and religious Exercises Necessary works there be which may lawfully be done on the Lords day such things as concern mens necessary Nourishment may be done and no doubt but men may provide for the dumb Beasts on the Sabbath and loose the Oxe and the Asse from the Stall to be watered yea some persons are priviledged to do the works of their Calling on the Lords day Our Saviour telleth us how that on the Sabbath day the Mat. 12. 5. Priests in the Temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless And no doubt but the Ministers of the Gospel may do the works of their Calling on the Lords day yea if they beat their brains and busie their bodies the more carefully they are employed in the works of their Calling on the Lords day the more acceptable Service they perform to God It is a thing exceeding painfull to those who study for their Sermons to perform their Ministerial Function in instructing the people Their Mind doth labour and they are greatly bâ—sied on such Lords dayes as they do preach unto the People besides it is a weariness to their Bodies to read Prayers to administer the Sacraments to multitudes and to do other Duties belonging to their Place and Callings But yet working on the Lords day is a Duty belonging to their Place and Callings and an acceptable Service it is to God if it be performed carefully and conscionably as it ought Besides works of Necessity there are works of Charity which all men but especially those that are of Ability ought to perform The Visiting the sick the relieving of the Poor and doing Offices of Charity for those that are in distress It was usual with the Primitive Christians on every Lords day to make Collections and do Offices of Charity Physicians no doubt may ride and take Journeys on the Lords day temper Potions and administer Physick to the Diseased Beside works of Charity which have ever been in use and may lawfully and laudably be done works of Piety are proper for the day I purpose more particularly to insist upon these and shew how the Sabbath ought to be consecrated to such works and be spent in holy and religious Exercises so that men should be at leisure for God on that day It is a Day greatly to be observed unto the Lord and men should think of it before it cometh there is a Memento prefixed before this Commandement Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy and St. Mark calleth the day before the Sabbath the Preparation Mar. 15. ver 42. because it was usual with the People of God to prepare themselves for the Sanctification of the Sabbath as it is the Duty of all good Christians on that day they should lay aside all earthly Cogitations and worldly Businesses and separate themselves to the service of the Lord and perform all such holy and religious Exercises as are required on the day As on all dayes men ought to pray in their own Persons and with their Families so more especially on the Lords day they ought to sanctifie themselves and prepare their Families for the Sanctification of the Sabbath and for performance of such holy and religious Exercises as are required in God's House as likewise for such Duties as are required to be performed in their own Houses I shall briefly run over the publick Performances the holy and religious Exercises that are required in God's House and then likewise touch upon those that are required in every mans own house Men should with fear and reverence assemble themselves in the House of God the Place where his Honour dwelleth there after a special and more peculiar manner to worship him on the Lords day The first and special publick Duty required and of greatest concernment for the Sanctification of the Sabbath is the Praying unto God in the House of Prayer the pouring out Supplications to him the offering up to him every Sabbath day a Morning and an Evening Sacrifice worshipping him in the Beauty of Holiness with the Congregation of the Faithfull this is a Duty which cannot be omitted and that of all other Duties it is most especially required for the Sanctification of the Sabbath I think I shall easily prove In the 56th Chapter of the Prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah ver 2. the Prophet setteth it forth That blessed is the Man that doth this and the Son of Man that layeth hold of it that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it I but you will say How shall we keep the Sabbath from polluting it and what is a special Means to sanctifie it If you read that Chapter and consider seriously of the Blessedness which God bath pronounced upon those that keep his Sabbaths you must needs see that a principal means of sanctifying his Sabbath whereby to procure the like blessing upon your selves is to pray unto God in his House upon his Holy Day in vers 4. Thus saith the Lord of the Eunuches that keep my Sabbaths and choose the things that please me and lay hold of my Covenant even to them will I