for the whole contained in this commandement yea it reacheth also to the times which the familie appointeth that euery one for his priuate and lone prayer purposeth although the bond to that time is not so strict as is the bond to obserue daies of rest VVhat need is there euery sennight of a whole day to serue God in seeing we may serue God euery day That is not enough for to the end we should not plunge our selues so deeply into the affaires of the world from whence wee should not recouer our selues the wisedome of God hath thought good that one day in seuen there should be an intermission from them when wee should wholly separate our selues to the seruice of God What other can you alleage For that a whole day is needfull for the performance of the whole seruice of God hearing of publike prayer and the word preached catechising administration of the Sacraments exercise of holie discipline and consideration of the glorie of God in the creatures What further For that if Adam in his perfection had need of this helpe much more we which are so grieuously corrupted You are then of iudgement that the rest of the Lords day and of the seuenth day cannot be taken away Yea verely as that which is constantly and perpetually to be obserued How proue you that this commandement is not ceremoniall but perpetuall First no Ceremonie hath place in the morall Law whereof this is a part otherwise if this be Ceremoniall then there are but nine words Secondly for that it was written by the finger of God which the Ceremonies were not Thirdly it was written in tables of stone as to signifie the hardnesse of our hearts so to signifie the continuance of it Fourthly it was before any shadow or ceremonie yea before Christ was promised whom al ceremonies haue respect vnto But sith it sometime shadowed our eternall rest is it not therefore ceremoniall That followeth not for that the ceremonie of representation of the spirituall rest came after the commandement of the rest and therefore is accessorie and accidentall for which cause the time of correction and of abolishment of ceremonies being come that ceremonie may well fall away and yet the Commandement remaine as being not of the substance of the Commandement Haue you yet any further reason to confirme the perpetuity of the rest of the seuenth day Our Sauiour Christ willing his children which should liue about 40. yeeres after his ascension Mat. 24. to pray that their flight might not bee vpon the Sabbath thereby to hinder them in the seruice of God doth thereby sufficiently declare that hee held not this Commandement in the account of a ceremony But is our rest vpon the Lords day or Sunday perpetuall and vnchangeable or may not another seuenth day be placed in stead thereof No creature in heauen or earth can alter it Why so Because as God ceased from his labors on the Saturday so Christ ceased from afflictions on the Sunday As the one therefore was sanctified in regard of the creation much more should the other bee sanctified in respect of the restoring and redemption of the world being a greater worke then the creation Is there any further proofe hereof The continuall practise of our Sauiour Christ Iob. 20.19 and 26. and of the Apostles should bee a sufficient rule vnto vs Act. 2.1 and 20.7 c. Reuel 1.10 1. Cor. 16.1 much more when the Apostles haue added a commandement thereof When doth this our Sabbath begin At the dawning of the day for Christ rose in the dawning and to put a difference between the Iewish Sabbath and the true Christian Sabbath it is needfull that ours should begin at morning when by the resurrection of Christ the world began to be renued whereas the other began at night when the world in the creation thereof was finished Declare that by some example Act. 20. Paul being at Troas after he had preached a whole day vntill midnight celebrated the supper of the Lord the same night which was a Sabbaths day exercise and therefore that night following the day was a part of the Sabbath for in the morning he departed hauing stayed there seuen daies whereof it is euident that it was done on the Lords day How is the Commandement set forth First in a short summe and after declared by parts What is the short summe Remember thou keepe holy the Sabbath day What is to be obserued in the word Remember That although all the Commandements are needfully and diligently to be remembred yet this more specially Why so First because this Commandement hath least light of nature to direct vs to the obseruation of it Secondly for that wee are naturally most negligent in the obseruation of this in suffering our selues to be with drawne by our worldly businesse from Gods seruice vpon the Lords day therfore this speciall warning is added to it What is it wee should here remember for the better sanctifying of the Sabbath That we should compasse all our businesse within the working daies that the worldly affaires enter not or encroch into possession of the Lords day not onely willingly but not so much as by any forgetfulnesse as when for want of foresight the payment of money due by obligation falleth out on that day What are the parts of the Commandement They consist partly in declining from things vnlawfull and partly in doing the dutifull workes of this day What must wee decline and leane vndone on the Lords day Generally