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A85423 Dies Dominicus redivivus; or, The Lords Day enlivened or a treatise, as to discover the practical part of the evangelical Sabbath: so to recover the spiritual part of that pious practice to its primitive life: lamentably lost, in these last declining times. By Philip Goodvvin M.A. preacher of the Gospel, and pastour of the publike congregation at Watford in Hartford shire. Goodwin, Philip, d. 1699. 1654 (1654) Wing G1214; Thomason E1470_3; ESTC R208694 198,721 533

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and debarred from the open liberties of the Lords day Yea when they are held and hindred from ordinary works of Gods worship God may more immediately and abundantly in the best comforts break in upon them As the Israelites when they were in the wildernesse and could not have comfortable crops from the earth God gave them Manna immediate from heaven but when they were come into Canaan if they would have a harvest they must mind their seed-time and plow and sowe in the season When Gods servants are settled where the means of Grace may be had and the work of Gods worship may be performed they must not think to have Spiritual comforts as Manna immediate from heaven Some upon the Sabbath they forsake the solemn worship of God and depart from the publick Ordinances of God and so are not in the Spirit on the Lords day Object In Spirit God himself is departed from the publick Assemblies and therefore mens forsaking of them hinders not from rheir being on the Lords day in the Spirit What prejudice can it be to forsake God-forsaken Ordinances wayes and means wherein God is not now to be found Answ Thus some have suggested to justifie their sinful separation for how can they make good their going from us if they grant that God is with us With what face can they forsake those Ordinances with which God himself is present Present is God in Spirit with publick Ordinances though Not sensibly at all seasons Nor savingly to all persons Nor effectually for all purposes 1. God in Spirit and the Spirit of God is in Ordinances present when not apparant He hath secret and undiscerned wayes of working This holy Spirit hath his hidden accesses unto the souls of men The dewes of divine grace they fall in small and insensible drops The seed of sanctifying grace is sowen by an invisible hand Great works are done by a deep and intimate energie of the Spirit of grace whereof no present notice is taken As Joseph by his servant put his silver cup into Benjamins sack when neither he nor any of his Brethren knew it Thus God by his Spirit puts sanctifying grace into the souls of men when not themselves much lesse others are able to perceive the same In the conversion of Saint Paul 't is said Act. 97. that they who were with him in his journey they heard a voyce but saw no man In the publick preaching of the Gospel the whole Congregation hear a voyce but do not see what secret works the Spirit of God hath in the hearts of men to promote their good And though the Lord is not ever appearingly present with publick Ordinances yet he hath not forsaken them God does never forsake his precious servants yet he is not alwayes with them sensibly present As at the pool of Bethesda people who desired a cure they waited for the moving of the water there being certain seasons when the Angel of God stirred in the same So there be some special seasons when the Spirit of God stirs in Ordinances and therefore thereon people must wait that would have a cure 2. Gods Spiritual presence it is with publick Ordinances though upon several they have no saving work Though divers under Gospel-dispensations be blinded hardened ruined Act. 19.8 9. Exod. 14. We find a cloud that cast darknesse upon the Egyptians so that it blinded them and brought them to run upon their own ruine yet with that very cloud God was present thereby giving light to the Israelites and leading them in the way to Canaan Nehem 9.12 1 Sam. 4. The Philistines having in a set battel worsted the Army of Isra●l the Elders of Israel cry●d out Let us fetch the Ark of the covenant i●to the field it may save us from the hands of our enemies And accordingly they caused the Ark of the covenant to be brought into the Camp But the Philistines fight and Israel was smitten with a very great slaughter and the Ark it self was taken yet the Ark 't was Gods ordinance and wi h it was Gods immovable presence as may appear by the plagues God inflicted upon the Philistines who carried the Ark captive It was a curse to them yet Gods own blessed appointment for his peoples profit The preaching of the Gospel it is to several a savour of death yet with the Gospel preached God is graciously present for the saving good of the souls of some 2 Cor. 2.16 Heb 4.12 The word of God it is a two edged sword it hath a killing edge and wounds some to death yet through God it hath a curing edge some being saved by the very Word which wounds them Christ himself who is a Corner-stone upon whom many a blessed building is raised yet he is a Rock of offence and a stone at which some stumble and fall and rise no more 1 Pet. 2.7 8. Notwithstanding God is never separated from his Son but abides with him for ever Joh. 16.32 3. In publick Ordinances God by his holy Spirit is present even unto all persons for some or other good purpose For the best highest purpose is God Spiritually present to some persons in the use of his Ordinances so that they are effectually wrought upon and brought in to grace and glory And surely where ever the net is cast out there are some fish to be caught and where the candle is lighted up there are some lost groats to be found though but few And as for other persons for other good purposes though of lower concernment is God in Spirit present so that though they are not by grace renewed yet they are through grace restrained Hence as Saint Paul complaines that he could not do the good he would So sinners they cannot do the evill they would Might good men have their minds they would be much better And might wicked men have their wills they would be far worse Hence men are not onely brought to forbear many things evill but drawn to do divers good things Thus Herod heard John Baptist gladly reformed much that was evill Josephus lib. 15. cap. 8. et 12 c. and performed many things good Mark 6.20 Josephus reports of this Herod many excellent things he did as acts of Justice acts of Fortitude acts of Liberality In the time of a famine how he caused all his vessels of Gold and Silver to be melted and therewith corn to be bought for the relief of the poore People under the preaching of the Gospell that are not effectually converted yet are ordinarily convinced have some Illuminations Inclinations Qualifications Commiserations Operations whereby others may have profit though themselves perish All which are the actings of Gods good Spirit and the evidences of Gods sure presence in the use of his Ordinance Let not any then say that God hath forsaken any of his administrations but let men rather reflect and fear lest themselves should be forsaken of God This was commendable in King Saul 1. Sam. 28.15 O sayes he The
