others God will most especially reward The Word of God it should be publickly read on the Lords-day this is a holy and religious Exercise that is proper for the day and so necessary for the Sanctification of the Sabbath that it cannot be omitted It was usual to read something out of Holy Writ to the People every Sabbath day as you may see by that which is alleadged by St. Paul Act. 13. 27. Where he setteth it forth that the Rulers of the Jews condemned our Saviour because they knew not the voyces of the Prophets which were read every Sabbath day By this place of Scripture it is plain that it was in use to read something out of the Law and the Prophets every Sabbath-day This Custom it hath been solemnly kept and religiously observed by the Christan Churches and reading of the Scriptures as it is a Religious Exercise proper for the Day and necessary for the sanctification of the Sabbath so it is of great use and tendeth much to Edification Our Church hath wisely appointed and religiously constituted that some of the Psalms of David should be read every sabbath-Sabbath-day There be likewise Lessons appointed to be read every Lords-day two at Morning and two at Evening Prayer one out of the Old another out of the New Testament Epistles and Gospels are appointed to be read on every Sabbath thoroughout the year Where there is no Preacher or when the Minister is not prepared to Preach there be godly Homilies and fruitfull Exhortations appointed to be read unto the People If then you desire to sanctifie the Sabbath by performing in it holy and relâ—gious Exercises you shall do well to attend to the Word of God publickly read hereby you shall gain Knowledge in the Scriptures and be fitted and prepared to receive the engraâ—ted VVord of God which is able to save your souls Yea the Reading of Homilies is a kind of Preaching and if it be carefully and conscionably used no doubt but it may be as effectual peradventure more effectua for the Conversion of Souls than most Sermons that are preached in these times Think then of this holy and religious Exercise how proper it â—s for the day how necessary for the sanctification of the Sabbath and let no Lords day pass without coming up to the Temple to hear the Word of God publickly read unto you The Word of God publickly preached expounded unto the people by those that are set apart for that Office and Function It is the usual the ordinary Means of Salvation and when it is despised and contemned God will not work without it It is then a Religious Exercise of great use and of all other dayes the Sabbath is most proper for it Yet this I must say for I conceive it is the truth though the Sabbath be most proper for this Exercise yet this Exercise is neither so proper nor so necessary for the Sabbath that it should be impossible that the Sabbath should be sanctified without it This I shall easily evince out of the Scriptures in Acts 13. 15. we read how that after the reading of the Law and the Prophets the Rulers of the Synagogue sent unto Paul and Barnâ—bas saying Men and Brethren if you have any Word of Exhortation to say unto the People say on If it had been a custome of the Church to have Preaching in every Synagogue on every Sabbath day no doubt but the Reader that read there had been prepared to preach Neither would the Rulers of the Synagogue have desired the Apostles if they had any word of Exhortation to preach but rather would have said You are Ministers and Men of God alwayes prepared to Preach and therefore there is no doubt to be made but you have a Sermon and an Exhortation in readiness Though then it may be collected from hence that these Rulers were willing to accept of a Sermon when they did meet with such Ministers as were prepared to preach yet for certain their questioning with the Apostles whether they were prepared did shew that they did not hold Preaching so necessary that the Sabbath could not be sanctified without it Where the Word of God may be had by one or more able Ministers that the Word of God may he preached twice every Sabbath thrice every Sabbath if the Custom of the place be to have so many Sermons this I will not deny But that there must be Preaching every Sabbath day in every Congregation this I think it cannot be proved Some Ministers have made the world believe that the Sabbath in no place can be sanctified without preaching of Sermons and have wrought people to such an esteem of Sermons that all other of God's Ordinances are disesteemed so that no other holy and religious Exercises can find any place in the places where they are admitted but onely Sermons Yea they have turned Oratoria into Auditoria Houses of Prayer into Houses of Preaching and in all places where they have come have brought all holy and religious Exercises on the Lords day out of use but onely a Psalm and a Sermon God did never yet send such plenty of Labourers into his Harvest that there should be such store of able and painful Preachers that Sermons should be Preached every Sabbath day in every Congregation