as it were of the Iewes to traine them vp like children The vse of ceremonies vnto the Iewes vnder the pedagogie of the law and to this end hee prouided diuers outward ceremonies representatiue that might bee alwaies before their eyes to put them in remembrance of the inwarde graces signified and represented by them Insomuch that whither soeuer they did cast their eyes there was something to teach them For if they looked vpon their bodies then circumcision offered it selfe if vpon the couerings of their bodies the fringes taught them if vpon their tables there was choise of meates if they came into their houses the Law was written vpon the lintles of their doores if they went into the fields there were the first fruites if vnto their flockes there were the first borne to be redeemed if they brought foorth children then the first begotten if they thought vpon the times there were also remembrances for them In the week the seuenth day in the moneth the first day and in the yeere the seuenth and the fiftith were to be kept holy but if they came into the Temple then the shadowes were in number without number there was the Altar the sacrifice the vaile the mercie seate and a number such like which did most liuelie shadowe out Christ vnto them For in all these ceremonies Moses wrote of him Ioh. 5. 46. but now all these shadowes are ended for the bodie which is Christ is come And hee hath taken them away and therefore now wee must not any more bee lead as children but as men of a riper age For if wee should yet hold these things it were to bee feared that the Apostles and Ministers of the Gospell that haue troden in their footings had bestowed their labour vpon vs in vaine Galat. 4. These feasts therefore and ceremoniall rites and ritely ceremonies the date of them being out long agoe the writings razed and the seales cancelled we intend not to spend any longer time in the suruey of them § Sect. 4 Come wee therefore now from the shadow to intreate of the substance and from the ceremoniall Sabbaths to intreate of that Sabbath which is morall which is here commanded in the Decalogue to be kept holy For of this only is mention made in this place and not of the other Sabbaths Therefore the Lord saith Remember the Sabbath speaking of one and not remember the Sabbaths as intending to establish and perpetuate many by his commaund And that hee meaneth this morall Sabbath appeareth by the reasons where he sheweth that it was that Sabbath which was to be kept one day of seuen Indeede I confesse that the other Sabbaths were here by a figure called Synecdoche inclusiuelie commaunded so long as the ceremoniall law continued euen as in the second commaundement were also commanded all the ceremonies in Gods outward worship so long as the ceremoniall law was to continue but when there was another kinde of outward worship instituted the former fell away and yet the second commaundement continued a lasting precept euen vnto vs for euer so also might these ceremoniall Sabbaths for the time they lasted bee here in the fourth precept commaunded and yet when the ceremonies were to haue an end they were to determine with the ceremonies the commaundement notwithstanding to remaine for euer and as effectually and fully to commaund these other times that should afterwards be appointed by Christ or his Apostles in the steede of the Sabbaths as euer it did commaund the former § Sect. 5 Hence therefore wee may obserue that being the Sabbath is expresly commanded in that law which is perpetuall and is a part of that law That the Sabbath is perpetuall that therefore the Sabbath is also perpetuall Now that it is here commanded and is a part of this morall law I thinke no man will be so blunt to denie And that this law is perpetuall appeareth first in that it is the same with the law of nature that is written in the hearts of all men For The morall law the same with the law of nature what else is the law of nature but a diuine rule written in the hearts of all men more or lesse by God himselfe by which they know in generall what is good and what is euill Now that this law is the very selfe same with it who seeth not Only there is this difference that the one is written in stone as well as in the harts of men whereas the other is onely written in the stonie hearts of men which difference is onely in the manner but as touching the substance they are all one And therefore the Apostle Rom. 4. 14. saith that the Gentiles which were without the law vnderstand written in stone yet did by nature the things contained in the law which as he saith shewed the effect or sentence of the law written in their hearts Which he proueth by the working of their own consciences that did both excuse and accuse them And were it not a thing superfluous in a matter so euident and so often done by others if a man should but a little examine the records and writings of the ancients he might find the very selfe same things with Moses law written and confessed by the Heathens themselues And first to let passe these things which wee haue in common with the beasts as that euery nature seeketh the preseruation of it selfe and the propagation of it kinde come wee first vnto the first table for if the Heathens were ignorant in any thing it was in things concerning God Wherein I confesse the law of sinne after the fall had much ouer growne the law of nature yet notwithstanding God would not in this leaue them without testimonie Act. 14. 17 to the intent that they might bee without excuse as he saith Rom. 1. 20 and therefore that which might be knowne of God was manifested vnto them for God had shewed it vnto them Rom. 1. 19. And that it was so appeareth in the records that yet are extant and are alleadged by the Fathers to that purpose And to begin with the very first commaundement which teacheth the true knowledge and inward worshippe of God Haue not the Philosophers themselues as Plato Pythagoras and the rest written whole discourses of his nature attributes and worship which if a man desire to know hee may either reade in their own writings or find them vrged to that purpose by the Fathers that had this controuersie with the Heathen that knew not God And for the second commaundement let Numa Pompilius by name testifie what he thought of it who as Plutarch witnesseth in his life would not so much as suffer an image in Rome to be erected For saith he being that God is an inuisible spirit hee was not to bee figured by any visible image And this was so generally receiued amongst them as that for the space of 170. yeeres there was no image of God erected in Rome And as touching the third commandement
labour which this is one doubt that sticketh vp like a thorne in a drunkards hand wherewith hee hurteth himselfe and others namely that euery day is a Sabbath or rest from sinne and that therfore now wee are not any more bound to keepe any particular Sabbath Now to proue that we must keep euery day a Sabbath they alleage that Heb. 4. 