in Moyses declaration of that precept instancing against those captious accusers of himselfe his disciples the exercises of Priests labouring about sacrifices in the Temple yet not violating the Sabaoth the practise of Circumcision on the eight day albeit it happened on the Sabaoth their vsuall custome of leading out their cattle to water and drawing them out of pittes and places of daunger on the Sabaoth day without any sinfull breach thereof as may be gathered out of our Sauiours manner of speach Luke 13. 14. importing no reprehension of them for such facts but produced rather by him as fit examples apt to authorize his miraculous workes done with lesse labour and more charity and vtility to such as were by his voice or a touch of his hand or garment in soule and body perfectly cured So that Iohn Traske and other Puritanes in their cerimoniall and precise manner of obseruing the Sabaoth are rather superstirious imitators of the Iewes our Sauiours aduersaries then humble and faithfull members of Christs Catholike Church euer knowne to haue practised a morall and not the Iewish and cerimonial obseruance of the Sunday QVESTION III. Concerning the abrogation of the Iewes Sabaoth IOHN Traske adhering more constantly and consequently then other Protestants do to their dangerous ground of beleeuing nothing not expresly mentioned in Scriptures or thence necessarily deduced hath of late vpon conference with others and more diligent search then he had made before of many texts in the old and new Testament like a weather-cocke turned with euery blast of his owne ignorant fancy and iudgment hath determined himselfe and drawne his disciples to a most strict keeping of Saturday the Iewish Sabaoth comaunded saith he by God out of fire and written with his owne finger in the first Table of the Decalogue holily likewise by Christ and his disciples afterwards obserued as a sacred memoriall of Gods rest on the 7. day and therfore now also as a morall and diuine precept still to continue Presse him with the vniuersall practise of Christs Church present past since the Apostles certainely knowne to haue reiected the Iewish Sabaoth and insteed thereof to haue obserued the first day of the weeke in continuall memory of our Sauiours Resurection and he will in horrible pride and pertinacity of iudgment affirme it to haue ben a corrupt and abusiue practise little by him regarded as not being at al grounded in Scripture but repugnant vnto it Vrge him with Christs promises of being present with his Church to the worlds end Matth. 28. vers 20. of establishing it so surely on a rocke that hell gates shall neuer preuaile against it Matth. 16. vers 18. of comforting it with his spirit of loue leading it into all truth Iob 14. vers 16. 17. 26. which fitly therfore is said to be Columâ—â— firmameÌ„tum veritatis the suporting pillar and foundation of true faith 1. Tim. 3. vers 15. to whose holy obedience all Christians are tied vnder paine of being by their brethreÌ„ accounted as Ethnickes and Publicans Matth. 18. v. 17. he will ridiculously tell you as he did to one of his fellow prisoners conferring with him on this very point that the true Church of which these and the like texts were written is knowne to very few consisting of 2. or 3. gathered togeather in Christs name himselfe promising to be in the midst of them Matth. 18. vers 20. that is to say a small number of such little ones as haue truly repented and are made sure of their election in Christ hated and persecuted by men but beloued by God guarded by Angells seeing the face of their Heauenly Father Matth. ibid. vers 10. And examining him further on this point he will in processe of speach tell such as he will be confident with all that himselfe and his brethren are those little ones the only Gnostiks illuminated members of Christs Church others belonging therunto no further then true faith repentance and morality of life shall lead them and ignorance with all excuse them for not actually professing his singular doctrines So he foolishly seeketh with Ebion and other ancient Heretikes to breath life and spirit into the ceremonious carcasse and buried rites of the Iewish law feeding his grosse children with such vnsauery excrements for so the Apostle tearmeth them ad Philip. 3. vers 8. as Christ long since in the ending of that Law hath cast out of the mystical body of his church as not conteining any true norishment of soules in them vainely endeauoureth to illuminate those which obserue shadows who haue happily since Christs time liued in the cleere sunshine of heauenly graces planting like a foolish builder such new points of his faith on the sandy fleeting foundation of the Iewish law and seeking to set vp againe medium parietem maceriae that parting wall of ceremonies which distinguished Iewes and Gentills subuerted and quite ouerthrowne by Christ ad Eph. 2. vers 14. 15. euacuating al such legall decres and ceremonial comandements that he might build on himselfe the foundation and corner stone both people in a Holy Temple and habitation of God c. purifiyng alike their hares by faith Act. 15. vers 9. And that amongest other cerimoniall precepts and decrees of Moyses Law abrogated by Christ the Sabaoth was one holily rraÌ„slated by the Apostles themselues into our Sunday as shall bee proued in my next Question is by S. Paul ad Coloss 2. vers 16. 17. expresly affirmed willing his disciples not to be iudged or discouered in their faithfull profession in meate or drinke or new moones or any part of a festiuall day or Sabaoth which are shadowes of future good thinges By which Sabaoth cannot be meant the feasts of Trumpets Tabernacles Expiation and other such ceremoniall and Iewish festiuities as Traske heretically coÌ„menteth For albeit those feasts be called indeed Leuit. 23. Sabboths or daies of rest because all externall workes were alike forbidden in them as on the seauenth day yet the Apostle rest rayneth the word Sabaoth in this place to signifie the weekly Sabaoths of the Iewes as appeareth first in that hee numbreth such Iewish festiual daies distinctly from the Sabaoth equally forbiding the obseruance of them both His second reason why he prohibiteth them conteyned in that part of the text quae sunt vmbra c. which are shaldowes of future good thinges equally agreeth to them both for as those feasts were shaddows and types so were the weekly Sabaoths also Wherfore Ebion and his disciples the first hereticall obseruers of our Lords day and the Iewish Sabaoths togeather as witnesseth S. Epiphanius haers 30. S. Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 26. pressed with the authority of this place and perceauing the vnanswerablenes therof rather then they would therunto conforme their doctrines absolutly reiected all S. Paules Epistles and accounted him an Apostata from the Iewish faith The which Iohn Traske seemeth not yet to do albeit hee dared once to say of