For my part I will pray unto the Lord of the Harvest that he would send Labourers into his Harvest could heartily wish that all the Ministers belonging to every Congregation in the Kingdom were indeed Prophets that they could Preach every Sabbath day or would Preach painfully and Conscionably though they Preached seldomer But this I say it is impossible that the Kingdom at this time should be thus Happy And some Ministers by buzzing in the ears of People that Preaching of the Word in every Congregation on every Sabbath-day is necessarily required by the Word of God have made the whole Kingdom miserable yea they have brought the Ordinance of God into contempt by their idle babling and lazy pratling who Talk much and often but Preach seldom But I beseech you beloved let not the abuse of God's Ordinance by some cause you to neglect the Lawful Use of it For Preaching it is the Power of God unto Salvation a Sabbath-days Exercise which of all others is of greatest Use for the Conversion of Souls for the bringing Men from Darkness to Light from Blindness and Ignorance to the Knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ Be perswaded then hear the Word of God every Sabbath-day when it is publickly Preached and never miss the Sermons love those Ministers that Preach Painfully and Conscionably and despise not those who Preach often and plead earnestly for Preaching though you know and are assured that some of them are but lazy Preachers lest haply you be found despisers and contemners of the Ordinance of God There are other Holy and Religious Exercises which are required on the Sabbath-day Catechising the Youth and the Instructing them in the Principles of
and religious Exercises Necessary works there be which may lawfully be done on the Lords day such things as concern mens necessary Nourishment may be done and no doubt but men may provide for the dumb Beasts on the Sabbath and loose the Oxe and the Asse from the Stall to be watered yea some persons are priviledged to do the works of their Calling on the Lords day Our Saviour telleth us how that on the Sabbath day the Mat. 12. 5. Priests in the Temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless And no doubt but the Ministers of the Gospel may do the works of their Calling on the Lords day yea if they beat their brains and busie their bodies the more carefully they are employed in the works of their Calling on the Lords day the more acceptable Service they perform to God It is a thing exceeding painfull to those who study for their Sermons to perform their Ministerial Function in instructing the people Their Mind doth labour and they are greatly bâ—sied on such Lords dayes as they do preach unto the People besides it is a weariness to their Bodies to read Prayers to administer the Sacraments to multitudes and to do other Duties belonging to their Place and Callings But yet working on the Lords day is a Duty belonging to their Place and Callings and an acceptable Service it is to God if it be performed carefully and conscionably as it ought Besides works of Necessity there are works of Charity which all men but especially those that are of Ability ought to perform The Visiting the sick the relieving of the Poor and doing Offices of Charity for those that are in distress It was usual with the Primitive Christians on every Lords day to make Collections and do Offices of Charity Physicians no doubt may ride and take Journeys on the Lords day temper Potions and administer Physick to the Diseased Beside works of Charity which have ever been in use and may lawfully and laudably be done works of Piety are proper for the day I purpose more particularly to insist upon these and shew how the Sabbath ought to be consecrated to such works and be spent in holy and religious Exercises so that men should be at leisure for God on that day It is a Day greatly to be observed unto the Lord and men should think of it before it cometh there is a Memento prefixed before this Commandement Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy and St. Mark calleth the day before the Sabbath the Preparation Mar. 15. ver 42. because it was usual with the People of God to prepare themselves for the Sanctification of the Sabbath as it is the Duty of all good Christians on that day they should lay aside all earthly Cogitations and worldly Businesses and separate themselves to the service of the Lord and perform all such holy and religious Exercises as are required on the day As on all dayes men ought to pray in their own Persons and with their Families so more especially on the Lords day they ought to sanctifie themselves and prepare their Families for the Sanctification of the Sabbath and for performance of such holy and religious Exercises as are required in God's House as likewise for such Duties as are required to be performed in their own Houses I shall briefly run over the publick Performances the holy and religious Exercises that are required in God's House and then likewise touch upon those that are