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A41637 Christian directions, shewing how to walk with God all the day long drawn up for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of Sepulchres parish / by Tho. Gouge ... Gouge, Thomas, 1605-1681. 1661 (1661) Wing G1359; ESTC R955 152,866 176

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longer than ordinary 3 Sleep refresheth the body of a man so doth death the bodies of the Saints for the body lieth down a weak frail mortal corruptible body but riseth a strong glorious immortal and incorruptible body so much the Apostle Paul plainly expresseth where speaking of the resurrection of the body he saith It is sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption it is sown in dishonour it is raised in glory it is sown in weakness it is raised in power it is sown a natural body it is raised a spiritual body 4 Sleep oftentimes cometh upon a man unexpectedly so doth death for how many dye on the sudden when they least of all looked for it and therefore how doth it concern us to live in a continual expectation of and preparation for death 5 Sleep cometh acceptably to some men so doth death to beleevers who welcome death as their best friend next to Jesus Christ. Thus let thy sleep mind thee of thy death and that not as farre off but as near at hand thinking thou mayest this night sleep the sleep of death for how many have gone well to bed and been dead before the morning and that which happeneth unto one may befall another II. As thou art going to sleep commend thy self thy relations wife children servants and all that thou hast into the armes of Gods protection knowing that they are safe whom the Lord keepeth And then labour to fall asleep as thou art meditating of some good thing for then will thy sleep bee more sweet thy dreams more comfortable and thine heart will be in better plight when thou awakest CHAP. XXI Of the Morality of the Sabbath HAving shewed you how to walk with God on the Week days I shall now shew you how to walk with God on the Sabbath Day so as it may prove a comfortable day unto you To this end I shall 1 Prove the Morality of the Sabbath 2 Give you grounds for the change of the Sabbath from the last day of the week to the first proving our Lords Day to be now the true Sabbath 3 Give you Directions how to sanctifie the same 4 Adde some Motives to quicken you up to a conscionable observation of the directions 1 Because there are many who are not convinced of the Morality of the Sabbath and so not of the continuance thereof therefore it is requisite that I first prove the Commandement of the Sabbath to be moral and perpetual and to continue in force even to the end of the world for that is accounted Moral which as a rule of life bindeth all Persons in all places at all times Arguments proving the Morality of the Sabbath 1 Because it was sanctified in the time of Adams innocency as we read Gen. 2. 3 4. now Adam in his innocent estate was a Publick person the great representative of all the World that therefore which was commanded to him in his innocency appertained to all his Posterity even to the end of the world And if God saw it necessary for our first Parents in the time of their innocency to have a Sabbath Day to serve him in that they might more freely and fully give themselves to holy and religious exercises Then what need have we the Posterity of Adam now in our corrupted estate to have a Sabbath to take our thoughts off from our worldly businesses and bestow them wholly on God and the duties of his Worship and Service 2 The Commandement concerning the Sabbath is placed in the number of the Moral Commandements for when God renewed the whole Moral Law delivering it most solemnly on Mount Sinai and ingraved it in two Tables hee placed this Commandement concerning the Sabbath amongst the rest and made it one entire Precept so as if the morality thereof be denied and this Commandement made no part of the Moral Law then the Moral Law would consist but of nine Commandements which is contrary to the Word of God which often maketh express mention of Ten. 3 The manner of the delivery of this Commandement confirms the morality and perpetuity of it and shews that it is of as great force as any of the other Nine 1 For first God by his immediate Voyce commanded this as well as the rest 2 This Commandement was written by the Finger of God in Tables of Stone as well as the other as to signifie the hardness of our hearts so likewise the continuance and perpetuity of this Commandement 3 It was placed in the very heart of the Ten Commandements as that which by a careful and conscionable performance of the duties required therein would give life to the keeping of all the rest And it is a certain truth that he who makes no conscience to keep holy the Sabbath Day will make little conscience of keeping any of the other Commandements so he may doe it without discredit of his reputation or danger of mans Law Look how a man is careful and conscionable in the performance of the duties of piety to God on this Day in like manner is he careful and conscionable in the performance of the duties of righteousness toward his neighbour on the week days Obj I Some object that of the Apostle Yee observe days months and times and years as also that to the Colossians Let no man judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day or of the new Moon or of the Sabbath Day Ans. The Apostle here condemns not the Moral Sabbath which we now call the Lords Day but he speaks of the Levitical Sabbaths which were the first day of every month and the first and last days of every one of their solemn Feasts which were called Sabbaths all which are now abrogated Obj. 2 Some object that to a Christian every day is a Sabbath and therefore say that we should not restrain it to one day more than to another Ans. 1 True it is every day should be a Sabbath to a Christian in two respects 1 In a resting from Sin 2 In a readiness to serve God For as we should at all times rest from Sin so we should bee always in a readiness and disposition to serve God Yet are we not bound to spend every day as a Sabbath by laying aside the lawful works of our Callings and giving up our selves wholly to the solemn duties of Gods Worship and Service which is contrary to the command of God who saith Six days shalt thou labour and doe all thy work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not doe any work where the Lord doth require of us as well to follow the works of our Calling on the six days as to keep holy the Sabbath Day by a conscionable performance of his Worship and Service I deny not but Divine Worship is to bee performed unto God every day as under the Law we read they had their Morning and Evening sacrifice
