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A29935 A perswasive to the stricter observation of the Lords day in pursuance of His Majesties pious order and directions to preachers particularly about the observation of the Lord's day, &c. / by Matthew Bryan. Bryan, Matthew, d. 1699. 1686 (1686) Wing B5247; ESTC R19898 22,342 36

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it ought to be retained and kept of all good Christian people And therefore by this Commandment we ought to have a time as one day in the Week wherein we ought to rest yea from our lawful and needful Works Again God hath given express charge to all men that upon the Sabbath day which is now our Sunday they should cease from all Weekly and Work day labour c. And a little after God doth not only Command the Observation of this Holy day c. And again a little after Thus it may plainly appear that God's Will and Commandment was to have a solemn time and standing day in the Week wherein the people should come together and have in remembrance his wonderful benefits and to render him thanks for them as appertaineth to loving kind and obedient people This Example and Commandment of God the godly Christian people began to follow immediately after the Ascension of our Lord Christ ☜ and began to choose them a standing day of the week to come together in Yet not the seventh day which the Jews kept but the Lords day the day of the Lord's Resurrection the day after the seventh day which is the first day of the Week Of the which day mention is made by St. Paul on this wise In the first day of the Sabbath let every man lay up what he thinketh good Meaning for the poor By the first day of the Sabbath is meant our Sunday which is the first day after the Jews seventh day And in the Apocalyps it is more plain whereas St. John saith I was in the Spirit upon the Lords day Sithence which time Gods people hath always in all ages without any gainsaying used to come together upon the Sunday to Celebrate and honour the Lords blessed Name c. These are the words of the said Homily which sufficiently declare the Doctrine and sense of the Church of England of which we are members in this point To which as not impertinent I will add the words of the Judicious Hooker in his Ecclesiastical Polity We are bound Hook Eccles Polit. l. 5. says he to account the sanctification of one day in seven a Duty which God's immutable Law doth exact for ever altho with us the day be changed in regard of a new revolution begun by our Saviour Christ yet the same proportion of time continueth which was before by way of a perpetual homage never to be dispensed withal nor remitted And so I come to the second thing which I undertook to speak to viz. Secondly The manner how the duty is to be performed wherein the right and due observation of the day consists And this we may learn from the words of the Text from the Notions here Sabbath and keep Holy To keep holy or to sanctifie is not to infuse or put any moral inrinsick Holiness into the day as the Spirit does infuse holiness into the hearts of men But to sanctifie here is to separate from a common and prophane to an Holy and religious Use And thus both God and Man are said to sanctifie God sanctifies by appointing and separating a thing from a common to an holy and religious use And Man sanctifies by applying to such holy and divine use as God appointed And to what use this day is sanctified or separated we may learn from the Word Sabbath which signifies a day or time of rest A rest from bodily labours from the Works of our particular calling but always with this reservation that we must make allowances for Works of necessity and Charity to which positive Laws must always give Place S. Mat. 12.1 2 c. all Judaizing severities being to be renounced and detested which our Saviour teacheth in the instance of his Disciples gathering the ears of Corn a Work of necessity to satisfie hunger v. 10.11 c. and healing the Sick and Lame Joh. 5.16 a work of Mercy and Charity on the Sabbath day Which indeed the Jews quarrel'd with accounting it unlawful on the Sabbath day Which superstitious strictness of theirs our Saviour reproves by the allow'd Instance of Mercy and Charity to a Beast that falls into a Ditch on the Sabbath day Luk. 14.3 4. much more then à fortiori ought it to be extended to Man Mat. 12.12 Mark 2.27 the nobler Creature for whom the Sabbath was made and not Man for the Sabbath So that making these allowances for works of Necessity and Charity it must be a day of rest from bodily labours But that 's not all it must not be a bodily rest and no more for then the Ox and the Ass keep as good a Sabbath as we but the rest must be consecrated to God it must be an holy rest a vacation from the works of our particular that we may attend those of our general Calling The day must be spent in religious Exercises and performances both publick and private as Divine Service in the Church Reading and Preaching and Hearing the Word of God and Celebrating and Receiving the holy Sacrament and Catechising Ecclesiastical Censures c. together with Prayer reading the holy Scriptures and other good Books and Catechizing in private Families visiting the sick and relieving the Poor and meditating on the Works and Word of God our Creation and Redemption and sitting and preparing our selves and our domestick Relatives for another World God hath given express charge to all men saith the Homily before mention'd that upon the Sabbath day which is now our Sunday they should cease from all weekly and work day labour to the intent that like as God himself wrought six dayes and rested the Seventh and blessed and sanctified it and consecrated it to quietness and rest from labour even so Gods obedient people should use the Sunday holily and rest from the common and daily business and also give themselves wholly to heavenly Exercises of God's true Religion and Service So that God doth not only command the observation of this holy day but also by his own example doth stir and provoke us to the diligent keeping of the same Good natural Children will not only become obedient to the commandment of their parents but also have a diligent eye to their doings and gladly follow the same So if we will be the Children of our heavenly Father we must be careful to keep the Christian Sabbath day which is the Sunday not only for that it is God's express commandment but also to declare our selves to be loving Children in following the example of our gracious Lord and Father Thus briefly of the second thing which I propounded to speak to I come now in the Third and Last place to make some Reflections on what hath been said by Application This Doctrine of the Observation of the Lords day serves 1. For Reproof and that of three sorts of Persons 1. Those who keep the Jewish but not the Christian Sabbath 2. Those who keep both 3. And especially those who keep none