Commandement and that whereunto the ceasing from labour is to be referred and without which the other is vnperfect and as it were a shadowe without the bodie Which that it is so indeede do appeareth by the very wordes of the Lord and the order of them pronounced from heauen as we haue alreadie seene Remember the Sabbath daye to keepe it holy which also Moses preciselie commandeth in repeating the Law to the Israelites before his death Deut. 5.12 Obserue the Sabbath day to sanctifie it â—s the Lord thy God hath commanded thee which daye wee are then rightlie said to sanctifie or keepe holy when we bestowe it vpon the seruice of God which is most holy and so by making it proper vnto that which is holy both we and the daye are hallowed thereby Iohn 10.36 Zanc. de tribus Eloh pan 2. lib. 3. cap. 9. That great learned man Master Zanchius the diuinitie reader at Heidelberge entreating vpon that place of Iohn whom the father hath sanctified saith that to be sanctified signifieth to bee consecrated vnto God and to bee put apart from other things vnto an holy vse and so is God said to haue sanctified vnto himselfe the Sabbath daye that is to haue selected it from the other dayes and to haue consecrated it to himselfe And this significatioÌ„ is very common in the scripture wherupon the people also of God are said to be sanctified vnto God and in this sense Christ taketh where when he saith that he was sanctified of the father for he alone of all the three persons and of all other creatures was ordained vnto the office of the mediator and to be the head of the Church euen before he tooke vpon him our flesh Chrysost in Gen. 2. Homil. 10. Whereunto agreeth that of Chrysostome Quid est What is the meaning of this He hath sanctified it he hath distinguished it from other dayes and we see to what end For as M. Bullinger saith God hath sanctified the Sabbath not that one day in it owne nature Bulling in Rom. 14.5 is better then another or because he delighteth
such like markes the Lords day is made famous And in another place he saith further Idem de temp serm 154. This is the day in which the children of Israel passed through the red sea drie foote in which the Lord Iesus was baptised in Iordan in which he turned water into wine in Cana of Galile in which he fedde 5000. men with fiue loaues in the desert in which he came into his Disciples when the doores were shut in which we hope that he shall come to iudgement Many other things are spoken of this day as that vpon it Christ was borne vpon this day the old Couenant and Testament was changed into the new especially of some of the Rabbins Wolph chronol lib. 2. cap. 1. as Wolphinus obserueth Vpon this day Aaron and his sonnes were consecrated to their office and the Princes did begin to offer to the Tabernacle So that as the Psalmist sayth of Ierusalem Glorious things are spoken of thee thou citie of God so we may say many excellent things are spoken of this day All which whether they be true or no we cannot tel and yet if they were they are all nothing to this The resurrection of Christ which alone hath made it famous and hath giuen it that honor which all the other besides are not able to doe So that in this respect it may bee truely sayd of this day as it is in the Psalme Psalm 118.15 This is the day which the Lord hath made let vs be glad and reioyce in it For this Psalm principally pertaineth vnto the Messiah of whom Dauid was a type and figure as Master Beza noteth Beza paraphr in hunc Psal So that here the day of the Lords resurrection is commended vnto vs wherein he being deliuered from death is made the head of the corner as Dauid being deliuered from his enemies was made the head of the people So that I say as for the memorie of the first Creation that seuenth day was sanctified by the Lord in which he rested from his work and thereby declared that al things were most perfect when hee wrought no more vpon which consideration the whole worlde was bound to keepe that day vntill the comming of Christ euen so he at his comming taking vpoÌ„ him the creating as it were of a new world I meane the renewing of it and redeeming of it from sin and from that bondage Rom. 8.21 corruption and vanitie as the Apostle speaketh wherein all the creatures were by reason of sinne and faithfully performing all things to the full not leauing of any iot or title thereof from the beginning of his life to the last moment of his death yea and in his death and buriall and Resurrection most of all after which time he suffered no more but entered into his rest and vpon that day he began and so continueth it for euer that the most famous and worthiâ— memorie of his second creation might not bee inferiour to the first but that the beautie and glorie of it might shine more excellently in the Church Therefore this day was appoynted and none but this could be ordained then that of the other as indeede it was greater therefore