give in mine House and within my walls a place and a Name better than of Sons and Daughters I will give them an everlasting Name which shall not be cut off Also the Sons of the Strangers that joyn themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love the Name of the Lord to be his servants every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it and taketh hold of my Covenant even them will I bring to my holy Mountain and make them joyfull in my House of Prayer Their Burnt-offerings and their Sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine Altar For mine House shall be called a House of Prayâ—r to all People When God by the Prophet speaketh of his accepting the Burnt-offerings of the Strangers of the Eunuchs the words are meant of the offering up to him the calves of their Lips these are the Offerings that he will accept no doubt but the words are to be understood of the Sacrifice of Prayse of the Oblations of Prayer as is manifestly proved by that which immediately followeth Mine house shall be called an house of Prayer to all People Yea he that seeth not that the principal Means of sanctifying God's Sabbath is to pray unto God in his House of Prayer he must needs be a stranger to the Scriptures and the Word of God If then you will indeed sanctifie God's Sabbath by performing in it holy and religious Exercises be perswaded to tread his Courts and be present continually at Divine Service Slight not Divine Service and say not as it is the common custom of most men in these times If we goe up to Gods House we shall hear there onely a few Prayers but say rather on the contrary If we go up to Gods House we shall there say our Prayers with the Congregation of the faithfull worship God in the Beauty of Holiness which is a principal Means of sanctifying Gods Sabbath and a Duty which of all
Religion if it be not necessary on every Sabbath-day yet it is on some Sabbath-days very seasonable and People should at seasonable times on some Sabbath-days send their Servants and their Children to be Instructed in the Principles of Religion and to be Catechised The Receiving of the Sacraments are Holy and Religious Exercises to be performed if possibly it may be on the Lords day It was usual with the Primitive Christians on every Lords day to eat of that Heavenly and Soul-refreshing Manna the Body and Blood of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And hereupon was that usual and Ordinary speech amongst them Celebrasti Dominicum sumpsisti Dominum thou didst keep the Lords day thou didst feed on thy Lord and Saviour eat his Body and drink his Blood It is not in use with us on every Lords day to Celebrate the Lords Supper yet this is a Duty often to be performed as St. Paul setteth it forth to the Corinthians first Epistle 11th Chapter and we should as often as conveniently we can Sanctifie the Lords Day by Receiving in it the Lords Supper The other Sacrament of Baptism it should likewise if with conveniency it may be Administred on the Lords day for the Sanctifying the Sabbath by performing in it this Holy and Religious Exercise for it is a means to put People in mind of the Vows and Promises that they themselves did make to God in Baptism I have been something longer than I made Account in Treating of those Publique Religious performances that should be performed in Gods House I shall but touch upon those that should be performed in every Man 's own House Private Meditation upon the Word of God whether Read or Preached this is a Duty that careful Christians ought Conscionably to perform in their own Houses When they are Retired to their Houses and are private by themselves they should digest by Meditation the good Word of God Treasure it up in their Hearts to bring forth the Fruit of it in their Lives and Conversations If they come into Company and have Occasion to Discourse with any whether in their own Houses or with others in theirs They should endeavour to break off all Discourse of Earthly Affairs and Worldly businesse and should Reason of the Scriptures of things concerning their Salvation On the Lords day especially they should think of St. Paul's Exhortation to the Ephâ—sians Chap. 4. ver 29. And let no Corrupt Communication proceed out of their Mouths but such as is good to the use of Edifying that it may minister Grace to the Hearers At leisure times they should Catechise and Instruct their Children on the Lords day Read in their Families the Word of God talk of it when they sit in their Houses and walk before their Families in the ways of God's Commandments When they have performed all these Duties they should shut up the Sabbath with Prayers and Supplications and as near as they can spend the whole day in Holy and Religious Exercises If we did our Duties as we ought we should indeed so Sanctifie God's Sabbath that in it we should neither think our own thoughts nor speak our own words nor do our