fellow-members 3 By laying to heart their afflictions Of the Sabbath Exod. 20.19 Prop. 1. There must be some set time for the worship and immediate service of God 70 Reas 1 All actions cannot be done at once 2 Because of our dulness Prop. 2. There must be some set time every day Reas 1. Else we live like beasts 71. 2 Every morning God reneweth mercies 3 God is the beginning and ending of all things Prop. 3. Every day is in some sort a Sabbath Reas 1. Gods covenant with us requires it 2 Not to do so is a brand of hypocrisie 3 Blessednesse consists in it 72 4 This is the sum of the law of righteousnesse Prop. 4. There must be a particular special day Reas 1. That in this life we may have an Emblem of Heaven 2 Gods honour requires it 73 3 God sometimes calls for extraordinary dayes 1 Of rejoycing 2 Of fasting 1 When judgements are feared 74 2 Mercies wanting 3 Souls tempted 4 Some notable work undertaken 4 It is most equitable 75 1 That God should have one day 2 That our souls should have one day Prop. 5. One day in seven is to be set a part for Gods worship Reas 1. Gods positive command 76 2 It is Gods day 3 That servants cattel c. may have rest 4 God hath sanctified it 5 Because we are apt to be worldly c. Prop. 6. That day of seven is to be kept holy on which God rested 76 Prop. 7. All that is in the fourth Commandement is not essential to it Prop. 8. The fourth commandement continually to abide in force 78 Reas 1. Because the Sabbath was instituted before there was room for ceremonies 2 The Sabbath was kept before the Law given 3 It was written by the finger of God 79 4 God often urgeth this Commandement as well as any other 5 Else we have not ten Commandements 6 Christ plainly tells us so 7 The Heathens have ever kept a Sabbath day 80 Prop. 9. The first day of the week is now the Lords day 81 Reas 1. From Psal 118.24 2 From Rev. 1.10 3 Christ calls himself Lord of the Sabbath 82 4 Christ commanded the Apostles to keep this day 5 Christs wisdom would not leave such things uncertain 6 Who should institute this day but he that is the head 7 All Christians have kept this day since the Apostle time 8 Gods judgements on the prophaners of this day do evince it 83 Use 1. Then we are to keep an whole day 84 Reas 1. We have six whole daies for our selves 2 God rested an whole day 3 From Levit. 23.32 4 God never instituted halfe holy daies 85 5 It is the judgement of Divines in all ages Use 2. Then sports are unlawful on this day Reas 1. Because working is otherwise commanded sporting only permitted 2 Working doth less distract the mind The Second Part of CRISTS Alarm to DROUSIE SAINTS REVEL 3.1 Thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead I Have spoken of the life of the affections and now I should come to the next thing namely to shew how far a child of God may be said to be dead but before I handle this there is another point that would be spoken to in a word or two and that is this Why a child of God may think himself to be dead when he is not and think he is grown deader then ever he was and there is no such matter and others may think he is grown cold and negligent and yet the truth is he is more affected and more alive towards God then formerly this is a very needful point and there be several causes of false liveliness which a child of God may have and when they go away he may seem to be deader then he was whereas indeed he is not so The first is novelty of Religion and grace when grace is yet new and the word comes fresh to a man and the promises of eternal life look freshly into a mans heart they will affect him much and not only raise his sanctified affections but his unsanctified too for the unsanctified affections will stir at a novelty a man that hath no grace at all nor any life will be stirred at a new thing as when the Apostle preached new doctrine to the Athenians Acts 17.32 we will hear thee again of this matter say they they cared not how often they heard this because it was news to them so when Christ preached up and down O what new doctrine is this say they never man spake as this man Joh. 7.46 it was a new kind of preaching new gifts this stirred them mightily so it may be with a true Christian when the word of God comes first to him and grace comes first to him the novelty of grace may affect him when God first opens his eyes how strangely will he be moved in prayer how strangely will he carry himself at a Sermon his very bowels yearn at a Sermon and he will cry out Oh the infinite mercy of God to my soul what a beast was I before I was an hell-hound a child of the Divel and now the Lord hath made me a child of God I went on in the high way to perdition and now God hath brought me into the right way this is admirable but do you think these are all good affections there is a great deal of corruption in these as new Beer when it is first tunned it hath a great deal of working then but when it is staler it doth not work so much yet then is the Beer more powerfull and hath more life as it is with a mans first entrance into an hot bath it doth so stir him as if it did scald him but after he hath been in a while he is sensible of little or no heat the heat is as much as it was at the first and works upon him as much but he feels it not so much so a good Christian doth not seem to be so much affected afterwards as formerly are his true affections therefore down no but his unsanctified ones are down may be a man hath not lost a jot of his true and sound and sanctified affections but only his unsanctified ones for when grace comes first into the soul of a new convert there is a greater Army raised up for God then is likely to continue there are a company of mercenary Souldiers steping and seem to go out and to fight for God as well as the rest you shall have more fears in that man then are true and more desires after grace then are true carnal desires and joys and delights these will be all up at the first and will go out though they never go to the journeys end it is with a new convert at his setting out towards heaven as it was with the children of Israel when they came out of Egypt there was a mixed multitude went up with them Exod. 12.38 why the plagues of God had wrought upon many
Fast and laboured to get aid and help from heaven Ezra 8.21 So when a Child of God is exceedingly afflicted with any crosse or temptation and he shall wonderfully dishonour God and cast a snare upon them that fear his Name in this case he is bound to seek God extraordinarily and if the ordinary means that God hath appointed will not prevail he is to set a part a Fast to seek him extraordinarily 3. Thirdly If we be assaulted from hell and Satan and our own hearts with strong temptations then we are to seek God extraordinarily as it was with Paul when the Messenger of Satan was sent to buffet him when he lay under some heavy temptation either unto Pride or Lust or Uncleannesse some prick in the flesh that the Lord sent upon him and let him be encountered withal then Paul sought God in a solemn manner more then ever he did at other times 2 Cor. 12.8 For this I besought God thrice 4. Fourthly In case a man is to do some notable service he is to enter into some new Calling or if the Lord doth put him upon some new service that doth require some more then ordinary help now a man is to seek God by Fasting and Prayer as you may see it was with Barnabas and Paul when they entred into the Ministery Acts 13.3 Now the reason why I name these things is to shew you that sometimes God will have an extraodinary set day for his immediate worship and service when we are to lay aside all other businesse and set our selves apart to call upon his Name and seek him The thing I gather from hence is this If there be an extraordinary set day then there must be an ordinary set day for Gods immediate Service Another Argument is taken from the Equity of it and that stands Two wayes 1. First It is very equal when as we have six dayes to provide for our Reas 4 selves and for the maintenance of our bodies God gives us divers dayes for that now Equity doth require that we should give one day to him we having several dayes it is equity that he should have at least one for himself Therefore this doth aggravate our sins exceedingly if we give not this day to God Did not this aggravate the sin of Adam in eating of the forbidden fruit in that God gave him liberty to eat freely of all other trees in the garden and forbad him only the eating of that one Now what excuse could Adam have for not abstaining from that one So here God having given us divers dayes for the good of our bodies and for means and maintenance of the things of this life duty requires that we should not touch Gods day nor set our foot upon it nor turn our eyes away from it we ought to remember it as Joseph said in regard of his Mistris when she enticed him to folly mark how he answers the temptation My Master hath put all things into my hands that are in the house he hath with-hold nothing from me but only thee his Wife and that is equal and reasonable how therefore shall I do this great wickedness and sin agaist God Gen. 39.9 So should we say when we are tempted to break the Lords day we should say The Lord hath not imposed any day besides the Lord hath given us all the six daies for our use how therefore shall I do this great wickednesse and sin against God with worldly thoughts and speeches and actions upon that day It stands with very good equity that it should be so 2. Secondly It stands with equity in regard of our Souls if our bodies which are the worser part have several dayes for their use then how much more should the soul have one day which is a thousand times more worth then the body You know what Christ saith What will it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul Matth. 16.26 Our souls are more worth then our bodies and we have more need to seek out for Holinesse and Grace for them and to be well provided for in regard of them then for any thing in this present world if we want meat we can but starve if we want cloaths we can but famish if we want outward things we can but temporally perish but if we want Grace and the Favour of God we perish for ever Now if there be six dayes allowed for the good of our bodies how much more should we be willing to have one day for the good of our souls specially considering what need we have thereof This Argument our Saviour Christ useth to prove the Sabbath Mark 2.27 The Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath The Sabbath was made for man as meat was made for the body and a man cannot be without food no more can the soul be without the Sabbath so that we see there must be a solemn day set a part for Gods Worship and Service The Fifth Proposition is this That as there must be a set day for Gods Worship and Service so this day must be one of seven not one of eight or nine or five or four but one of seven and this though it be not naturally moral yet it is positively moral though it be not natural written in the heart of man as a man if he had no teaching his conscience would find out that he should not be idle and steal commit murther the Conscience will grope out these Ordinances and Statutes of God and the Conscience will find out that there must be a set day for Gods Worship and Service the light of nature will find out that but that it must be one day of seven that it cannot find out but I say that it is the positive law of God that it must be one of seven Reas 1 Now Because it is not written in the heart of man but in the Commandment of God positively delivered to us and required of us I can give no other Reason for it but only the reason taken out of the Scripture there can be no reason taken from the judgment of man as other Lawes the very law of Reason will enforce them but there can be no other reason for this but only out of the Word of God The Lord hath commanded six dayes thou shalt labour and being his Will it must be performed for God might require six dayes for himself and leave us but one day God might have ordained it so but God intending we should live by the sweat of our brows the Lord was pleased to allow us six dayes now he giving us six dayes doth reserve unto himself one of seven Reas 2 Secondly Another Reason is this As the Lord hath commanded this seventh day so he saith it is his day The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God Now then if the seventh day be the Sabbath of the Lord our God then we must not divert any of the hours or any part