praier preaching almes frequenting Sacraments c. mentioned by holy Iustin in Apolog. 2. to Marcus Antoninus and other Gouerners of the Empire in behalfe of Christians and sundry of those holy Fathers formerly mentioned Thirdly I make this Argument for obseruance of the sunday in place of the Sabaoth That day of the weeke is chiefly to be obserued by Christians which our Lord was pleased to make and haue called his owne day But our Lord did make and call his owne day the first day of the weeke and not the Iewish Sabaoth Therfore the first day of the weeke and not the Iewish Sabaoth is especially to be obserued by Christians The maior is certaine because as Christians are bound by their faithfull profession to honor Christ himselfe with thankefull humble seruices so doth the wisdome of faith teach them also especially to honor and esteeme that day of all others most holy which their Lord himselfe most respected and did choose to make and haue called his owne day For as to name any day the day of a King importeth that day to be specially regarded by the king himselfe and festiually obserued by his subiects in memory of some victory obteyned or memorable good happened to himselfe or his people on the same so for such holy and memorable respects the first day of the weeke is called our Lords day Apocalyp 2. 5. worthiest of all other daies of the weeke to be honored and festiually obserued by Christians as shall be particularly proued in my next Argument My minor is proued cleerely by that former text of S. Iohn expresly calling one day of the weeke or yeare as a familiar name knowne to all Christians in his time Diem Dominicum our Lords day to wit a day especially sanctified by Christ deuoted to his seruice which was not the Sabaoth of the Iewes no where els in Scripture so called nor any other day but vna or prima Sabbati the next after the sabaoth as S. Ignatius S. Iohns scholler testifieth epist. 6. ad Magnesianos saying that after the Sabaoth ech louer of Christ celebrateth Diem Dominicum our Lords day consecrated to our Lords Resurrection regina principium omnium dierum the cheifest and principallest of all other daies c. els where Epist 8. ad Philippenses he contesteth that if any Christian celebrateth his Easter with the Iews or their other Symbolicall festiuities amongst which the Sabaothes are included he maketh himselfe partaker with those who killed Christ and his Apostles S. Augustin also to omit many other like testimonies of ancient Fathers serm 251. de tempore teacheth the religions solemnization of our Lords day to haue beene instituted by the Apostles themselues because our Sauiour therein rose from death to life and to haue beene by them called our Lords day that we might learne by that name to abstaine therein from sin and earthly labours attending to diuine seruices And after much honourable mention made of that day he saith that therefore the holy Doctors of Christs Church meaning the Apostles decreed to transfer on that day al the glory of the Iewish Sabaoth that what they celebrated in Types we might celebrate in Verities c. Fourthly the precept of the Sabaoth obligeth Christians no further then it can be proued to conteyne a moral law necessary to direct them in their religious duty and thankfulnes towards Almighty God for benefitts But the obseruance of our Lords day is fitter to direct Christians in their duty towards God to put them in mind of his gracious benefitts towards them then the obseruance of the old Sabaoth Therfore our Lords day not the old Sabaoth is now commaunded and fittest to be obserned by Christians The maior is certaine because all cerimoniall and iudiciall precepts are confessed by Iohn Traske to haue beene abrogated by Christ and no law of the old Testament bindeth Christians which is not morally expedient and necessary to direct them in their Christian duty and seruice My minor may be best proued by examining and comparing the institution and ends for which our Lords day and the old Sabaoth were first ordayned and obserued The old Sabaoth was cheifely ordayned in memory of Gods rest from his labours of creating all things in six daies and therefore Philo lib. de opificio mundi wisely calleth it the worlds birth-day seruing for a continuall instruction of Gods people in the knowledge of their creator and to exclude the error of Philosophers commonly teaching the world to haue had no beginning Secondly it serued to represent vnto the Israelites that rest which God had giuen vnto them after their Egyptian seruitude and painefull labours ended as is expresly affirmed Deut. 5. vers 15. Thirdly it declared them to be a peculiar people sanctifyed by God and deuoted to his seruice Exod. 31 vers 13. Fourthly the Iewes Sabaoth allegorically prefigured Christs rest in his sepulcher after his paynefull labours for mans redemption ended as is insinuated by S. Paul ad Hebr. 4. vers 10. Fifthly in a tripologicall sense it signifyed the spirituall rest of soules after the seruile workes of sinne by Christs grace ended as S. Augustine teacheth vs tract 30. in Ioan. and in sundry other places Sixtly is was Anagogically a figure of that rest which holy soules after this laboursome life ended were to enioy in Abrahams bosome as is insinuated by S. Paul ad Hebr. 4. vers 6. 