required in every mans own house Men should with fear and reverence assemble themselves in the House of God the Place where his Honour dwelleth there after a special and more peculiar manner to worship him on the Lords day The first and special publick Duty required and of greatest concernment for the Sanctification of the Sabbath is the Praying unto God in the House of Prayer the pouring out Supplications to him the offering up to him every Sabbath day a Morning and an Evening Sacrifice worshipping him in the Beauty of Holiness with the Congregation of the Faithfull this is a Duty which cannot be omitted and that of all other Duties it is most especially required for the Sanctification of the Sabbath I think I shall easily prove In the 56th Chapter of the Prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah ver 2. the Prophet setteth it forth That blessed is the Man that doth this and the Son of Man that layeth hold of it that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it I but you will say How shall we keep the Sabbath from polluting it and what is a special Means to sanctifie it If you read that Chapter and consider seriously of the Blessedness which God bath pronounced upon those that keep his Sabbaths you must needs see that a principal means of sanctifying his Sabbath whereby to procure the like blessing upon your selves is to pray unto God in his House upon his Holy Day in vers 4. Thus saith the Lord of the Eunuches that keep my Sabbaths and choose the things that please me and lay hold of my Covenant even to them will I give in mine House and within my walls a place and a Name better than of Sons and Daughters I will give them an everlasting Name which shall not be cut off Also the Sons of the Strangers that joyn themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love the Name of the Lord to be his servants every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it and taketh hold of my Covenant even them will I bring to my holy Mountain and make them joyfull in my House of Prayer Their Burnt-offerings and their Sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine Altar For mine House shall be called a House of Prayâ—r to all People When God by the Prophet speaketh of his accepting the Burnt-offerings of the Strangers of the Eunuchs the words are meant of the offering up to him the calves of their Lips these are the Offerings that he will accept no doubt but the words are to be understood of the Sacrifice of Prayse of the Oblations of Prayer as is manifestly proved by that which immediately followeth Mine house shall be called an house of Prayer to all People Yea he that seeth not that the principal Means of sanctifying God's Sabbath is to pray unto God in his House of Prayer he must needs be a stranger to the Scriptures and the Word of God If then you will indeed sanctifie God's Sabbath by performing in it holy and religious Exercises be perswaded to tread his Courts and be present continually at Divine Service Slight not Divine Service and say not as it is the common custom of most men in these times If we goe up to Gods House we shall hear there onely a few Prayers but say rather on the contrary If we go up to Gods House we shall there say our Prayers with the Congregation of the faithfull worship God in the Beauty of Holiness which is a principal Means of sanctifying Gods Sabbath and a Duty which of all
which tendeth more to Edification and that is whether God's Consecrating a Seventh Day to himself and Commanding a weekly Sabbath to be Sanctified whether this take away the Service of God on Holy days or on other days of the week To this I Answer that our weekly Sabbath is severed and set a part and after a peculiar manner Sanctified for God's Use but yet we ought to provide for the Service of God in some manner and measure every Day in the week but especially Holy-days and our usual Festivals they ought solemnly to be kept and Religiously Observed though there be no day of Divine Institution which God hath expresly Commanded to be kept Holy but our weekly Sabbath yet all hold that more time should be allotted to his Service and the Equity of Constituting Holy-days of serving God on the week days of Prayâ—ng unto him Publickly Privately in his House in our own Houses these things are grounded on the Fourth Commandment I shall first prove it concerning Holy-days that God's Commanding a weekly Sabbath after a peculiar manâ—er to be Sanctified it doth not inhibit but rather command a solemn Observation of our usual Festivals To this opinion Mr. Calvin inclineth Non sic sâ—ptenarium numerum Lib. 2. in cap. 8. sect 34. moror ut ejus servituti Ecclesiam restringam neque Ecclesias dannavero quae alios conventibus suis solennes dies habeant modo à superstitione absint I stick not so saith Mr. Calvin to the Number of Seven that it should bind the Church to the bondage of the seventh day Neither will I condemn Churches that have other Solemn Dayes for their publique Meetings Aret. 