own works But the best fall short of their Duties and do not Sanctifie God's Sabbath according as he requireth they may hope to be so happy in Heaven but they can never be so Holy on Earth yea the good God will pardon those that set their hearts to seek and to serve him though their failings and fallings are great and many not onely on week days but on the Lords day yea he is an indulgent Father And such things as are reputed by some to be great sins as the Carriage of Beds and the bearing of Burdens and the selling Wares in those of the meaner sort he will look upon them as no sins or as very small Infirmities If men fall out of Infirmity and are grieved for these things and are wary and watchful over themselves how they fall into those sins for time to come Or else do these things at the Command of their Governours and Superiours who they know would not Command them such things if they did not know that they were such works of Necessity as may be done on any Sabbath-day or such works of Necessity as must be done on that Sabbath-day as they Command them And he will not see concerning some that are Persons of Quality and Fashion Ministers and Magistrates that they are not frequent in performance of Holy and Religious Exercises And if they be drawn in to Feast and Banquet on the Lords day and do Prophane the Sabbath by foolish talking and vain jesting yet if they Repent of their failings of their fallings and do not wilfully prophane the Sabbath themselves nor nourish others in the contempt of Holy and Religious Exercises he will pardon and forgive those sins for he considereth of the Temptations that some have to sin of the pull-backs and hinderances that they have to Piety And again he is very strict and precise a severe Judge and will see in some of the meaner sort such things as seem to the Worlds eye to be very small Infirmities the gathering of sticks and playing in the streets and note them as hainous sins yea he will not see that those that do those things keep the Church duly and are frequent in Religious Exercises if they do these things out of Hypocrisie to bear themselves out in their presumptuous wickedness And he will note some that are Persons of Quality and Fashion how they prophane the Sabbath by idle Discourse and vain talking and will not observe it in them that they are frequent and often in the performance of Religious Exercises If they make Religion a Cloak for their Malice and will not Repent of this sin but are obstinate to have all Men as frequent and often in performance of Holy and Religious Exercises as themselves for he considereth of the Opportunities that some have to do good of the helps and encouragements that they have to Piety Yea the Merciful God hath a care of the dumb Beasts and one of the Reasons why he hath Ordained a Sabbath is that they should rest every seventh day and not be over-harrowed with working And much more hath he a care of reasonable Creatures he hath Ordained a Sabbath of Rest not meerly out of respect to himself that he should be Served and his Sabbath Sanctified by performing in them Holy and Religious Exercises but he hath a respect to Servants and Day Labourers and hath Ordained a seventh day of Rest that Servants and Day-Labourers might have some time to rest from Labour as well as their Masters So it is set forth in the 5th of Deut. 14 ver the latter part of the verse one of the Reasons why God hath Commanded a Sabbath of Rest to be kept Holy is that the Man-Servant and the Maid-Servant may Rest as well as thou If thou beest a Master of a Family
thou mayst when thou wilt Rest from Labour God hath appointed a time when the Man-Servant and the Maid-Servant may do this as well as thy self and that is upon his Sabbath of Rest Now thy Man-Servant and thy Maid-Servant may Rest as well as thou yea thou art bound in equity and Conscience to favour thy Servants and after a special manner give them Rest on the Lords day Not that Servants or Labourers are exempted from Sanctifying God's Sabbaths by performing in them Holy and Religious Exercises But this I say if they keep the Church duly and shew no distaste or dislike of Houshold Piety but are willing to hear the Word read and to Pray with their Masters on the Lords day when they are required They should in Mercy and Compassion to them give them some time wherein they may rest from Labour and have a Relaxation from Spiritual and Divine Duties The Spirit truly is willing but the Flesh is weak and Masters of Families cannot so Sanctifie God's Sabbath that they should spend it wholly in Religious Exercises and therefore they should not wonder at their Servants if they be willing on the sabbath-Sabbath-day to have some time wherein they may Rest from Labour and have a Relaxation from Spiritual and Divine Duties Yea the wisdom of Governours considering the impossibility that all the world should be wholly devoted to Holy and