10. where it is said that he that is entred into this rest hath ceased from his owne workes as God did from his and that therefore we must euery day keepe a rest from sinne To which I answere Were it so that all they that vrge this did it of a desire and loue they haue to the Lords Sabbath they were the lesse to bee blamed howbeit it is certaine that they pleade this most that least delight in the Sabbath when it comes and they doe it not that they would haue other daies to be kept as the Sabbath but because they would haue the Sabbath to be kept but as another day But howsoeuer yet I do not see how out of that place they may make this appeare For first I see not how Gods resting from his workes may be a figure of our resting from our sinfull workes there being no proportion between them which alwaies is betweene the signe and the thing signified Secondly if this rest were a signe or figure of our rest from sinne it must be so vnto Adam also for the law was giuen vnto him Now how could that be a figure vnto him of his resting from sinne when as yet hee had not sinned Thirdly be it that there were such a rest yet what doth the keeping of this rest morally hinder the keeping of that from sinne nay rather is it not a principall meanes for the furtherance thereof For doth not rest from wordly affaires and imployment in holie duties take away all occasions of sinne Fourthly were it granted that we must rest euery day from sinne yet this their collection that therefore wee should not rest from labour to keepe the Sabbath holy followeth not therupon no more than because a man is bound to receiue euery morsell of meate with giuing thankes that therefore he should say he were not bound to receiue the Lords Supper otherwise than as common bread or rather not to receiue the Lords Supper at all because he euery day receiueth bread with giuing of thankes Fiftly that which in that place is made significant was the seuenth day from the creation for the text saith he speaketh in a certaine place of the seuenth day not of the Sabbath Whereby it is plaine that that which was significant was the seuenth day from the creation on which God is there said to rest and it might be this was a signe that they should in the like manner rest vpon the seuenth day from their works as God did from his to which end Gods example is brought as a reason to perswade vs to rest because God rested as also it might bee a signe of our eternall rest in heauen And that indeede the Apostle meaneth there when hee saith vers 10. that hee which hath entred into his rest that is into heauen hath ceased from his owne workes What of sinne No but of his calling for this rest Adam should haue entred into though he had neuer sinned But last of all be it that in this place he meaneth this rest from sinne to bee shadowed out yet that rest is in heauen but in this life no man hath or indeed can rest from his sinfull workes as God did from his workes which the Apostle affirmeth of those that haue entred into his rest But this argument how wind-shaken it is I hope euery man seeth I will spend therefore no more time to pluck this thorne out of the drunkards hand It resteth that I should here answere that which is vrged by some out of the Epistle vnto the Coloss chap. 2. vers 16 17. Let no man condemne you in respect of an holy day or of the new Moone or of the Sabbaths But because we shall haue a more fit oportunitie offered to speake of it in the next chapter I therefore thither remit the reader That which remaineth to be spoken of last of all is the vse of this that being the Sabbath is perpetuall therefore men take heed how they suffer this truth to be wrested away from them by the cunning sleights of Sathan or be drawne on by the alurements of euill men to abuse it to their owne pleasures or profits to runne ride or sport themselues vpon it as if it were lawfull as vpon another day or as if God had neuer said the word keepe it holy And this much as touching the first point namely that the Sabbath is perpetuall CHAP. III. The time of the rest not perpetuall Sect. 1. It was meet the Sabbath day should be changed Sect. 2. How the Sabbath is changed and yet perpetuall Sect. 3. The Sabbath changed from the seuenth day to the first Sect. 4. The reasons of that change Sect. 5. 6. 7. 8. Obiections to the contrarie answered Sect. 9. 10. Whether wee may call it still the Sabbath day Sect. 11. Whether the time of the Sabbath may not be changed againe Sect. 12. § Sect. 1 BVt now as is the rest so is not the day or time of the rest perpetuall The time of the rest not perpetuall for if you marke God saith not remember the seuenth day to rest vpon it but remember the day of rest which is the second thing that we obserue in this commandement and giueth vs occasion to consider of another question Which is whether the Apostles might chaunge the Sabbath vnto any other day then that which the Iewes kept Which they might doe first because the seuenth day kept amongst the Iewes was ceremoniall and did shadow out vnto vs our eternall rest as appeareth Heb. 4. 4. 10. which was one cause that moued the Apostles to chaunge the day As also they might doe it because they found no limited day set downe in the commaundement For as for that which followeth afterwards the seuenth is the Sabbath it is no part of the morall precept but onely an explication of it For if that were a part of it then this also must be a part sixe daies shalt thou labour which to graunt were absurd because then we should make duties betwixt man and man to bee taught in the first table which onely teacheth man this dutie to God and the second the dutie of man to man as Christ sheweth Matth. 22. 38. as also they being two things so contrarie as rest and labour I cannot see but they must also be two commaundements Besides all this in the reasons there be many things that concerned onely the Iewes as in the fifth commaundement Honour thy father and mother the reason is that thy daies may be long in the land which the Lord thy God giueth thee Now it is certaine that this promise had only reference vnto
this law was kept thousands of yeres before these ceremonies were added so I see no reason but that they may cōtinue thousands of yeres after they be done away § Sect. 4 In the assured ground of which truth the Apostles being well setled and grounded by the great teacher of the world retaining the rest change the time from the seuenth that the Iewes The change of the time of the Sabbath kept vnto the first day of the weeke Which change of theirs appeareth in their practise that vpon this day they did vsually assemble as wee may see first Ioh. 20. 19. that day vpon which Christ rose they were assembled together then eight daies after which was the next first day of the weeke they were againe assembled vers 26 and Acts 2. 1. when the holie Ghost descended vpon them they were again assembled vpon this day where although the first day of the week be not named yet Pentecost is which fell vpon the first day of the weeke as appeareth by that Leuit. 23. vers 15. where they were required to bring a sheafe of their first fruits the morrow after the Sabbath in the Passeouer and betwixt that and Pentecost they were to reckon fiftie daies so that the day of his resurrection falling the morrow after the Iewes Sabbath which is the first day of the week Pentecost must needs also fall the first day of the weeke And as the Apostles did practise this so did also the whole Church Act. 20. 7. Yea and the Apostle himselfe doth there celebrate this day with the administration of the word and Sacraments As also 1. Cor. 16. 1. hee doth vpon this day ordaine collections in the Church of Corinth like as hee there testifieth he had done in the Church of Galatia And last of all to giue the greater assurance of this Rom. 1. 10 the Apostle calleth it the Lords day thereby as it were vpon his new institution to grace it the more the time being changed as he did the Sacrament in the like manner by calling it the Lords Supper the signe being chaunged 1. Cor. 11. 20. § Sect. 5 Now this they did vpon these reasons First to put a difference betwixt the Iewish Sabbath The reasons of the change and the true Christian Sabbath Secondly because as God the Father did sanctifie the seuenth from the creation by his resting vpon it from the work of the creation so did God the Sonne sanctifie this seuenth from the redemption by his rising againe and resting vpon it from the worke of the redemption Thirdly because that this worke of the redemption being a greater work than that of the creation and his rest from affliction being a greater rest than that from labour it better deserued to beare the name and credit of the day than that from the creation Fourthly because Christ did vouchsafe also to honour this day aboue all the other daies of the weeke by his seuerall appearings vpon it as well as by his rising againe vpon it For vpon this day when hee rose hee appeared foure times first to Mary Magdalen in the morning Ioh. 20. 