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
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
be not at hand God will put an end to these things and his Temples shall not alwayes be profaned his Ministers continually despised neither will he ever suffer wicked Hypocrites to fight against him with his own weapons or profane Atheists to take away the means consecrated to his service and employ it to profane uses but he that is Lord of the Sabbath is Holy and will have his Holy-days and his Sabbaths to be sanctified There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God or as it is in the original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a keeping of a Sabbath The rest that is here properly meant it is that great Sabbath of rest that shall be kept unto God by all those that depart in the faith they shall keep a perpetual Sabbath unto God and shall for ever sing Heavenly Allelujahs unto him with the Holy Angels in Heaven But yet in regard this great rest is set forth and expressed in the phrase of a Sabbath keeping I hope I shall not impertinently gather from hence that all those who look to keep an eternal Sabbath unto God in Heaven they should think of this allusion and consider that there remaineth a rest a keeping of a Sabbath unto the people of God on Earth and that none shall keep a perpetual sabbath unto God hereafter but they who sanctifie his sabbaths here The sabbath of rest that is to be kept to God here as it hath reference to that great sabbath of rest hereafter I may place it in a rest from sin There is none that liveth and sinneth not and for men altogether to rest from sin here in this world it is impossible but the Scripture speaketh of wicked men and sinners that they are tumultuous and raging that they are like the raging Sea that casteth up mire and dirt continually restless are their imaginations that are Isa 57. 20. unconverted who give free sway and scope unto themselves in sin The thoughts of their hearts are evil and that continually Gen. 6. 5. they imagine mischief upon their beds and when it draweth to light they practise it They have eyes full of Mich. 2. i. 2 Pet. 2. 14. Job 24. 14. 15. 16. Adultery that cannot cease to sin yea as Job speaketh The eyes of the Adulterer waiteth for the twilight saying no eye shall see me and disguiseth his face The Murtherer rising with the light killeth the poor and needy and in the night is as a theif in the night they dig thorow houses which they had marked out for themselves in the day time day and night they labour and rest not from sinning This labour must be given over and a spiritual rest embraced Men must strive against sin and oppose it and never give over till they have quieted and appeased their tumultuous and disorderly affections so that they have vanquished the strength of sins the prevailing power of it so that they do not suffer any sin the least sin of which they are convinced in Conscience that it is sin to reign or rule or bear sway in their hearts and if they fall out of infirmity as who is there that liveth and sinneth not yet they are grieved for their failings and fallings rise again by repentance and continually ask God forgiveness for what they have done amiss This now is a rest from sin a keeping a perpetual sabbath unto God beside this rest from sin men must rest unto God have leisure times to serve him It is the principal end of our Creation God made us for this end to serve him and that they ought to set apart some time for the service of God this is engraven in the hearts of all men living For the determinate time that God hath appointed for his Worship and service as for certain he hath after a special and more peculiar manner sanctified and set apart some time for that end we cannot be so well guided by the candle of nature as by the light of the word The Scriptures then every where but especially in the fourth Commandement tell us of the rest of the Holy sabbath which the Lord of the sabbath hath severed and set apart for his own use one day in seven God hath chose and set apart for himself It received its confecration and was set apart to be a day of rest unto God upon this ground and reason because that God in it rested from his works of Creation The Church of God in the Apostles times did change the day in memorial of our Saviour his Resurrection because that on the first day of the week Christ did rise from the dead and rested from the great work of our Redemption Though there be no expresse precept in Scripture for the altring of the day yet that the Apostles in their practice were guided by the spirit it is confessed by all Protestant writers that are Orthodox I will alleadge one for all Zanchie after he had related it out of Justin Martyr his Apology to the Emperour Antoninus how the Christians were wont to meet on the Lord's day to hear the word and receive the Sacraments and to perform other Holy and Religious exercises he thus concludeth Ex his liquet Apostolos per spiritum sanctum vel potius spiritum Sanctum per Apostolos festum solennitatemque Sabbati in diem dominicum transtulisse From this it is manifest that the Apostles by the spirit or rather the spirit of God by the Apostles did transferre the festivity and solemnity of the sabbath unto the Lords day but yet though the day be changed yet the keeping one day in seven by consecrating it to the service of God making it a rest from sin and a rest unto God by performing in it Holy and Religious exercises which is the morality of the fourth Commandment is still retained We are then to keep Holy one day in seven not only upon the ground and Reason which is laid down in the fourth Commandment because that in six days God finished the works of his Creation and rested the seventh But we are likewise strengthened and confirmed in keeping our Christian Sabbath which is likewise one day in seven in regard that on that day Christ did rise from the dead and rest from the great work of our Redemption So that the morality of the sabbath is so far from being taken away by the change of the day that it is hereby more strongly strengthened and confirmed That one day in seven should be kept Holy is the morality of the fourth Commandement beside the sanctifying one day in seven it is requisite that the sollemn day for God's service be kept in its season and God requireth not that any 7th day of our own devising should be celebrated but he looketh and expecteth that such a seventh day be kept as he hath appointed The seventh day from the Creation was the day Commanded of God and for the time that God required it this and no other was to be
