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
more of their horses and hounds then of their wiues and against those womē which make more of a monkey or of a parat or of a spaniell then of their husbands What note you of that that when Adam was asleepe his wife was made That the Lord is the giuer of the wife without our care And that besides our prayers to God for one the care is to be laid vpon the Lord and vpon our parents which are to vs as God was to Adam VVhy did the Lord make the woman of the man To note the neere coniunction that should be between them VVherefore doth God bring the woman To note that how fit soeuer a woman be yet she should not be receiued to wife vntill God gaue her and when he giueth her by the ordinance hee hath appointed that then he should receiue her VVhat learne you of that that Adam gaue her the name Her subiection to man VVhereof dependeth this that a man shall leaue father and mother and cleaue to his wife Of this that she was flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone and that God did giue her vnto man and he accepted her ROM chap. 11. vers 36. The creation being the former part of the execution of Gods decree being ended what is the other Gouernment Rehearse the Scripture Rom. 11.36 36 For of him and through him and for him are all things to him be glorie for euer Amen How may Gouernment be defined from this place Zach. 4.10 Prou. 25.3 Ier. 23.23 It is the execution of Gods eternall decree of all creatures which he gouerneth with all that belongeth vnto them directly to their proper ends It seemeth a thing vnworthie of Gods great and infinite maiestie to deale and haue a hand in small matters as for a King to looke to the small matters of his household Nothing at all for not one sparrow whereof two are sold for a farthing falleth without the prouidence of our heauenly father not so much as a haire of our head no it may be truly said not the bristle of a swine falleth without the prouidence of God neither is it a disgrace to the Sunne that it shineth in the foullest places How is that to be vnderstood then that the Apostle saith 1. Cor. 9.9 Hath God care for oxen It is spoken onely by way of comparison hauing regard to the great care hee hath of men for in respect hee commanded that they should not muzzle the mouth of the oxe that did tread out the corne by the care he hath of oxen he would shew that his care is much more for men especially for the Ministers of his Gospell But it seemeth God hath no gouernment in things that come by casualtie Yes verely euen of things most subiect to chance for the lots are cast into the bosome Prou. 16.33 yet the issue of them and their euents hang vpon God VVhat is the vse of this doctrine First to breed thankfulnes to God in all things that come vnto vs according to our desire not to sacrifice to our owne nets Hab. 1.16 or to stay our mindes in the instruments thereof without looking vp and this vse the Apostle expressely noteth when hee saith to him be glorie c. Secondly to cause humilitie vnder the hand of God when they come otherwise Thirdly to work patience as in the seruants of God it hath It is the Lord let him doe what pleaseth him 1. Sam. 3.18 But it seemeth that the inequalitie holden in the gouernment of men should proue that all things are not gouerned by the Lord for the worst are richest oftentimes and the best poore His gouernment in all things whatsoeuer is good for he is no lesse good in his gouernment then in his creation If God did guide all things wee should haue no Serpents and other noisome and hurtfull things no warre no sicknes They are instruments and meanes of the execution of Gods iustice and vengeance vpon men that offend against him in which respect the Prophet saith Amos 3. There is no euill in the citie which the Lord hath not done How commeth it then to passe if these be instruments of vengeance for sin that they fall vpon the good and rather vpon them then vpon the wicked The most godly hauing the remnant of sinne that dwelleth in their mortall bodies deserue euerlasting condemnation and therefore in this life are subiect to any of the plagues of God As for that they are sharplier handled oftentimes then the wicked it is to make triall of their patience and to make shew of the graces he hath bestowed vpon them which hee will haue knowne and that it may bee assured that there is a iudgement of the world to come wherein euery one shall receiue according to his doing 2. Thess 1. VVhat is the end or effect of this gouernment in all things whatsoeuer The one is that we should feare God farre otherwise then the wicked conclude which vpon that that it is taught Ecclesiast 3.11.14 that all things come to passe by the prouidence of God according to that he hath decreed would conclude that then a man may giue himselfe libertie to doe any thing considering that it must needs be executed that God hath decreed The other that which the Apostle noteth in this text that God therefore in all things euen in the sins of men is to bee glorified for the good things he draweth foorth from their euill Hauing spoken of the duties God required of man and whereunto he had inabled him in his creation it followeth to speak of the fall which is the transgression therof VVhat place of Scripture is that wherein this is most commodiously handled The third chapter of Genesis where the first transgression is set foorth which was also the originall of all other transgressions GEN. Chap. 3. vers 1. and so to the end WHat is the summe of that Chapter The fall of the reasonable creatures especially of mankinde and the wretched estate he threw himselfe and all his posteritie into How consider you of the fall of the reasonable creatures First in the fall of certaine Angels then of Man How is the fall of the Angels considered out of this place In that he that vsed the Serpent for an instrument to deceiue man was a created spirit and consequently an Angell and a fallen Angell without which hee would neuer haue attempted to deceiue man VVhat doe you consider in the fall The causes of the fall and the fall it selfe VVhich be the causes They are either from things without man or from man himselfe VVhich are those that are without Either principal as the Diuell or instrumentall as the Serpent in and by whom the Diuell spake VVhat obserue you in the principall First the cause of his attempt that was his hatred to mankinde Iohn 8.44 and his enuie of his happie estate in which respect our Sauiour saith he was a murtherer from the beginning VVhat gather