mutassediem vt oftenderent exemplum abrogationis legum ceremonialium in die septimo Melanct. tom 2. fol. 363. Whereas therefore the Iewes obserued their Sabbath on the seuenth day wee celebrate the eighth They gaue God the last day of the weeke but Christians better honour him with the first they keepe their Sabbath in honour of the worlds creation but Christians in memoriall of the worlds redemption a worke of greater might and mercie and therefore good reason the greater worke should carrie away the credit of the day See the Gospell on Saint Thomas day The particular rest of the Iewes is ceremoniall also for it is a type of our inward resting from sin in this life Exod. 31. 13. Ezek. 20. 12. and a figure of our eternall Sabbath in the next as S. Paul disputes Heb. 4. Yet this Commandement is morall in the generall As for example wee must keepe one day in the seuen holie to the Lord wherein we must doe no manner of work which may let the ministerie of Gods word and other exercises of pietie We must leaue to doe our worke that the Lord may bring foorth in vs his worke The duties then required on the Lords day be principally two Rest. And a sanctification of this rest A double Sabbath rest from labour and rest from sinne for as our Church doth determine two sorts of people transgresse this Commandement especially 1. Such as will not rest froÌ„ their ordinary labour but driue carry row ferry on SuÌ„day 2. Such as will rest in vngodlines idlely spending this holy day in pampering pointing painting themselues So that God is more dishonoured and the Diuell better serued vpon Sunday then on all the daies of the weeke beside Thou shalt do no manner of worke That is no seruile work of thine ordinarie calling which may be done the day before or left well vndone till the day after But some workes are lawfull namely such as appertaine to the publike worship of God as painfull preaching of the sacred word reading of diuine prayers administring of the blessed Sacraments and euery worke subordinate to these as ringing of bels and trauelling to Church Acts 1. 12. 2. Kings 4. 23. And workes of mercie toward Our selues as prouision of meate and drinke Matth. 12. 1. Other Men our Sauiour healed the man with the dâ—ied hand on the Sabbath Mark 3. 5. Beasts in watering cattell and helping them out of pound and pit Luk. 14. 5. Workes of present necessitie Physitions on the Lords day may visit their patients Midwiues helpe women with child Shepheards attend their flock Mariners their voiage Souldiers may fight and messengers ride post for the great good of the Common-wealth Works of honest recreations also so farre as they may rather helpe then hinder our cheerefull seruing of the Lord and the reason of all this is giuen by Christ Mar. 2. 27. The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath Thou Thy wife is not named because she is presumed to be thy selfe that whatsoeuer is forbidden thy selfe must also be knowne to be forbidden thy second selfe Thy sonne and thy daughter Euery man is a gouernour in his owne house and therefore must take charge of such as are vnder him Adduc eos ad domum dei tecum qui sunt in domo tua tecum mater Ecclesia aliquos à te petit aliquos repetit petit eos quos apud te inuenit repetit quos per te perdidit Thy man seruant This is for Thy good Their good The common good Thy good For hee that on Sunday shall learne his dutie will be more fit all the weeke to doe his dutie such as obey God with a good conscience will serue their master with an vpright heart as Iacob serued Laban and Ioseph Pharaoh Againe it is for thy good often to remember with thankfulnesse that God hath made thee master and him seruant whereas hee might haue made thee seruant and him master For their good that they may know God and whom he hath sent Christ Iesus the way the truth and the life Thy seruants are men of the same mold with thee Iisdem constant nâ—triuntur elementis eundem spiritum ab eodem principio carpunt eodem fruun ur coelo aequa viuunt aeque moriuntur serui sunt imo conserui That is in the words of scripture Thy seruants are all one with thee in Christ made of the same God redeemed with the same price subiect to the same law belonging to the same master Ephes. 6. 9. Pitie then and pietie require that thou see them obserue the Lords day for the good as well of their bodies as soules For the common good For euery man hath iust cause to be ready willingly to labour all the weeke when as he is assured he shall rest on Sunday Thy cattell Hence we may gather much comfort for if God in his mercy prouide for the welfare euen of our brute beasts of which he hath made vs Lords he will assuredly much more respect vs his seruants and children he cannot be carelesse for men who is so carefull for oxen The Commandements are so well knowne and often expounded that as Augustine speakes in the like case Desiderant auditorem magis quà m expositorem I passe therefore from the first table containing all dutie to God vnto the second teaching all dutie to man I say to man as the proper immediat object of them Otherwise these Commandements are done vnto God also for he that clotheth the naked and visiteth the sicke doth it vnto Christ Matth. 