1. 14. Secondly vnto the other women as they were going to relate vnto the Apostles his resurrection which the Angels had told them of before at the sepulchre Matth. 28. 9. Thirdly to the two Disciples going to Emmaus which also was the same day for they said it was the third day since these things were done Luk. 24. 21. And lastly the same day at night hee appeared vnto his Disciples Ioh. 20. 19. but afterwards though Thomas his faith wanted confirmation in the matter of the resurrection yet hee did not againe manifest himself vntill the returne of the same day which Iohn noteth when he saith hee appeared againe eight daies after vnto them when Thomas was present Fiftly as Christ did vouchsafe to honor this day by his resurrection so also doth the holie Ghost by his descention vpon it for Whitsontide or Pentecost did fall vpon that day as before is manifest And last of all vpon this day began the creation of the world so that vpon this day wee haue to meditate both vpon our creation redemption and sanctification Now vpon all these reasons the Apostles changed the Sabbath into the first day of the weeke Now had they done it because they might do it by their authoritie Apostolique for they were lead into all truth by that spirit which could not erre or had they onely done it because it was meete to be done that the people might be kept from Iudaizing which in trueth inclined too much that way or had they done it because happely the day was ceremoniall who could haue iustly accepted against it But now being they haue done it vpon such reasons as you haue heard it were intollerable for any to call their doings againe into question especially when as yet if we should goe about to mend the choise wee should certainly marre with mending and put out a better and fitter day than wee should put in the roome thereof For if we should place in the roome thereof a shorter time men would crie out wee cannot dispatch our businesse betweene the Sabbaths if a longer then Gods busines should be too much slacked let vs therfore hold the meane which the Apostles haue kept and in truth which euer hath been kept namely one day of seuen holy § Sect. 6 Yea but will some man say all this while wee see no Apostolicall institution for this day A strange case when wee pleade the institution of the Sabbath to prooue the perpetuitie of the Sabbath then men call for the practise thereof now we vrge the practise of the Apostles for the chaunge of the day they call for the institution But as Christ answered the Pharisies when they accused him falsely of breaking the Sabbath Haue you not read what Dauid did how that when he was hungry c. thereby defending that his doing by the example of Dauid in the like case so may we answere those that accuse vs for the keeping of the Sabbath vpon this day Haue you not read what the Apostles and the Church did how they did assemble vpon this day to heare the word and receiue the Sacraments I say haue you not read it If you haue then what meane you yet to call for an institution whose practise alreadie you see and whose example being not against the word is a word Although neither yet doe I doubt but that they being lead by the spirit into all truth they had a warrant for their so doing if not then from that spirit yet from him who was Lord of the spirits and of the Sabbath too who had before his departing sufficiently instructed them what to doe Which I rather think because I see the practise of their assembling vpon that day before the holie Ghost was descended Though in very deed I take this to be very great curiousnesse to inquire for their word when we see their
but that together with the day it must be quite cashered from the rest of the cōmandements as vnprofitable This it is the diuell knoweth that by the keeping of this commandement his kingdom is most of all shaken and therefore hee laboureth aboue all to shake at least if not to ouerthrow this time appointed for the worship of God § Sect. 10 Yea but in that place of the Galatians the Apostle seemeth altogether to disallow set times That of the Galatians falsely vrged by some answered in so much as he saith he is afraid that he hath bestowed his labour vpon them in vaine because they obserue daies and times But of those that vrge this I would know whether they thinke that the Apostle in this place condemneth all set times or some onely if they shall say all indifferently then it shall not be lawfull for the Church at all to appoint any set times no not for the deliuerie of the word and Sacraments which whosoeuer maintaineth is an absolute Atheist and seeketh no lesse than the ruine of Christ and his kingdome and of all religion amongst men How be it this I know those that vrge this will not allow of it to haue a day set for Gods worship being a thing both tending to edification and good order Now if they will say that it condemneth but some set daies then it either condemneth those which the Church then kept or those which the Iewes kept for there were not a third sort of daies at that time If they shall say those which the Church then kept I would know of them whether the Church might not then as lawfully appoint daies for Gods seruice as now the Apostles being then of the Church and lead by that spirit that could not erre And secondly whether they might not appoint the first day of the weeke as well as any other all daies being as they say indifferently alike Both which things if they will graunt I see not how the Apostle might iustly blame them for vsing their christian libertie in making choise of some day for to keepe the Lords Sabbath vpon Whom if hee might not iustly blame for vsing their libertie much lesse then might hee so sharply rebuke them as to stand in feare of them for the keeping of such a day as if by it all his labours had been to none effect or purpose Yea if the keeping of such times had been so bad he should haue yet done much worse himselfe to haue kept it with them which yet hee doth Act. 20. 7. But this hee should haue added aboue all that hee should speake against times set and yet should himselfe set times as we see he did in the Church of Corinth yea and in this very Church of Galatia appoint collections to be made euery first day of the weeke as wee may see 1. Cor. 16. 1 all which things or any of them once to conceiue of so great an Apostle were intollerable It remaineth therefore necessarily that they must bee vnderstood of those Iewish daies and times and yeres And that they were such appeareth euidently Col. 2. 17 where he sheweth that these daies were shadowes of things to come which onely was proper to those Iewish daies and no other And indeed the truth was thus there were crept into these Churches certaine false Apostles that laboured to ioyne Moses with Christ and to inthral their consciences with the ceremoniall yoke as though they were in conscience bound yet to keep the ceremonial law the retaining of which was no lesse than in effect to denie Christ to bee come who was the bodie of all those ceremoniall shadowes Which he obseruing beginneth to be afraid of them as he saith least they should by this meanes haue made his preaching of Christ Iesus to haue been of none effect vnto them Now as for our parts we are so farre from Iudaizing as that we retaine neither any conscience of their daies nor yet the daies themselues And therefore we obserue the Sabbath vpon the first day of the weeke whereas they kept it vpon the seuenth as hath been heretofore sufficiently declared that thereby we may be sure to auoide all Iudaisme Moreouer being the day is chaunged it will §. Sect. 11. be demanded and of some is whether we ought not for the auoiding of Iudaisme to forbeare to call it the Sabbath day Whereto for my part I answere that although I know that all things ceremoniall in the Sabbath bee abolished yet I could neuer learne that the name was any ceremonie and therefore I see not but that it may bee vsed with that indifferencie