this day was ordained by speciall aduice and none but this day could be chosen to be the Sabbath and day of Rest which Christ Iesus the Creator of the new world rested from his work of the new creation for thus indeede the Prophets doe speake of the time of the Messiah that then all things should be made new Esay 65.17 I will create new heauens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde because the price of their renewing was then fully payed And againe for this cause when the sayd Prophets doe speake but of the time vnto Christs comming they expresse it in these words for euer as they are willed to keepe the holie feast of the Passâ—ouer vnto the Lorde throughout their generations by an ordinance for euer Exod. 12.12 and so likewise the other sacrament of Circumcision is called by the Lord an euerlasting couenant Gen. 17.14 because then the first world had an end that I might so speake and the new world began in which respect the time of the Gospell is called the world to come Heb. 2.5 And therefore as the Church by keeping the first seuenth day did testifie that they worshipped and depended vpon that God which rested himselfe vpon that day from the work of creation and therefore sanctified it so we by keeping this seuenth day doe witnesse not onely to all the Church but to all Turkes Infidels Panims and Atheists in the world that we serue and looke assuredly to be saued by that Lord Iesus Christ and by none other who by his resurrection vpoÌ„ this day did rest froÌ„ the worke of our Redemption which he had fully ended and brought to perfection Neither did the Church iudâ—e amisse P. Martir in Gen. 2. sayth P. Martir if in obseruing the Lords day it preferred the memorie of our present restoring that is the resurrection of Christ before the finishing of the workmanship of the world And againe For this cause saith a learned writer euen because of Christs resurrection when the day was changed the change was made Wolph Chronol lib. 2. cap. 1. A feria septima in primam From the seuenth day of the weeke into the first and the beginning of the Sabbath is not now from the euening but from the morning at what time the Lord did rise againe And lastly The cause of this change sayth Iunius is the resurrection of Christ Iunij praelect in Gen. 2.3 and the benefite of the restoring of the Church by Christ the remembrance of which benefite did succeede into the place of the memorie of the creation Non humana traditione sed Christi ipsius obseruatione instituto not by the tradition of man but by the obseruation appointment of Christ who both on the day of his resurrection and on euery eight day after vnto his ascension into heauen did appeare vnto his Disciples and come into their assemblie Like vnto the which This day must neuer be changed but continue vnto the ende of the world because nothing can euer fall out in the world comparable vnto it in glorie and power therefore this day must continue in his first honor of sanctification vnto the end of all things and no day bee set vp like to it or it changed into any other day least the wonderfull glorie of that thing bee darkened and the infinite power of it weakened I meane the glorious and mightie worke of our Redemption which by the sanctification of this Sabbath is commended vnto vs and we by keeping that holie still do commend it to our posteritie And this is it which is alleadged as a reason of the obseruation of this day in the Apostles constitutions Constit. Apostol lib. 7. c. 37. It is
To morowe is the rest of the holie Sabbath vnto the Lord where he is not contented to say to morowe is the Sabbath which was as much to them and was so knowne as the day of rest to vs but he doubleth the word and sayth It is the rest of the holie Sabbath as though he had sayd It is a day of rest euen of the holie rest indeede noting out ths necessitie of the rest and how straightly the Lord requireth it of them and that the rest might not be omitted at all Exod. 31.15 Vnto which agreeth that which is in the 31. chapter where he doth not onely say that he that worketh about the Tabernacle vpon the seuenth day should dye the death but also addeth as it were giuing a reason of it the seuenth day is the the Sabbath of the holie rest vnto the Lord. Where he both calleth it the Sabbath day as it were expounding it the day of rest and though in the first tongue both the words be of one nature and signifie one thing yet it hath seemed good to the Interpretors thus to translate them that retaining the proper name of the day in one the other might shew the nature of it and both of them ioyned together might declare how necessarily the rest is to bee adioyned vnto the day and what a principall regard the Lord hath vnto that in this Commandement which is of men least of all considered And as Moses in the Mount had receiued this from God in so plaine words that notwithstanding all that was to bee done the Sabbath must be a day of rest So in Exod. 35.2 he comming to declare all that should bee done beginneth with this namely with resting vpon the Sabbath in so many words giueth it in charge vnto the people in how many he had receiued it from the Lord in the chapter mentioned before Sixe daies thou shalt worke but the seuenth day shall be vnto you the holie Sabbath of rest vnto to the Lorde whosoeuer doth any worke therein shall dye where besides the ciuill punishment of death vpon those that did not rest which he forgetteth not as he had receiued it he doubleth the word rest vnto the people as the Lord did to him before Leuit. 