25. 40. The law then concerning our neighbour is partly Affirmatiue teaching vs to do him all good Honour thy father and mother c. Negatiue teaching vs to doe him no hurt Thou shalt not kill c. This table begins with honour of our father First because next vnto God we must honour those who are in the place of God Secondly because the neglect of this one Commandement occasioneth all disorder against the rest for if superiours gouerne well and inferiours obey well how can any man be wronged in word or deed Thirdly because of all neighbours our parents are most neere to vs as being most bound to them of whom we haue receiued our life Thy parent is Gods instrument for thy naturall being thy Prince Gods instrument for thy ciuill being thy Pastor Gods instrument for thy spirituall being Wherefore as thou art a man thou must honour thy naturall father as a citizen honour thy ciuill father as a Christian honour thy ecclesiasticall father Honour imports especially 3. things Obedience Reuerence Maintenance Obedience Children obey your parents in all things Coloss 3. 20 that is as Paul doth interpret himselfe Ephes. 6. 1 in the Lord. In all things agreeable to the will of God otherwise for Christs loue wee must hate father and mother Luke 14. 26.
Hitherto concerning the greatnes and goodnes of God in generall Now Dauid in the seuenth verse proceedes intimating that the Lord of all in common is our God in speciall Hee is the Lord our God as being the people of his pasture and the sheepe of his hands that is himselfe doth feede and fauour the Church in a more particular sort committing this charge to none other See preface of the Decalogue The last reason is from iudgement for God vseth all meanes to winne men vnto him The summe whereof is that wee must not harden our hearts and obstinately settle our selues in sinne as our forefathers in the wildernesse but rather heare the voice of the Lord speaking vnto vs out of his word all the day long the whole time of our life generally but on the Sabbath day more specially leâ—t in his anger hee sweare that wee shall not enter into his rest Reade this historie Numb 14. Exod. 17 for as Paul doth teach these things are written for our ensample vpon whom the ends of the world are come Lege historiâ—m ne fias historia The iudgements of God are like thunder claps poena ad vnum terror adomâ—es As in a Common-weale places of execution are publike ad terrorem populi because as Plato said Nemo prudens punit quia peccatum est sed ne peccetur And another ancient Philosopher to the same purpose Malefici non pereunt vt pereant sed vt pereundo alios deterreant That the State which had no benefit by their life should make vse of their death In like manner almightie God in this huge Theater of the world doth make some spectacles vnto other all of vs being either actors or spectators and so by consequence must take example by other or else make example to other See Epist. Dom. 9. post Trin. Te Deum THat Hymnes accurately framed by deuout men according to the word may be sung in the Church with the Psalmes of Dauid and other spirituall songs taken out of the word we can alleage precept and example Precept Colos. 3. 16. Admonish your selues in Psalmes and Hymnes c. Marlorat doth construe this of singing in the Church and Haymo that Hymnes were godly songs inuented by the Christians of that age For Gods holy Church hath vsed this custome from the Primitiue times euen vnto this present day Concerning Te Deum in particular it is approued by Luther and held by our Martyrs a good Creed as it is thought generally composed by those two great lights of the Church Ambrose who was the most resolute Bishop and Augustine who was the most iudicious Doctor of all the Fathers It is reported by Dacius a reuerend Bishop of Millane that in his time who liued vnder Iustinian anno 538. this Hymne was receiued and vsed in the Church which argueth it of greater antiquity then vpstart Popery The Nouelist as Augustine writes of Faustus the Manichee Vel non intellâ—gendâ— repreâ—endit vel reprehendendo non intelligit Either too much passion or else too little knowledge Benedicite omnia opera THâ—â— Cantiâ—â—e is a rapsodie gathered here and there from diuâ—â—s Psalmes of Dauid as the marginall notes indigitate cited often by the learned and ancient fathers and not censured for it by the Lutheran Historiographers Cent. 5. colum 219. Imprinted at Mâ—â—elburgh with the Dauidicall Psalmes in English meeter an honour denied vnto the Church Psalter in prose In a word I finde this Hymne lesse martyred then the rest and therefore dimisse it as Christ did the woman Iohn 8. Where be thine accusers Hath no man condemned thee no more doe I goe thy way Benedictus LVKE 1. 