as wee vse other names it being fit and apt to expresse the nature of that which we would signifie by it Secondly being the rest is perpetuall as I haue prooued why should it not carrie with it the perpetuitie of the name of rest But why then were new names giuen vnto it Not because the old names were abolished or might not bee vsed but they were inforced to vse other names for distinctions sake for if they had not called the Sabbath by some other name they could not haue been so wel vnderstood whether they had spoken of the Iewes Sabbath that was to bee abolished or of ours therefore to auoide this ambiguitie they call it by another name that they might thereby be the better vnderstood But now being that the Iewes Sabbath day is quite abolished and that custome hath made it familiar and vse carried it vnto our Sabbath I see not but that we may indifferently vse the name of Sabbath euen as any of the rest of the names of the day especially then when wee doe desire most to expresse the rest of the day as when wee would expresse the change of it to call it the first day of the weeke and when the reason of the change to call it the Lords day so when we would expresse the rest to call it the Sabbath day And this much as touching the chaunge of the Sabbath vnto the first day of the weeke § Sect. 12 But now vpon this which I haue shewed that the time of the Sabbath might be and was iustly changed by the Apostles it will be demaunded and of some is though ouer busily I confesse for we should be more readie to keepe than to alter the constitutions of the Apostles yet I say it will be demaunded whether the Church may not chaunge the day of the Sabbath vnto any other day of the weeke To which I answere that although the Church hath power Gods warrant going before vpon some extraordinarie occasion as plague famine sword or such like vpon any of the weeke daies to institute a fast as in Ioel. 2. 15. Sanctifie a fast or a feast as Hest 9. The feast of Purim is instituted or to turne a fast into a feast Zach. 8. 19. The fast of the fourth moneth and the fast of the fifth shall be vnto the house of Iudah ioy and gladnesse Yet to
idle word especially for those that they shall thus vainly babble foorth vpon the Sabbath And so much touching the outward breach of the Sabbath But yet here is not all for a man to cease from §. Sect. 4. these outward workes for these concerne the very beasts as well as man we must therefore consider that as a man doth consist of two parts a bodie and a soule so God hath a regard vnto them both and as he requires of the bodie an externall rest that no labour may hinder holinesse so he requires of the soule an internall rest from all sinne and that rest indeed is proper to man and it is to rest from the workes of the flesh which Esay 58. 13. are also called our waies or workes and these are properly and indeede seruile and the worst kinde of seruile workes of all others And therefore as other thy workes are here forbidden which are seruile because they hinder holinesse so these kinde of seruile workes aboue all others are forbidden because they not onely hinder holinesse but are opposite vnto it so farre foorth as hee which is subiect vnto them is free from holinesse Rom. 6. 20. Against these therfore it is that Esay so bitterly inueigheth I cannot abide your Sabbaths c. Esai 1. 13. But why so vers 15. he giueth a reason for your hands are full of blood And Esai 58. when they come vnto him in hypocrisie and seemed to finde fault with God that he would not accept their fast which had the nature of a Sabbath and as appeareth in the end of the chapter is called his holy day God yeeldeth them a reason why he did not accept it Behold saith he ye fast to strife and vnto debate to smite with the fist of wickednesse vers 4. Hauing thus shewed their fast then he rates them for it vers 5. Is it such a fast saith he that I haue chosen that a man should afflict his soule for a day call yee this a fast or an acceptable day vnto the Lord c. And hauing thus rated them then he shewes them what a true fast is to loose the bands of wickednesse to take off the heauie burthens to take away the yoke and putting foorth of the finger vnderstand to any euill work and wicked speaking if any man doe these things hee keepes a true rest I know well this rest from our sinnes must bee kept in the whole course of our liues yet vpon the Sabbath aboue all wee must take heede that sinne enter not vpon vs because it is opposite vnto the sanctitie thereof § Sect. 5 And as wee must haue a speciall care of committing any sinne because that is truly seruile so must we take heede that we doe not make the duties of holinesse seruile also by not regarding the manner of doing them which is that they bee done in faith and in obedience to Gods commandement For if wee shall doe these workes to that end that we may merit by the doing of them either the fauour of God or man then they become seruile works also and we haue our reward Or if wee doe them in hypocrisie the manner of doing them aright not obserued then God regardeth them not For he that in this manner killeth an oxe is as if hee slew a man and he that sacrificeth a sheepe as if he cut off a dogges head his oblation is as swines blood and his incense as the blessing of an Idoll Esai 66. 3. And therefore Matth. 7. Christ calleth such workers of iniquitie because though they did good workes for they prophecied and cast out diuels yet they did them not well but in hypocrisie for God doth not onely require at a mans hands that he doe good but also that he doe it well for if thou doest well saith God to Cain shall it not be accepted He doth not say if thou doest good it shall be accepted but if thou doest well to shew that good things must be well done And that he meaneth so appeareth in that which he presently addeth But if thou doest not well saith he sin lieth at the doore thereby putting it out of doubt that if a good thing be not well done it is sinne and in regard hereof it is that Esai chap. 58. reckoneth the hypocrite a Sabbath-breaker though hee did humble himselfe by fasting c. And therefore let the hypocrite and popish meritmonger bee well assured that though they digge deepe to couer their sinnes and dissemble deeply with God at the Church yet let them be well assured I say that their owne sinne will finde them out Num. 32. 23. and that it will waite and tarrie them like their dogges at the doore yea and will hunt them and neuer leaue them vntill it haue brought them vnto destruction if they learne not to serue the Lord aright And lastly as the soule must keep this Sabbath or rest from sin vpon this day especially so must we look also that our minds and thoughts be not carried away with the meditation of worldlie matters For God requireth not onely thy bodie but thy soule yea thy very thoughts Luk. 10. 27. And howsoeuer vpon the weeke it be lawfull for thee to ponder these things yet vpon the Sabbath thou must not thinke thine owne will Esai 58. 13. A man must not therefore busie his head vpon the Sabbath about his worldly businesse nor about the effecting of his delights in the weeke following but he must bee wholie as it were another man from that which he was in the weeke before and he must vpon the Sabbath let fall the care of these earthly things as Elias did his mantle when hee was rapt vp into heauen To conclude therefore this point of the rest whosoeuer vpon the Sabbath doth no seruile worke of his ordinarie vocation neither in his house at home nor in the citie nor in the fields abroad nor at sea sauing onely such as are of necessitie to be done or are for the performance of Gods worship commanded or else warranted by his extraordinary command and also forbeareth all recreations sports playes or pastimes keeping his tongue from vaine words and his heart from wickednesse and worldly cares hee truly and in deede keepeth the rest of the Sabbath And this much touching the first dutie required in the obseruation of the Sabbath which is to rest CHAP. IIII. The rest of the Sabbath must bee sanctified Sect. 1. What it is to sanctifie a thing Sect. 2. The duties of the Sabbath are publique priuate or mixt Sect. 3. On the Sabbath there must be a publique assemblie Sect. 4. How we are to behaue our selues in it Sect. 5. The publique duties are preaching and hearing Sect. 6. Administring and partaking the Sacrament Sect. 7. Execution of discipline Sect. 8. § Sect. 1 THat rest is here commanded we haue alreadie seene but that is not all this The rest of the Sabbath must be sanctified rest must bee sanctified For it is not