16.31 calling it the sabbath of Rest So in Leuit. 16. though he speaketh not of this very seuenth day but of the day of pacifying as wee haue seene before yet because it had the nature and name of the Sabbath he doth not only say In it doe no worke at all but also calleth it a sabbath of Rest Leuit. 23.18 as also in the 23. chapter of the same booke where he speaketh of it againe and with more words standeth in requiring the Rest at their hands as you shall doe no worke the same day vers 30. and euery person that shall doe any worke that same day the same person also will I destroy from among his people ver 31. you shall doe no worke therefore and in the ende concludeth 32. this shal be vnto you a sabbath of rest Out of which places wee must needes confesse that the Lords meaning is not to fray vs with a vaine shew of words but that he as earnestly commandeth the thing as the words bee many that he vseth for our dulnes sake For if the wisedome of a man bee discerned in that his words be proportionall vnto his matter and that thereby wee know the matter is waightie when his words are many then much more must we be perswaded that the holie scripture was written by such a heauenly wisedom that it containeth not a confused heape of vaine and vnprofitable wordes and that it is full of idle repetitions which were blasphemie to thinke but that the Lorde hath in wisedome tempered his speech for our good and framed it to our capacitie and therefore foreseeing the pronenes of our nature to breake out in this Commandement hath set vp so many barres as it were against vs and doth thus beate that into our eares which we are so vnwilling to heare and more loth to followe And here that I might not seeme tedious vnto you let vs in one worde consider of that which is in this same chapter spoken of the seuenth day it selfe therfore no exception can bee made against it in the 3. chap 23 3. verse of the same chapter where the Lord speaking of the yearely feasts which they should keep beginneth with that which was the chiefest euen the Sabbath and commanding them first of all to rest vpon it which is indeede the first thing required vpon that day vseth thus many wordes Sixe daies shall worke be done but in the seuenth day shall be the sabbath of rest you shall doe no worke therein it is the sabbath of the Lord in dwellings where he is not contented twise to haue repeated the word sabbath which signifieth rest and further to adde that no worke should bee done therein but repeateth the wordes as wee haue seene heretofore calling it the sabbath of rest that is the rest euen the most notable rest giuing them to vnderstand that vpon that day they must rest yea they must rest indeede But I will shut vp this poynt with that which is in the 25. Leuit. 25.4 chapter of the same booke of Leuiticus where the Lord speaking of that rest that should be giuen vnto the land euery seuenth yeare which was a childish instruction to them of the nature of the Sabbath according to the dispensation of those times that they might knowe how necessarie it was for them to rest vpon the seuenth day doth very straightly require that the land should rest vpon the seuenth yeare and therefore doth so speake of the rest of the land as of the rest of the Sabbath because that was a figure of it The seuenth yeare shal be a sabbath of rest vnto the land it shall bee the Lords sabbath thou shalt neither sowe thy field nor cut thy vineyard where as we see he doth not only call that yeare twise a Sabbath that is a rest and forbiddeth them vnder two kindes that were the chiefe all manner of worke but calleth it the sabbath of rest vnto the land Shewing how necessarie a thing it was that the land should rest that the shadowe might bee like the bodie and that this rudiment might teach them that for the which it was ordained he telleth them that vnto the land a singular rest is to bee performed vpon the seuenth yeare because the like speciall rest is to bee obserued vpon the seuenth day Thus wee haue hetherto seene concerning this matter not onely that the Lord requireth in this Commandement that we should rest vpon the seuenth day but how necessarily he requireth it of vs and what great care we ought to haue of it and that it is a greater sinne to work vpon that day then it is taken to be and that it is not an indifferēt thing to work or