come to the Eighth Proposition That this Fourth Commandment concerning a Sabbath day concerning the keeping of a Seventh day holy is a continual Commandment alwayes to abide in the Church of God I will prove it by divers Arguments that it was not to continue only in the time of the Jewes but it is to abide alwayes in the Church to the coming of the Son of man there is not a jot of Ceremony in the fourth Commandment Reas 1 The First Reason is Because God did institute the Sabbath before there was any room for Ceremonies it was commanded to Adam in his Innocency Now all Ceremonies did prefigure Christ and before Adam fell there was no Promise of the Seed of the Woman nor no need of it and so no need of a Figure to represent it but before Adam fell the Sabbath was prescribed Gen. 2.2 3. On the seventh day God rested from all that he had made so that God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it So that you see God having rested upon this day he sanctified it and put holiness upon it therefore we are not to name that Common which he hath named Holy now though we do not read of Adams keeping this day nor Abels nor Enochs nor Noahs nor Abrahams nor Isaacs nor Jacobs yet it doth not follow it was not kept for Moses doth not take in hand to set down the actions of the Fathers but only generally for you see what a short story we have of Methushelab a good man though he lived a thousand years almost yet we have scarce Three Syllables concerning him Now sith Moses did not undertake to set down all that they did therefore they might keep the Sabbath though he did not set it down neither afterwards doth he set it down for 319. years and 111. years which 430. years to the time of the Judges we have nothing spoken of concerning the Sabbath therefore seeing God did Institute it to Adam in his Innocency that is enough but what though the Fathers had not kept it holy doth it therefore follow that we must not keep it holy They had many wives doth it therefore follow that we must have many wives So suppose they did not sanctifie the seventh day though wee can see no proof that they did not yet this is enough That God did sanctifie it before any Ceremony was Again Though we do not read that they practised this yet the Scripture doth intimate to us that they did it Reas 2 The Second Argument to prove this is out of Exod. 16.23 before the Law was delivered upon Mount Sinai before the Commandment was spoken from Horeb yet you may see that the Sabbath is spoken of and the Lord doth finde fault with Israel for not keeping of it which intimateth it was a day they well knew and the Lord saith afterwards to Moses How long will ye refuse to keep my Laws and Statutes As in vers 28. the Lord there speaks of a Sabbath as a day well known unto them that it was commanded to be sanctified by them and this was before the delivering of the Ceremonial Law therefore it is not a ceremonial Law but a positive Law equipollent with the moral Law Reas 3 A Third Reason is Because it was written by the finger of God in Tables of stone and put into the Ark Exod. 31.18 and Deut. 10.12 the Commandments were written upon Two tables of stone and by the finger of God Now all Divines in all ages agree upon this that the writing of this Commandment in the Two tables of stone is an evident Argument of the morality of it For as a Reverend Divine saith Not to think the Fourth Commandment to be moral is the way to all Atheisme for if one should say the Fourth Commandment is not moral but ceremonial another might step up the next year and say the Second and the Fifth is not So that whereas the Law is written by the finger of God in tables of stone if we root it out of the tables of stone we shall root it out of the heart of man therefore the writing of it in the tables of stone is an evident Argument of the morality of it to all ages A Fourth Argument is this The Lord doth urge this Commandment Reas 4 more then any other Commandment in the Decalogue so that a man may question the First or Second or any of the Ten as well as this for first we know that God hath made this Commandment larger then any of the rest Secondly hee hath made it stronger and urged it with more arguments then any of the rest 3. He hath fixed a memento remember before it As who should say Be carefull of this and take heed of forgetting it take heed of those that shall teach you the contrary that this Commandment is not morall 4. It is negatively delivered and affirmatively the other delivered only one way either affirmatively only as the Fifth Honour thy Father and Mother or else negatively only as all the rest There is never a Commandment delivered both negatively and affirmatively but only the Fourth as Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy there it is delivered affirmatively And afterwards it is delivered negatively In it thou shalt do no manner of work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter c. The Lord hath delivered it both wayes noting that this Commandment is equall and equipollent with the other and the Lord did this in infinite wisdome because he had not written this Commandment in the heart of man by the light of nature therefore the Lord did urge it more with Arguments that what was wanting in the light of nature might be supplyed by the pressing of Arguments 5. Another Argument is Because if this be not morall then we have Reas 5 not Ten morall Commandments there are but Nine now this is false for the Scripture tels us that the Commandments are Ten as Deut. 10.4 it is not an Ecclesiasticall thing but the Lord hath said it as you may see there And he wrote upon the Tables according to the first writing the Ten Commandments which the Lord spake unto you in the Mount out of the midst of the fire The Lord spake Ten Commandments now if the Fourth Commandment be not morall there be not ten Commandments And you may as well deny the Articles of the Faith and the Petitions of the Lords Prayer as the ten Commandments The Sixth Argument is this Christ tels us plainely that it is a Reas 6 morall Commandment Matth. 24.20 Pray saith he that your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath day Our Saviour Christ here prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem which was forty yeares after Christs Ascension when all Ceremonies were ceased as Paul had proclaimed before the destruction of Jerusalem That if any man would be circumcised Christ should profit him nothing Galat. 5.2 That is if he would keep the Ceremonial Law Now Christ bids those that should
Saviour Jesus Christ and he pronounceth a blessing upon those that keep the Sabbath in those dayes Again Isa 11.10 it was Prophecied of old that the first day of the week should be the Sabbath day the Lords day In that day there shall be a Root of Jesse which shall stand up for an Ensigne to the people and the Nations shall flie unto it and his Rest shall be Glorious Not only the Fathers Rest shall be glorious when he had Created Heaven and Earth and rested the seventh day but Christs Rest also shall be glorious for all Divines agree that the Prophet speaks of the Rest of Christ from the work of Redemption now his Rest shall be glorious As God the Father Rested from his work and his Rest was glorious for four thousand years together so Christs Rest from his work shall be glorious there shall be glory and honour put upon it as well as upon the Rest of the Father when he Rested from making of Heaven and Earth Secondly Another Argument to prove this is out of Rev. 1.10 there Reas 2 Saint John speaking of the first day of the week the Spirit of the Lord calls it the Lords Day I was in the Spirit on the Lords Day so that it is not by Apostolical Tradition only but by the Institution of God himself he doth call it the Lords Day I was in the Spirit upon the Lords Day he calls the first day of the week the Lords Day by the same reason that the Sacrament is called the Lords Supper Now the Sacrament is so called because the Lord Instituted it and therefore it must be Holy so the Lords Day is called so because the Lord Instituted it and therefore it must be kept Holy Reas 3 Another Argument is this Our Saviour Christ himself doth Intitle himself to be the Lord of the Sabbath and therefore able to alter it and change it and appoint what businesse is to be done and what not to be done upon that day he doth openly profess that he is Lord of the Sabbath Mark 2.28 and John 5.23 he saith They shall Honour the Son as they Honour the Father As they honour the Father with a Sabbath in regard of his Rest from the work of Creation so they shall honour the Son with a Sabbath in regard of his Rest from the work of Redemption which being compared with Rev. 1.10 where it is called the Lords Day These two being put together do plainly prove it Reas 4 Fourthly Christ himself did command his Apostles to keep this day it was not by the Apostles counsel as if they would set up this day in the Church as some would have it but Christ did command them so to do for the Apostles did deliver nothing Generally to the Church but what they received from the Lord as Paul saith What I have received from the Lord that I declare unto you 1 Cor. 11. But I will prove it was the Commandment of Christ to them by this Argument Because the first day of the week was alwayes kept for the assemblies of the people of God before the Apostles durst order any thing in the Church the Apostles never durst undertake to set up any order in the Church until the Holy Ghost fell upon them in fiery tongues and that was fourty dayes after Now the first day of the week was kept long before this John 20.19 they kept the first day of the week and again the next week ver 26. they kept the first