the Mistress the Hand-Maid to Rule over the Queen and suffer every petty Holy-day to justle the Lords day out of Doors Yea it was usual with us in times of Blindness and Ignorance Many Parishes did Meet in one Parish to Celebrate Bacchanalian Feasts yea they did bring their May-Lady into the Church in time of Divine Service and did take off the minds of People from Religion and the Service of God causing the Lords day to be Celebrated with more Foolish vanities than ever the Heathens Celebrated the Feasts of their Belly-god Bacchus or their Lascivious Lady Venus These Times of Ignorance God winked at but now he Commandeth all Men every where to Repent Yea be perswaded to Consider of it and take heed of all back-sliding to Popery It is usual now in such places where the Romish Religion Ruleth and beareth sway the Lords day is Celebrated with little Piety in God's House and with more prophaneness out of it And yet I beseech you suffer the word of Exhortation let us not so Oppose Papism that we should run into the contrary extreme of Atheism The Papists they do so slight the Lords day that they prefer every Ordinary Holy-day before it And we or at the least the greatest part of us do so highly magnifie the Lords day that we have thrust all other holy days out of the Kalendar We should Serve God on week days Come up to his Temple too to serve him and to Pray unto him on Holy-days There be other Sabbaths besides the Seventh day of Gods Institut on and God requireth not onely that we hear the Instruction of him our Heavenly Father and keep Holy his Sabbath the Seventh day which he hath expressly Commanded to be Sanctified But he requireth that we forsake not the Laws and Constitutions that the Church our Mother giveth us concerning the Sanctifying of Holy-days for these likewise are God's Sabbaths though Constituted by the Church and God requireth that we keep his Sabbaths and Reverence his Sanctuary We should serve God on week days come up to his House and serve him on Holy-days and after a special manner Sanctifie the Seventh day of his Consecration But we on the contrary have polluted God's Sabbaths prophaned his Sanctuary and notwithstanding the noise that is made of Holy and Religious Exercises on the Lords day the Lords day was never less hallowed Shall I shew you how it was of late days when there was no King in Israel but every body did that was right in their own eyes Publick Forms of Prayer wherein People might joyn with the Priest on the Lords day where they were used they were very much scorned and contemned and in most places quite given over And on week days and on Holy-days not permitted at all to be used The Word of God where it was publickly read was very much slighted and in many places not read at all So that People for want of having the Scriptures and the Word of God read unto them were kept in more blindness and Ignorance than they are in the Papacy Publick Catechising of the Youth at seasonable times and the reading of Homilies for the Instructing of People in the Principles of Religion they were despised as things unprofitable and of no use at all The Sacrament of the Lords Supper in many places and most Churches it was not publickly Administred for many Years together The Sacrament of Baptism a prejudice was wrought against it and People were made to believe that they ought not to Baptize their Children or bring them within the Covenant Since it hath pleased God to restore us to Government and the Blessings of it the same design as it is greatly to be feared is still under-hand carryed on and some that seem to Conform and be Obedient to the present Government under a pretence of their love to Piety and their Care of en to perform Holy and Religious Exercises seek to make themselves and their followers Independent that is not subject to any Temporal Magistrate or Ecclesiastical Governour We will be so Charitable as to believe that they did heretofore often Fall and Pray and perform other Holy and Religious Exercises themselves in private And receive the Sacrament in publick with their own Companies But they did bereave the World of the use of all God's Ordinances in publick but Psalm and a Sermon And no doubt of it but divers of them do now pray in private read the Word of God in their Families Catechise and Instruct their Children and perform other Holy Religious Exercises very frequently in private and I cannot believe that any vertuous Religious Governour either in Church or Common-wealth meaneth to trouble them for or disturb them in these things If those of the Clergy among them will say the publick Prayers of the Church after that manner that they are enjoyned to say them and will read the Scriptures in publick and the Homilies of the Church so as to work people to a love of them and of the good Instructions therein contained and not read them after that manner as to cause them to be scorned of the multitude and not neglect publick Catechising but perform it according as it is enjoyned to be performed And they of the Laâ—ty will work themselves and others to a Reverend esteem of these publick Religious Duties and diligently frequent them and Carefully and Conscionably use them as in Obedience to God's Laws and Mens they ought And both the one and the other will give over their private Conventicles and giddy Meetings and not slander the present Government nor traduce the Governours nor draw scorn and contempt upon all publick Religious Duties that are enjoyned by Authority except Sermons as things that have all things of Man and nothing of God in them They that are Religious amongst them shall not be discountenanced by Magistrates or any Body else for their Piety and Godliness Of those who have been heretofore and are still opposite to the present Government and labour to work others to be of their mind and Opinion Many are Ignorant Persons and as they have no will to pray in publick so they have no skill to pray in private and are taken in onely to bear up the Train of the Faction Others of them whatsoever others Report of them or they Report of themselves they are wicked prophane ungodly Persons their sins apparent and conspicuous obvious to every Eye and though their absenting themselves from and their slighting of publick Religious performances causeth them to be noted of the Faction to be Saints yet their private Religious performances are neither so frequent nor so fervent that any should take notice of them but themselves and those of their own Faction Some well meaning Men there be among them both of the Clergy and the Laity who love and practise Holy and Religious Exercises in private and are not nor would not be any great Enemies to them in publick But that the Grandees of