to rest but that euen to rest froÌ„ labour though it be a meere worldly thing in it owne nature yet is a singular part of our obedience to God vpon that day when it is so many times required so often vrged and as it is neere pressed vpon vs with words doubled and tripled yea and that by God himselfe who is not flowing with words in a barren cause but sheweth vnto vs the waightines of his Commandement by the force of his words and the seueritie of his lawes by his most significant and patheticall speeches The reason why the Lord would haue men to rest vpon this day is manifold The chiefest cause of resting is that we might wholly attend vpon Gods worship the first and principall is that which was from the beginning that men might be the more fit to sanctifie it in the holy seruice of God which because they could not doe with all the powers of their soule and bodie as the worship of God requireth so long as they are about their worldly businesse because they must needes take vp their wits and their willes the vnderstanding and the heart either in whole or in part so long as they bee conuersant in them therefore that wee might so doe as hee requireth hee would haue vs rest from that which might hinder vs from it and because the affayres of this world and his worship are two distinct things he would haue vs rest from the one that we might bee occupied in the other Thus speaketh S. Augustine August de teÌ„p serm 251. Sciendum est fratres charissimi We must vnderstand dearly beloued brethren that it was therefore commanded not onely of our holie fathers as he saith there but of God that we should rest especially on the Lords day that ceasing from all worldly busines we might be more prompt and readie for the worship of God when we should haue no let to hinder vs from it For as wee haue seene alreadie our nature is not onely â—o now but was so in Adam that he could not doe both these at once and therefore as he was willed by God to sanctifie the seuenth day so he willed him therefore to rest from dressing the garden in that he called it a Sabbath day that is a day of rest and this reason as it did straightly binde Adam to rest vpon it so doth it all his posteritie much more Afterwards there were other causes adioyned vnto this which made this necessitie of resting a great deale stronger A lesse principâ—ll cause is the retayning of our bodily strength and by name for because that through sinne the bodie of man is weakened all the naturall humours of it being corrupted and hauing lost the first vigor and strength of it and therefore is now subiect to paine to wearisomnes to sicknes and to death and so standeth in neede of ease and craueth rest as that without the which it cannot long continue therfore in respect of this men had need to rest so much the more that by the rest of the seuenth day they being refeshed might bee more enabled euen in the strength of their bodies to do the works of their calling cheerefully Adam and his posteritie if they had continued in their first estate should haue labored vpon the sixe daies but their labour should haue bin no labour vnto them I meane they should not haue laboured with wearisomnes and with payne for these are the punishments of sinne and the forerunners of death threatning a dissollution of the bodie in time but then there should haue been no death yet they were bound to this rest for the forenamed cause but now when as besides that labour is through Gods iust punishment become so laboursome vnto vs and work is so full of paine and trauaile maketh wearie according as it is sayd In the sweate of thy face thou shalt eate bread Gen. 3.19 then wee see there is greater cause we should rest on this day and we are as it were with a double chaine bound vnto it Therefore in thâ— 5 of Deut. where Moses repeateth the law shewing hâ—â— great cause there is why they should rest vpon the Sabbath he alleadgeth this in the end of the 14. verse that thy manseruant and thy mayd may rest as well as thou speaking of them who as they are most subiect to labor so therefore doe most of all stand in need of this benefite of rest Afterwards when this law was giuen to the Iewes by the hand of Moses as in the obseruation of it they had many Ceremonies proper to themselues so in the ende and cause of this rest there was something ioyned vnto it which bound them vnto it most straightly and yet appertaining to no other people but them and though all the people in the world were equally bound to rest vpon the Sabbath day and there was great reason to binde euery one of them vnto it yet the Iewes had moe reasons then any other and in their rest was some speciall consideration which could not enforce or compell any other but themselues And of this nature is that whereof Moses speaketh in the next verse of this very chapter Deut. 5.15 Remember that thou wast a seruant