11. and is also taught by S. Augustine epist 119. For all which holy respects and mysterious significations it was expedient and necessary that the old Sabaoth should be changed by Christ into that blessed day on which himselfe was borne for mans redemption to wit the first day of the weeke as may be Mathematically demonstrated by searching backwards the Cicle of Dominical letters which will be found on the 25. of December in the second yeare of the hundred and ninty fourth Olympiade of Rome first built 754. from Cesars death 42. from the Triumuirate began by Augustus 41. of Herods raigne 29. when our Sauiour was certainly borne to haue beene B. Secondly on that first day of the weeke he rose and began humanely to lead his glorious immortall life as may be expresly gathered from the last chapter of all 4. Euangelists Thirdly on that day he visibly infused his holy spirit on the Apostles in the day of Pentecost to wit the fiftith day after the second of Azimes whē the Iews began to number their day of Pentecost which happened to be cōpletly ēded in the yeare of our Sauiours passiō on sunday as is learnedly proued by Ribera de festis Iudaeorum Cap. de Pentecoste by Bellar de Cultu Sanctorum lib. 3. Cap. 13. and sundry other authors So as three of the greatest mysteries of our Sauiours life and most singular benefitts that God could deuise to bestow on mankind happened on our Lords day to sanctify and make it more worthy then the Iewes Sabaoth to be by vs Christians weekely
celebrated and obserued To which holy respects we may add also these that God created the earth the heauens Angelicall creatures on that day graciously so therein preparing the locall place of our eternall Beatitude and heauently repose signified better by ours then the Iewish Sabaoth prouiding our companions therein an earthely habitation in the meane while to honour him in this life and make our selues by his graces worthy of our future glorification All Types of the old Sabaoth are in the mysteries of this fully accomplished This day is a gracious Symbole or signe of our speciall deuotion towards Christ a holy memoriall of spirituall graces receaued from him as the other was chiefly of Gods temporall benefits towards his creatures So as they seeme to be Iewes rather then Christians who against the vniuersall and known practise of Christs Church since the Apostles tyme esteeme the old Sabaoth more holy and worthy to be obserued then our Lords day made for such high and mysterious respects memorable to Christians Lastly the Apostle S. Paul ad Hebr. 4. plainely supposeth Christ to haue instituted a new Sabatisme or day of rest for his people in memory of his rest after the labours which he sustayned for our redemption ended as God ordayned from the beginning a holy day in memory of his owne rest after his workes of creation perfected And from the mysticall signification of these two distinct Sabaothes succeding ech other and simbolizing a double rest of Gods people the one in Abrahams bosome as our Sauiour tearmeth the place wherein the Patriarches before him rested and the other in heauen with himselfe after his Resurrection he taketh an occasion to exhort the Hebrewes that sithence their Forefathers entred not through their incredulity into Gods rest figured by the first Sabaoth they should hasten to enter into the rest of Christ by the day of his new Sabaoth represented from which Text litterally so and truly explicated I make this argument The first Sabaoth representing that rest which God gaue to his people before Christ of which it is sayd Genesis 2. he rested the seauenth day from his workes c. is ended according to the Apostle vers 7. 8. and a new Sabaoth or Symbolicall day of rest was fortould by Dauid and ordayned by Christ after his labours ended vers 9. 10. But no new Sabaoth or Symbolicall day of rest distinct from the seauenth day can be vnderstood to haue beene mentioned by Dauid and instituted by Christ after his labours ended praeter diem Dominicum besides the day of his glorious Resurrection Therefore the old Sabaoth figuring the rest whereunto God inuited holy people before Christ is now ended and the Dominicall day symbolizing the new rest which Christians inuited holy soules vnto is in place thereof happily succeeded Iohn Traske lately entred into a humor of reading histories that he might seeme skilled in some other good studies besides the knowledg of Scriptures may chance to stumble vpon an obiection seemingly sufficient to proue the continuance at least of the old Sabaoth togeather with our Lords day For example S. Gregory Nissen in his Oration against such as brooked not reprehensions asketh an Heretike with what eyes he saw our Lords day who despised the Sabaoth these dayes being brethren so as he that reproacheth the one wrongeth the other also Socrates lib. 6. hist cap. 8. affirmeth the Sabaoth and our Lords day to be the weekly feasts of Christians wherein they were wont to assemble themselues And Anastasius Nicenus lib quaest 77. affirmeth those two dayes to be holy and festiuall The Apostolicall Church also of Aethiopia doth at this day religiously obserue both Sabaoths so as the old Sabaoth by these historicall passages and other authenticall testimonies of antiquity seemeth not to haue beene abrogated by the Apostles Whereunto I answere that albeit the Apostles abrogated the old Sabaoth and introduced the obseruatiō of our Lords day in place thereof as is already proued in this and my former question yet afterwards Christian Bishops occasionally and for a while only in many Easterne Churches renewed a festiuall and Christian obseruance thereof not that they held the Moysaicall precept still to oblige them thereunto as doth Iohn Traske and his disciples or that as Ebion they held it necessary for all Christians equally to obserue both Sabaothes whose opinion all the ancient Fathers are knowne generally to haue detested But for a holy and zealous refutation of the Symonians Menandrians Cerinthians Carpocratians Basilidians Marcionistes and other like Heretykes who to reproach the Author of