day of the week and Luke 24. they kept the first day of the week And if you compare three or four places of Scripture together as Mat. 28.16 20. together with John 20.19 26. we shall see plainly in John that they did meet upon the first day of the week and in Mat. 28. we shall see that Christ appointed them so to do it was by his Commandment Reas 5 Fifthly Another Argument to prove that it is by Divine Institution and not by Humane Ordinance is this Because the Wisdome of Jesus Christ would never have committed such a weighty thing as this is to the Judgement of man Certainly the Lord Jesus Christ before his ascending up unto his Father would never have left things to raw and uncertain and imperfect as to leave such a Branch of such a Sacred Ordinance to be at the Arbitrament of men being so apt to take liberty and so negligent to keep any day Holy surely the Lord would never have left it to the Arbitrament of men Therefore we may well conclude it is to be found in Scripture by Ordination of God for mark what the Apostle saith As Moses was faithful in all his house so Christ is faithful in all his house Heb. 3.2 3. He proves that Christ is more faithful then Moses Now Moses was faithful for he delivered the whole mind of God to the people of Israel there was nothing left out for time or place or manner there was not any Ceremony in the worship of God left out but he delivered all to them he was faithful So Christ is faithful in his house therefore seeing Christ knew how ready men were to neglect and prophane the Sabbath plain reason tells us that he would order it himself Reas 6 Again Who should Institute any Ordinance in the Church but only he that is the Head of the Church Reas 7 Again Another Argument is this It hath been the Practice of all holy men since the Apostles daies to keep this day That it was the practice of the Apostles that you will grant that they kept the first day of the week Now if there were no Argument but this that the Apostles did keep it this were enough to prove the change of the day when we find that the Apostles did sanctifie this day this were proof enough to stay our mindes for certainly they had a more Infallible guidance and direction then we have and they insisted upon this day 1 Cor. 16.1.2 They ordained and John the Divine kept this day though he were in the place of his banishment where he could hear no Sermon but was all alone yet he would keep the Sabbath on the first day of the week and the Lord rewarded his sanctifying of this day by declaring the Revelation unto him to incourage all good people to go on in keeping this day But to leave these and come to the time of the ancient Fathers immediately after the Apostles they all agree upon the first day of the week Jgnatius doth so and Saint Austin saith as the Virgin Mary is among women so is the first day of the week among dayes as she was blessed above women so is the first day of the week blessed above daies No man that makes conscience of his wayes but shall find a blessing upon eyery day but God hath blessed this day in a more peculiar manner and the soul that makes conscience of the keeping of it may by the Covenant of God expect a blessing
set themselves apart to honor and worship their Images and Idols according to their manner Now I will make this good by many Arguments that God will have a set day besides the every day Sabbath he will have a set particular Sabbath for his Worship and Service Reas 1 The First Reason is Because he will have a little emblem and picture of the kingdom of heaven among his Saints and Children in this life in the kingdom of heaven there is no buying and selling no eating and drinking no worldly businesse there is nothing but praysing and glorifying of God and speaking of God and singing of Halelujah unto his holy Name there is nothing but enjoying communion with the Lord and feeding upon him continually there is nothing but this in the kingdom of heaven Now God will have a little picture of this among his Saints here upon earth You know there remains a rest for the people of God Heb. 4.9 It is an express place the word in the Original is There remains a Sabbath for the people of God As who should say There is a glorious Sabbath that all the Elect of God shall have and they are preserved for it and that is reserved for them and they shall enter into it when this body of death is laid down and they shall enjoy God face to face to all eternity they shall behold him as he is and have communion with him now the Lord will have a little picture of this here in this life we cannot have it altogether in this life for we have mortal bodies that must be fed and cloathed and stand in need of the creature for mans sin is not yet purged away but there is a great deal of rubbish still left therefore this cannot be complete here but yet God will have a little picture or this even in this life and that is the Sabbath day wherein they are to lay aside all the works of their ordinary callings and rest from all servil labours this is Gods day and we must now call upon him and hear what he saith and wholly employ and occupy our selves about him as neer as we possibly can but now this we cannot do every day for we have Children to look after and Families to provide for and there be an hundred occasions to call a man away it may be a man thinks to go into his Closet and seek God in private and one occasion or other calls him aside that he cannot go on but the Lord will have a little emblem and expression of the kingdom of heaven upon the Sabbath day therefore the Apostle saith It remains for us scil in the life to come The Second Reason why the Lord will have a set day for his Worship and Reas 2 Service besides the every day Sabbath is because the honour of God doth so require it doth require that there should be a solemn day for Gods Service as Kings though their subjects are to obey them every day and keep their Laws every day and if a subject transgress the Laws at any time he is in danger of the displeasure of the King but he will have one day of solemnity to his Majesty So God Almighty though every day we are to tremble before him and stand in aw of his Word and take heed we do not err from his Commandments yet he will have one solemn day for the honour of his Name he will have a solemn day wherein his people shall have nothing else to do but to set themselves apart for his Worship therefore this set day is called The honourable of the Lord Isa 58.13 that is we must count the Sabbath day an honourable day a day of honour wherein Gods Servants should from morning to evening fall down before him and confess that great is the Lord God We should wholly dedicate it unto him seeking of him in Publick and in Private that we may store up holy affections for all the week following Thirdly Because God sometimes calls for an extraordinary day and an Reas 3 extraordinary day hath ever relation to an ordinary if I say this is my extraordinary food and diet I imply that I have ordinary diet so if the Scripture tells us that God calls for extraordinary dayes it is an evident Argument that there be ordinary dayes which he calls for Now that God calls for extraordinary dayes it is plain 1. First He calls for extraordinary dayes of rejoycing when God compasseth us about with songs of Deliverance and works wonderful Mercies for us we ought to set a part a day for rejoycing and delighting in his goodness and favour towards us and this day is to be an holy day as Nehemiah 8.9 This day is holy unto the Lord your God mourn not nor weep So that when we are to rejoyce towards God for any spiritual favour towards us we ought to keep this day an holy day we ought to employ the hours of the day in labouring to affect our hearts with his kindnesse and labouring to make his goodness to have impression upon us that we may with cheerfulness run over all our dayes afterwards that we may adhere unto him the better all our life time 2. Secondly As he calls for extraordinary dayes of rejoycing so he calls for extraordinary dayes of Fasting and Humiliation and that in Four Cases 1. First When we fear some heavie judgement to come upon us or else when some judgement is already upon us may be some heavie judgement is upon us or else we fear it to come upon us and now we are to set an extraordinary day apart to seek the Lord as 2 Chron. 20. Jehosaphat proclaimed a Fast when the Land was in danger Suppose the Lord should take away the Gospel and the feet of those that bring glad tydings should be turned from us then should we Fast in those dayes we should grieve before God and bewail the loss of his Mercies and Favours that we may have his Goodnesse to quicken us and keep us and uphold us in the want of them 2. Secondly In case that we want some Mercy that we cannot well be without in such a case as this if ordinary seeking will not do the deed we ought to set apart an extraordinary time to prevail with God as Ezra he was in danger of the enemy and if he should go to Jerusalem the enemy would set upon him now thought he if I should go to the King though he were very great with the King of Persia at that time yet thought he if I should go to the Kigng for a Band of Souldiers he would think our God were a weak God I have told him what a strong God we have and that he is ready to help all those that trust in him now if I should go to him for a Band of Souldiers he might think that our God were not able to deliver us and it would be a great dishonour to God therefore he set a day apart for a