all our workes Numb 15.32.33 Exod. 31.10.11.12 and particularly those of the least importance as gathering of stickes also those of greatest weight as to worke in haruest or on the Tabernacle and building the Temple What gather you from hence In the forbidding of the gathering of stickes Exod. 34.21 that the rest of the Lords day is broken by the smallest workes and in that it was forbidden to build the Lords house vpon the Lords day that the greatest and most important businesse as working in seed time and haruest is forbidden Is it meerely vnlawfull to doe any bodily worke on the Lords day Things belonging to common honestie and also to necessity for preseruation of life health and goods which otherwise would perish if they were not saued on that day are excepted Are we as strictly bound to keepe this Commandement as the Iewes Yes verily so farre as the Commandement reacheth and more then they because of the greater measure of Gods graces vpon vs aboue that which was vpon them Exod. 35.3 and 16.23 What do you say to the making of a fire and dressing of meat vpon the Lords day for neither of these were lawfull to the Iewes Not to make a fire or dresse meat on the Sabbath were proper to the Pedagogie or maner of the gouernment of the children vnder the Law as may appeare in that there was no Commandement of such strict obseruance of the Sabbath before the Law was giuen
by Moses it being therefore not perpetuall must necessarily follow to be ceremoniall Why is there so large a rehearsall of works and persons in this Commandement To take away all excuses from all persons for the Lord did see the corruption of men who if they themselues come to the Church would thinke it sufficient tewing and wearying their seruants at home with continuall labour as many doe so that it were better to be such mens oxen then seruants for the small care they haue of their soules What is the vse then of this rehearsall That euery one is bound to yeeld a dutie vnto God Was it not ordained also for rest vnto beasts and honest recreation for men especially seruants They that say it was a policie for the rest and refreshing of men and beasts which could not otherwise continue without it say little or nothing to the purpose sith all things here contained do concerne the worship of God but that tewing and wearying of seruants and beasts is against the sixth commandement Why doth he then make mention of the beast in this Commandement Because of the whole imployment of men in the Lords seruice for that beasts cannot bee trauelled vnlesse man be withdrawne from Gods seruice yea though the beast could labour without mans attendance yet his mind would be caried thither But to whom specially is the charge of this Commandement directed To Housholders and Magistrats What is the charge of Housholders That not onely himselfe keepe the Lords day but his wife and all his children and seruants for as they serue him in the weeke so must he see that they serue God on the Sabbath What gather you of this That a Housholder should at least be as carefull of the Lords businesse as of his owne and if hee will not keepe such a seruant as is not faithfull in his ordinarie worke much lesse should he keepe any that will not be carefull in the Lords worke how skilfull soeuer he be in their owne VVhat is the Magistrats part To see that all within his gates keepe the Lords day which sith he must doe to strangers as Turkes and other infidels by causing them to cease from labour and to restraine them from all open and publike contrarie worship of God much more to all the subiects vnder him whom hee ought to force to heare the word So much of the things that are forbidden and of the persons whom this Commandement concerneth What is to be done on the Lords day We must wholly exercise our selues in the holy seruice of God partly in the Church which is the proper vse of the Sabbath and partly out of the Church and in the familie the better to performe the exercises in the Church before they bee done and the more to profit by them after they are done What must we doe in the Church 1. Cor. 16. Heare the word preached pray with the congregation receiue the Sacraments in the appointed time and to giue vnto the poore according to our wealth and the blessing of God vpon vs. What must be done out of the Church Luk. 14.7 to 16. Examination of our selues and those that belong vnto vs what wee haue profited familiar talke of things belonging vnto the kingdome of heauen Psal 80. also we must meditate vpon the exercises and vpon the creatures Psal 92. and vpon the prouidence especially that in the gouernment of the Church and visit the sicke for that is a worke of the Sabbath What further proofe haue you of this continuall exercise In the Law euery euening and euery morning were sacrifice swhich on the Sabbath were multiplied and the Psalme appointed to bee sung that day declareth that it is a good thing to begin the praises of God early in the morning Psal 92. and to continue the same till it be night What gather you of this That al exercises which serue not to make vs more fit to the Lords work are vnlawful vpō the Lords day What difference do you make between Sabbath nights and other nights Great for we should lay our selues down in greater quietnesse that night vpon the sense and feeling of the