the old Testament whom they tearmed An euill God least they might seeme to honor him in any sort feasted on the Sabaoth as S. Epiphanius recounted haeres 42. the holy Pastours and people of Christs Church in a zealous detestation of their blasphemies and to shew the same God to haue beene author of both Testaments faithfully and fittly for a tyme obserued both Sabaothes forbidding any Christian vnder grieuous penalties to fast on Saturday more then on our Lords day one Saturday only excepted wherein our Sauiour lay dead in his sepulcher as is expresly mentioned in S. Ignatius Epist. ad Philipenses in the 55. Apostolicall Canon and in sundry other ancient Authors Which Christian and occasionall obseruance of the old Sabaoth is knowne not to haue beene generally practised but only in particuler Churches wherein such heretikes liued and as those Heresies ceased the festiuall keeping of the Sabaoth ceased also and Christians feasted aswell on it as on friday in memory of our Sauiours death and the Apostles sorrow continued vntill his ioyfull Resurrection as is expresly affirmed by Innocentius epist 2. c. 4. Hieron epist 97. August epist 86. 18. by Cassianus collat 3. cap. 10 c. As for the Aethiopians still obseruing the Sabaoth I answere that they are knowne to haue byn corrupted since their Apostolicall conuersion with many Hereticall and Iudaical doctrines practising circumcision and sundry other rites of Moyses law vnlawfull to Christians An other Argument much vsed by Traskes Disciples is that if circumcision were by an expresse decree of the Apostles Act. 15. repealed with much more reason was the Sabaoth by their like decree to haue ben abrogated also considering that the Commandement thereof was included amongest the other morall and still continuing precepts of the Decalogue tables c. Wherunto I answere first that Circumcision was indeed by the Apostles declared to be a burdensome and vnnecessary precept to be imposed on the Gentills But to the Iewes it was abrogated only as generally the Sabaoth was by the contrary doctrine of the Apostles sufficiently warranting and securing the consience of any good Christian to belieue and practise any point of Religion taught by them albeit we read of no Apostolicall Synode purposely made to determine the same Secondly I answere that an expresse decree was more necessary to haue ben made by the Apostles of abrogating the practise of
Circumcision then of transferring the Sabaoth to an other more mysterious and memorable day the determination of the seauenth day rather then any other being as I haue els where declared immateriall to the religious obseruance of Gods Commandement binding only according to the morall end and intention thereof faithfull people to abstaine in one day of seauen from seruile labours and to deuote the same to Gods especiall honor and seruice whereas the practise of Circumcision giuen before Moyses as a couenant and signe distinguishing Abrahams holy posterity from other faithlesse people was wholy to be repealed notwithstanding the Iewes so highly regarded it as not to conuerse or admit into their Temple any one that wanted that holy seale and signe of Gods couenant with them Other arguments more friuolous lesse important I willingly omit being loath to detaine my Reader needlesly and impertinently in them wishing heere for a finall conclusion of this question that Io. Traske and his bretheren would maturely consider the finall issue of their vnchristian and exorbitant doctrines disliked by our Soueraigne and State contradicted by all learned men comming to heare of them and vtterly as yet vnheard of in other partes of Christendome so as the first Inuenters and obstinate Professers of them can truly belonge to no Christian Church present now or past in any age before them QVESTION V VVherein is proued that Christians are to celebrate the yearly day of our Sauiours Resurrection on Sunday and not on the 14. day of March-Moone as the Iewes celebrated their Paschall IOHN Traske in his humor of Iudaisme Hereticall innouation is lately growne so great an enemie to the weekely obseruance of our Lords day as he seemeth also to deny the yearely feast of our Sauiours Resurrection to be lawfully celebrated on any other day in the yeare then the 14. of March-moone wherin the Iewes were commaunded by God to celebrate their Passouer And vpon his late reading in Eusebius lib 5. hist cap. 22. Policrates epistle directed to Victor Bishop of Rome concerning the Asian custome of keeping easter with the Iews S. Irenaus his iudgment that Victor did with ouer much seuerity excomunicate many Easterne Churches for persisting in that wonted Quartadeciman manner of celebrating the yearly day of our Sauiours Resurrection togeather with the Iewes Paschall he will arrogantly presume to call Victor that holy Bishop Martyr famously mentioned in ancient histories a proud Prelate and not sticke to accuse other ancient Fathers of ignorance in censuring afterwards and condemning for heretikes the Quartadeciman obseruers of Easter God himselfe saith he hauing expresly commanded Christ himselfe with his Apostles celebrated on that day his Paschall festiuity And not contented with this hereticall temerity of renewing the Quartadeciman heresy he surpasseth Blastus himself in his Iewish manner of keeping Easter For as I haue touched in my Preface he by his eating of vnleuened bread seauen dayes togeather after the 14. of March-Moone and by sundry speaches vttered to some of his fellow prisoners hath giuen great suspitions that lately he hath obserued the feast of Azimes togeather with his disciples The next yeare peradueuture they will haue profited in Iudaisme so far as to sacrifice a Paschall Lambe also And lastly it is to be feared that falling more and more from their Christiā profession they will with Adam Neuserus Bernardinus Ochinus and other Puritan Deuines finally forsake Christ and imbrace Iudaisme or Turcisme the fearefull sequell and iust punishment of such fantastical spirits as will imbrace no Religion but of their owne deuising nor be obedient children to any Church but of their owne raising But let Iohn Traske and his Disciples celebrate what Paschall they will and on what day they please our Paschal-Lambe according to the Apostle 1. Corinth 5. vers 7. 