〈◊〉 com de feriis so they be voyd of Superstition To this Aretius consenteth Vt alii alios dies adderent Sabbato feriandos nihil in hac revitii in esse judicamus That some should adde other dayes to the Sabbath to be kept holy we do not think this to be amiss And Vrsin in his Catechism having propounded what is required in the Fourth Commandement returneth this Answer Vt ego cum aliis precipue Festis diebus coetus divinos frequentem That I with others especially on Holy Dayes should be present at solemn Assemblies and Divine Meetings Sermon on Job 10. v. 22. Dr. Donn sometimes Dean of Pauls hath delivered his Opinion agreeable to this Though God hath taken a seventh part of our time in the Sabbath yet he taketh more too for he appointeth other Sabbaths other Festivals and in all Sabbaths there is a cessation To this agreeth Bucer having spoken of the Sanctification of the Lords day he further addeth it is agreeable to our Piety to sanctifie other Festivals also to the Commemoration of the Lord his chief works whereby he perfected our Redemption as the day of our Saviours Incarnation Nativity Epiphany the Passion Resurrection Pentecost Besides our usual Festivals and solemn dayes of Rejoycing which though they be appointed by men yet the Equity of constituting them is grounded on the Fourth Commandement no reasonable man nor good Christian will deny but some time may but some time ought to be appointed every day in the Week for the Service of God In Towns and Cities where People may conveniently meet that they ought to resort to the Temple and the House of God to offer unto him their Morning and their Evening Sacrifice and worship him in the Beauty of Holiness this is a thing so just and reasonable that I hope I need not tell those who doe this that they do but their Duties for their own Consciences wâ—ll tell those who live in places where they may doe it that they ought to pray publiquely every day in the week and attend upon God's service continually We are not so happy in Countrey Villages that we should meet publickly every day in the week to worship God in the Beauty of Holiness And for People that live in unwalled Towns and Countrey Villages if they keep the Church duely on Sundayes and Holydayes Week-dayes Prayers are required of them but at some times in the year and when they are required it is not required that they should pray every day in the week It is truth Masters of Families should be mindfull of Houshold-piety and there are none but they should pray in their own persons continually such a Sabbath of Rest should be sanctified to God continually and it is grounded on the Morality of the Fourth Commandement I shall conclude in the words of Mr. Greenham in his Treatise of the Sabbath though no day ought to be separated from God's use the Sabbath ought to be severed from all other uses and wholly consecrated to him Men ought to keep their set-times of Prayer and pray privately every day in the week in their Houses and with their Families and men ought publickly to attend upon God in his House and privately be at leisure for holy Exercises on Holy dayes All Holy-dayes are not but if some be so severed for holy Exercises that they are as carefully kept and as religiously observed to the worlds eye as our Christian Sabbath yet if men through heedlesness and inadvertency do some slight works of their Callings in them and do not those things purposely in contempt of Authority for certain this is not so hainous a sin that men need to task themselves with a dayes or a weeks Repentance for it and if men be at leisure for holy and religious Exercises on Holy-dayes no doubt but on these dayes they may be at leisure for themselves and have some time to recreate and refresh themselves on Holy-dayes especially those of the meaner sort who have no other times of Recreation Holy-dayes they are not so severed for holy and religious Exercises but some works may be done in them if they be not done in contempt oâ— Authority and at fitting and convenient times lawfull Sports and Pastimes may lawfully be used in them especially by those of the meaner sort Other working dayes they are not exempted from God's Service we are bound to serve God in them and to pray unto him but yet these are Our dayes God hath given them us to follow our necessary Occasions and worldly businesses No day that may properly be termed God's day but the seventh day of his Consecration our weekly Sabbath this is the day which God after a peculiar manner hath sanctified and he requireth that we after a special and more peculiar manner should observe it and keep it Holy Rest from Labour from worldly businesses and Employments is required on the Sabbath Men must not follow the works of their calling but must as neer as they can abstain from all corporal labour They must likewise rest from sin as on all dayes so more especially on Gods Holy day they must abstain from following their own wayes from finding their own pleasure and from speaking their own words They must likewise work the works of Righteousness and be carefully employed in holy
