Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	apostle_n	day_n	sabbath_n	13,396	5	10.0850	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60389	Sundry queries tendred to such as are, or profess themselves to be ministers of Jesus Christ for clearing the doctrine of the fourth commandement. And the Lords sabbath day. To all that are, or profess themselves to be the ministers of Jesus Christ; these ensuiug [sic] quaeries are humbly presented to be considered, for the clearing of the truth in this weighty controvercy, about the sabbath day.	Saller, William, d. ca. 1680.	1653 (1653)	Wing S400AA; ESTC R220934	5,838	8

Sundry Queries tendred to such as are or profess themselves to be Ministers of JESUS CHRIST for clearing the Doctrine of the FOURTH COMMANDEMENT And the LORDS SABBATH DAY To all that are or profess themselves to be the Ministers of Jesus Christ These ensuing Queries are humbly presented to be considered for the clearing of the truth in this weighty controvercy about the SABBATH DAY Querie 1. WHether the Fourth Commandement exprest Exod 20. be not Morral and perpetual as well as the other nine be yea or no Quer. 2. Whether the scope and drift of that fourth Precept be not to perswade us to lay by the works of our calling one day in seven that we may on that day wholly give up our selves to wait on the Lord in the performance of duties of piety and mercy for our attaining of and growing in sanctification and holiness Quer. 3. Whether the fourth Precept do not as strictly bind us to keep holy the seventh day of or from the Creation as it bindeth us to the observation of a seventh day Quer. 4. If the seventh daies Sabbath be not Morral and perpetual then how comes it to pass that it was instituted or appointed from the first Creation when man by guilt stood in no need of a Saviour nor yet of such a cerimony Gen. 2.3 Quer. 5. If the seventh dayes Sabbath he not Morrall and belonging both to Jews and to Gentiles Then how comes it to pass that it was given to all men in Adam when there was no difference between Jew and Gentile and was observed by command from the begining as appears by comparing together Gen. 2.3 and Exod. 16.18 to 31. Quer 6. If when our Lord Jesus saith Matt. 5.18 that till heaven and earth pass one jot or tittle should in no wise pass from the Law If he there meant not the Law of the ten Commandements exprest in Exod. 20. then what Law did he mean Quer. 7. If the seventh daies Sabbath be not Morrall but an abrogated cerimony now since the death of Christ then wherefore should our Saviour instruct his beloved Apostles that must instruct christian Churches to pray Matt. 24.20 that they might not flye on the Sabbath knowing that their flight would fall out more than thirty yeares after his death Quer. 8. If there be a day instituted or appointed for holy instead of the Sabbath without a word or warrant from God how much doth this come short of will worship Quer. 9. If there be any word from the Lord or from any of his Apostles Prophets or Evangelists for the changing of the day from which of them is it or where is it written Quer. 10. If there be no text of scripture that warrants the changing of Gods holy rest from the seventh day to the first day of the week wherefore should we follow Rome the mother of harlots in this unwarrantable practice Quer. 11. If there be never so weighty reasons found in the judgments of men for the changing of the day whether is that a sufficient ground to change it without a word from God Quer. 12. Whether you find any part of all the New Testament or any christian Author for one thousand five hundred years after Christ that in any Book or writing or relation at any time did call the first day of the week the Sabbath day if so shew who and in what Book or writing it is so Quer. 13. Whether you find not that as in all the New Testament which was all written after Christs death for the use of all christians to the worlds end so also in all Lattan and Greek christian Authors the seventh day which now from the heathens custome is named Saturday is alway in all their writings both Civil and Ecclesiastical called Dies Sabbati as well as in all the Parliament Rouls of England and what that providence speaks forth that they never made so bold with that day as they did with all other daies to which they gave heathenish names Beloved and much honoured the reasons of my troubling you with this great business at this time is the weight and worth of this truth for the knowledg of the Lords Sabbath and the holy observation of it doth eminently tend to our help and furtherance in Sanctification and holiness and there be very gracious promises made to them that shall sanctifie the Sabbath Isa 56.2 3 4 5 6 7. and 58.13 14. c. which makes me esteem it a truth of great worth But Secondly I find the judgments of men very much at a loss about the Sabbath Some saying that the Sabbath is now abollished and so there is none since the comming of Christ neither are we bound to keep any day holy now Some others there be as learned as any and the most considerable for number that say the old Sabbath is abollished by the Church and the first day of the week is made holy instead thereof and that the Church hath authority so to do A Third sort