8. is Christ sacrificed in the euening of the world for our redemption and our festiuall azimes are to be as neere as by the assistance of diuine graces we shall be able to arriue vnto the sincerity of holy actions and verity of doctrines whereby our soules may be happily nourished after their spirituall flight out of Aegypt and conducted towards the eternal inheritance of heauen through the merit of Christs holy life and passion prepared for vs humbling our selues heer to be els where eternally exalted eschewing any temper as neere as we can of that Pharisaicall leauen with which Traskes speaches and actions are as it may be probably ghessed in Gods sight abhominably corrupted who with his disciples will not seem to be sicut ceteri homines in any thing shewing all those simptoms wherby the spirituall Phisitian of soules was pleased to describe the infection of the Scribes and Pharisyes rightly by him compared to dead mens sepulchers painted and polished without but internally filled with all guile and malice The Apostle telleth the Galathians cap. 5. vers 2. 3. that whosoeuer circumciseth himselfe maketh himselfe a debtour of the whole law and Christs death profiteth him not and so it may be proportionably auerred of Traske that in teaching the festiuall obseruance of Azimes he is consequently also bound by the same reason to obserue the entire Law of Moyses so cannot be longer a Christian He was wont heeretofore to vnderstand that text of the Apostle ad Coloss 2. Let not man iudge or discouer you in meate or drinke or new moones or part of a festiuall day c. of the Ceremoniall feasts of the Iewes mentioned Leuitic 23. abrogated by Christ amongst which the feast of Azimes is first mentioned But he hath as it should seeme since altered his iudgment as Ebion his disciples were wont little I feare doth he regard any doctrine contayned in S. Paules Epistles Policrates Epistle neuer taught him to conioyne the Iudaicall feasts of Azimes with our Christian Passouer only that ancient Bishop of Ephesus in a preposterous zeale of obseruing the yearly memory of our Sauiours resurrection as S. Policarpe and other great Saintes had done before him in those partes of Asia wrote very ernestly in the defence of that Quartadeciman Custome Whose authority hath as it should seeme much moued Iohn Traske who either out of ignorance had neuer before read or out of rashenes neuer marked far more conuincing proofes for the Dominicall obseruance of Easter For long before Victors decree thereof Pius his holy predecessor as Eusebius recounteth in his Chronicle declared it to haue byn an Apostolicall doctrine that Christians should keep their Easter on the Sunday and not on the 14. of March-moone as the Iewes celebrated their Paschall Socrates also lib. 5. hist cap. 21. expresly affirmeth that S. Peter S. Paul taught in the Roman and other Western Churches the like Dominicall obseruaunce of Easter which is also testified by S. Protenius Patriarch of Alexandria in his Epistly to S. Leo wherein he testifieth also that S. Marke introduced the same manner of keeping Easter in the Egyptian Churches S. Ignatius
who saw our Lord himself in flesh who also conuersed with many of the Apostles and was the second Bishop of Antioch after S. Peter in his epistle to the Magnesians not only taught them to keepe holy our Lords day as the queene and chiefest of all other daies consecrated to our Sauiours Resurrection but also he contesteth Epist ad Philip. that any Christian celebrating his Paschall with the Iewes maketh himselfe thereby a partaker with those who killed our Lord himselfe and his Apostles Neither was the decre of keeping Easter on the Sunday lightly made in Victors tyme but grauely and maturely determined in many holy and learned Synods of Bishops assembled by Victors appointement before he proceeded to excoÌ„municate the Asian Bishops as Eusebius in his chronicle also testifieth in so much as besids the Councell which Victor himselfe called at Rome Theophilus metropolitan of Cesaraea Narcissus Patriarth of Hierusalem Palmas Bishop of Pontus S. Irenaeus Bishop of Lions Barchillus Bishop of Corinth and many Bishops of other Prouinces assembled Synods and with one consent from no other fountayne then the certaine doctrine tradition of the Apostles themselues determined the Dominicall obseruance of Easter So that Policrates assertion hauing byn taught by S. Iohn the Quartadeciman manner of keeping the yearly feast of our Sauiours Resurrection seemeth to be against S. Iohns owne writing Apocal. 2. calling Sunday Diem Dominicum our Lords day for the reason formerly assigned by his scoller Ignatius to wit because it was sanctified and chiefely aboue all other dayes obserued by Christians for our Sauiours Resurrection which theron hapned And if in a festiuall and holy memory of that sacred mystery the Apostles themselues instituted a weekely obseruance of that day how can it be wisely thought that they would haue the anniuersary day it selfe of our Sauiours Resurrection not celebrated on that determinate day also Wherfore as we may suppose that which S. Iohn only permitted in Asia for the peace of those Churches touching their Quartadeciman obseruance of Easter Policrates partially and mistakingly affirmeth it to haue beene taught by the Apostle As for S. Irenaeus agreeing with Victor in his doctrine yet seeming to blame him for ouermuch seuerity vsed in excommunicating the Asian Churches for a practise tolerated in theÌ„ long before by his holy predecessours I answere that Irenaeus peraduenture knew not Victors motiues of doing so which was to resist Montanus errours then newly begun to be broached in Asia and to cut quickly off Blastus Iudaicall innouations rising euen in Rome it selfe and much confirmed by that legall manner of keeping Easter which made holy Victor to vndertake a violent remedy to cure a dangerous wound then