comforts of the former exercises So that our sleepe should be more quiet by so much as the former exercises of the day haue bin more holy otherwise we should declare we haue not kept a holy day to the Lord. So much of the commandement What is the reason A secret reason of comparison of the lesse that for so much as God hath giuen man sixe daies to doe his owne businesse in whether in labour or honest refreshing which might haue giuen but one hee ought not to grutch vnto God the seruice of one whole day in seuen who might haue taken sixe to himselfe and left one onely to him What gather you from thence The inequall and niggardlie dealing of men with God How so For that by this commandement asking at their seruants hands the worke of a whole day yet in the Lords day are contented both for themselues and those vnder them to measure the day at three or foure houres vsing one measure to mete the seruice due vnto them and another to mete the seruice due vnto God which thing is abominable before God Prou. 11.7 and so much the more as the things are greater wherin the vnequalitie of measure is What is the other reason A reason expressed which depēdeth vpon the example of God That as God hauing made all things in the sixe daies rested the seuenth from creating any more so should we rest from all our owne works Was the Lord idle on the seuenth day No verilie he did a great work in preseruing the things created So must we learne not to be idle vpon the Lords day but to attend vpon the Lords seruice by whose example wee may saue things on that day but no waies get or gaine more What is meant by sanctifying Setting apart from worldly busines to the seruice of God What by blessing Not that this day in it selfe is more blessed then other daies but by blessing it hee meaneth those that keepe it shall be blessed Wherein are they said to be blessed that keep the Sabbath day First in al the holy exercises of the Sabbath which shal serue to their further increase both of the knowledge and feare of God secondly in matters of this life we shal not onely not be hindred by keeping the Sabbath but more blessed then if we did worke that day as of the other side the gaine on the Lords day shall by the curse of God melt and vanish away what shew of profit soeuer it haue So much of the first table concerning pietie whereby God as a King or father of a houshold doth teach his subiects or familie their duties towards himselfe What is taught in the second table Iustice set downe in sixe commandements Wherby he teacheth his subiects and family their duties one towards another What is generall to them
CHRISTIAN RELIGION SVBSTANTIALLY METHOdicalliâ—â—â—â—nlie and profitablie Treatised BY PEACE PLENTY BY WISDOME PEACE LONDON Printed by Felix Kingston for Thomas Man 1611. CHRISTIAN RELIGION SVBSTANTIALLY methodicallie plainlie and profitablie treatised E◠〈◊〉 â—hap 3. vers 13.14.15 13 Then Moses 〈◊〉 vnto God Behold when I shall come vnto the children of Israel and shall say vnto them The God of your fathers hath sent me vnto you if they say vnto me What is his Name what shall I say vnto them 14 And God answered Moses I AM THAT I AM. Also he said Thus shalt thou say vnto the children of Israel I AM hath sent me vnto you 15 And God spake further vnto Moses Thus shalt thou say vnto the children of Israel The Lord God of your fathers the God of Abraham the God of Izhak and the God of Iaakob hath sent me vnto you this is my Name for euer and this is my memoriall vnto all ages WHat learne you out of the 13. verse In the thirteenth verse in the question of Moses two things are to be obserued One that we be carefull to be instructed in all things concerning our calling thereby to be able to answere all doubts that may be moued Secondly that asking any thing concerning God as of his name or nature we must aske it of himselfe who because now he speaketh not but by his Ministers 2. Cor. 5.20 Hos 12.10 Interpreters of the Scriptures wee must haue our recourse vnto them What learne you out of the 14. verse He sheweth what is his proper name saying I am c. I am that I am or as the Hebrew soundeth I will be that I will be sauing that the Hebrewes vse the future time for the present as that which noteth a continuance What is meant by these words Hereby is set foorth the manâ—â—â—â—f the Being and Essence of God farre otherwâ—â—â—â—â—en the proper names of men which declare either nothing of their nature and being or else not the whole and full thereof Is there nothing of God to bee knowne besides his name Nothing as touching his Being falling vnder our weake and shallow capacitie What names of God in the Scripture are deriued from these words Two the name Iehouah and the name Iah both which being drawne from this description of God doe set forth the manner of his Essence and Being Is there nothing that hath a being but God Esay 40.17 Nothing in comparison and therefore the Prophet saith that all nations before him are nothing yea to him lesse then nothing and if men be nothing for whom the world was made how much more are all other creatures in heauen and earth nothing before him and to him lesse then nothing Can you from hence define what God is He must haue the Art and Logick of God himself that must giue a perfect definition of God but hee may in such sort be described as he may be discerned from all false gods and all creatures whatsoeuer What is that description God is a spirit which hath his being of himselfe What meane you by that addition of himselfe It hath a secret opposition to all creatures which haue a Being but not of themselues Acts 17.28 whereas God alone is he in whom we liue and moue and haue our being which proueth that he alone hath his Being of himselfe PSAL. 145.