Religion if it be not necessary on every Sabbath-day yet it is on some Sabbath-days very seasonable and People should at seasonable times on some Sabbath-days send their Servants and their Children to be Instructed in the Principles of Religion and to be Catechised The Receiving of the Sacraments are Holy and Religious Exercises to be performed if possibly it may be on the Lords day It was usual with the Primitive Christians on every Lords day to eat of that Heavenly and Soul-refreshing Manna the Body and Blood of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And hereupon was that usual and Ordinary speech amongst them Celebrasti Dominicum sumpsisti Dominum thou didst keep the Lords day thou didst feed on thy Lord and Saviour eat his Body and drink his Blood It is not in use with us on every Lords day to Celebrate the Lords Supper yet this is a Duty often to be performed as St. Paul setteth it forth to the Corinthians first Epistle 11th Chapter and we should as often as conveniently we can Sanctifie the Lords Day by Receiving in it the Lords Supper The other Sacrament of Baptism it should likewise if with conveniency it may be Administred on the Lords day for the Sanctifying the Sabbath by performing in it this Holy and Religious Exercise for it is a means to put People in mind of the Vows and Promises that they themselves did make to God in Baptism I have been something longer than I made Account in Treating of those Publique Religious performances that should be performed in Gods House I shall but touch upon those that should be performed in every Man 's own House Private Meditation upon the Word of God whether Read or Preached this is a Duty that careful Christians ought Conscionably to perform in their own Houses When they are Retired to their Houses and are private by themselves they should digest by Meditation the good Word of God Treasure it up in their Hearts to bring forth the Fruit of it in their Lives and Conversations If they come into Company and have Occasion to Discourse with any whether in their own Houses or with others in theirs They should endeavour to break off all Discourse of Earthly Affairs and Worldly businesse and should Reason of the Scriptures of things concerning their Salvation On the Lords day especially they should think of St. Paul's Exhortation to the Ephâ—sians Chap. 4. ver 29. And let no Corrupt Communication proceed out of their Mouths but such as is good to the use of Edifying that it may minister Grace to the Hearers At leisure times they should Catechise and Instruct their Children on the Lords day Read in their Families the Word of God talk of it when they sit in their Houses and walk before their Families in the ways of God's Commandments When they have performed all these Duties they should shut up the Sabbath with Prayers and Supplications and as near as they can spend the whole day in Holy and Religious Exercises If we did our Duties as we ought we should indeed so Sanctifie God's Sabbath that in it we should neither think our own thoughts nor speak our own words nor do our own works But the best fall short of their Duties and do not Sanctifie God's Sabbath according as he requireth they may hope to be so happy in Heaven but they can never be so Holy on Earth yea the good God will pardon those that set their hearts to seek and to serve him though their failings and fallings are great and many not onely on week days but on the Lords day yea he is an indulgent Father And such things as are reputed by some to be great sins as the Carriage of Beds and the bearing of Burdens and the selling Wares in those of the meaner sort he will look upon them as no sins or as very small Infirmities If men fall out of Infirmity and are grieved for these things and are wary and watchful over themselves how they fall into those sins for time to come Or else do these things at the Command of their Governours and Superiours who they know would not Command them such things if they did not know that they were such works of Necessity as may be done on any Sabbath-day or such works of Necessity as must be done on that Sabbath-day as they Command them And he will not see concerning some that are Persons of Quality and Fashion Ministers and Magistrates that they are not frequent in performance of Holy and Religious Exercises And if they be drawn in to Feast and Banquet on the Lords day and do Prophane the Sabbath by foolish talking and vain jesting yet if they Repent of their failings of their fallings and do not wilfully prophane the Sabbath themselves nor nourish others in the contempt of Holy and Religious Exercises he will pardon and forgive those sins for he considereth of the Temptations that some have to sin of the pull-backs and hinderances that they have to Piety And again he is very strict and precise a severe Judge and will see in some of the meaner sort such things as seem to the Worlds eye to be very small Infirmities the gathering of sticks and playing in the streets and note