as the Israelites kept a fast in Mispeh 1. Sam. 7. And Hest 4. 16. there is a fast kept of three daies long yea Daniel keepes a fast of three weekes of daies Dan. 10. 3. Neither in so doing is there any breach or alteration of Gods ordinance but rather an obseruation For as Christ brake not the commandement when he neglected his dutie to parents to performe his dutie to God so neither doe we breake this ordinance of God when wee on any of the sixe daies neglect our owne businesse to serue God the cause and necessitie so requiring for if necessitie may cause vs to breake the Sabbath for the good of man may not necessitie aswell dispense with our daies and cause vs to sanctifie a Sabbath for the good of man Nay further I take it that this commandement being a Synecdoche and but a part put for the whole as are all the other commaundements doth warrant yea and commaund such time conuenient in the weeke daies to be set apart vnto Gods seruice And we see that Christ and the Apostles preached on these daies as well as vpon the Sabbath which they would not haue done if it had been vnlawful for the people to heare And as I thinke that any of these daies may by the Church be set apart to Gods seruice the cause so requiring so also doe I perswade my selfe that some part of euery one of these daies should be set apart to holy exercises as morning and euening to pray with our families And of these wee see Isaac had one hee went out in the euening to pray Gen. 24. 63. Daniel had three for he prayed three times a day Dan. 6. 10. And Dauid prayed seuen times a day Psal 119. 164. And thus much as touching the second question and so consequently of the first reason to perswade to the keeping of the Sabbath for as for such things as be here obserued about the rest I haue handled them before in the discourse of the rest of the day CHAP. II. The second reason because it is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God Sect. 1. Holy daies are to bee consecrated onely to the Lord Sect. 2. § Sect. 1 THe second reason followeth and is drawne from the end and institution of the Sabbath contained in these words It is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God And it may be thus gathered If the Sabbath bee consecrate vnto the Lord and his worship then you must rest on it from your works but the former is true for it is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God and therfore it followeth that you must rest from your works And here marke with me first the workmanship of this reason how fitly it is framed for first least any man should bee so bold as to aske him for his commission as Exo. 2. one demaunded of Moses Who made thee a Iudge or as Mat. 22. 23. the Priests demanded of Christ By what authoritie doest thou these things Therefore he shewes his authoritie namely that he is authoritie it self and he may command for he is Lord and no man will say vnto him vnlesse he be a diuell What hast thou to doe with vs Matth. 8 for he hath to doe with vs for he is thy Lord and that diuers waies First hee is thy Creator hee made thee and therefore looke how the vessell is in the potters hand so art thou in his Rom. 9. This Dauid knew well enough when he said Come let vs fall downe before the Lord our maker Psal 95. 6. Secondly as he is thy Lord by creation so also is he by redemption He hath bought thee with a price 1. Cor. 6. 20. a price not of gold and siluer but with his most pretious bloud 1. Pet. 1. 18. And therefore this is rendred as a reason of his dying and rising again that he might be Lord ouer vs Rom. 14. 9. Thirdly as by his redemption so by his soueraigntie rule and authoritie in that he is absolute in his commaund and doth whatsoeuer he will both in heauen and in earth Psal 115. 3. No man can stay his hand neither dare any say vnto him what doest thou Dan. 4. 32. for he is Lord of Lords Rom. 17. 14. and his hests stand like the lawes of the Medes and Persians that cannot be recalled Dan. 6. 12. Yea a degree further he is the Lord of spirits Num. 16. 22. and therefore will commaund not as other Lords thy bodie onely but thy soule too Matth. 21. 37. Thou must serue him with all thy soule and if it please him he can cast both bodie and soule into hell fire Mat. 10. 28. Now then if he be thy Lord and master in so full and so absolute a manner what then why then where is his feare Malac. 1. 6. He calles for that and good reason for if there bee no master but will haue some seruice shall God so great a Lord and master be without it No he will not and therfore he here requireth it of thee on this day to serue him Now there is one thing which the master oweth vnto the seruant and that is protection and euery man harpes vpon that string if he stands in need of his helpe then Master saue vs we perish Matth. 8. 25. But there is another thing that the seruant oweth to his master and that is obedience and there wee breake with him He saith goe and we goe not come and wee come not doe this and we doe it not wee keepe his commandements with notes as the Atheist beleene the Articles of faith But may it not be that there is cause as that he is a hard man or hee will not stand by his seruants to defend them or else he giues not so good wages as others Surely it is not so for first Dauid tels vs that he will not alwaies chide nor keepe his anger for euer Psal 103. 8. Yea if he see vs once to fall downe before him and to craue him to appease his anger he forgiues vs all Mat. 18. 27. then he is no hard master And as for defence he will suffer no man to doe vs wrong but wil reproue euē kings for our sakes Psal 105. 14. And as for his hire there is no seruice like vnto his no not the seruice of the King You cannot say of him as Saul said of Dauid will he giue euery one of you fields and vineyards will hee make you Captaines ouer thousands c Yea he will and more than that he makes all his seruants Kings Reu. 1. 6. and giues euery one of them a crowne of life 2. Tim. 4. yea an euerlasting kingdome that withereth not reserued in heauen 1. Pet. 1. 4. All this hee giueth and he giueth it liberally not reproching and casting men in the teeth with it as Saul did his followers why then what shall let vs to serue such a master Yet behold and wonder let a flattering diuell a little intice vs with a shew of any matter or