in the Land of Aegypt and that the Lorde thy God brought thee out thence by a mightie hand and stretched out arme therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to observe the sabbath day The Iewes were bound to it more specially for a memorial of their deliuerance out of Egypt and a seale of their deliueraÌ„ce by Christ In which place he maketh the day of rest to bee a memoriall to the Iewes of their resting from their heauie burthens and intolerable labours in the land of Egypt when the Lorde ridde them out of the cruell hands of Pharaoh and so because that benefite was a pledge vnto them of their eternall deliuerie and redemption by Christ from sinne and the miserable thraldome of it euen the Lord did assure them of it by this miraculous deliuerance according to the manner of teaching in those times wherein the truth of this doctrine was not so plainely reuealed therefore this rest also vpon the sabbath was vnto them a type and figure of that eternall rest from sinne which they should haue by the Messiah and the one was most liuely shadowed out vnto them in the other for these causes also were they bound to rest vpon the sabbath which bound none but them because they onely were partakers of the redemption from Egypt wherein they onely were in bondage and so to rest vpon it that in resting they might both thankefully remember the happie and often desired rest from the endles worke in Egypt that oppressed them which none other could doe but they and also with faith to meditate vpon the hoped and eternall rest from the deadly workes of sinne in themselues by Christ and to behold the performance of the one in the other euen the bodie in
sabbath is ordayned of God not for rest in it selfe for he no where alloweth idlenes therefore the rest of the sabbath is commanded for another end namely for the diligent studie of religion for it is therefore commanded to rest from handy labours vt hoc totum tempus impendamus that wee might bestowe this whole time in the exercise of Religion And this wee doe see that as to rest vpon that day is the first thing required so for what cause it was appoynted which as it did bind men from the beginning so we can neuer looke to be exempted from it And that we might yet bee the more throughly persuaded of this one point From what things particularly wee are commanded to rest and more cleerely see into the trueth of it let vs vnto all this that hath beene spoken adde that for a further proofe which we find in the scripture that the Lorde doth not onely thus often require that men should rest that they should doe no worke doubling the word Rest in many places and going ouer it againe and againe that if it were possible we might conceiue it and yeeld vnto it though not at the first yet at the last but also more largely and fully descendeth into particulars forbidding them by name to worke in such and such things and at such times as might carrie with them the greatest probabilitie of being exempted and might make the greatest shew of giuing priuiledge to worke that all excuse might bee taken from them who in the pride of their wittes cannot conceiue nor in the stubbornnes of their harts will yeelde vnto this commandement of so precise a rest neither will haue their handes and their feete so shortly tyed vp but will needes breake out vpon that day most vngodlily to the doing of that which seemeth good in their owne eyes 1 From gathering and preparing Manna Exod. 16.23 This is that which is spoken Exod. 16. concerning the gathering and preparing of Manna which was their dayly food that vpon the seuenth day they should rest from both To morrowe is the rest of the holy Sabbath of the Lord bake that to day which you will bake and seeth that which you will seeth and all that remaineth lay it vp to bee kept till the morning for you And afterward verse 26. Sixe daies shall ye gather it but in the seuenth day is the Sabbath in it shall be none Here you see that hee would not haue them worke about the prouision of their foode when it might bee done the day before and that now when they were fed from hand to mouth as it were because they were not made to feede themselues but to liue to Gods glorie he would haue them so to eate and so to prouide for their eating that the rest vpon the Sabbath might not be interrupted and therefore not to gather or prouide vpon that day which would haue taken vp a great part of it and so they could not haue sanctified it as they ought Whereunto wee may adioyne that which is spoken concerning the making of the Tabernacle 2 From doing any thing about building the Tabeâ—nacle Exod. 31.13 first by the Lord himselfe vnto Moses in many words Speake then also vnto the children of Israell and say notwithstanding keepe you my Sabbath vers 14 Whosoeuer worketh therein the same person shall be euen cut off from among his people vers 15. Sixe daies shall men worke but in the seuenth day is