begining to corrupt the purity of Christian doctrine in many Churches the case of the Asian Bishops being not the same then as it was in S. Policarpes dayes For wheras before they only by permission obserued Easter with the Iewes in Victors time they held it to be an Apostolical institutioÌ„ necessary to be imbraced by all other Churches In which decree Victor was according to his name truly Victorious the whole Church of Christ taking afterwards part with him and numbring the Quartadecimans amongst other Iudaizing heretikes and the Nicen Councell as S. Athanasius writeth in his booke of Synods reclaymed multitudes of them renewing Pope Victors decree of keeping Easter on the Sunday and ordayning that the Patriarches of Alexandria for the Aegyptian skill aboue other Nations in computing yeares and dayes should be appointed to order yearly the Paschall Cicles and by their Epistles first directed to the Roman Bishop and by him to other Churches to determine the Sunday on which Easter day was yearly to be obserued by Christians as is testified by S. Leo Epist 64. ad Marcianum Imperat. and is to be seene in the Paschal epistles themselues of Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria translated by S. Hierome and yet extant Tom. 1. Biblioth Sanct. PP All which many other authentical testimonies of antiquity for proofe of our Christian manner of keeping Easter on the Sunday Io. Traske is likely to regard as little in this as he doth in other controuersies a ceremoniall precept of the Moysaicall Law being apter to conuince his fantasticall iudgement and immoueably determine him in any opinion let all Christian Churches present and past teach and practise what they will against him THE II. CONTROVERSY QVESTION I. Of the vncleanesse of meates before Moyses Law IOHN Traske and his disciples hold the Legall difference of meates mentioned Leuit. 11. Deutron 10. to be so morall in it selfe and religiously from mans first creation by faythfull people obserued as our first Parents themselues in Paradise had the same in a sort commanded to theÌ„ and their holy posterity euer afterwards â—â—actised it as may be gathered say they by that difference of cleane vncleane beasts entring the Arke Genes 7. vers 2. 3. their vsuall argument being this following That which was from the beginning commanded by God and by holy people obserued is no doubt a moral precept still to continue But the Law of meates was from the beginning commanded by God and by holy people obserued Therefore it is as a morall precept still to continue Which argument before I proceed fully and particulerly to answere I purpose heere orderly to ouerthrow the doctrinall groundes thereof First absolutly denying that Gods precept of not eating the forbidden fruit giuen to our first parents in Paradise was any Law at all of vncleane meates as ridiculously they suppose it to haue beene but only a commandment of abstinence imposed by God for a holy exercise and triall of their obedience towards him that hauing â—…eir soules illuminated and sanctifyed with abundant graces and all sensuall and disordered motions of their inferiour fleshly nature happily restrayned and suppressed with the golden bridle of originall iustice so as all other morall precepts were easily connaturally as it were in that harmonious vnion of nature and grace obserued by them God was pleased only in an extrinsecall indifferent matter to exact their due obedience subiection towards him which did no more concerne the Moysaicall difference of meats afterwards commanded then if he had forbidden them to touch the same tree or to eate of any another fruit in Paradise nor was the tree but the willfull transgression of their Creators coÌ„mandment vncleane aswell in theÌ„selus as in their vnhappy posterity fearfully punished As for the difference of birds and beasts cleane and vncleane entring the Arke which is another chiefe ground of Traskes former argument I answere that this vncleanes was not then vnderstood in respect of their vse for food but for the sacrifyces of those former times before Moyses wherin no birds or beasts but such as were legally afterwards reputed cleane in Moyses Law could be offered as may be gathered out of Abels sacrifice Gen. 4. vers 4. of Noahs cap. 6. vers 20. of Abrahams cap. 15. vers
defending them with such peremptory pride of iudgment as if he had receaued cleare and certaine reuelations therof The order of my discourse is easy to be discerned by the titles of my questions in both Controuersyes My manner of writing is to declare and refute his assertions with as much breuity and plainesse as I could contriue ech question I cite not many authors for any opinions both because my aduersary contemneth such proofes as also for that I want the cōmodity of a Library to collect them I haue intentionally written this Preface to discouer Traskes opinions not to disgrace his person further then I conceaued personall circumstances fitly vttered to expresse fully the grounds and occasions of his doctrines hauing to authorize me therein sundry examples of great Saints not sparing to relate grosser passages then heere I haue done of their Heresiarchicall Aduersaryes who as Diuells in their fearefull apparitions by platter-eyes clouen feete or stinking smells are wont to be discerned so they truly wolues in sheeps garments are by leuity of Doctrine pride of iudgment and other personall demeanours easily discouered to want the innocent humble nature of lambes conterfaited by them And as he that putteth himselfe on a stage to play the Fooles part must patiently expect laughter from his beholders so Traske broaching his hereticall fancies must prudently prepare himselfe to be more then smiled at by iudicious Readers THE I. CONTROVERSY QVESTION I. Of the seauenth Day before Moyses IOHN Traske seemeth falsely to suppose and Maister Cra. his Aduersary as lightly to graunt that a Sabaoth or seauenth daie of rest from bodily labour was from the beginning of mans Creation cōmanded by God by faithfull people continually obserued grounding as it should seeme this their assertion vpon the holy text of Gen. cap. 2. v. 3. wherein God is sayd to haue rested from his laboures blessed and sanctified the seauenth day As if for God to sanctifie and designe a day to be holy afterwards obserued in his especiall honour and seruice were all one as to make it a sabaoth or day of rest from externall labours which is most false and may be easily disproued by sundry plaine examples in the Moysaicall feasts of Azimes Tabernacles c. Wherein amongst eight holy ferialls or festiuall dayes celebrated with peculiar sacrifices and cerimonies cōmanded in them Leuit. 