every day so we should every day offer up our morning and evening sacrifice of Prayer and truly by duties of piety to God are our worldly businesses sanctified and seasoned and therefore are every day to be performed but yet so as the duties of our ordinary Callings be likewise performed and not neglected by us 2 Upon the same ground neither Adam nor the Iewes before Christ should have observed any Sabbath because they were bound to rest from sin as well as Christians 3 Neither are we to keep days of fasting because we are to fast from sin every day Having thus proved the Morality of the Sabbath and answered some Objections against it II. I shall in the next place give you the grounds for the change of the Sabbath from the last day of the week to the first 1 Divine institution even the institution of Christ himself which appeareth two ways 1 By the title given to the first Day of the Week namely the Lords Day for whatsoever in Holy Writ is said to be the Lords denominatively fo that Christ is the Author and institutor as for instance The Lords Supper because he instituted it The people of the Lord because he chose them the Lords Messengers because he sends them Upon the same ground the first day of the week is denominatively called the Lords Day and that not by Creation for so every day is his from the beginning but by Divine institution because it was instituted by Christ the Lord for Divine Worship and Service and for the memorial of the great work of Redemption wrought by him Agreeable hereunto is that of Augustine who saith that the Apostles appointed the Lords Day to be kept with all religious solemnity because in that day our Redeemer rose from the dead and therefore is called the Lords Day 2 By the practise of the Apostles who constantly assembled together on the first day of the week which is our Lords Day and that without doubt upon the command of Christ himself for whereas he continued forty days on earth after his resurrection before he ascended into Hea●en it is said in that time hee gave Commandements unto his Apostles and spake unto them of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God that is he instructed them how they should change the bodily sacrifices of Beasts into the spiritual sacrifices of Prayer and Praises the Sacrament of Circumcision into the Sacrament of Baptism the Sacrament of the Passeover into the Sacrament of the Lords Supper And then likewise he instructed his Apostles touching the change of the Sabbath into the Lords Day To which agreeth that of learned Iunius who saith positively that the change of the Sabbath was not by the tradition of men but by the observation and appointment of Christ who both on the day of his resurrection and on every seventh day after unto his Ascension into Heaven appeared to his Disciples and came into their assemblies Hereupon we read the Apostles met together on every first day of the week to preach the Word and to communicate the Lords Supper as Ioh. 20. 19 26. Acts 2. 1. Acts 20. 7 and in divers other places And wee find it expresly ordained by the Apostle Paul that the weekly Collections for the Poor should be on that day Now concerning the Collection for the Saints as I have given order to the Churches of Galatia even so doe yee upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him c. And why on that day surely no other reason can well bee imagined but that their assembling together to partake of the Ordinances of God was wont to be on that day And therefore because works of charity suit well with duties of piety and that by the Ordinances then dispensed they might be stirred up to a more free and chearful contribution the Apostle ordained also that the Collections for the poor should be on the same day viz. the first day of the week 2 Another Argument proving the first day of the week commonly called the Lords Day to bee the true Christian Sabbath now under the Gospel may bee taken from the constant practice of the Church and People of God since the Apostles times As I have shewed you that it was the practice of the Apostles to observe the first day of the week which is argument enough to warrant the day they being guided by the Spirit of Christ in an especial manner So it doth clearly appear that it hath been the practice of all holy men since the Apostles times to observe this day and that under the name of the Lords Day Ignatius who lived in St. Iohns time saith Let every one that loveth Christ keep holy the Lords Day which is the Queen of daies Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical history plainly shews how the Church and People of God in several ages after the Apostles times observed the first day of the week as instituted by Christ and ordained afterwards by the Apostles I might spend much paper in shewing how this day hath been observed in all ages from the Apostles times to these daies Now the constant custome of the Church is not to bee sleighted That expression of the Apostle If any man seem to bee contentious wee have no such custome neither the Churches of God sheweth that the custome of the Church is a matter to be regarded 3 The Resurrection of Christ both giveth a ground for the sanctifying of our Christian Sabbath and likewise sheweth a reason for the changing of the day For the work of Redemption wrought by Jesus Christ being far more excellent than the work of Creation did much more deserve a weekly memorial That the work of Redemption was more excellent appears In that it cost more to redeem the world of Gods Elect than to create the whole world for to create the world it cost God but a word as it were Hee but spake the word and it was done But to redeem the world of Gods Elect it cost no less than the precious blood of the Son of God So that this work hath swallowed up the former as the Temple did the Tabernacle And wee who live after Christs Resurrection are as much bound to the celebration of the first day of the week as they who lived before to the last It is very observable that a seventh day hath been observed to the honour of God ever since the Creation and such a seventh as never a week in the alteration was without a Sabbath and never a week had two Sabbaths for as the week ended with the former Sabbath so the next week began with our Sabbath which could not have been if any other seventh day had been chosen If any shall ask why the change of the day is not more clearly expressed in the New Testament I answer because there was no question moved about the same in the Apostles times which