them as hainous sins yea he will not see that those that do those things keep the Church duly and are frequent in Religious Exercises if they do these things out of Hypocrisie to bear themselves out in their presumptuous wickedness And he will note some that are Persons of Quality and Fashion how they prophane the Sabbath by idle Discourse and vain talking and will not observe it in them that they are frequent and often in the performance of Religious Exercises If they make Religion a Cloak for their Malice and will not Repent of this sin but are obstinate to have all Men as frequent and often in performance of Holy and Religious Exercises as themselves for he considereth of the Opportunities that some have to do good of the helps and encouragements that they have to Piety Yea the Merciful God hath a care of the dumb Beasts and one of the Reasons why he hath Ordained a Sabbath is that they should rest every seventh day and not be over-harrowed with working And much more hath he a care of reasonable Creatures he hath Ordained a Sabbath of Rest not meerly out of respect to himself that he should be Served and his Sabbath Sanctified by performing in them Holy and Religious Exercises but he hath a respect to Servants and Day Labourers and hath Ordained a seventh day of Rest that Servants and Day-Labourers might have some time to rest from Labour as well as their Masters So it is set forth in the 5th of Deut. 14 ver the latter part of the verse one of the Reasons why God hath Commanded a Sabbath of Rest to be kept Holy is that the Man-Servant and the Maid-Servant may Rest as well as thou If thou beest a Master of a Family
thou mayst when thou wilt Rest from Labour God hath appointed a time when the Man-Servant and the Maid-Servant may do this as well as thy self and that is upon his Sabbath of Rest Now thy Man-Servant and thy Maid-Servant may Rest as well as thou yea thou art bound in equity and Conscience to favour thy Servants and after a special manner give them Rest on the Lords day Not that Servants or Labourers are exempted from Sanctifying God's Sabbaths by performing in them Holy and Religious Exercises But this I say if they keep the Church duly and shew no distaste or dislike of Houshold Piety but are willing to hear the Word read and to Pray with their Masters on the Lords day when they are required They should in Mercy and Compassion to them give them some time wherein they may rest from Labour and have a Relaxation from Spiritual and Divine Duties The Spirit truly is willing but the Flesh is weak and Masters of Families cannot so Sanctifie God's Sabbath that they should spend it wholly in Religious Exercises and therefore they should not wonder at their Servants if they be willing on the Sabbath-day to have some time wherein they may Rest from Labour and have a Relaxation from Spiritual and Divine Duties Yea the wisdom of Governours considering the impossibility that all the world should be wholly devoted to Holy and Religious Exercises on the Lords day did think fitting to permit Day-Labourers Men-servants and Maid-servants to recreate themselves at seasonable times on the Lords day lest while they Rested from Labour and were vacant from Spiritual and Divine Duties they should run out into Riot and Excess or into some worse sins This Toleration of sports and pastimes on the Lords day did no more disprove the Morality of the Sabbath nor no more prove sports and pastimes on the Lords day to be Lawful than the Statute that stinteth Usury at a certain summe in the hundred proveth Usury to be Lawful by the Word of God Whereas the Statute is express that no Man should Collect from that Statute that that Usury or any Usury was Law-Lawful in Religion and Conscience But it hath been Objected heretofore by some and it may be will be Objected again That there was never any Law made heretofore for the toleration of Sports and Pastimes on the Lords day Because there is an Act of Parliament that doth expresly forbid that no Persons should go out of their own Parish to use any sports and pastimes whatsoever To this I Answer that it was usual in times of Popery of blindness and of Ignorance Many Parishes did meet at one Parish to Celebrate Bacchanalian Feasts and to have tumultuous Assemblies Drunken Wakes and Disordered Meetings And the wisdom of Governours did prudently provide against this mischief But it may be probably Collected and reasonably Concluded that the Honourable Assembly the High Court of Parliament by prohibiting People to go out of their own Parishes to use sports and pastimes on the Lords day did tacitely yield that if they did keep themselves within their own Parishes they might at seasonable times use such sports and pastimes on the Lords day as were judged Lawful on other days But if the Honourable Assembly the High Court of Parliament shall Declare that this is not the meaning of that Act and shall hereafter with the consent of his Sacred Majesty make an Act against Peoples using all sports and pastimes whatsoever as well in their own Parishes as out of them It becometh me and all peaceable Sons of the Church to judge That no body ought to tolerate themselves or to countenance or encourage others in the use of any sports and pastimes on the Lords day whether in their own Parishes or out of them But yet this I say the Holy Man Job in the Profession of his Innocency Job 31. 