live forty years after the Ceremonies were ceased I would have you have a care of the Sabbath and delight in hearing of the word of God and meditating upon it and so forth and if any occasion come that you fall into the hands of your enemies pray that your flight be not in the Winter nor on the Sabbath day as who should say If it be in the Winter that will do hurt and be troublesome to your bodies and so if you fly upon the Sabbath day that will trouble your consciences if you regard Gods commandment and the good of your own consciences if you regard or fear Gods name it will grieve you to fly on the Sabbath day whereby you shall be deprived of the Congregation of Gods Saints therefore pray that your flight be not upon that day Intimating that it was Morall for if it had been Ceremoniall he would not have wished them to pray that it might not be upon that day Now whereas our Saviour doth so often condemn the Pharisees in regard of their strictnesse of the Sabbath it is not as if he did disallow the keeping of it but they were foolishly precise they strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel they crowded out and regarded not Mercy and Judgment they would not pull a poor beast out of a pit or relieve a poor man upon the Sabbath day they found fault that a man should be helped from deaths door by our Saviour upon the Sabbath this was their folly Now our Saviour did not condemn strict keeping of the Sabbath but he did condemn their Superstition for ever since Adams time it was lawful to do works of Mercy on the Sabbath it was Lawful to pull a beast out of the pit and do works of Mercy and Necessity upon the Sabbath day And whereas the Law saith The Jewes might not kindle a fire on the Sabbath day if we were in their case we might not neither for they were in the Wildernesse in an hot Countrey where they needed no Fire and having their Food provided to their hands And being in an hot Countrey if they kindled a Fire it was out of wantonnesse but if it had been a cold Countrey in Adams time and Abrahams time and in all times it was lawful to kindle a Fire Reas 7 Againe another Argument is this The very Heathen themselves have ever kept a Sabbath day though they could not tell which the day was some kept the Eighth day and some the Ninth yet they ever kept a Sabbath day Yea it is certain many of the Heathen themselves kept the Sabbath after their manner Alexandrinus a godly Father that lived but a little after Christ saith That the Heathen did count the Seventh day an Holy day And it is related of Alexander Severus Emperour of Rome though he were a Pagan and Infidel yet every Sabbath day he retired from his Warlike affaires and went up into the Capitol to worship his gods And it is reported againe in Heathen Histories our boyes go not to School upon the Sabbath day neither are Humane Arts taught on that day but we have a Rest upon that day Nay some of the Heathens tell us That they keep it from the Creation therefore Philo tells us That the Sabbath day is the Creation day and divers other poor people that never had Scripture or Prophet or Minister among them but went meerly by the light of Nature and what they had learned from their Ancestors and Fathers they did keep the Sabbath day Nay one of them saith That on the Seventh day all the Host of Heaven and Earth was finished Therefore seeing the very Heathen have learned to keep this day Holy it is an Evident Argument that this is a Moral Commandement I conclude the Proof of this Point with the saying of our Saviour Christ Mat. 5.18 Heaven and Earth shall passe away but not one jot or title of the Law shall passe away Marke our Saviour saith there that there shall not one jot or title of the Decalogue passe away As for the Ceremonial and Judicial law they stand not still but the whole compasse of them is removed the Ceremonial Law is quite and clean abolished and the Judicial Law in many particulars therefore our Saviour meant it not of those two Laws but he speaks of the Decalogue and he saith Heaven and Earth shall passe away before one jot of it shall passe away much lesse an whole branch be rooted out And Gal. 3.10 the Apostle saith Cursed is every one that continues not in all things that are written in this Law to do them not only he that continueth not in the first or second or third Commandment but he that continueth not in the fourth and fifth and all the rest And Jam. 2.10 the Apostle there saith If a man should keep the whole Law of God and be guilty only in one point he is guilty of all Suppose thou didst keep the Three first Commandments and all the Six last if thou keepest not the Fourth Commandment thou art guilty of the breach of all the Commandments I let this passe and come now to the last Proposition which is this That though the last day of the week were kept for the Sabbath till the coming of Christ yet the first day of the week that seventh day is now the Lords Day and is so to continue to the end of the World I frame it thus The change of the seventh day to the first day of the week is not by Ecclesiastical Law or by the Law of man or Apostolical Tradition but it is by the Institution and express Commandment of God The first Argument to prove it is taken out of Psal 118.24 It is an Argument Reas 1 used by the Church of God in all Ages ever since twelve hundred years agoe Saint Austin did use it in his time the Psalmist Prophecieth of the Resurrection of Christ the Stone which the builders refused is become the Head-stone of the Corner this is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes Our Saviour Christ Mat. 21. doth expound it of his Crucifying and Resurrection This is the day that the Lord hath made we will be glad and rejoyce in it The Psalmist speaks here of the Resurrection of Christ now speaking of this very day saith he This is The day that the Lord hath made And we for our part that are godly and desire to be built upon this Corner Stone we will be glad and rejoyce in it we will keep it as a glorious day a day of Thanksgiving and Rejoycing in God The thing is plain see Isa 56.1 2. the Prophet Prophecyeth of the Day of Christ and saith They are blessed that keep the Sabbath thus saith the Lord Keep Judgement and Justice for my Salvation is at hand to come and my Righteousness is to be revealed Blessed is the man that doth this and keepeth my Sabbaths This is a Prophecie of the day of our Lord and
Now to come to the dead times of Popery If ever the Sabbath was out of memory and out of date then was the time for then there was a great falling away a great forsaking a great declining and people hearkned to Doctrines of Divels and Damnable Heresies and the whole world groaned under Popery Yet in the dead times of Popery there were abundance of Prophets the Lord did keep their Judgements entire in this thing as Gregory and Silvester and others though they were Superstitious Papists yet they say That the change of the Sabbath from the last day of the week to the first is by Divine Institution Now to come to the times of Reformation here we have abundance of Reverend men beyond the sea both in Germany and France that maintain it is by Divine Institution Another Argument is taken from the Judgements of God If men will not Reas 8 hearken to reason and the examples of the Saints and Judgement of Divines in all ages yet the Lord will make it appear from heaven that this is the Lords Day and the Lord hath sealed it First by his Judgements for the wrath of God hath been revealed from heaven upon those that have prophaned this day the Stories in all ages shew it In the Councel of Paris where Divines out of all Countries in Christendome were met together to consult about matters of Religion Ministers stepped up and made complaint concernining the Sabbath Let us make a Canon for the sanctifying of the Sabbath day for to our knowledg the Lords wrath hath broken out upon the Countrey for the breach of this day and one related one story and another another as one told a Story of a Miller that grinding upon the Sabbath day a fire brake out and burnt Mill and Man and all Another of an Husbandman that going into the field to fetch home his Corn upon the Sabbath day thunder and lightning brake forth and burnt him and his corn Many such stories were related in that Councel and the Magdenbergs have a story of a Noble-man that using to Hunt upon the Sabbath day the Lord brought it so to passe that his Wife brought forth a child with a head just like a dog I could relate abundance of Stories beyond sea but we have enough here at home the Town of Stratford in Warwick shire at it is related in the Practice of Piety was Burnt three times upon this day And the Story of the Parris Garden 1583. they were gathered together this day to see the sport of the Beasts fighting together and the Scaffold fell down and eight were slain and abundance hurt So there are many more such Examples I remember my self above a dozen within this half year the Lord hath revealed his displeasure from heaven for the breach of this day Secondly Again the Lord hath sealed this in the conscience of his people For who are they that break this day but loose and vain and prophane men And who make conscience of it but those that most fear God those that God hath most crowned with Righteousnesse and sanctification they delight in this and Sanctifie it and count it Holy to the Lord and the more a man fears God the more careful he is of the keeping of this day and the more he is grieved to see it prophaned either by himself or others because he hath experience of the blessings of God upon the keeping of this day no man doth Sanctifie this day conscionably but he shall find a blessing therefore it is surely from the Lord. Vse 1 The First Vse is this Is the first day of the week the Sabbath by Divine institution then here we see that we are to keep a whole day The Divel if he cannot make men keep no day then it is his policy to make them keep it by halves Oh say they Do we not keep the Sabbath Do we not come to Church and hear the word and Divine Service Morning and Evening Is not this to keep the Sabbath But if the Lord hath Instituted this day then certainly he hath Instituted a whole day It is madnesse and want of reason for a man to think the contrary Suppose I hire a man to labour with mee for a day do I not make account he should work one whole day Suppose I hire a Servant for a year do I not mean an whole year though I put not in the word Whole yet I suppose he must dwell a whole year with me And if I hire a man for a day it is for an whole day so that in Grammatical sense when the Scripture saith Thou shalt Sanctifie the Sabbath day it is meant a whole day It is not in this as in other words any piece of a stone is stone but in things that signifie the whole it is not the same as a day a part of a day is not a day the least part of water is water or of fire is fire but a part of a day is not a day Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day and I was in the Spirit on the Lords day and they met together on the first day of the week it is a day therefore the meaning of the scripture is that it should be a whole day and it is so in reason and therefore we are to keep an whole day therefore we should not curtail the Lords day as the servants of Hanun did the garments of Davids servants You know what became of Ananias and Saphira that brought but part when they should have brought the whole they should have brought the whole price of their inheritance but they brought but part therefore the Lord smote them with death so when the Lord requires a whole day and we give him but a part we shall bring vengeance upon our own heads There are divers arguments for it First the weeke consists of seven dayes and he hath given six to us and reserves one day to himself now we wil grant that we have not part of six dayes but six whole dayes If you aske a man what do you work all day Why yea the Lord hath given us six dayes therefore six whole dayes Now by the same reason God must have an whole day if we take any part of the seventh day then we have more then six dayes which is contrary to the scripture Another reason is this God rested the seventh day now looke what time God rested that time we must sanctifie now God rested the seventh day all of it he left none of the creation to do upon the seventh day he had finished the creation in six dayes and rested all the seventh day therefore we must keep the whole day Thirdly because this is the nature of a Sabbath to bee 24 houres not to be an artificiall day but to be a naturall day 24 houres together as you may see Lev. 23.32 you shall keep the Sabbath from evening to evening then the dayes were reckoned from evening to evening from the creation