the Sabbath of the holy rest vnto the Lord whosoeuer doth any worke in the Sabbath day shall dye the death vers 16. Wherefore the children of Israell shall keepe the Sabbath that they may rest throughout their generations for an euerlasting couenant Where the Lord doth teach theÌ„ that the rest of the Sabbath was of such importance that hee would haue the making of the Tabernacle to giue place vnto it and though it was the place wherein the Lord should be worshipped and therefore much might haue been sayd for the defence of those that should haue wrought vpon the Sabbath about it yet because it was not alreadie sanctified to that end and so was not holy and therefore the working about it in it owne nature meerely ciuill and worldly therefore he would not haue it hinder them from that which was aboue all worldly things euen his owne seruice which that they might performe in such wise as they should he willeth them to rest from all other worke yea from working about the Tabernacle And afterward when Moses commeth to speake vnto the people of the same matter hee forgetteth not this charge but placeth it in the beginning of his speech vnto them as a thing most waightie as appeareth in the same booke Exod. 35.1 These are the wordes which the Lorde hath commanded that you should doe them 2. Sixe daies thou shalt worke but the seuenth day shall bee vnto you the holy Sabbath of Rest vnto the Lorde whosoeuer doth any worke therein shall die 3. You shall kindle no fire throughout all your habitations vpon the Sabbath day and so goeth on to the declaration of that which appertained to the Tabernacle as followeth in that chapter As though he should haue sayd notwithstanding all this which you are to do about the rearing of the Tabernacle you must obserue the rest vpon the Sabbath as you had wont to do the sixe daies are appointed for it but vpon the seuenth doe nothing no not so much as make a fire to heate any tooles or to prepare and dresse any thing that belongeth vnto it And though I am not ignorant that some doe otherwise expound this last verse whom I doe esteeme in the Lord as I ought yet considering the place that it occupieth and that it goeth immediately before his speech concerning the Tabernacle I am persuaded that this is the true and natiue sense of it Must we not needes then think that to rest vpoÌ„ the sabbath is a thing that the Lord highly regardeth when hee would haue it kept yea to the delaying as it were of the building of the Tabernacle And what excuses shall men haue before God for their needlesse working and superfluous trauailes when so excellent a worke as this might not be excused And here we may not let that passe which is so worthy remembrance concerning this matter spokeÌ„ by the Lord himselfe as it is by Moses set downe Sixe daies shalt thou worke Exod. 34.21 and in the seuenth day thou shalt rest both in earing time and haruest thou shalt rest Where besides that in so few words 3 In the time of sowing and haruest he doth twise vse this word rest it is to be marked that to rest vpon the seuenth day is so necessarie that hee of purpose chuseth out the fittest times for men to worke in and those that might seeme most to be excepted as seed time and haruest and forbiddeth them by name to worke vpon the Sabbath yea in these times
it must needs be a greater sinne if that through their negligence they do not sanctifie and keepe holy the day of rest They ought not to leaue it to their discretion as a thing indifferent but compell them thereunto So that here the Lord God doth require that in al places there should be such good lawes and orders publikely in the Common-wealth and priuatly in mens houses established and diligently executed as whereby not only the rulers but also all in subiection should be compelled to sanctifie the Lords day and that they should bee sure that they doe it indeede And as he must not leaue it indifferent to them to choose whether they will work or rest and so thinke it sufficient that they doe not lay any work vpon them so it is not enough that they hinder them not from seruing God vpon that day vnlesse they procure all the meanes vnto them whereby God might bee worshipped of them and see that they worship God in them as well as themselues Therefore the Masters of families must prouide as much as lyeth in them that the word be publikely preached where they dwell not for themselues alone but for their children and seruants sake that they might keepe holie the day together with them and they must not onely come themselues to the place of common prayer and diuine seruice but bring these also with them and so spend the rest of the day in all priuat godly exercises themselues and cause others to doe so also And here least this might seeme too heauie vnto vs and that it might not bee grieuous to take so great a charge vpon vs wee must remember that as wee haue great help by our inferiours in many things