Religious Exercises on the Lords day did think fitting to permit Day-Labourers Men-servants and Maid-servants to recreate themselves at seasonable times on the Lords day lest while they Rested from Labour and were vacant from Spiritual and Divine Duties they should run out into Riot and Excess or into some worse sins This Toleration of sports and pastimes on the Lords day did no more disprove the Morality of the Sabbath nor no more prove sports and pastimes on the Lords day to be Lawful than the Statute that stinteth Usury at a certain summe in the hundred proveth Usury to be Lawful by the Word of God Whereas the Statute is express that no Man should Collect from that Statute that that Usury or any Usury was Law-Lawful in Religion and Conscience But it hath been Objected heretofore by some and it may be will be Objected again That there was never any Law made heretofore for the toleration of Sports and Pastimes on the Lords day Because there is an Act of Parliament that doth expresly forbid that no Persons should go out of their own Parish to use any sports and pastimes whatsoever To this I Answer that it was usual in times of Popery of blindness and of Ignorance Many Parishes did meet at one Parish to Celebrate Bacchanalian Feasts and to have tumultuous Assemblies Drunken Wakes and Disordered Meetings And the wisdom of Governours did prudently provide against this mischief But it may be probably Collected and reasonably Concluded that the Honourable Assembly the High Court of Parliament by prohibiting People to go out of their own Parishes to use sports and pastimes on the Lords day did tacitely yield that if they did keep themselves within their own Parishes they might at seasonable times use such sports and pastimes on the Lords day as were judged Lawful on other days But if the Honourable Assembly the High Court of Parliament shall Declare that this is not the meaning of that Act and shall hereafter with the consent of his Sacred Majesty make an Act against Peoples using all sports and pastimes whatsoever as well in their own Parishes as out of them It becometh me and all peaceable Sons of the Church to judge That no body ought to tolerate themselves or to countenance or encourage others in the use of any sports and pastimes on the Lords day whether in their own Parishes or out of them But yet this I say the Holy Man Job in the Profession of his Innocency Job 31. 13. layeth it down How he did not despise the Cause of his Man-Servant or of his Maid-Servant when they contended with him And Masters of Families while they look to restrain their Servants from using sports and Pastimes on the Lords day they should take heed how they constrain them to work It is usual with some Masters of Families who seem to be very Pious very watchful over their Servants that they use no sports and pastimes on the Lords day they very frequently constrain them to work on the Lords day Set them to mend yea to make Hedges no necessity constraining Yea many times they set them to Brew and do Actions as painful and laborious as any are done on the week days Masters of Families if they do Observe in their Servants a care of Religion and Piety that they are willing to be present at Divine Duties Publickly at Gods House Privately in their Houses they should be compassionate towards them allow them some times to refresh themselves to rest from Labour on the Lords day Yea they should be thus Merciful to the dumb Beasts for God many times heareth the groans of their Ox and their Asse and much more will he hear the Cry of their Servants when they cry against them They should be more Compassionate to them in the bowels of Compassion they should look upon their Servants and esteem of them as their Fellow-Servants in Christ Jesus and think that God hath made them Lords not Tyrants over them to cause them to drudge and droyl without any Intermission Besides times of Rest on the Lords day which they ought and are bound to allow their Servants they should think of it and allow them sometimes to recreate themselves The Church hath Constituted Holy-days and though they ought principally to be kept by performing in them Holy and Religious Exercises yet without doubt sports and pastimes at seasonable times may be used on these days And Merciful Masters if their Servants keep the Church duly and be present at publique Prayers on Holy-days they should allow them Liberty to Recreate themselves on these days to use sports and pastimes None of us can Sanctifie a Sabbath of Rest as we should in this World we should Serve God on week days on Holy-days but especially on the Lords day we have many failings and fallings and fall short of our Duties Let us bear with one anothers Infirmities and the good God shall pardon all our Infirmities and accept of our weak and imperfect Serving him APPLICATION I Have spoken of a Sabbath of Rest and indeed we should all the days of our Life keep a Sabbath unto God We should Rest from sin pray unto him always and be constantly devout But the day that he hath Sanctified and set apart for his Worship and Service we should above all days remember that after a peculiar manner Sanctifie it and spend it in Holy and Religious Exercises This is the King the Queen of Days and of all other days ought to be had in chiefest estimation It is a great Errour of the Papists when they cause the Maid to Exalt her self above