againe vnto life and liuing to giue thee euerlasting life and with it al happines all which he doth assure thee of when he calleth himselfe thy God then I say keepe his Sabbath For this hee requireth at thy hands who is thy God and hath done all these things for thee in becomming thy God And thus much for the motiues that this reason containeth in it to perswade vs to keepe his Sabbath § Sect. 2 One doctrine hence I note in that he saith it is holy vnto the Lord wee are therein taught to whom to consecrate holy daies namely vnto the Lord. Therefore Isai 56. he calles the Sabbath his holy day and Ezech. 20. 12. his Sabbath So doth he call the place of his worship his house Luk. 19. 46. And indeede being his seruice is there and then performed and that he wil haue no partners therein for he will not giue his glorie vnto another Isai 42. ought not the day and so the place to be consecrated onely vnto him The more shame then for the Papists that consecrate daies and Churches to Saints Angels Apostles Martyrs men women of which their Callender containeth aboue an hundred certainly they are herein worse than the Israelites for though they set vp an Idoll yet they would not consecrate a day vnto it but they said to morrow is holy vnto the Lord Exod. 32. 5. not vnto the Idoll but these institute daies vnto them yea and powre foorth prayers vnto them Heare vs Mary and pray for vs Peter c. But doubtlesse did these Saints know it they would crie out as in the Psalme 115. 1. Not vnto vs not vnto vs O Lord but vnto thy name giue we the glory Yea I say howsoeuer these men giue this worship vnto them did they know it they would euen rend their long white robes in an holy zeale as Paul and Barnabas did their garments and they would crie out vnto them from heauen as those did to the Idolaters vpon the earth O men why doe ye these things Act. 14. 15. But what needed they when as their practise in the Primatiue Church standeth vp against them There were I am sure holy men in olde times Patriarkes and Prophets yet did neither Christ nor any of his Apostles euer institute any day or make any prayer vnto them Which doubtlesse they would haue done had they held it a matter meete to bee done onely when they did consecrate a day they called it the Lords day being lead thereto by this in that it is called the Sabbath of the Lord thy God And thus much as concerning the second reason CHAP. III. The third reason is taken from Gods example who rested the seuenth day Sect. 1. Wherein we are to imitate God and wherein not Sect. 2. How God can be said to rest Sect. 3. The vse of these words Sect. 4. § Sect. 1 THe third reason followeth to be considered in these words For in sixe daies the Lord made heauen and earth c. And it perswadeth from an example of the like thus That which I did for thine example thou oughtest to doe the like but I laboured sixe daies and rested the seuenth for thine example and therefore thou must doe the like So that the force of this reason standeth in the example of God himselfe the best president that the world or word it selfe can yeeld Now of what force examples are wee see in that men are lead by example rather than by law and hold it a good warrant for the doing of any thing for that others doe so but if they be great ones that doe it then it is put out of question For would such men doe so say they if it were not lawfull Now God seeing men so to be carried by example and that this commandement is so commonly broken by the example of great mē especially who esteeme of the Sabbath but as of another day therefore he opposeth against their examples his owne example who is higher than the highest of them whose breath is in their nostrels and his example alone is able to waigh downe all the examples or reasons that can bee brought to the contrarie And if a man will be lead by example it is meete he should be lead by the best example and if it may be by such an example that cannot erre Now all the examples of men be they neuer so holy haue much weaknes in them and in one thing or other they misse Let vs make proofe of some of the best of them As for example Salomon had a wise and an vnderstanding heart so that there was none like neither before nor after him 1. King 3. 12. a very high commendation yet hee had his blemish he loued outlandish women 1. King 10. 1. Asa did right in the eyes of the Lord but will you know his fault he put not downe the high places 1. King 15. 14. Dauid was a man after Gods owne heart that did what was right in the sight of the Lord and turned from nothing that he commanded all the daies of his life yet in one thing he is chalenged in the matter of Vriah the Hittite 1. King 15. 5. So then wee see the best men come short and in many things wee sinne all I am 3. 2. And therefore the best dare propose themselues for examples to be followed no further than they follow Christ 1. Cor. 12. 1. If a man be iust another may be as iust as he if a man be learned another may bee as learned as he if a man preach well another may preach as well as he if a man write well another may write as well as he and often we see the scholler to exceede the master Now if these be the best examples we can propose vnto our selues then the best come short of that they should be and another man may possibly doe as well as they and so he may haue occasion of boasting but God his example is an example propsed without example it is so exact so full and so absolute that all the world cannot yeeld the like example neither can a man take any exception against it and therefore this is an example aboue all to bee followed And this his example hee so proposeth here as first setting it downe for a law and then afterwards keeping the same law in his owne person so that if either law or example will doe any thing with vs hee would by both of them perswade vs to keepe the Sabbath Nay further whereas in the other commandements you shall not see the example of God obserued in the keeping of them yet in this one you may obserue a double example giuen by God For twice in the Scripture his keeping of the Sabbath is obserued first in the beginning when he created the heauens and earth then hee rested the seuenth day Secondly when hee rained Manna in the wildernesse euery day yet when the Sabbath came he ceased Exo. 16. 26. 27. Well then hath the
THE DOCTRINE OF THE SABBATH HANDLED IN FOVRE SEVERALL BOOKES OR TREATISES The first of which intreateth of the day of rest The second of the duties of the day The third of the persons whom these duties concerne And the fourth the reasons vsed to perswade all persons to the practise of these duties vpon that day Written by G. W. Master of Arts and Minister of the word of God in Portsmouth Isaiah 58. 13 14. If thou turne away thy foote from the Sabbath from doing thy will on mine holy day and call the Sabbath a delite to consecrate it as glorious to the Lord and shalt honour him nor doing thine owne waies nor seeking thine owne will or speaking a vaine word Then shalt thou delite in the Lord â—nd I will cause thee to mount vpon the hie places of the earth and feede thee with the heritage of Iaakob thy father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it BY WISDOM PEACE BY PEACE PLENTY LONDON Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Thomas Man dwelling in Paternoster row at the signe of the Talbot 1604. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE CHARLES BLVNT Earle of Deuonshire Lord Mounioy Lieutenant generall of Ireland Master of the Ordinance Gouernour and Captaine generall of the towne and Garison of Portsmouth and the I le of Portsey Knight of the noble Order of the Garter and one of his Maiesties most Honorable priuie Councell RIght Honorable and by right most worthie to be honorable because deserts haue made you truly honourable The wisest hath said it that much reading Eccl. 12. 22. is a wearisomnes vnto the flesh And therefore in this scribling age wherein presses be oppressed with the number of bookes without number it may seeme a thing not meete any more to write vnlesse for the sufficiencie of the worke it might be in steed of all other writings and so the reader might be eased of the labour of much reading Notwithstanding by the iustnes of the cause which I neither might if I could because it is iust nor could if I might hauing in a publique assemblie taught it forsake I haue been drawen to publish this treatise that what I haue taught may here be made more fully to appeare to any that is otherwaies minded Now whereas it may seeme ouer great boldnes for me to presse your Honour with these my labours that are alreadie ouer pressed with your owne if yet they may be said to be yours and not rather the labours of the Church and Common-weale yet I haue presumed to doe it vpon these two reasons First in respect of the cause which I manage Secondly in respect of my dutie vnto your Honour And first in respect of the cause the Sabbath being a principall meanes whereby the seede of religion is sowen in our hearts and the holie fire as it were is kept in amongst vs. It being assailed by aduersaries of diuers sorts to whom should it flee as vnto a Sanctuarie for succour rather than vnto your Honor who haue alreadie taken home vnto your honourable familie the truth like as the beloued Disciple did the Ioh. 19. 