3. vers 8. 36 37. the first eight ōly were to be obserued as sabaoths and daies of rest from corporal labours So that God might sanctifie and designe the seauenth day to be holy and especially honored therein by Adam and his faithfull posterity and yet not make it such a sabaoth as afterwards he cōmanded Exod. 20. vers 8. 9. that strict manner of rest from eternall labours being no essentiall condition but only a cerimoniall solemnity of a sanctified day as those already instanced textes of Leuiticus do import in which it is said of the first and eight daies that they should be more solemn thē he other six immediatly God commanded in them abstinence from all sorts of bodily labours which notwithstanding when they are either necessary in themselues or charitably expedient for others cannot bee accounted morall breaches prophaning that day in which they are with due honour and praise otherwise giuen to God moderatly performed That representation of Gods rest by ours on the seauenth day which is cheifly respected and often instanced by Iohn Traske being only a typicall or figuratiue respect hauing no holines or morality in itselfe further then moderate rest from seruile and continuall labours as needfull and conuenient for all men to performe their thankfull duty and seruice towards Almighty God and lesse oftentimes interrupted and hindered by externall exercise of the body then by superfluous sleepe idle words or distractiue thoughts not expresly forbiden in the precept of the Sabaoth which according to the strict and ceremonious obseruance thereof from corporall labours is no where in the whole history of Genesis intimated to haue ben obserued by Abraham and other Patrarches whose labours iournies māner of spēding their liues altars erected sacrifices offered exequies celebrated couenants and lawes giuen by God holily by them obserued are without any insinuation of such a Sabaoth particulerly recounted Moreouer many passages of that sacred historie seeme euidently to import that before Moyses time their was no such Sabaoth cōmaunded by God or by holy people practised as Genesis 31. vers 40. 41. Where Iacob pleading his faithfull diligent seruices done to Laban he testifieth him selfe to haue indured laborious dayes sleeplesse nights for twenty yeares togeather making no exception of Sabaoth daies as he would haue done no doubt if such had then ben obserued by him And Exod. 5. vers 19. the labours of his children are said to haue ben per singulos dies euery day prefixed and exacted by Pharaos officers without any insinuation of Sabaoths interposed And to say as Iohn Traske seemeth in his conference to do that as the first institution of mariage was by degrees corrupted with bigamy and diuorcing one wife to marrie another afterwards Math. 19. vers 8. So the Sabaoth likewise in processe of time grew neglected by gods people vntill in his law he renewed the old institution thereof is coniecturally only affirmed Christ himselfe hauing taught vs the first institution of marriage to haue byn so depraued but no mention is made in scripture at all of the old Sabaoth neglected Who likewise seeth not that neither the Patriarches themselues nor their holy progeny being knowne to haue obserued any Sabaoth but that it were a far more pious and profitable coniecture thence rather to inferre that no Sabaoth was then cōmanded then that such holy persons neglected the dew obseruance thereof and liued Idolaters of Gods precept against his owne expresse testimony giuen of Abraham Genes 26. vers 5. Where he is sayd to haue obayed Gods voice kept his precepts comandements ceremonies and lawes amongst which Iohn Traske groundlesly and idly supposeth to haue been included the obseruance of the sabaoth sithence no such precept giuen to Abraham or practise thereof can be found mentioned in scripture vntill the Israelites returning out of Egypt cam into the desert of Sin and began to be feed on the Manna rayned downe vnto them Exod. 16. vers 5. of which they were cōmanded to gather only six daies and on the sixt day they were willed to gather a double measure to serue the day following Moyses then first begining to tell them vers 23. 26. that God had spoken vnto him that on the morrow which was the seauēth day of gathering that miraculous food the rest of the Sabaoth was to be sanctified to our Lord. And when the Israelits either not crediting or not vnderstanding that which Moyses had tould them went out to gather Māna on the 7. day as they had done on the other six daies before which is an euident signe that as yet they held not
S. Paul that he sought to please men so consequently could not be the true seruant of Christ Secondly I deduce out of Scripture this Theological argumēt The Iews for the like respect memory of Gods rest were as well bound to obserue ech Sabaoth of years the Sabaoth of that yearly Sabaoth called the Iubily or 50. year as to keep the weekly Sabaoth of daies Leuit. 