68. THe Benedictus Magnificat and Nunc dimittis are said in the Church daily whereas other Psalmes of Dauid Asaph Moses are read but monethly The reasons hereof are manifest and manifold I will onely name two First these most excellent Hymnes as gratulations wherewith our Lord and Sauiour was ioifully receiued at his entrance into the world concerne vs so much more then the Psalmes of Dauid as the Gospell more then the Law and the new Testament more then the old For the one are but prophecies of Christ to come whereas the other are plaine discoueries of Christ already present Secondly these songs are proper onely to Christianitie whereas other Psalmes are common to the Iewes as well as to the Christians wherewith they praise God in their Synagogue so well as we praise God in our Church A Iew will sing with Asaph and Dauid that the Messias of the world shall come but he cannot he will not acknowledge with Zacharias and Simeon that he is come So that the Nouelist herein misliking the Churches custome doth seeme to play the Iew which I rather ascribe to the lightnes of his folly then to the waight of his malice Sententiam Ecclesiae non intelligit sedamat suam non quia vera est sed quia sua est It is fitly placed after the second Lesson as an Hymne of praise to magnifie God for the comfort we receiue by the sweet tidings of the Gospell Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for visiting and redeeming his people It hath two principall parts 1. Concerning Christ and his kingdome 2. Touching Iohn the Baptist and his office vers 76. c. It is very remarkable that Zacharias who was dumbe vers 20 doth now not onely speake but also prophecie He was made speechlesse because he was faithlesse but now belieuing his lips are opened and his mouth doth shew forth Gods praise saying Blessed be the Lord. Let no man in his affliction despaire for as Ambrose notes if we change our manners Almightie God will alter his mind Nec solum ablata restituit sed etiam insperatâ— concedit He will not onely restore that which was taken a way but also giue more then we can expect So he blessed the last daies of Iob more then the first for whereas he had but 7000 sheepe 3000 comels 500 yoke of oxen and 500 shee asses afterward the Lord gaue him 1400 sheep 6000 camels 1000 yoke of oxen and 1000 asses In the second of Ioel If you will turne to me saith the Lord with all your heart with fasting weeping and mourning I will render vnto you the yeeres which the grashopper hath eaten the canker worme and the caterpiller And moreouer I will powre out my spirit vpon all flesh and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophecie c. In the 9. of Matth. when Christ saw the faith of the palsie man he did not onely cure the sores of his body but also the sinnes of his soule Sonne be of good cheere thy sinnes are forgiuen thee In the first part two points are to be considered especially 1. Who to be blessed the Lord God of Israel 2. Why first for promising then for performing redemption vnto the world Blessed That is praised as
Diuell Death Christ ouercame the world on earth the flesh on the Crosse the diuell in hell death in the graue now being the Churches head and husband hee tooke her dowrie which was sinne for she had nothing else of her owne and indowed her with all his goods I am my welbeloueds and my welbeloued is mine So that Christ was borne for vs and liued for vs and died for vs rose againe for vs and therefore though the diuell cry ego decipiam the world cry ego deficiam the flesh cry ego inficiam death cry ego interficiam it makes no matter in that Christ crieth ego reficiam I will ease you I will comfort you I will visit and redeeme you See Gospell on whit sonday His people The Iewes as sent to them first and principally whom he did visit in his own person whereas all other diocesses of the world were visited by Commissaries I say first for afterward all people were hiâ—â—â—ople Visitaâ—it omnes gentes quomam omnes egentes In 〈◊〉 we are all one there is neither Iew nor Grecian neither bond nor free neither male nor female Gal. 3. 28. Augustine sweetly The belieuing Gentiles are more Israel then Israel it selfe for the Iewes are the children of Abraham according to the flesh only but we are the children of Abraham after the spirit they be the sonnes of Abraham who doe the works of Abraham But what was Abrahams chiefe worke The Scripture tels vs Abraham belieued and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnes So that as Paul concludes all belieuers are true Israelites Abrahams seed and heires by promise See Nunc dimittis But shall we now sinne because grace doth abound God forbid He hath deliuered vs from the hands of all our enemies that we might serue him without feare in holinesse and righteousnes all the daies of our life Sine timore inimici non sine timore domini Behauing our selues in this present world religiously towards God righteously towards our neighbor soberly towards our selues Examine these fiue circumstances exactly 1. Who did redeeme The Lord God of Israel factor â—errae factus in terra yea fractus in terra 2. Whom Such as sate in darknes and in the shadow of death His enemies aliants from his common wealth and open traitors to his kingdome 3. From what From the hands of all our enemies 4 With what With his owne pretious bloud the least drop whereof had bin meriti infiniti yet his death only was meriti definiti 5. For what That being deliuered from sinne we should liue in righteousnes Consider these points and thinke not this Hymne too much vsed in our Liturgie but sing with Zacharias daily Benedictus Dominus and say with Dauid Quid retribuam domino pro omnibus quae tribuit mihi Primò nihil eram fecit me perâ—eram quaesiuit me quaerens inuenit me captiuum redemit me emptum liberauit me de seruo fratrem fecit me We owe our soules our selues to God for creating vs more then our selues for redeeming vs. Concerniâ—g Iohn Baptist and his office which is the second generall part of this excellent song see the Gospell Dominic 3. 