of them as they have reference to the Sabbath that shall be kept to God in Heaven A Prayer O Almighty Lord God the Holy Lord God of Sabbath thou searchest the Hearts and tryest the Reins and from thee no Secret can be hid Thou seest and knowest that some there be who under pretence of Religion have in a manner Destroyed and over-thrown all Religion They have caused thy Sabbaths to be despised thy Worship and Service on Weeks and on Holy-days to be neglected and all publick Religious performances to be slighted and contemned Forgive we beseech thee the multitudes that were heretofore and are still fraudulently circumvented and ignorantly drawn in to be partakers in these things Open their Eyes to see their Errors and give them Grace to Repent of them Grant that they may frequent the Solemn Assemblies on week days on Holy-days on the Lords day and those Holy and Religious Duties that are enjoyned by Authority work in them a love of them and incâ—ine their Hearts to use them with Care and Conscience as they ought Who they be that did heretofore and do still resist the Truth against their Conscience we know not neither will we Judge But O Lord of Hosts that tryest the Righteous and seest the Reins and the Heart pull them out for Judgment Take we beseech thee the Matter into thine own Hands and be pleased to Discover and bring to light their Treasons and Treacheries and all other their Secret Vices which they Cloak and hide under shew of Religion The multitudes of openly prophane Persons who are wicked without shew of the contrary open their Eyes to see how much it concerneth them to hearken to the good Instructions of thy Ministers to Obey the wholesome Laws of Godly Magistrates and let them not continually resist the good Motions of thy Holy Spirit moving them to Repentance lest by despising these means which thou usest for their Sâ—â—vation they bring upon themselves the Spiritual Judgment of hardness of heart which will be worse than all temporal Plagues and Judgments whatsoever And O Lord if thou hast not determined to lay the Land Desolate and to destroy Man and Beast out of it as even this heavy Judgment we have just cause to fear hangeth over our heads for our sins be pleased to hear the Prayers of those who Serve thee in Truth and Sincerity and grant that the Infection of Hypocrisie may spread no further and that the Leprosie and Plague of sin may be abated And Bless the Endeavours of those that are truly Pious and Religious when they Legally and Lawfully Oppose Hypocrites in their painted Vices and prosper them when they seek the Reformation of Capital and Scandalous Crimes in openly prophane Persons that so the Judgments which we have just Cause to fear hang over our Heads may be averted from us and this we beseech thee to grant for Jesus Christ his sake to whom with thee and the Holy Spirit be all Honour and Glory now and for ever Amen FINIS POST-SCRIPT IAM willing to believe that this Sermon or Treatise of the Sabbath will be a means to hinder the spreading Contagion of Schism and Heresie and if it find that Acceptance with the World as I hope it may I shall be encouraged to Publish such other Sermons of the same Text as I have prepared for the Press the Heads whereof I have proposed in the following Page But if my hopes deceive me and the World do still continue so to favour Sects and Sectaries that what is done doth not and what is proposed is not likely to make any thing for the publick good It is my desire that some other would find some better Expedient for the Common good than what is here done or proposed to be done and I shall willingly surcease and trouble my self nor the World no further but chear my self with Solon in this Consideration Solonis dictum O Patria ego dictis factis tibi opiâ—ulatus sum atque ita domum abiit in posterum quieturus that I have not been wanting to do what I could for the good of my Country though it hath not had that success as I hoped it would And shall onely humbly beseech Almighty God who is alone able that he would be willing for Jesus Christ his sake to Remedy and redress what is amiss Heb. IV. 9. There remaineth therefore a Rest unto the People of God THese words are a Summary and brief Conclusion and the Apostle doth infer and conclude from what he had before delivered that the People of God shall be happy and doth describe that wherein their Happiness doth consist Now then that you may see the Felicity