so the Lord would haue vs to helpe them in the chiefe and principal and as he hath made them our seruants so wee should make them his seruants and when they haue serued vs sixe daies wee might cause them to serue him vpon the seuenth and as the Lord hath preferred vs aboue them with their seruice so he would hūble vs with this charge and care ouer them or rather exalt vs in that hee would haue vs to be as it were the ouerseers of his worke not onely serue him our selues but also see his seruice done by others committed to our charge which if wee doe not wherein shal the Christian gouernours of housholds differ from the Infidels and Heathen and what greater thing shall we doe for our seruants then they Nay what shall we doe more for them then for the bruit beasts and cattell that worke vnder vs to whom wee giue rest and ease from labour vpon the Sabbath if we cause them not to sanctifie the day of rest in which they shall differ from all other not onely beasts but men And this is the meaning of that lawe which Moses gaue to the Israelites Deut. 11.20 commanding them to write the word of God vpon the posts of their houses and vpon their gates whereby all vnder gouernment were taught what should be required of them so long as they liued in those houses namely to serue God So haue the seruants of God done in time past in their seuerall families and all gouernours were taught what especially to looke after in all them that went in and out of their gates and liued vnder the roofe of their houses euen to serue the Lord in all parts of his worship for which end he hath giuen them such authoritie ouer them According to which Commandement the worthie Captaine of Gods people Iehoshua made this protestation before all the Elders of Israel a little before his death exhorting them to doe the like Iosh 24.15 I and mine house will serue the Lord. Promising not onely for himselfe but for all his which though it was hard to doe yet because he knew how many meanes the Lord had giuen him to bring it to passe which also God would blesse as all godly exhortations admonitions and chastisements whereby if they did not profit he had authoritie to thrust them out of his house and to rid himselfe of them all which he was purposed to put in practise therefore he was bolde thus to speake of himselfe thereby shewing what all men should propound to themselues and may attaine vnto The like whereof Dauid speaketh of himselfe in that worthie Psalme 101. which is left as a paterne for all Christian gouernours to rule by wherein he sheweth how he would rule not onely himselfe but his houshold nay the whole kingdome by hauing an eye to thē that were good to reward thē and to thē that were bad to punish them that so not only himselfe but all his might serue the Lord. After the same manner in the time of the captiuitie when the noble Queene Hester willed all the dispersed Iewes to keepe holie three dayes together in fasting and prayer that so they might intreate the Lord for that finall destruction and vtter rasing of them out which Haman the cursed Amalekite and sworne enemy of Gods people had determined to bring vpon them speedilie that it I say might be preuented in time she sayd that she and her maydes would doe the like Hest 4.16 Whereby no doubt she insinuated vnto them that in euery houshold her meaning was that it should bee thorowly kept on all sides not onely the rulers and some fewe but all others euen vnto the maidseruants Now this is that which we haue seene heretofore that the Sabbath and the day of fast are both of one nature and it is that which the word doth sufficiently beare witnesse vnto therefore if this hath been the practise of the Church vpon that day to fast not onely of the chiefe alone but with their families then must wee needes bee perswaded that vpon the Lords day we ought our selues and our housholds to serue the Lord and to say with Ioshua I and mine house will serue the Lord and with Hester I and my seruants will doe the like And how could that haue been verified of the religious Captaine Cornelius which is written of him Acts. 10.2 that he was a deuout man and one that feared God with all his houshold vnlesse he had not onely frequented the common assemblies vpon the Sabbath dayes but had also acquainted his seruants therewith Therefore as the Lord himselfe speaketh of Abraham Gen. 18.19 who is the father of all beleeuers I know that he will command his sonnes and his houshold after him that they keepe the way of the Lord to doe righteousnes and iudgement that the Lord may bring vpon Abraham that he hath spoken vnto him So it must bee practised of all them that will be children of this faithfull Abraham and enioy the same promises that he and his posteritie did euen that they cause their children and their seruants to keepe holie the Sabbath wherein consisteth the true worship of the Lord that so they might walke in that way which hath