4. Aduent Iubilate Deo Psal. 100. THe Church doth adioine this Psalme to the Benedictus as a parallel and that not vnfitly for as the one so the other is a thanksgiuing vnto God inforced with the same reasons and arguments in so much as Zacharias is nothing else but an expounder of Dauid or Moses As Augustine wittily The new Testament heth hidden in the old and the old is vnclasped in the new Lex antiqua nouam firmat veterem noua complet in veteri spes est in nouitate fides O be ioyfull in the Lord saith the Prophet blessed be the Lord God of Israel saith our Euangelist Why because the Lord hath made vs and not we our selues we are his people and the sheepe of his pasture That is he hath visited and redeemed his people For Augustine Hierome Caluin Turrecrematensis other old and new writers interpret this of our Regeneration rather then of our Creation According to that of S. Paul We are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good works c. The Lord is gratious his mercy is euerlasting That is he promised euermore by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began that wee should be saued from our enemies and from the hands of all that hate vs. His truth indureth from generation to generation That is hee did in due time performe the mercie promised to our forefathers he remembred his holy couenant and kept that oth which hee swore to our father Abraham and his seed for euer To what end That we might serue God with gladnesse as Dauid in his text that is serue him all the daies of our life without feare as Zacharias in his glosse God insinuated himselfe to the Iewes as a Lord Exod. 20. 2. but to the Christians as a father Mat. 6. 9. And therefore seeing wee are translated from the bondage of seruants vnto the liberty of sonnes hauing in stead of the Law which was exceeding grieuous a burthen which is light and a yoke which is easie let vs serue the Lord with gladnes and come before his presence with a song Non in amaritudine murmurationis sed in iocunditate dilectionis as Augustine vpon the place The whole Psalme doth afford many profitable doctrines and vses in that the Prophet doth double and treble his exhortation O be ioyfull in the Lord serue him with gladnesse with a song Go into his gates with thanksgiuing into his courts with praise be thankfull speake good of his name he doth insinuate our sloth and dulnes in that behalfe and therefore it behoueth all men especially teachers of men in season and out of season to presse this duty It teacheth all people to praise God with a good heart cheerfully vers 1. Not in priuate onely but in the publike assembly also for publike benefits receiued of the Lord vers 3. Our bodily generation and ghostly regeneration are not of our selues but only from God vers 2. See Epist. Dom. post Pasc. Who is alway the same in his truth and goodnesse towards vs abeit we be variable in our loues and promises one to another vers 4. See Nunc Dimittis The Creed THis Apostolicall Creed is pronounced after the Lessons and the Nicene Confession after the Gospell and Epistle because faith as Paul teacheth is by hearing and hearing by the word of God We must first heare then confesse for which cause the Churchâ— of Scotlana also doth vsually repeate the Creed after the Sermon I beleeue in God c. Albeit the Creed be not protocanonicall Scripture yet as Ambrose speakes it is the key of the Scriptures and as Augustine a plaine short absolute summe of all holie
custome in sinne wee fill vp our periods with vnnecessarie oathes Wickednesse as when a wretch in his discontented humor shall binde himselfe with an oath to doe some notable mischiefe So certaine Iewes Acts 23. sware that they would neither eate nor drinke till they had killed Paul or when he shall despitefully sweare to vex the good spirit of God and to trample the bloud of Christ vnder his feet if cardes or bowles or dice runne against him he will make his tongue to runne so fast against God or when he doth sweare by heauen or earth or any other creature in stead of the Creator An oath is an inuocating of God he therefore that sweares by the light makes light his God hee that sweares by the Masse doth make that Idoll his God A man may forsweare himselfe three waies as Lombard out of Augustine whē he doth sweare 1. That which is false and hee knowes it false 2. That which is true but hee thought it false 3. That which is false but hee held it true The two first kinds are abominable namely when a man sweares either that hee knowes to be false or thinks to be false but the third in the Court of Conscience is no sinne because it is with forswearing as with lying Periurie is nothing else but a lie bound with an oath As then a man may tell an vntruth and yet not lie so likewise sweare that which is false and yet not sweare falsly Thou shalt sweare in truth that is as thou shalt in thy conscience and science thinke to be true for doubtlesse it is a lesser offence to sweare by a false god truly then to sweare by the true God falsly it is a sinne to lie but a double sinne to sweare and lie The 4. Commandement THe fourth Commandement doth set downe the time and place of Gods holy worship the time expresly Remember thou keepe holy the Sabbath day the which insinuates also the place for God was publikely worshipped in his Sanctuarie in his Tabernacle in his Temple Leuiticus 19. 