13. layeth it down How he did not despise the Cause of his Man-Servant or of his Maid-Servant when they contended with him And Masters of Families while they look to restrain their Servants from using sports and Pastimes on the Lords day they should take heed how they constrain them to work It is usual with some Masters of Families who seem to be very Pious very watchful over their Servants that they use no sports and pastimes on the Lords day they very frequently constrain them to work on the Lords day Set them to mend yea to make Hedges no necessity constraining Yea many times they set them to Brew and do Actions as painful and laborious as any are done on the week days Masters of Families if they do Observe in their Servants a care of Religion and Piety that they are willing to be present at Divine Duties Publickly at Gods House Privately in their Houses they should be compassionate towards them allow them some times to refresh themselves to rest from Labour on the Lords day Yea they should be thus Merciful to the dumb Beasts for God many times heareth the groans of their Ox and their Asse and much more will he hear the Cry of their Servants when they cry against them They should be more Compassionate to them in the bowels of Compassion they should look upon their Servants and esteem of them as their Fellow-Servants in Christ Jesus and think that God hath made them Lords not Tyrants over them to cause them to drudge and droyl without any Intermission Besides times of Rest on the Lords day which they ought and are bound to allow their Servants they should think of it and allow them sometimes to recreate themselves The Church hath Constituted Holy-days and though they ought principally to be kept by performing in them Holy and Religious Exercises yet without doubt sports and pastimes at seasonable times may be used on these days And Merciful Masters if their Servants keep the Church duly and be present at publique Prayers on Holy-days they should allow them Liberty to Recreate themselves on these days to use sports and pastimes None of us can Sanctifie a Sabbath of Rest as we should in this World we should Serve God on week days on Holy-days but especially on the Lords day we have many failings and fallings and fall short of our Duties Let us bear with one anothers Infirmities and the good God shall pardon all our Infirmities and accept of our weak and imperfect Serving him APPLICATION I Have spoken of a Sabbath of Rest and indeed we should all the days of our Life keep a Sabbath unto God We should Rest from sin pray unto him always and be constantly devout But the day that he hath Sanctified and set apart for his Worship and Service we should above all days remember that after a peculiar manner Sanctifie it and spend it in Holy and Religious Exercises This is the King the Queen of Days and of all other days ought to be had in chiefest estimation It is a great Errour of the Papists when they cause the Maid to Exalt her self above
the Mistress the Hand-Maid to Rule over the Queen and suffer every petty Holy-day to justle the Lords day out of Doors Yea it was usual with us in times of Blindness and Ignorance Many Parishes did Meet in one Parish to Celebrate Bacchanalian Feasts yea they did bring their May-Lady into the Church in time of Divine Service and did take off the minds of People from Religion and the Service of God causing the Lords day to be Celebrated with more Foolish vanities than ever the Heathens Celebrated the Feasts of their Belly-god Bacchus or their Lascivious Lady Venus These Times of Ignorance God winked at but now he Commandeth all Men every where to Repent Yea be perswaded to Consider of it and take heed of all back-sliding to Popery It is usual now in such places where the Romish Religion Ruleth and beareth sway the Lords day is Celebrated with little Piety in God's House and with more prophaneness out of it And yet I beseech you suffer the word of Exhortation let us not so Oppose Papism that we should run into the contrary extreme of Atheism The Papists they do so slight the Lords day that they prefer every Ordinary Holy-day before it And we or at the least the greatest part of us do so highly magnifie the Lords day that we have thrust all other holy days out of the Kalendar We should Serve God on week days Come up to his Temple too to serve him and to Pray unto him on Holy-days There be other Sabbaths besides the Seventh day of Gods Institut on and God requireth not onely that we hear the Instruction of him our Heavenly Father and keep Holy his Sabbath the Seventh day which he hath expressly Commanded to be Sanctified But he requireth that we forsake not the Laws and