justifie though in the act of justification it be alone yet in existency it is not alone but it hath good works together with it as signs and marks of the same as 1 John 1.6 If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and doe not the truth Hereby we may know that we are deceived we may think we have faith and so fellowship together with him yet if we walk in darknesse we may know we lye for this could not be if we had fellowâ—hip with God So 1 John 2.4 He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandements is a lyar If a man should once think that he knows God with the knowledge of faith and yet keeps not the commandements of God by this very thing he may know that he is a lyar Hereby shall all men know ye are my disciples if ye love one another saith Christ and as it is a sign to others so it is a sign to a mans own self Hereby we know that we are passed from death to life if we love the Brethren He sets down one good work in stead of all other if we bring forth the works of new obedience and if our hearts be purged of God iâ— we bring forth the fruits of holiness this is a signe we have faith for faith makes a man to choose God for his God and raises a man up to see him to be the chiefest good of all and to see all happiness in him and a supply of all the good we need in him and so it makes a man to love God and by love to doe the works of God Fourthly Good works are necessary also by necessity of commandement not onely to be effects and signes of faith but they are also such things as are commanded of God God hath commanded good works that we should walk in all holiness of conversation to be holy as he is holy that we should be holy in our carriages and behaviour Tit. 3.8 The same God that commands us to believe commands us to maintain good works as we may see there we see that Ministers are to urge people and maintaine it against all gainsayers that there is a necessity of good works and that the Lord will have us to go on in them for faith through the Object of it as it justifies is the promise of God in Christ for forgiveness of sins yet faith in it selfe looks upon the whole word of God and looks whatsoever it seeth joyned together by that it joynes together of it self as the Promises and Commandements are bound together by an inviolable knot so faith joynes them together it cannot take the promises of God but it must take the commandements of God also faith looks upon God and as it seeth him to be gracious whereby it comes to have faith to rely upon him so also it seeth him to be holy a God that is severe against sin and hateth unrighteousness so that it is necessary that works be together with faith for the commandement and nature of God require it Fifthly They are necessary also by necessity of end for God hath ordained his people to this end that they should bring forth good works Eph. 2.10 We are his workmanship created in Christ to good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them We are created in Christ Jesus not onely that we should be saved but that we should bring forth good works Now good works are necessary by necessity of end in divers respects First to this end To glorifie God in the world Let your light so shine before men c. Matth. 5.16 So 1 Pet. 2.12 the Apostle saith Having our conversation honest amongst the Gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evil doers c. For when a Christian that professeth he believes in God and Jesus Christ is plentiful in all manner of good works this stops the mouth of all gainsayers You know Piety and Religion is hated in the world the Gospel finds opposition among men Now when those that are Professors are loose and licentious in their lives this opens their mouths against the truth but when our lives and conversations hold forth Jesus Christ as we take up the profession of his holy name so they are agreeable to his will they are just and holy and righteous and good this makes men think in their conscience this is of God this stops their mouths that they cannot rail at the Gospel Secondly They are necessary to doe good to others and convert others as the Apostle instanceth in women that believe if they be zealous of good works if they be chast and humble and meek and discreet by this means they may be instruments to convert their husbands that believe not 1 Pet. 3. The Lord looks that his people all that believe in him should be fruitful in good works that they may winne and gaine others to the faith Thirdly Another end is to purifie our selves for it is vertue that must throw out vice we are all borne by nature filthy and unclean and full of noysome lusts and the way to expel these is by the contrary vertues 1 Pet. 1.22 Seeing you have purified your soules by obeying the truth Fourthly Another end is to qualifie us for Heaven we cannot be qualified for the Kingdome of heaven unless we be holy and godly in Christ Jesus except we have our conversations honest as becometh Saints for though it be faith that entitles a man to the Kingdome of Heaven and gives a man right to the Kingdome of God yet holinesse and conformity to the minde of God and the image of God is that which doth fit and qualifie a man for to enter into the Kindome of God as Christ saith Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you can in no wise enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Though it be true we are saved by grace and so good works have no causality no proper efficiency in our salvation yet notwithstanding they are a cause sine qua non without them there can be no salvation we cannot enter into Gods Kingdome except we be humble and meek and lowly except we fear God and be according to his minde in all things in some measure we cannot enter into his Kingdom Mat. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God A man cannot be admitted to the Beatifical Vision of God except he be pure in heart and he cannot enjoy the Kingdome of grace neither here unless he be pure in heart Rev. 21.27 Without holiness no man shall see the Lord Heb. 13. It is impossible we should enter into Gods Kingdome by having actual possession of it except we be holy and fitted for it as the Apostle saith Col. 1.12 It is impossible that drunkards and unclean persons should have society with the blessed Trinity with the eternal God with the Spirit of holinesse to dwell with them for evermore we
to the glory of God he is not content to pray and hear but he must pray and hear in a right manner or else he is not content Now if thou hast these signs and tokens of an upright heart blessed be God thou mayst take all the comforts spoken of before concerning an upright heart and mayst take all the promises of God to thy self that are made to an upright heart may be men may call thee hypocrite and say all manner of evil of thee but either they are such as doe not know thee or if they doe they are some vile wretches they have not the fear of God before their eyes may be the Devil will accuse thee and cast in all accusations against thee before God but what of all that God himselfe said Job was an upright man and yet the Devil accused him for an hypocrite therefore care not for the Devils accusations may be thine own conscience may accuse thee but if thou labour to humble thy self for thy failings and stir up the gift of God that is in thee if thou unfeignedly desire and endeavour to please God and serve him no matter though thy conscience accuse thee 1 Cor. 4.3 Paul saith I cannot be my own Judge but God shall judge me 'T is true conscience is a judge but it is subordinate and must be guided and ruled by the Word of God as the clock is the judge of the day but it must be ruled by the Sun Davids conscience was his judge I have cleansed my hands in vain but the clock lyed so thy conscience may lye and accuse thee falsly and speak things against thee that are not so but if thy conscience hath things against thee indeed and in truth that thou art guilty of such and such sins and failings yet it doth not follow but thou mayst be sincere therefore believe not conscience when thou hast the Word of God on thy side nay may be God himselfe will seem to accuse thee and to be thine enemy and discountenance thee and will not own thee for one of his children when thou commest before him he will seem to dash thee under his feet and give thee no countenance but look upon thee as an enemy yet be not dismayed if thou hast these things in thee in any measure the Lord doth this that he may doe thee good in thy latter end he doth it that he may humble thee and try thee whether thou wilt live by faith or by sense and whether thou darest trust him but if thou hast not these signs of uprightness thou art in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity and thou canst have no true comfort to thine own soul The next point is That as we must be perfect so we must be perfect before God I have not found thy works perfect before God As who should say I lookt thou shouldst be perfect before him and I have not found it so Well then for the meaning of the word perfect before God that is so as God may approve and allow of them Now a mans works may be perfect so as God may approve of them two wayes First So as God may approve of them in his strict Justice and so no mans works can be perfect Psal 143.2 Enter not into judgement c. No man living can be justified before God So Rom. 3.20 By the deeds of the Law shall no man be justified before him This therefore is not the meaning Secondly To be perfect before God so as God shall approve of us in his mercy in Jesus Christ for his owne faithful people as it is said of Zachary and Elizabeth Luke 1.5 This is the meaning of the place Now if you would know what it is to be perfect before God it is this in one word when a man is for matter and for manner right in the eyes of God not only right in the eyes of men to be approved of men but right in the eyes of God to be approved of God for matter when a man doth those things that God commands him and for manner when he doth them as God commands him out of faith in God and love to God and fear of God when a man doth it with all his heart soule and strength when a man doth it constantly and frequently and livelily in some measure this is to be upright before God you may see both these set down in one verse Deut. 6.25 Here is the matter If ye observe to doe his commandements and then here is the manner right in the eyes of the Lord as he hath commanded If we doe thus then we are upright before God Now if either of these be wanting we are not upright before God if we doe not for matter what God hath commanded if we lye or swear or be covetous or proud or worldly these things are of the Devil and not of God we doe the things of the Devil and not the things of God Again If a man should bow the knee to Baal and doe the inventions of men this is not to be unright before God but if we doe the things that God doth not bid us God will say as he did Matth. 15.9 If we doe for the matter the things that God hath commanded yet if the manner be wanting if we doe them not as God hath commanded if we doe them not with faith and love to God with conscience and fervency and quickning all is nothing as it is said of Amazâ—ah he did those things that were right in the eyes of the Lord but the Lord cared not for it 2 Chron. 25.2 it was not with an upright heart Therefore when both these concur this is to be upright before God Reason 2 First Because God hath so commanded thou shalt have no other gods before me that is I will have thee sincere before me As who should say thou mayst vow and swear and protest thou dost love God and fear God but if it be not so indeed thou hast a false heart if thou hast carnal ends if thou lovest the world more then God and thou lovest thy lusts more then him if it be so woe unto thee God will have thee upright before him As God saith to Abraham Gen. 17.1 Walke before me and he upright As who should say Abraham if there be any way of wickedness in thee thou art not for me look thou be perfect before me if thou dost acknowledge that I am God Almighty and I am able to help thee and succour thee in all estates then be upright before me when a man sins it is for something he sins now what is there that is good but we may have it in God God is Almighty and therefore he would have us upright before him and if we be not upright he is Almighty and can crush us and destroy us for ever so that we should not only be upright before men but before God Secondly As the Law is so so is the Gospel if a man hath