30. Yee shall keepe my Sabbaths and reuerence my Sanctuarie The Sabbath as one calles it is Gods schooleday the Preachers are his Vshers and the Church is his open schoolehouse This Commandement is hedged in on euery side lest we should breake out from obseruing it with a caueat before Remember and two reasons after one drawne from the equitie of the law Six daies shalt thou labour As if God should speake thus If I permit thee sixe whole daies to follow thine owne businesse thou maiest well affoord one onely for my seruice but sixe daies shalt thou labour and doe all thine owne worke therefore hallow the seuenth in doing my worke Six daies shalt thou labour A permission or a remission of Gods right who might challenge all rather then an absolute commandement for the Church vpon iust occasion may separate some weeke daies also to the seruice of the Lord and rest from labour Ioel 2. 15. Blow the trumpet in Sion sanctifie a fast call a solemne assemblie Daies of publique fasting for some great iudgement daies of publique reioicing for some great benefit are not vnlawfull but exceeding commendable yea necessarie Yet this permission is a commission against idlenesse because euery man must liue by the sweat of his browes or sweat of his braines hauing some profession or occupation or vocation wherein he must labour faithfully Another argument is taken from the Law-giuers example For in six daies the Lord made heauen and earth and rested the seuenth day God requires no more then himselfe performed his owne practise is a Commentarie vpon his law This may teach all Magistrates all masters all superiors who prescribe lawes vnto other to become first an vnprinted law themselues If the Prince will haue his Court religious himselfe must be forward in deuotion if the father will haue his children possesse their vessels in chastity then himselfe must not neigh after his neighbours wife When Sabbath breakers are rebuked all their answere is other and that the most doe so If they will follow fashion and example let them follow the best Fashion not your selues like the world but be ye followers of God who framed the whole world in six daies and rested the seuenth he rested from creating not gouerning from making of new kinds of creatures not singuler things he is not as Epicurus imagined idle but alway working Iohn 5. 17. My father worketh hitherto and I worke The Commandement it selfe is First propounded briefly Keepe holy the Sabbath day Then expounded more largely shewing 1. What is the Sabbath day namely the seuenth 2. How it must bee sanctified In it thou shalt doe no manner of worke Keepe holy This day hath no more holinesse in it selfe then other times only God hath appointed it to holy vses aboue other and therefore wee must keepe it more holy then other The Sabbath There is sabbathum Pectoris of the mind Temporis of time The sabbath of the mind is double Internall peace of conscience in the kingdome of grace Eternall rest of body and soule in the kingdome of glory When as we shall rest from our labors all teares shall be wiped from our eies and cares from our heart Among the Iewes the sabbath of time was of Daies Yeeres Daies Lesser euery seuenth day Greater as when the Passeouer fell on the Sabbath as it did when Christ suffered Yeeres Euery seuenth yeere a Sabbath of rest to the land Euery seuen-times seuen yeere which was 49. and then followed in the 50. yeere the Iubile This Sabbath is of daies expressely kept holie the seuenth day There is A naturall day which is the space of 24 houres a night and a day Gen. 1. 5. An artificiall day the space of 12. houres as Christ Iohn 11. 9. from the Sunne rising to the Sunne setting of which I thinke this Commandement is vnderstood For albeit the Iewes counted the Sabbath from euening to euening yet it was but as they reckoned other daies not to sit vp and watch all night but to spend in Gods seruice so much of the naturall day as may be spared without hurting the body The seuenth is the Sabbath It is the iudgement of the most and best Interpreters that the Sabbath is morale quoad genus but ceremoniale quoad speciem Ceremoniall for the manner albeit morall for the matter I say ceremoniall it regard of the particular as the strict obseruation of the same day and same rest precisely to keepe the Saturday and strictly to cease from all labour as the Iewes did was a shadow therefore abrogated by the comming of the body Christ. The blessed Apostles herein led by the spirit of truth and as some thinke by Christs owne example altered and so by consequence abrogated the particular day Consentaneum est Apostolos hanc ipsam ob causam