of men there be which say the day was changed by Christ for the honour of the work of Redemption Now I do freely acknowledg unto you that with none of these three opinions I am at present satisfied For the First of them I cannot easily believe that that Law which was given at the creation Gen. 2.2 3. and was spoken by the Lords own voice from heaven out of the midest of the fire Exod. 19.20 1 Daut 4.12.13 and 5.22 23 24. and which alone was writ with his own fingers in Tables of stone to be kept in the Ark and that are so carefully distinguished by Moses from the statutes and judgments which he tought Israel and he hath discribed them by the name of Ten Commandements Exod. 31.18 and 32.15 16. and 34.28 Deut. 4.13 14. and 5.22 and 9.10 11 15 17. and 10.1 2 3 4 5. should be any of them abollished I must have better ground to believe it than any at present I see or else I cannot believe it The Second Opinion seems to me altogether as bad or worse than the former that the Church should have any such power in works of this nature seems to me altogether unlikely the Lord so frequently forbidding her to add to his word or deminish from it Deut. 4.2 and 12.32 Iosh 1.7 Prov. 30.6 Revel 22.18.19 Again Christ is said to be in all things head to the Church Ephes 1.22 and we have one Law giver Iam. 4.12 we read of no more Again the transgressing of the Commandemtnts of God to bring in the traditions of men was vain worship in Christs time and so condemned by him Matt. 15.3 6 9. and therefore a sin now sure and if this change must be admitted of as good upon this account I see not how we can avoid falling back to Babylon again receiving all Romes traditions although never so contrary to the Scriptures To the Third Opinion I am as hard to be reconciled as to the former First because I

find no word in the Scriptures evidencing this that Christ did change the day Secondly of that any of his followers did it by his authority nor yet the least mention made of any such reason in the word as the work of Redemption or the Resurrection of Christ as a cause of the change thereof but that the Church in its Apostacy did change it I doubt not as shee hath done all other the Lords holy ordinances But that there is any the least warrant from the word of truth for her so doing is all the doubt But further the scriptures are flat against it our Saviour would not have us think he came about any such business Mat. 5.17 18 19. Therefore I do beseech you all in the fear of God take this matter into your serious consideration and shew some good ground from the scriptures for your neglect of keeping the Lords holy Sabbath and your suffering the people to live in this great sin of making the Lords holy day their greatest working day through the whole Nation or else repent your selves and perswade the people to repentance also as you will answer it at the great day of account But now because there is some shew of proof brought for this Third and last Opinion therefore I shall examine it before I leave it And as for what is alledged from Iohn 20.19 it can be no proof of their keeping the first day of the week as a Sabbath although they met together for in Luke 24.11.13 it appeareth evidently they did not believe that Christ was risen from the dead therefore they could not keep the day by his appointment for the honour thereof Secondly two of the Disciples went a journey of threscore furlongs that same day which going and coming was not less than fifteen miles too much for a Sabbath daies journey when it is to go from the Assembly of the Saints And Thirdly they kept the day next before it holy Luke 23.56 and it is not like they kept two Sabbaths together And as for what is alledged from verse 26. that he appeared to them again after eight dai s It needs no more answer but this That if it were after eight daies as the text saith it was then it 〈◊〉 ●ot be upon the eighth day and so it can be no proof in that case and as for what is affirmed by some that all Christs appearings after he arose were on the first daies of the week I say it wants proof from the scripture but if it were so it would be so farre from proving it a Sabbath that it would prove it the contrary For the third time in Iohn of his appearing to them he found some of them a fishing and he reproved them not but set them to work look Iohn 21. from the 1. to the 15. And as for that text Acts 20.7 I say thus it is to be enquired of them that bring this text to prove that the Sabbath is changed whether the breaking of Bread here must needs be meant of the Lords Supper or may it not rather be understood of common eating seeing breaking of bread is as well used for common eating as in Acts 2 46. But it seems more likely for this reason also because Paul was to take his leave of them on the morrow morning But that which is most clear against this opinion is the season in which they brake bread it being after midnight not an usual hour for this duty of remembring Christs death and as may appear was not done as a Sabbaths daies work for if they met in the day light before and kept it a Sabbath then this after-midnight in which they hrake hread could be no Sabbath it belonging unto the second day of the week for this is evident by scripture that the night of every day goeth before the day Gen. 1 2 5 8 13 19 23 31. Levit. 