that a reprobate may believe but the event that he shall be justified and saved is the fruit of a justifying faith when a man hath justifying faith this is not the object of it but he commits himself to Christ for justifycation and salvation he truly believes the event shall be that they which truly believe shall be justified and saved and God will help their infimities and pardon their weaknesses but now justifying faith apprehends not the event that comes afterwards but faith commits it self to Christ for the event as I will shew you by a similitude a man resolves to leane upon a staffe what is in this mans minde is the object this that he shall not slip nor fall no he findes by experience that he may fall for all his staffe but he casts himself upon his staffe fall or not fall and though he do fall he will not fling away his staffe No but he will look better to himselfe afterwards he knows the fault was not in his staffe but in his own managing of it therefore he commits himself to his staffe still and resolves to leane upon it he is not sure he shall not fall but though he do fall he will up again and help himself with his staffe in his going still he knows the staffe is not in the fault but himself may be he doth not leane upon it or he knows not the right way but he is still leaning upon his staffe and venturing upon his staffe so I say true saving faith doth not truly apprehend he is justified as if a man could not be justified unlesse he did believe it this is the event justifying faith is the committing himself to God for the event Heb. 11.23 By faith Abraham being called of God went out of his owne Countrey c. By faith he cast himself upon God did he believe now whether he should go He could not tell he believed in the general that God would not faile those that trusted in him but for his own particular he knew not whether he should go but he casts himself upon God whethersoever God will have me to go I will go he commits himself to God at all adventures this is true faith and yet the event all this while may not be known but a man may be much troubled about assurance Secondly the event that a man shall be justified and sanctified and saved is conditional until a man hath believed Suppose a natural man and yet an Elect man of God what must this man believe must he beleeve that he shall be justified and sanctified and saved No there is no such thing in the Scripture take any natural man in the world and look from the beginning of the Bible to the end there is not one text that saith a natural man shall be saved but justification and salvation are conditional till a man believes but when a man hath beleeved his justification sanctification and salvation is certain but he must beleeve before he can be said to be justified now before a man beleeves justification is upon condition if a man beleeves he shall be justified and saved so may Judas and Simon Magus Rom. 10.9 'T is true this is the condition if thou beleeve in the Son of God if thou take up his crosse and follow him thou shalt be saved this is but the condition but when a man hath believed he is justified and shall be saved it is absolute now but he believed first therefore justifying faith doth not beleeve he shall be saved and justified for he must have faith first 't is true if a man have saving and justifying faith there is the truth of the Word for it that he shall be saved therefore justifying faith must be the casting off a mans selfe upon Christ for salvation Thirdly the event that a man shall be justified and sanctified and saved this cannot be the thing that a justifying faith in the act of justification must apprehend because then we could not say to every man if thou beleevest thou shalt be saved that must be the object of a justifying faith that may be applied to any man for else how should we preach the Word we should expose our selves to cavils and open the mouthes of blasphemers we must say then this is faith you must believe you shall be saved and that you are in the favour of God and then we could not bid every man believe if it were so where the Gospel comes we are to bid every man to believe what to believe that every shall be justified and sanctified and saved No that were a lie God commands no man to believe a lie but he commands every man to believe in Christ for justification and for sanctification and for salvation Now there are two things that God requires of every man where the Gospel comes First he requires that he beleeves the Word which saith that whosoever believes in Christ shall be saved Secondly he commands him to believe in Christ for salvation and this is faith the other comes in afterwards I will make it plaine the Lord said to Ahaz Isa 7.9 Believe and thou shalt be established what must Ahaz here believe Doth God bid him believe that he should be established No for that was a lie for when all came to all he was not established but he must beleeve God and then he should be established but he not believing in God could not be established so God told Adam if he believed he should live did God now bid Adam beleeve he should live for ever No for then it had been a lie but be biddeth him believe that if he obeyed his voice he should live for ever he was not to believe that he should live for ever so God doth not command men to beleeve they shall he saved but to believe in Christ for salvation Fourthly the event is known another way and not by a justifying faith 't is true some men know the event that God intends to save them and that they shall be glorified for evermore but this is known by another thing and not by an act of faith the act of faith is the committing of a mans self to God for this thing I will set it out by a similitude suppose I have a great businesse to do at London I am condemned to be put to death and except I have a pardon got to morrow I shall be executed I cannot go my self for I am in hold but I have a friend at London and I trust to him to go to the Court to procure me a pardon in the mean time the businesse goeth forward against me and may be I am going to the place of execution but still I cast my self upon my friend that he will get me a pardon now if my friend send me a letter and send me a pardon under the Kings Seal now I know I have a pardon but my trusting my friend was nothing but my casting my self upon him and setling
make his spirit yield and make his heart begin to come in as the Psalmist speaks concerning Princes He shall cut off the spirit of Princes he is terrible to the Kings of the earth Psal 76.12 Kings and Princes have stout spirits now when the Lord sends but a little terrour into their hearts he is able to snib their spirits for all their security and for all the height of their magnanimity he is able to cut off all by sending his terrour into their hearts so the Law sends terrour into the heart Can there be a greater terrour then to have the Law denounce a man to be a dead man and that the wrath of God is gone out against him and that he lyeth in the very mouth of all the Canons of the fury of the most High This will break the heart of a man if his heart were made of brasse this would break it Look as it was with the Moabites 2 Sam. 8.2 They were stout against David and would not yield and submit unto him but when David smote them and measured them with a cord and cast them down to the ground when he measured them with two cords to put them to death and with one full cord to keep them alive then saith the Text the Moabites became Davids servants and brought him gifts So it is with a prophane creature whilest God lets him go on he is stout and will not serve God but his will is altogether crosse and contrary to Gods will and Commandments he will not take up those courses that God commands he will not submit himself to the precisenesse of the Gospel his will is infinitely crosse in this kind and marvellous obstinate But if the Lord takes him in hand and charges his Law upon his conscience he puts such terrours into his heart that he is willing to submit unto God upon any terms I confesse the Law cannot do this of it self it cannot thus bring down the will of a man and mortifie a mans sins For if the damned in hell were let loose again to live here upon earth they would forget all their former Plagues and Torments and sin would revive again in them The Law of it self can only lay sinne in a swound it will up again if it be loose the law cannot do this of it self but I speak now of the Law as it is Gods Instrument Hereby he pulls down the heart of a man and pulls down his Spirit labour will pull down any mans spirit when a man is in labour and pain and affliction it will make a mans stomack come down as we may see Psal 107.11 12. Because they rebelled against the words of the Lord therefore he humbled their heart with labour and heaviness then they fell down but there was no helper Before they were stout against the Lord and would not hearken unto him and obey his Commandments now the Lord brought down their heart But how did he bring them down he pulled them down by laying labours upon them labour and torment and heavynesse pulled down their hearts So when the Law makes the heart labour under the wrath of God it lies labouring and quaking and shaking and weltring and bleeding under the wrath of God this pulls down the will And now I come to speak of the Effects it works in doing of it 1. The First Effect is this It casts the heart into those woful privations we read of there are abundance of comfortable things which the man which is alive in his own conceit thinks himself to have Now when the Law comes to deaden him it knocks him off from all those comfortable things he seemed to have whereas he seemed to have some admittance to God in prayer he could pray to him before but now he sees he is an out-cast and dares not lift up his eyes to heaven Before he hoped that God would have mercy on him and that he had some interest in Christ and hope of salvation but now he seeth he is lost Before he seemed to have liberty and freedom he could do this and that and had a thousand evasions but now he seeth himself a meer captive before he thought he had some riches some goodnesse but now he seeth he is but a poor begger before he had some Fig-leaves to cover him but now he seeth he is altogether naked before he was heart-whole and sound he had peace and comfort and quietnesse within him but now he is altogether broken This is the effect of this deadnesse it brings all these privations into the soul death is a privation it self and it brings an hundred privations with it even a privation of all the priviledges of the living this the Law doth when it comes All this while the Soul is lost and captived and poor and blind and miserable and naked and an outcast it is utterly undone and altogether unable to help it self and this as it doth make a man an Object of the Gospel one for whom Christ dyed as it points out such a man so there is a Finger of the Gospel in it also when the soul understands the goodnesse of the Gospel and sees it self to be lost for want thereof yet notwithstanding the first stroke is given by the Law the first stroke that casts the Soul into this privation is done by the Law and if the Lord means to convert there the Gospel begins Luk. 