Constitutions that the Church our Mother giveth us concerning the Sanctifying of Holy-days for these likewise are God's Sabbaths though Constituted by the Church and God requireth that we keep his Sabbaths and Reverence his Sanctuary We should serve God on week days come up to his House and serve him on Holy-days and after a special manner Sanctifie the Seventh day of his Consecration But we on the contrary have polluted God's Sabbaths prophaned his Sanctuary and notwithstanding the noise that is made of Holy and Religious Exercises on the Lords day the Lords day was never less hallowed Shall I shew you how it was of late days when there was no King in Israel but every body did that was right in their own eyes Publick Forms of Prayer wherein People might joyn with the Priest on the Lords day where they were used they were very much scorned and contemned and in most places quite given over And on week days and on Holy-days not permitted at all to be used The Word of God where it was publickly read was very much slighted and in many places not read at all So that People for want of having the Scriptures and the Word of God read unto them were kept in more blindness and Ignorance than they are in the Papacy Publick Catechising of the Youth at seasonable times and the reading of Homilies for the Instructing of People in the Principles of Religion they were despised as things unprofitable and of no use at all The Sacrament of the Lords Supper in many places and most Churches it was not publickly Administred for many Years together The Sacrament of Baptism a prejudice was wrought against it and People were made to believe that they ought not to Baptize their Children or bring them within the Covenant Since it hath pleased God to restore us to Government and the Blessings of it the same design as it is greatly to be feared is still under-hand carryed on and some that seem to Conform and be Obedient to the present Government under a pretence of their love to Piety and their Care of en to perform Holy and Religious Exercises seek to make themselves and their followers Independent that is not subject to any Temporal Magistrate or Ecclesiastical Governour We will be so Charitable as to believe that they did heretofore often Fall and Pray and perform other Holy and Religious Exercises themselves in private And receive the Sacrament in publick with their own Companies But they did bereave the World of the use of all God's Ordinances in publick but Psalm and a Sermon And no doubt of it but divers of them do now pray in private read the Word of God in their Families Catechise and Instruct their Children and perform other Holy Religious Exercises very frequently in private and I cannot believe that any vertuous Religious Governour either in Church or Common-wealth meaneth to trouble them for or disturb them in these things If those of the Clergy among them will say the publick Prayers of the Church after that manner that they are enjoyned to say them and will read the Scriptures in publick and the Homilies of the Church so as to work people to a love of them and of the good Instructions therein contained and not read them after that manner as to cause them to be scorned of the multitude and not neglect publick Catechising but perform it according as it is enjoyned to be performed And they of the Laâ—ty will work themselves and others to a Reverend esteem of these publick Religious Duties and diligently frequent them and Carefully and Conscionably use them as in Obedience to God's Laws and Mens they ought And both the one and the other will give over their private Conventicles and giddy Meetings and not slander the present Government nor traduce the Governours nor draw scorn and contempt upon all publick Religious Duties that are enjoyned by Authority except Sermons as things that have all things of Man and nothing of God in them They that are Religious amongst them shall not be discountenanced by Magistrates or any Body else for their Piety and Godliness Of those who have been heretofore and are still opposite to the present Government and labour to work others to be of their mind and Opinion Many are Ignorant Persons and as they have no will to pray in publick so they have no skill to pray in private and are taken in onely to bear up the Train of the Faction Others of them whatsoever others Report of them or they Report of themselves they are wicked prophane ungodly Persons their sins apparent and conspicuous obvious to every Eye and though their absenting themselves from and their slighting of publick Religious performances causeth them to be noted of the Faction to be Saints yet their private Religious performances are neither so frequent nor so fervent that any should take notice of them but themselves and those of their own Faction Some well meaning Men there be among them both of the Clergy and the Laity who love and practise Holy and Religious Exercises in private and are not nor would not be any great Enemies to them in publick But that the Grandees of