of Gods chosen rejoyce in the gladness of his People and give thanks with his Inheritance I shall propound unto you four Grounds of Doctrines to be insisted upon First Ground of Doctrine In regard the reward that is promised unto us in the Life to come is set forth unto us by the keeping of a Sabbath I shall Observe unto you that the Happiness and Felicity of Man consisteth in the Service of his Maker in doing his Will and keeping his Commandments Second Ground of Doctrine God ever had now hath and ever will have a People upon Earth whose hearts are set upon this thing and will by no means be taken off from Serving him and glorifying their Creator Third Ground of Doctrine Though the hearts of God's People be whole within them and their intentions right placed and they intend the Service of God above all things yet they have their failings and their fallings their weaknesses and Infirmities and fall short of their Duties and their heart is not so right in all things that they should attain unto this Happiness in this Life Fourth Ground of Doctrine That which must Comfort God's People against all discouragements their fallings into sin and their failings in Duties is the consideration that such a Happiness they shall enjoy in the Life to come such a keeping of a Sabbath remaineth unto them that they shall never Offend God by sinning against him or faâ—l in their Duties in Serving him FINIS
A SABBATH Of REST to be kept by the SAINTS here OR A Treatise of the Sabbath and such Holy and Religious Duties as are required for the Sanctification of it Exod. 31. 13. Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep for it is a Sign between me and you throughout your Generations that ye may know that I am the Lord that Sanctifie you The Great SABBATH of REST That remaineth to be Kept by God's SAINTS Hereafter Deut. 12. 9. Ye are not yet come to the Rest nor to the Inheritance that the Lord your God giveth you 2 Thes 1. 7. To you that are troubled Rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be Revealed from Heaven with his Mighty Angels Heb. 13. 14. Here have we no continuing City but we seek one to come Delivered in Divers Sermons upon Heb. 4. 9. By Nicholas Smith Master of Arts and Vicar of Braughing in Hartford-shire London Printed by J. R. for Samuel Crouch at the Corner of Popes-Head Alley next Cornhill 1675. ERRATA PAge 3. Line 7. eyes for eye Ibid. l. 18. sins for sin p. 4. l. 1. chose for chosen p. 6. l. 10. day left out p. 15. l. 3. Christan for Christian p. 18. l. 20. for to be left out p. 20. l. 31. Sabbath for Sabbaths p. 22. l. 34. look for seek p. 26. l. 16. a is leâ—t out Psalm for a Psalm p. 28. l. 8. looking for seeking p. 28. l. 11. Man for Men. p. 30. l. 27. a left out Sabbath for a Sabbath p. 31. l. 6. weeks for week-days To the READER CHristian Reader How much the Laws of the Church and Kingdom are violated by Papists and Sectaries thou canst not be ignorant The spreading Contagion of Schisme and Heresie doth dilate it self through the whole Land and the Evil is so Vniversal that to the Worlds eye it seemeth Remediless and past Cure The several Sects that have of late days sprung up are so frequent and common in all places and parts of the Kingdom and the numbers that adhere to them are so many and the stream runs so strongly for them that a toleration hath been thought necessary and Liberty hath been granted to the several Sectaries to have their Publick Meetings and it was thought as necessary by Rulers and Governours that the Papists likewise should have a toleration in their Religion though they were not permitted to have their Publick Meetings or Meeting-places The Sectaries of late days having been found as dangerous and pernicious as the Papists and their Practices rather more than less Destructive to the Publick Peace of the Church and Kingdom But now His Sacred Majesty and both Houses of Parliament having by joynt Consent made the Laws of the Church and Kingdom binding to all and having thought it necessary not to admit of any Toleration and having Declared against all Back-sliding to Popery or Schism I have assumed the boldness to manifest to the World that nothing can more conduce to the Publick Peace of this Miserable Distracted Kingdom than to have the Laws of the Church and Kingdom Observed without consenting to any Changes or Alterations whatsoever And hope that this Sermon will find Acceptance of those who are in Authority and likewise of all Pious Christians who are for the Laws of the Church and Kingdom But yet I do Confess I do after a despairing manner settle my self to this Task We have been heretofore and are still by God's just permission for our sins so miserably Afflicted by Papists and Sectaries that I am out of hopes of prevailing and were it not so that I did more trust in Divine help and assistance than in Humane I had never set Pen to Paper to Write In this clear Light