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath annointed me that I should preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives and recovering of sight to the blind that I should set at liberty them that are bruised When the Law hath humbled a man and thus brought down his will then begins the work of the Gospel As we use to say of Natural Philosophy where Natural Philosophy ends there Physick begins So where the Law ends the Gospel begins Thus we see the first Effect of this deadnesse 2. Secondly When the Law hath done this when the deadnesse the Law hath wrought hath produced this Effect then the next Effect is this the Law holds the heart there when a man is dead the effect of death is to hold a man there There is no redresse no return without the Almighty power of God there is no return to his former life So when the Law hath deaded a man it holds a man there though a man would never so fain get out he cannot he will be snatching at a Christ and looking at the promises and be presuming that there is mercy for him he would fain be brisk again But if the Law hath killed him and made him a dead man he cannot get out Rom. 7.6 the Apostle saith We are delivered from the Law being dead unto that wherein we were holden St. Paul could not get out to his livelynesse again but the Law held him So it is with the Law when the Law of God hath humbled a
humble their souls under Gods hand For sometimes we have need to break our very natural rest for the good of our souls Though we be never so careful and conscionable in the day time yet it may so fall out that the day will not be enough but we must entrench upon the night also to seek the Lord extraordinarily but this watching is not here meant though it be sometimes required But a Spiritual watching is specially meant which includes Three things in it First It doth note a readinesse of minde to be drowzy for as in natural and literal watching it doth note a natural proneness to be drowzy either through the darknesse of the night or the heat of the weather or the like so this spiritual watching signifieth unto us that we are naturally subject to be secure spiritually and vain and idle and negligent and have need to be rouzed up for indeed all Commandments since the Fall are such as do not agree with our nature as when he commands us to seek the Lord while he may be found that intimates that we are by nature apt to put it off and to be careless of making our peace with God and when the Lord saith pray alwayes it doth imply how backward we are to that duty how apt to neglect it or to shuffle it over and to be luke-warm in it before the Fall when God did bid man do any thing the bidding of him did imply that if he were not careful he was in a possibility of breaking the commandments it did not argue a proneness to break them but since the Fall the commandements of God whatsoever God hath commanded us to do either for matter or manner of it it implyeth how backward to and untoward we are in doing it Secondly Watchfulnesse doth imply a labour and endeavour in our selves to take off this sinful pronenesse to evil that is in us and to be seriously stirred up to look after our Duty whatsoever it is both towards God and towards man we ought to shake off all untowardnesse of Spirit whereby we are unfit to Watch Watchfulnesse implyeth this also Ephes 5.14 Awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead as who should say Shake off thy drowzinesse and labour to break off this folly of heart whereby thou goest dreaming on and rouze up thy spirit and stand upon thy guard The Third and main thing This Watchfulness doth include some further businesse or duty to be done that is not yet performed for watchfulness is an act to help forward some further act As for example We are bound to remember God in all our wayes the want of this is the reason we so often sin against God now if we did remember God if we did remember his Holinesse if we did remember the greatnesse of his Power and the strictnesse of his Justice against Sin if we did remember our Death and what account we are to make before him this would be a great help to keep us from sin now if we would remember this a special way to help us is to watch as Acts 20.31 Watch and remember saith the Apostle he being desirous that they should remember the admonitions which he had propounded he layes down this as a special means to help them hereunto to watch So we are to be watchful that we may be sober in eating and drinking and all lawful things for how sudduly do distempers break in upon us unlesse a man look to himself now watchfulnesse is an excellent help to Sobriety 1 Thess 5.6 Let us watch and be sober We had need to watch whatsoever we go about that we may be sober in it whatsoever wordly businesse we go about in our Callings we had need to have this watchfulnesse that we be not overwhelmed and over head and ears in the world that we way not be intemperate in our eating and drinking that we may not give our selves too much liberty and freedom in talking and discoursing of the things here below so we are bound to keep our garments that our nakednesse may not be seen that the sins that are up and down in the world do not defile them that the temptations and allurements and occasions we meet withal and the examples of the times and such like do not take away our righteousnesse from us now watchfulnesse is an help hereunto as we may see Rev. 16.15 the text saith Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments So that watchfulnesse is an excellent help for a further act to be done when a man hath some duty or other to be done which the Lord requires should be done with care and diligence watchfulnesse is a help thereunto as Hab. 2.1 the Prophet knowing there was some Prophecy to be bestowed upon them the Prophet laboured to be in a fit case to receive it and that he might so be I will watch saith he in a word watchfulnesse is an intentive consideratenesse of the heart when a man doth consider how he is to do every thing lest he be surprised either by Satan or the world or by his own subtil flesh when a man is considerative and takes heed to himself to his thoughts and his words and all his actions as our Saviour saith Take heed Watch and Pray Mark 13.33 When he would describe watchfulnesse what it is he sets another phrase by it to open it to us Take heed watch and pray There is a kind of heedlessenesse that is apt cleave to the heart whereby the heart is carelesse what snares are before it now watchfulnesse doth take off this and maketh a man to take more heed in whatsoever he doth so that there can be no opportunity of doing good but he takes it no good motion is suggested but he lyeth at catch to receive it for this is watchfulnesse Prov. 8.33 Blessed is the man that heareâ—h me watching daily at my gates here you may see watchfulness is expressed when a man comes into the presence of Christ waiting to hear whatsoever shall come from Christ and there is nothing that drops from the Minister that concerns him but he is ready to receive it when a man waits to be ready to obey whatsoever commandment the Lord delivers and to take heed to avoid whatsoever the Lord forbids This is watchfulness Now the second thing is what we must watch I Answer We must watch our selves and all the duties of Religion and time First we must watch over our selves Ponder thy pathes saith the Wise man Prov. 4.26 as who should say Look to thy self take heed to every step that it be ordered aright How soon may a man be turned out of the way How soon was David carried away into those two great sins of Murther and Adultery How soon was Peter put besides his Resolution in the high Priests Hall for want of watchfulness If he had watched and remembred our Saviours item he had never denied his Master A man is