25. But those yearly Sabaoths are certainely I suppose in Traskes opinion abrogated wherefore the weekly Sabaoth is no longer to bee obserued Gods precepts thereof deliured out of fire to the people and written wit his owne singer in the Decalogue especially instanced by Traske being meere circumstances impertinent to the morality therof further thē is in my former question already declared Gods comaundement whether giuen out of fire or not being sufficient of it selfe to oblige his creatures to the perpetuall obseruance of any Law for morality of life fit to be obserued And no learned man will deny but that many precepts neither deliuered out of fire nor written in the Decalogue Tables were morall and as such are now to be obserued by Christians as for a man not to marry his Fathers wife his sister his daughter c. The prohibition of vsury and sundry other like moral precepts amongst which though falsely Traske numbreth the legall difference of meates albeit it was neither commaunded out of fire nor written in the Decalogue Tables Thirdly I argue that Iohn Traske hath no sufficient authority of Scripture prouing the cōtinuance of the Iewish Sabaoth for our Sauiours obseruance thereof little importeth for this purpose the Law wherunto he voluntarily in obedience to his Father subiected himselfe being not before his death determined so that he practised likewise Circumcision and many other cerimoniall rites now vnlawfull to Christians The practise also of the Apostles entring commonly after Christs death into the Temple and other Iewish Sinagogues on their Sabaoth maketh as little as our Sauiours example to proue the continuance thereof this their practise being in no text of their holy Acts testified Wherein likewise the holy Euangelist insinuateth not the motiue end of this their Custome to haue ben not so much a religions obseruation of that Sabaoth as a more commodious and generall instruction of the Iewes cōcerning the Law Prophets fulfilled in Christ their expected Messias they being in those dayes and places chiefly assembled and best prepared to haue such spirituall doctins propounded vnto them by the Apostles Who for celebration of Christ supper preaching and other publique exercises of Christian piety and deuotion were accustomed to meete on the first day of the week called therefore our Lords day Apocal. 2. because our Lord had then sanctified the same by his resurrection and commaunded the religious obseruance therof as shall in my next Question bee fully discussed If Iohn Traske will further contend that the Apostles for other religious respects besides preaching of Christ entred the Temples and Sinagogues on the Sabaoth and festiuall daies as Act 21. vers 23. 24. 25. where S. Paul not to auert the whole nation of the Iewes from Christ did by the counsell of S. Iames purify him selfe with other Nazaretts and so enter the Temple that he might seeme to obserue the Law as other Iewes conuerted vnto Christ thē commonly did I answere this conditionall obseruance of the Sabaoth and other cerimoniall rites for a time by the Apostles was only permitted by Christ as a charitable meanes the better to vnite the Iewes and Gentills in the vnity of one Church The giuer of the Law saith S. Augustine writing to S. Hierome Epist 19. hauing so determined to end the same with his owne death and afterwards honorably to bury it by permitting the conuerted Iewes for a while to practise it vntill his Ghospel were sufficiently promulgated For saith this holy Father those legall obseruaunces were not sudainely to be detested as the diuelish sacriledges of Gentills when Christs grace began to be reuealed which was in such shadowing rites prefigured but to be permitted for a season to their posterity who first receaued them which after their exequies honorably performed were by all Christians to bee vtterly forsaken If Traske wil presse me further to know the precise time when the ceremoniall obseruation of the Sabaoth and other rites of Moyses Law wholy ceased and became vnlawfull to be practised any more by Christians I answere him that peraduenture vntill the very destruction of Ierusalem and subuersion of the Temple more then 40. yeares after our Sauiours passion the old Sabaoth and other ceremonious rites of the Law might be by some faithfull Iewes without any touch of infidelity and falling from Christ albeit vnnecessarily and improfitably obserued Gods prouidence saith Origen homil 10. in Leuit wisely ordaining that the Citty Temple and all things els belonging to the former glory of that Law and nation should be altogeather destroied least sucklings and weaklinges in faith should be longer allured by thē and drawne away from purely imbracing Christian verities shadowed in them So that when our Sauiour willed his disciples Math. 24. vers 10. to pray that their flight might not happen in winter saith S. Ierome because extremity of could would hinder their lasting aboad in mountaines desert places nor in the Sabaoth because the religious rest therof would hinder their flight which had ben idly spoken saith Traske if Christians to whome these wordes were vttered had not ben bound to a strict obseruance of the old Sabaoth when Ierusalem was sacked I answere first this obiection that albeit it might be gathered out of this text that many Christian Iewes did obserue their old Sabaoth as before vntill the destruction of Ierusalem yet can it not thence also be inferred that such Christians obserued it in like manner afterwards when they had seene the perfidious cruelty of their whole nation against Christ so examplarly punished their citty sacked their Preists slaughtered and Temple subuerted neuer againe by Christs speaches to be restored which could not but be taken by faithfull people as certaine signes of that law and religion wholy abrogated by Christ and ended the cheifest exercises whereof consisted in prayers made in the Temple togeather with misterious rites and sacrifices therein only performed Secondly I answere that these words were vttered by Christ to his disciples who were naturall Iewes and members of that Commonwealth wherein the Sabaoth was by most people strictly still obserued Wherefore our Sauiour might well take an occasion to vtter this speach to them which cheifly concerned the generality of vnbeleeuing Iewes liuing togeather with them and obseruing the Sabaoth as may be instanced in many other examples of like speaches in Scripture Thirdly I answere that Christ vttered that speach as fore seeing that the very day in which Titus should besiege the Citty should be no other then the Paschall solemnity and great Sabaoth wherein multitudes of people repayring