27. mother of Iesus being recommended vnto his care Yea being your Honor haue not alone taken home the truth but also publiquely in the highest and solemnest assemblie of this land vndertaken the maintenance and the defence of the same truth against the common aduersarie the Papist In regard whereof as the eare that heard you blessed you and the eye that seeth Iob. 29. 11. you giueth witnes vnto you and the hearts of all well affected Christians to whom the report thereof hath come applaude it shouting and crying as in the Prophet Grace grace vnto it So could I ioyning in Zach 4. 7. heart and affection with them doe no lesse than testifie the same by presenting these my labours vnto your Honour to whom of right they appertaine as a part of that truth which is vndertaken by your Honour but gainsaid by these aduersaries For first they hold the Sabbath Rhem. in annot in Mat. 15 sect 3. Rhem. annot in Reu. cap. 1. sect 6. to be but a tradition Secondly the alteration of the day to be without scripture or commandement yea plainly otherwise than prescribed by God himselfe in the 2. Commandement for so it pleaseth them to terme this fourth commandement Thirdly the rest but perfunctorie and sleight for they allow such workes to be done vpon the Sabbath as shall be permitted by their Prelates that is such as please Bellar. lib. 10. de cultu imag themselues or such as by custome which euer declineth haue preuailed And lastly the holinesse of the day to consist in comming to shrift and hearing of Catechis Rom. quaest 21. de Sabbath Masse Against all which falshoods this truth of the doctrine of the Sabbath flieth vnto your Honour for patronage and after a sort maketh supplication vnto your Honour to be a meanes that as by the Kings most excellent Maiesties proclamation it hath alreadie so by law it may further be prouided for at least vt ne quid Sabbathum detrimenti capiat for Gods lawes to many are but as cobwebs to the great flyes which they easily breake without they be strengthened by the Princes lawes as with other nerues and sinewes for want of which we see that the Sabbath the best day of seuen is more prophaned in most places than all the other seuen as though God had made it to be prophaned and not to be kept holy And this in respect of the cause Now in respect of my selfe also I could doe no lesse for being imbarked in that ship whereof your Lordship vnder the Kings most excellent Maiestie as the master Pilot holdeth the helme I meane your Lordships garrison towne of Portsmouth and succeeding others a teacher in that Lecture whereinto your Lordship first breathed life I could doe no lesse than in dutie present these firstlings of my labours vnto your Honour especially hauing alreadie receiued fauours from your honourable selfe as also no small incouragements from Sir Beniamin Berry and Master Anthony Ersfâ—eld these your Lordships worthies and notable instruments of gouernment in that place So that I thanke my God vpon the point of whose prouidence I haue alwaies steered on my course I may most truly say that of them my conscience bearing me witnesse that I lie not which once Tertullus spake with another mind of Felix that by them wee haue receiued these two benefits great quietnes and many worthie things haue been Act. 24. 2. done vnto vs onely that which followeth wholy and alone appertaineth vnto your Honor that this is wholie by your prouidence And therefore should not I as in particular for my selfe or as the mouth of many others wholy acknowledge it we might yet be more vngratefull vnto your Honour than Tertullus to Felix By these reasons therefore right Honourable I being lead haue presumed to approach so neere vnto your Honour as to put foorth
these my labours vnder the liuerie of your honourable fauour Wherein although there be nothing answerable vnto your greatnes yet if as the finger serueth to point vnto the Sunne and the iuyce of a Limmon to ingraue aswell as Aqua fortis so this may serue to point vnto that which I would but cannot attaine vnto sufficiently to make knowne your Honours worthinesse and something to expresse the thankfulnes of my heart I wanting better meanes to vtter it I shall thinke my selfe not to haue attained the lowest degree of happinesse in my low estate And thus humbly crauing of your Honour pardon for my boldnes I cease any further to interrupt you from your waightier affaires yet not ceasing in my best wishes vpon my knees to pray vnto that God who is good without qualitie great without quantitie infinite without place and euerlasting without time that hee would long preserue your Honour amongst vs that the Prince may long enioy you such a subiect the Common-wealth such a Councellour the Church such a stay the truth such a Champion the souldier such a Leader and learning such a Patron and after this life here ended there to enioy with him another that neuer shall haue end Your Honours in all dutie most bounden GEORGE WIDLEY A TABLE OF ALL SVCH THINGS AS ARE contained in the seuerall chapters of euery booke The first booke CHAP. I. HOw the whole law is distributed pag. 1. 2 How the first table hath reasons annexed which the second for the most part wanteth pag. 3 What force these reasons of the fourth Commaundement haue to perswade vs to obedience 4 What things this Commaundement containeth in it in speciall aboue the rest 6 How this fourth Commandement is analysed or diuided 6 CHAP. II. How many sorts of Sabbaths there were among the Iewes 7 How the morall and ceremoniall Sabbaths differ 8 What vse the ceremonies had vnto the Iewes 10 Whether the Sabbath be perpetuall 13 CHAP. III. The time of the Sabbath or rest changed 31 To what day it was changed 37 Why the time of the Sabbath was changed 38 Whether it may be changed againe 53 Whether we may still call it the Sabbath 52 Whether by the Lords day Reue. 1. 10. be meant our Sabbath or day of rest 43 Obiections against the Sabbath answered 46 CHAP. IIII. Whether the whole day naturall be to bekept 57 How the night is to be kept 60 When the Sabbath beginneth and endeth 61 The second booke CHAP. I. That wee must prepare our selues to sanctifie the Sabbath and why 63 Wherein this preparation doth consist 68. 69 CHAP. II. Rest commanded 72 This rest must be a solemne rest 73 What workes are forbidden to bee done vpon the Sabbath 74. 75. 76. 77 What works be allowed to be done vpō the Sab. 90. 91. 92. 93 With what cautions workes of necessitie must be done 95 CHAP. III. Whether recreations may be allowed vpon the Sabbath 98 Whether pastimes as dauncing c. vpon the Sabbath may be allowed 102 Whether the Sabbath may be broken by our speech 113 Whether it may be broken in thought 118 Whether a man may doe the things commanded to be done vpon the Sabbath and yet breake the Sabbath 117 CHAP. IIII. Whether the rest of the Sabbath must be sanctified 119. and how 120 What these duties are which be required to the sanctitie of the Sabbath 123 Whether we be enioyned to come to the publique assemblie vpon the Sabbath 224. and how to demeane our selues there 126. 127. 128 Whether the word must be preached vpon the Sabbath 130 Whether the people be bound to heare it vpon the Sab. 132 Obiections to the contrarie answered ibid. Whether the Sacraments and discipline bee duties of the Sabbath 136. 137 CHAP. V. Duties both publique and priuate to be done vpon the Sabbath as first prayer 138. 139 Reading of the Scriptures 141 Singing of Psalmes 144 Catechisme 145 Workes of mercie 149 CHAP. VI. Priuate duties vpon the Sabbath which are meditation 152 Conference 156 Sloth pride dumme Ministerie le ts to the sanctification of the Sabbath 150. 