23.32 But if they met in the night of the first day of the week that goeth before the day light and is part of that day then is it evident that the first day of the week is no Sabbath because Paul set forward on his journey in that very morning and so this text fals short of being any proof of the change of the Sabbath likewise Also in might be inquired whether that word Preached that is there put in in Acts 20. be properly translated or no and whether the same word in all other places be not alwaies translated discoursed or reasoned and never translated Preached and if generally so translated in all other places then was it not so improperly translated here as if it should prove the first day of the week to be kept a Sabbath for want of clearer or better proof There is yet a text more brought 1 Cor. 16.1 2. to prove a changing of the Sabbath also but it is commonly alledged with this addition when you meet together on the first day of the week just as if it were so written in the text indeed whereas there is not one word of the Churches meeting or coming together in the text but onely of each mans laying aside by him in store something for the poor Saints at Ierusalem according as God had prospered him that so at Pauls next coming to them their charity might be ready to be sent away So that in this text there is no room for any man to prove that on the first day of the week here was any Church-meeting or Sabbath daies work appointed to be done but rather a considering what good bargains had been made the week before and a looking over Shop-books and casting up Accounts to see how God had blessed their labors the week before and what might be spared out of their gains to make a purse for the poor Saints of Ierusalem this is the clear import of this text for how else shall men lay by them accordingly as God hath prospered them unles they take account how he hath prospered them now Paul appointing this work to be done upon the first day of the week it shews plainly that the day is no Sabbath and it is most likely it was so appointed to prevent the doing of it at the latter end of the week least it should occasion their intrenching upon the Sabbath for the doing of it There is also one other text that is summoned in commonly to appear for proving the change of the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first day of the week Revel 1.10 I was in the spirit on the Lords day Now by what rule of scripture these men call the first day of the week the Lords day I know not no text of scripture that ever I read of ever knew it by that name yet or by any other name but onely this the first day of the week but indeed the seventh day is known by the name of the Lords day very well in the scriptures the Lord himself gave it this name Exod. 20.10 and the Prophet Isaiah knew it by this name Isa 58.13 So that if we will permit the scriptures to be judge in this case they will give the name of the Lords day to the seventh day but if we will needs have the first day of the week to bear away this noble tittle it must have it from some old tradition only now it is not hard for me to believe that the Church might soon corrupt her self and superstitiously observe the first day of the week for the honour of Christs Resurrection as tradition gives us an account they did observe the sixt day also for the honour of his death for in how short a time did the true Church of God miscarry as farre as this comes to and drew Aaron the High Priest into the snare with them for company in making a day holy to the Lord Exod. 32 56 So also might the Church soon after the Apostles death set a part the first day of the week upon a godly intension and yet upon some superstitious account and when they had so done it would not be at all hard to honour it with the name of the Lords day But further the Papists themselves confess in their Commentary upon this very text that the first day of the week is kept holy by tradition and not by authority of scriptures also from Ecc●esiastical history Socrates Book 5. Chap 21. It is plain that all Churches came together to break bread in remembrance of Christs death on the Sabbath day for some hundreds of years after Christ but onely the Church of Rome c which saith the history used to do it on the first day of the week upon an old tradition So that if men be willing to see from whence the changing of the day came it will not be hard to find it out For the other two Opinions I shall not at present trouble my self further with them because their ill complexion seems to promise that they will dye of themselves So leaving my writings to your reading and consideration I remain Your servant and the servant of all men for the truths sake W. Salter Her Priests have violated my law and have prophaned my holy things they have put no difference between the holy and prophane neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean and they have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths and I am prophaned among them Ezek. 22. 26. Blessed is the man that doth this and the son of man that layeth hold on it that keepeth the Sabbath from poluting it and keepeth his hand from doing any evill Isa 56. 2. FINIS