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. c. to the end 1 O my God and King I will extoll thee and will blesse thy Name for euer and euer 2 I will blesse thee daily and praise thy Name for euer and euer 3 Great is the Lord and most worthie to be praised and his greatnesse is incomprehensible 4 Generation shall praise thy workes vnto generation and declare thy power 5 I will meditate of the beautie of thy glorious maiestie and thy wonderfull works 6 And they shall speake of the power of thy fearefull acts and I will declare thy greatnesse 7 They shall breake out into the mention of thy great goodnesse and shall sing aloud of thy righteousnesse 8 The Lord is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of graat mercie 9 The Lord is good to all his mercies are ouer all his works WHat doe you meane by this word thy Name In that the name of God is distinguished from God himself in this verse the Prophet thereby setteth forth the things whereby God doth manifest himself amongst which the chiefe and principall are his properties What are the properties of God They are essentiall faculties of God according to the diuers manner of his working which are vncommunicable with the creatures notwithstanding that there are some shadowes and glimpses of them in men and Angels How may they be considered Either in themselues as they are essentiall or in their works or effects which are all perfect What are the principall propeâ—â—â—â— in God Ioh. 4.24 Simplenes and infinitenes aâ—â—â—â—se which are not only vncommunicable themselues but which make all other properties of God incommunicable What is simplenes in God Exod. 33.19.20 It is an essentiall propertie in God whereby euery thing that is in God is God himselfe Therefore vncompounded without parts inuisible impassible all essence whereof it is not only called holy but holinesse not only iust but iustice c. What learne you thereby Comfort vnto the faithfull for strength of their weake faith whilest they consider that the mercie and clemencie of God is in all perfection and without change vnto them as also terror vnto the wicked whilest they consider his wrath and seueritie against them to be in most full measure the one and the other being God himselfe What doe you say of his infinitenes It is either in quantitie and greatnes or in time and eternitie What is his infinitenes in quantitie and greatnes It is an essentiall propertie in God whereby hee containeth all things Psal 139.7 Iob 11.7 Esay 66.1 1. Kings 8.17 Esay 40.12 and is contained of nothing that either is or may be imagined What learne you from hence That considering the infinite greatnesse of God wee should be put in minde that nothing which is vile and base should bee offered vnto God in the worship of him What is his infinitenes in time or eternitie It is an essentiall propertie in God Reuel 1.8.11 Esay 44 6. Psal 90.2 1. Tim. 1.17 whereby he is the first and the last What learne you hereby Wee are strenâ—â—â—ned hereby not only in the immortalitie of our soule but also in the immortalitie of our bodies after the resurrection considering that by his euerlastingnes he giueth continuall being to such of his creatures as he is pleased to giue a continuall continuance vnto What is the life of God It is an essentiall propertie of God whereby he liueth of himselfe whereof he is said only immortall Psal 36.9 Iohn 5.26 1. Tim. 6.16 1. Tim. 6.16 What is the knowledge of God It is an essentiall propertie of God whereby hee knoweth
if wee haue growne in the knowledge of the truth And secondly of our affections if we hate Poperie and loue the truth vnfainedly And so let euery one iudge himselfe that wee bee not iudged as wee must expect an harder iudgment according to the long patience of God What further That there can bee no sound agreement betwixt Poperie and the profession of the Gospell no more then betwixt light and darkenes falshood and truth God and Belial and therefore no reconciliation can be deuised betwixt them for if the members of Antichrist shall bee destroyed wee cannot in any sort communicate with their errors vnles we beare them companie in their destruction Why doth euery errour destroy the soule No verily for as euery wound killeth not the man 2. Pet. 2. so euery errour depriueth not a man of saluation but as the vitall parts being wounded or infected bring death so those errours that destroy the fundamentall points and heads of the truth bring euerlasting destruction in which kind is poperie as that which sundrilie ouerthroweth the principles and grounds of our holy faith and therefore tearmed an apostasie or departure from the faith Heere then may be asked whether the Pope may bee saued It is not impossible his sinne being not necessarily against the holy Ghost to which onely repentance is denied for some no doubt haue entred into that see ignorantly and therefore find place to repentance So much of the