of the Gospel there could not be such Opposition of the Laws of God and the Land as there is if there were not some Papists and Sectaries who go against their Consciences and resist the Truth But it is to be that there be some such amongst us who stand for the Truth the Religion and Laws Established The good God open our Eyes to see our sins and give us Grace to Judge our selves that so the time may come when God may see their sins to be greater than ours and Discover and bring to light their Treacherous Practices their secret sins and under-hand workings so as may make for his Glory the publick Peace of the Church and Kingdom Those Ignorant Papists and Sectaries who are fraudulently circumvented and unawares seduced by Crafty Hereticks and Schismaticks who lie in wait to deceive I pity them and pray unto God for them that he would open their Eyes to see their Errors and amend their sins and hope that God may touch the Hearts of some of them and cause them to give over their slandering and iraducing of those who perswade them to Obedience and be willing themselves to be Obedient to the Laws of the Church and Kingdom and Labour to win others to Submit themselves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake And pray for those whose Hearts desire and prayer for them is that they might be Saved That so they with all Saints praying for those of the Magistracy and Ministry who stand for the Laws of God the Church and Kingdom We may have Peace among our selves at home and with our Enemies abroad and the Church of God may have Peace and be Edified walking in the fear of the Lord and the Comfort of the Holy Ghost This shall be the Prayer of him who is one of the meanest of the Houshold of Faith and desireth no other Honour than to Subscribe himself A Servant of the Church and of all Saints Nicholas Smith A Sabbath of Rest to be kept by the Saints here Or a Treatise of the Sabbath and such holy and Religious Duties as are required for the Sanctification of it Heb. 4. ver 9. There remaineth therefore a rest to the People of God GOd that made the world and all things therein seeing â—ne is Lord of Heaven and Earth dwelleth not in Temples made with hands neither is worshipped with â—eâ—s hands as though he needed any thing He is independent He standeth not in need of our Praises or of our Prayers If Churches be pull'd down Churchmen cast off the means allotted to God's worship and service either embezled or employed to prophane uses They that doe these things they may hurt themselves they cannot hurt God God receiveth no additional perfection by mens honouring him by their adoring and worshiping him If Temples be built His Name called upon His Sabbaths sanctified and the means allotted to his Worship and service employed to that use for which it was ordained so that men honour God with their substance and with the first fruits of their increase God his happiness is not hereby increased He was happy when these things were not done and will be happy when these things shall again cease to be performed but yet if the world continue and the great Sabbath of rest
others God will most especially reward The Word of God it should be publickly read on the Lords-day this is a holy and religious Exercise that is proper for the day and so necessary for the Sanctification of the Sabbath that it cannot be omitted It was usual to read something out of Holy Writ to the People every Sabbath day as you may see by that which is alleadged by St. Paul Act. 13. 27. Where he setteth it forth that the Rulers of the Jews condemned our Saviour because they knew not the voyces of the Prophets which were read every Sabbath day By this place of Scripture it is plain that it was in use to read something out of the Law and the Prophets every Sabbath-day This Custom it hath been solemnly kept and religiously observed by the Christan Churches and reading of the Scriptures as it is a Religious Exercise proper for the Day and necessary for the sanctification of the Sabbath so it is of great use and tendeth much to Edification Our Church hath wisely appointed and religiously constituted that some of the Psalms of David should be read every Sabbath-day There be likewise Lessons appointed to be read every Lords-day two at Morning and two at Evening Prayer one out of the Old another out of the New Testament Epistles and Gospels are appointed to be read on every Sabbath thoroughout the year Where there is no Preacher or when the Minister is not prepared to Preach there be godly Homilies and fruitfull Exhortations appointed to be read unto the People If then you desire to sanctifie the Sabbath by performing in it holy and relâ—gious Exercises you shall do well to attend to the Word of God publickly read hereby you shall gain Knowledge in the Scriptures and be fitted and prepared to receive the engraâ—ted VVord of God which is able to save your souls Yea the Reading