of the day away when our minds run into the world we must curbe them and remember that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord our God Reas 3 Thirdly Another Reason is That our Cattel and Servants and Children may rest as well as our selves they are to labour six dayes and one of seven they are to rest Reas 4 Another Reason is Because he hath sanctified it therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it Now then if the Lord hath sanctified the seventh day and appointed it if he hath set it apart for that purpose for spiritual employments and not to be filled up with any thing else we are guilty of Sacriledge if we do not give him this as Levit. 27.28 the Lord saith Whatsoever is devoted unto the Lord that is most holy unto him now God saith he hath devoted the seventh day to himself therefore we are to keep it holy Nebuchadnezzar a very heathen when he knew that the Vessels came out of the Temple of the Lord he would not employ them to a common use Dan. 1.2 He put them into the house of his god which was the holiest place he had Reas 5 Fifthly This is necessary because we are apt to be worldly and carnal and non-resident from Prayer and from the Word and serious humbling of our selves before God if we be never so little taken off how suddenly do our minds cleave unto the world and grow vain and unfit and distempered Now if God should not once in seven dayes have a day to take us off from the world as six dayes are employed in worldly affairs so if there were not a seventh day to take us off there would be no hoe with us therefore there must be a whole day to accustom us and habituate us to the Service of God otherwise we should drown our selves in the world The Sixth Proposition is this That as it must be one of seven so it is not indifferent which of the seven dayes we keep holy but it must be that day whereupon God rested therefore it hath the name of a Sabbath Sabbath is nothing but rest The reason of the name is Two-fold First Because God rested upon that day And Secondly Because we are to rest upon that day The Seventh Proposition is this That all that is in the fourth Commandment is not essential to the Commandment the fourth Commandment delivers only these Two things First That God will have a seventh day Secondly That this seventh day is to be the day of Gods rest This is the whole meaning of the fourth Commandment now all other particulars in the fourth Commandment are not essential to the fourth Commandment as that God made Heaven and Earth in six dayes and rested the seventh day c. It is not essential to the fourth Commandment but because at that time when God delivered the Decalogue there was no greater work then theâ— Creation and the rest from that work was the rest from the greatest work in the world thee fore it was kept upon the last day of the week upon which God rested from the Creation Now the meaning of the fourth Commandment is in the eighth Verse all the other particulars are but Commentaries to open it to the Jewes Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy this is the fourth Commandment The Sabbath that is the day that God rested on and the day that we are to rest upon this is the holy day that is devoted to the Lord now it was kept upon the last day of the week because God created heaven and earth and rested upon that day and the Creation of heaven and earth was the greatest work that God then had done But then you will say Why doth the Commandment say That in six dayes God created Heaven and Earth and rested the seventh day I Answer 1. It is no strange thing to see some things in the Commandments which are not essential to them because the Commandments were delivered to the Jewes though they concern the whole world yet the persons that actually stood before God when the Decalogue was delivered were only the Jewes Deut. 5.22 God spake to the Jewes now no wonder that God speaking to the Jews did speak divers particulars according to them and in their phrase which if we had been alive and they to succeed us God would have spoken according to us as he did according to them 2. Secondly We see plainly there are some things in the Commandments which do not concern the whole world but only the Nation of the Jewes as in the first Commandment I have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the house of Bondage Thou shalt have no other gods but me That is the Commandment but though they together with the other were put into the Tables of Stone yet it concerns only the Jewes 'T is true indeed it is a type of our deliverance that we are delivered from Hell and Sin and Satan as they were delivered out of Egypt and the house of Bondage but literally these words belong only to the Jews and the Commandment is this Thou shalt have no other gods but me So it is for the fourth Commandment Again There is something in the Fifth Commandment that doth not concern us but only them Honour thy Father and thy Mother c. That thy dayes may be long in the Land which the thy God giveth thee that belongs only to the Jews it is meant particularly of the land of Canaan This then is the effect of the Commandment Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy dayes may be long in the Land of Canaan So that the first words are the Commandment and the later part belongs only to the Jewes So Deut. 5.14 the Fourth Commandment it was put into the Tables of Stone thus Remember the seventh day to keep it holy for the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt do no manner of work thou nor thy Son nor thy Daughter c. that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou that belongs to us as well as to them but then it follows Remember thou wert a servant in the Land of Egypt Here you see the Jewes have another Argument besides the Arguments that we have but though we have not that Argument yet the Commandment stands still and the Commandment is only thus much namely That there must be a Seventh day and that seventh day God rested upon now whereas the Jewes kept the last day of the week that was only by a temporary Commandment because the making of heaven and earth was the greatest thing that God had then done and God rested from that upon that day but now if God work a greater work then the Creating of heaven and earth and rest from that then by vertue of the fourth Commandment we are to keep that day holy upon which he rested from that work Now I
though now under the gospel because Christ arose in the morning they are reckoned from morning to morning Fourthly another argument is this God never ordained halfe holy dayes in his Church indeed the Church of Rome have halfe holy dayes as saint Blacies day which is to be kept in the fore noon so they have other dayes that are to be kept in the after-noone but in the fore-noone they may do what they list so heathens did as Ovid saith the former part of the day is holy the latter part of the day is not holy the Lord hath no such days as these but all holy dayes in scripture if God ever appointed a fast or new moon or feast of Tabernacles whatsoever holy day he did institute it was an whole day and not a part of a day therefore much more this solemn day Again the judgment of all Divines in all ages hath been concerning an whole day I could instance in the fathers as in Irenaeus who saith we are to continue in the Sabbath all the day long for the Lord hath required all the day to be kept holy unto him and the saints of God have alwayes kept an whole day so saint Austin saith It is not enough that wee keep three or four houres of the day but that we rest the whole day And what rest not only to rest from our bodily labours for the beasts keep this Sabbath nor the rest of sport and pastime for that is the Sabbath of the golden calfe they ate and drink and rose up to play No but that thou mayest be vacant to God all the day in prayer and serving of him So in the Councell of Mexicon there was an assembly of ministers out of all nations in Christendome and they ordained a canon concerning the Lords day We ordain that people keep the whole Lords day holy and that they set themselves the whole day to pray to God and delight in God and heare his word and if a countrey-mans servant breake this day his punishment shall be to be beaten with severe blowes ictubus gravioribus are the very words of the Councell and if a Lawyer offer to plead this day he shall not have the benefit of his pleading or case and if a minister breake this day he shall be excommunicated half a year and throwne out of the Church and shall not be received into the Church again but upon great humiliation This was the judgment of Divines in all ages and it is the observation of a reverend Divine Musculus upon Exod. 20. God doth not say Remember the Sabbath to keepe it holy he that keeps it an hour or two keeps it holy but Remember the Sabbath Day to keepe it holy he will have a day kept holy Nay Calvin whom they take to be on their side to be a patron of their liberty he himselfe writing upon Deut. 6. upon these words Remember the Sabbath day he saith we are to keep this day speaking of himselfe and all the people of God we are to keepe this day and not a part of it but all of it The second Use is this we may hence see that sports and pastimes are not Vse 2 agreeable to the Lords day for if the Lord hath forbidden our weekly works on that day then surely he hath forbidden sports and pastimes The reason is good first because our weekly works are things Commanded at other times now sports and pastimes are never Commanded by God but onely permitted now if things commanded and things that are good at sometimes if these notwithstanding may not be done upon the Lords day then much lesse must those be done that are permitted onely Secondly because weekely works do lesse distract a man from God then sports and pastimes I appeale to any man here present if he be not more heavenly and better employed and lesse distract from good thoughts and gracious affections when he is plowing or sowing or threshing then when he is diceing and carding sports and pastimes beat a man further off from religion and let a man go to prayer after sports and pastimes he shall find himselfe more unfit and unaffected a great deal then he shall when he comes from the works of his calling Now if those things that do lesse distract from Gods worship and service are forbidden upon the Sabbath day then surely much more thâ—se things that doe more distract must needs be forbidden upon that day THE END Quae Deus abscondit ne scrutemur quae in apertum protulit ne negligamus ne aut unâ ex parte nimiae curiositatis aut alterâ iugratudinis damnemur 1. Point why a child of God may think he is dead or deader then ever when there is no such matter Seven cases of false liveliness 1. Novelty of Religion and grace 2. Violent Commotions 3. Indiscretion 4. Presumption 5. Activeness of natural disposition 6. Extraordinary assistance 7 Freedom from temptations How far forth a child of God may be dead 1. All by nature dead 2. Liveliest of Saints have some deadnesse 3. Deadest of Saints have some life 4. Dangerousness of the point 5. Needfulness of the point 6. How far forth a child of God may be dead 2 Chro. 16. Use 1 Tim. 1. The deadness of a child of God amplified A child of God may fall into very foul sins 2. A child of God may be hardned in sin 2 Chro. 19. 3. A child of God may be long in sin John 3. Reasons of the point Rev. 12.13 Mat. 26. Mat. 26.74 Rom. 9. James 4. Vse Joh. 13.1 Rev. 3.8 Why Gods people are to stand upon their guard 2 Sam. 7â— Jer. 32. Quest Answ â—â—uses of â—â—â—dness â— Gener. Pâ—ov 9.18 Mat. 26.47 â—â—h 2. Jonah 1. 2 Partic. Matth. 22. Jonah 4. 2 Chron. 17. Gal. 4. Phil. 3. Pro. 15. 2 Tim. 4. Matth. 25. 2 Pet. 1. Phil. 3. Matth. 26. Means of quickning 1. Means Second means The fourth meanes 5. Meanes 6. Means 7. Means James 5. Matth. 6. Motives 5 Matth. 24. Rev. 3. Matth. 19. 1 John 5 Acts 26. Five Remedies given the Church Verse 3. 1 John 1.3 Observation 1 Sam. 23.11 Prov. 13.3 Acts 19.25 Mark 4.19 1 Sam. 23.22 Ephes 6. Rev. 12.12 See more of this in the Sermons upon 2 Tim. 4.5 Matth. 3.17 Psal 119.92 2. Remedy Observation Part 1. Gen. 32.28 Mat. 12.30 Psa 2â— 1 1 John 2.14 James 3.2 Matth. 11.30 Matth. 7.18 Judg. 2.16 Psal 119.29 Rom. 13.12 2 Cor. 13.8 Gen. 39.9 Josh 7.21 Dan. 1.8 Psal 103. Direct 1 Sam. 17. Acts 16. Matth 26. 1 Kings 19. John 6.55 1 Sam. 14. 1 John â— 1 Sam. 25. Josh 5. Eph. 6. Psal 119. A child of God cannot fall from grace 2 Chron. 19.2.3 Mat. 25. 1. What not the Reason Evid Rom. 11.21 A childe of God cannot sin with his whole will A particular Church may perish 4. Notes of a true Church 1. Sincere preaching the Gospel 2. True and sincere use of the Sacraments 3. Sincere profession of the word of