Antichrist what he is towards others What is he in himselfe That is set downe by two effects First that hee is vicegerent vnto Christ not by any right but by vsurpation and therefore also an aduersarie as also the word implieth both so much more dangerous as hee exerciseth his enmitie vnder the colour and pretence of Christ Wherein is he aduersarie vnto Christ Euery way in life and in office How in life In that Christ being most pure holy and holinesse it selfe the popes although in truth most filthie and abominable in blaspheming coniuring murdering whoring and that incestuously and Sodomitically yet will they in titles bee called holy yea as Christ holines it selfe How in office First in his kingdome Christs kingdome is without all outward shew or pompe but the Popes kingdome consisteth wholly in pompe and shewes as imitating his predecessors the emperors of Rome in his proud stately and lordly offices Princelie traines and outragious expences in euery sort How else in his office In raising vp another sacrifice then Christ another priesthood then his other mediators then him Is there any thing else wherein hee taketh vpon him the office of Christ Yes in that he teacheth cleane contrarie to him Christ taught nothing but what hee receiued of his father the Pope setteth out his owne canons and decrees of councels What is the second effect That he is exceedingly lift vp against all that is called God which also proueth the former exposition for Christ being very God abaseth himselfe vnto the nature of man the Pope a vile man aduanceth himselfe to the throne of God Christ being aboue secular power paid tribute and was taxed euen in his mothers wombe and suffered himselfe to be crowned with a crowne of thornes and bare his owne crosse But the Pope being vnder all secular power exalteth himselfe aboue all secular powers exacteth tribute of Kings setteth his foote on the necke of Emperours carrieth a triple crowne of gold and is borne vpon mens sholders Is not the Pope humble when he calleth himselfe the seruant of seruants No for by his owne Canonists hee doth it but dissemblingly with hypocrisie which is double iniquitie for they say that hee doth in humility say so not that he is so indeed What other answere doe they make to this obiection His seruice being limited and tied onely to Peter and Paul he needeth not to feare lest by this humiliation he be put to much paines seeing he hath wisely made himselfe seruant to those that can aske him nothing and to whom hee can performe nothing What are the effects of this his pride They are two first hee sitteth in the Church as God when as hee bindeth the consciences of men by his decrees which no Princes lawes meerely ciuill can do for these men are discharged of in the paiment of the penaltie prescribed in them By this it seemeth that the Church of Rome is yet the Church of God although corrupt seeing it is said that he sitteth in the temple of God No verily it beareth only the name of it for the Scripture giueth the name to a thing according to that it hath beene as when Christ saith the abomination shall stand in the holy place he meaneth not that the temple was then holy which at that time being no figure nor shadow of Christ and his Church was prophaned but that it had beene holy so wee confesse there hath beene a true Church in Rome which is now no Church of Christ but the Synagogue of Satan Which is the other effect He boasteth that he is God as the Popes flatterers in the Canon law cal him Our Lord God the Pope Neither is this his church-pride only in challenging the name of God but also he challengeth to himselfe things proper to God as the title of holines also to forgiue sinnes and to carrie infinit soules to hel without check or controlement and to make of nothing somthing and the scripture to be no scripture and no scripture to be scripture at his pleasure yea to make of a creature the Creator It may seeme to bee an impossible thing that men should be carried away from the faith of the Gospell by one so monstrous and directlie opposite to Christ. If at once and at a sudden he had shewed himselfe in such sort of foule colours it might haue bin doubted and therefore by certaine degrees of iniquitie he in the end came to this height of wickednesse How is that The Apostle sheweth of two courses the diuell held to bring this to passe one secret and couert before this man of sinne was reuealed the other when he was reuealed and set vp in his seate What were the waies of Antichrists comming before he was reuealed Those seuerall errours which were spread partly in the Apostles time and partly after their time therby to make a way for his comming And in this respect this mysterie of iniquitie was begun to bee wrought as it were vnder the ground and secretly in the Apostles time How was this mysterie of iniquitie wrought in the Apostles time By diuers errors sowne by heretikes as it were pettie Antichrists in that some were desirous to bee Lords ouer the Church some held iustification by works some held the worshipping of Angels some put religion in meates and some had a speciall liking of virginitie and misliking of mariage all which were beginnings and grounds of Poperie and Antichristianisme What gather you of all these That those whom God hath freed from the bondage of Poperie should striue