of Homilies is a kind of Preaching and if it be carefully and conscionably used no doubt but it may be as effectual peradventure more effectua for the Conversion of Souls than most Sermons that are preached in these times Think then of this holy and religious Exercise how proper it â—s for the day how necessary for the sanctification of the Sabbath and let no Lords day pass without coming up to the Temple to hear the Word of God publickly read unto you The Word of God publickly preached expounded unto the people by those that are set apart for that Office and Function It is the usual the ordinary Means of Salvation and when it is despised and contemned God will not work without it It is then a Religious Exercise of great use and of all other dayes the Sabbath is most proper for it Yet this I must say for I conceive it is the truth though the Sabbath be most proper for this Exercise yet this Exercise is neither so proper nor so necessary for the Sabbath that it should be impossible that the Sabbath should be sanctified without it This I shall easily evince out of the Scriptures in Acts 13. 15. we read how that after the reading of the Law and the Prophets the Rulers of the Synagogue sent unto Paul and Barnâ—bas saying Men and Brethren if you have any Word of Exhortation to say unto the People say on If it had been a custome of the Church to have Preaching in every Synagogue on every Sabbath day no doubt but the Reader that read there had been prepared to preach Neither would the Rulers of the Synagogue have desired the Apostles if they had any word of Exhortation to preach but rather would have said You are Ministers and Men of God alwayes prepared to Preach and therefore there is no doubt to be made but you have a Sermon and an Exhortation in readiness Though then it may be collected from hence that these Rulers were willing to accept of a Sermon when they did meet with such Ministers as were prepared to preach yet for certain their questioning with the Apostles whether they were prepared did shew that they did not hold Preaching so necessary that the Sabbath could not be sanctified without it Where the Word of God may be had by one or more able Ministers that the Word of God may he preached twice every Sabbath thrice every Sabbath if the Custom of the place be to have so many Sermons this I will not deny But that there must be Preaching every Sabbath day in every Congregation this I think it cannot be proved Some Ministers have made the world believe that the Sabbath in no place can be sanctified without preaching of Sermons and have wrought people to such an esteem of Sermons that all other of God's Ordinances are disesteemed so that no other holy and religious Exercises can find any place in the places where they are admitted but onely Sermons Yea they have turned Oratoria into Auditoria Houses of Prayer into Houses of Preaching and in all places where they have come have brought all holy and religious Exercises on the Lords day out of use but onely a Psalm and a Sermon God did never yet send such plenty of Labourers into his Harvest that there should be such store of able and painful Preachers that Sermons should be Preached every Sabbath day in every Congregation For my part I will pray unto the Lord of the Harvest that he would send Labourers into his Harvest could heartily wish that all the Ministers belonging to every Congregation in the Kingdom were indeed Prophets that they could Preach every Sabbath day or would Preach painfully and Conscionably though they Preached seldomer But this I say it is impossible that the Kingdom at this time should be thus Happy And some Ministers by buzzing in the ears of People that Preaching of the Word in every Congregation on every Sabbath-day is necessarily required by the Word of God have made the whole Kingdom miserable yea they have brought the Ordinance of God into contempt by their idle babling and lazy pratling who Talk much and often but Preach seldom But I beseech you beloved let not the abuse of God's Ordinance by some cause you to neglect the Lawful Use of it For Preaching it is the Power of God unto Salvation a Sabbath-days Exercise which of all others is of greatest Use for the Conversion of Souls for the bringing Men from Darkness to Light from Blindness and Ignorance to the Knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ Be perswaded then hear the Word of God every Sabbath-day when it is publickly Preached and never miss the Sermons love those Ministers that Preach Painfully and Conscionably and despise not those who Preach often and plead earnestly for Preaching though you know and are assured that some of them are but lazy Preachers lest haply you be found despisers and contemners of the Ordinance of God There are other Holy and Religious Exercises which are required on the Sabbath-day Catechising the Youth and the Instructing them in the Principles of