be uttered 'T is not prayer nor any other part of Gods service upon the Sabbath that we can spiritualy perform except the Spirit assist The Spirit helpeth Or claspeth in with us together as the Greek word notes As when a businesse is too big a work too weighty for one others put to their helping hands lifting and labouring together The work of the Sabbath especially to be spirituall therein is above our abilities except the Spirit closes in and sets to his assisting hand service will be sleepy and souls will be dead As 't is said that the whole soul is in the whole body and the whole soul in every part of the body to animate and actuate all Thus the holy Spirit must be wholly in the whole body of Sabbath-businesse and whole in every particular duty that all may be active heavenly and lively Upon the Lords day Gods people need the help of Gods holy Spirit Both to transport them And to support them 1. The Spirit upon the Lords day to transport and carry them out in holy duties beyond ordinary formalities and their own abilities though in the week their wings have been wetted in the world yet upon the Sabbath they are made fit to fly and soar up to God Though upon this day Christ rose from the dead yet it was fourty dayes after he ascended into heaven But to a Christian through the Spirit as it is his resurrection day so it is his Ascension day As on this day he comes up from the dead So on this day he goes up unto God 2. The Spirit upon the Lords day to support and keep them up in holy and heavenly frames of heart That in Gods service they sink not Either through sinful inclinations Or through Satans temptations Good mens hearts are as Moses hands when they are lifted up they must be born up Ever since Adams fall mans natural motion is downward The soul that ascends will soon descend if Gods blessed Spirit does not bear it up This made David pray when he saw the people for the service of the Temple with their hands liberal and their hearts lively O Lord God sayes he keep this up for ever in the thoughts of the hearts of thy people c. And Satan he sets in to sink the soul down when it is highest in holy movings and heavenly mountings Matth. 4. we find when our Saviour was taken up into the holy City and s●t upon a pinacle of the Temple then Satan solicits him that if he were the Son of God he might cast himself down Such is Satans design when he sees Gods Saints taken up in holy service and set upon the pinacle in the practical part of holy Sabbaths then he privily puts in presently to pull them down but the Spirit helps and holds them up 2. There must be the close concurrings of our spirits with God or the Lords day cannot be spiritually spent Not our bodies barely but our very souls must so set in with God in Sabbath-service as Freely to stirre and Firmely to stand 1. To stirre freely with readinesse and willingnesse of mind moving about the businesse of Gods blessed day Though there seems difficulty in work and Though there is diversity of work Although some of the service of the Sabbath may seem difficult yet with a prompt and ready mind to move thereto and with all agility apt to act therein As some of the men that Mos●s sent to search Canaan they came back and their hearts sunk O say they The Cities a●e walled and the people are strong and we can never do the work But Caleb who had another spirit and was of a ready and resolute mind Come sayes he let us go up and take it at once Num. 13.30 Some are as awke to enter upon holy Sabbaths as upon walled Cities their hears shrink back and they say The service is too great they cannot do it whereas Christians of another spirit whose minds are bent upon Sabbath-businesse they say Come let us go up through God we shall do great things this day Yea to have a heart free and fit to move although the duties of the Lords day be divers viz. Works of piety works of charity Works together works asunder Sometimes lowly abasing our selves for sins committed Sometimes highly advancing God for good vouchsafed c. As a well-tuned instrument the strings are ready to stir upon a light touch to divers lessons which the Musician may play as he please one after another Thus to have a well-framed heart apt upon the Lords day to its divers duties prompt to pray swift to hear ready to distribute prepared to every good work 1 Tim. 2.21 Tit. 3.1 Yea to have a heart freely moving not onely about divers Ordinancts but about the same Ordinance To set in a way of work severall graces and To set the same grace several wayes a work As in prayer in hearing the Word in receiving the Sacrament in any one such service of the Sabbath to act up in the soul several graces Faith Hope Love Sincerity Humility Fervency c. To have the heart in a ready exercise of all these at the use of any Ordinance Yea such an Ordinance one of these is wherein the soul of a Christian is to exercise the same grace several wayes As in receiving the Supper of the Lord there is a manifold use of faith Faith here it is as an eye to see as a hand to take as a tongue to taste as a mouth to feed as the stomach to digest retein c. Thus when Gods Saints upon the Sabbath do not onely use sacred Ordinances but therein also exercise several and suitable graces yea and are active in their exercise so that their spirits are quick in co-working with the good Spirit of God then indeed do they Spiritually spend this holy day 2. To stand firmely when the Saints of God upon the Lords day as they labour to get their hearts up so they are loath to let them down all the day long Whereupon they strongly strive Rising to stand fast they may not fall and Falling to rise they may the faster stand 1. That rising their hearts may stand fast and not fall in holy duties while the day lasts As when General Joshua was in the heat of battel against the enemies of Israel having his spirit fixed he looks up to the firmiament saying Sun stand thou still upon Gibeon and the Sun stood still and hasted not to go down about a whole day So a Saint of God when he is in the heat of Sabbath-service his affections all on a flame he looks in and says to his soul O my soul now stand thou still Hold here and so the heart holds up and the soul stands still all the Lords day 2. That falling their hearts may rise again to a more fixed affectionate performance of all holy duties Prov. 24.16 The righteous falleth seven times a ●●y and ris●th again Seven times even upon