161 The third booke CHAP. I. Whether euery man is bound in his owne person to keepe the Sabbath 164 Whether euery man be bound to see those that are vnder him to keepe the Sabbath 166 Whether the father be bound to see that the sonne keepe the Sabbath 169 Whether the master be bound to see that the seruant keepe the Sabbath 171 CHAP. II. Whether wee be bound to see that our cattell rest vpon the Sabbath and why 177 Whether we be bound to see that the stranger rest that is within our gates and why 179 Whether euery man be bound to hinder the iustruments of euill 182 Whether we be bound to labour to bring others to the knowledge of God 186 Whether toleration of a false religion may not be suffered 186 Whether the gouernours be bound to compell Idolaters to worship the true God 190 The fourth booke CHAP. I. In what manner the first reason of this Commandement perswadeth to the keeping of the Sabbath 195. 196. 197 Whether all Gods commandements are grounded vpon reason 199 Whether it bee sinne not to dispatch our worldly businesse vpon the sixe daies 200 Whether it be not lawfull vpon any of the sixe daies to vse recreation for the health of the bodie 203 Whether a man may consecrate any one or more of the sixe daies to Gods seruice 206 CHAP. II. How the second reason of this commandement perswadeth to the keeping of the Sabbath 208 How God is our Lord and how he is our God and what we thence learne 209. 211 To whom we must consecrate daies 215 CHAP. III. How the third reason perswadeth vs to keepe the Sab. 216 How farre we are to follow examples 217 Wherein we are to imitate God and wherein not 221 How God may be said to rest and the vse of the words 222 CHAP. IIII. How the fourth reason here brought perswadeth to the keekeeping of the Sabbath 228 What it is to blesse and ballow the Sabbath namely to blesse the keepers of it 219 Whether the breakers be accursed 219 The end of the Table THE DOCTRINE OF THE SABBATH HANDLED IN FOVRE BOOKES THE FIRST BOOKE TREAting of the Sabbath day CHAP. I. The distribution of the whole law Sect. 1. The Commaundements of the first Table haue their reasons annexed Sect. 2. The reasons annexed to the fourth Commaundement Sect. 3. The contents of the fourth Commaundement Sect. 4. The analysis of it Sect. 5. § Sect. 1 THe whole law which is a doctrine requiring what men ought to be and condemning them for not being perfectlie such as they ought being at large deliuered in the whole volume of the Scriptures is notwithstanding for the helpe The distribution of the whole law of mans memorie abridged by God himselfe in those tenne words which he spake on the Mount Sinai and writ in two tables of stone as it were in a booke of two
thine owne thou wouldest not endure For if thou hauing seuen pounds in thy purse shouldest giue sixe of them to some debaushed souldier if hee should wastfully spend that thou gauest him on harlots and then afterwards should come and take from thee all the remainder sauing two or three shillings wouldest thou not thinke that he did incroch two much vpon thee wouldest thou not say he hath robbed me And bee not these as great theeues that rob God as those that rob men Doubtlesse they be greater and therefore take no part of this day from God to spend vpon thy lusts for it is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God and take heede how thou wrong him and curtoll his day as Hanun did Dauids seruants garments 2. Sam. 10. 4 for hee will not take this wrong at thine hands Againe in the third reason where God proposeth himselfe vnto thee for an example to follow looke how long a time God rested so long a time must thou rest But hee rested the seuenth day wholy for he made nothing the seuenth day but finished all in sixe daies and therefore must thou rest a whole day as hee did Lastly in the last reason looke what time God blessed and sanctified to be kept holie that time ought in right to be kept holie for this is the nature and propertie of things sanctified they being set apart from the common vse may not otherwise be imployed than vnto his honour as appeareth Leuit. 27. 28. Yea Nebuchadnezzar as very a beast as he was yet would not put the vessels of the house of God to a common vse but put them in the house of his God Dan. 1. 2. but now I say God blessed and sanctified the whole day which he rested on and therefore the whole day must be kept holie And in very truth is not a whole day needfull for the performance of a whole seruice and worship of God to heare the word and minister the Sacraments pray reade meditate conferre instruct And why then doe men thinke that they haue sufficiently kept the Sabbath if they heare diuine seruice as they call it in the forenoone and in the afternoone thinking that they may doe all the rest of the day what they list as though God forsooth would take that at mans hands which a man will not at his seruants to worke an houre or two and to play all the rest of the day But the Apostle you will say willeth that we should condemne no man in part of an holie day Col. 2. 16. True neither in respect of an whole holie day such as hee there meaneth that is a Iewish holie day which as I haue shewed before you are not bound vnto But this is the Lords day and it is the Lords Sabbath which you must keepe holie and wholie holie vnto him as you haue seene alreadie prooued for 1. the day 2. preparation thereunto 3. rest and 4. holinesse these foure things being in the commandement expressed we must obserue for euer as being morall and not ceremoniall § Sect. 2 Though neither yet is this sufficie to keepe the Sabbath day from morning to night for they are deceiued that thinke that the Sabbath is ended when the Sunne is fet but wee must keepe the night also for it is a part of the day naturall of which here is mention for so Moses Gen. 1. accounteth the euening and the morning but one day so that the artificiall day and the night make but one day naturall which is the seuenth part of the weeke and is Gods and therefore the night must bee kept holie aswell as the day for that is a part of the Sabbath Therefore Psalm 92 which is called a Psalme of the Sabbath Dauid saith not onely that he will declare Gods louing kindnes in the morning but his truth also in the night And Paul being at Troas taught vntill midnight and then celebrated the Lords Supper which was a Sabbath daies exercise thereby shewing that the night was a part of the Sabbath also Though neither yet doe I speake it to this end that wee should keepe it in the same manner as Paul did I know it well it was extraordinarie but yet neuerthelesse in the nature of a night we are more holily to repose our selues that night than at other times A fault in those that other nights pray with their families but this night ouerpasse it esteeming it sufficient that they haue prayed at the Church § Sect. 3 But here I know it will be demaunded when the Sabbath beginneth and whether wee must keepe the night before the Sabbath or the night following Answ True it is that the Iewes kept their Sabbath the night before the day for Leuit 23. 32. from euen to euen shall you celebrate your Sabbath but wee begin our Sabbath at the dawning of the day for these reasons first because Christ rose in the dawning it was necessarie our Sabbath being to be kept in remembrance thereof that our day should then begin Secondly to put a difference betwixt the Iewish Sabbath and the true Christian Sabbath it was needfull that ours should begin at morning when by the resurrection of Christ the world began to bee renewed whereas the other began at night when the world in the creation was finished Thirdly that the night following is accounted a part of the day precedent we see Act. 20. vers 7. where it is said that Paul preached at Troas vntill midnight being the next morning to depart hauing staied there as the text sheweth vers 6. seuen daies but if the last night had not been a part of the seuenth day then he had staied at least a night longer than seuen daies and so more than seuen daies for hee should haue staied part of another day But that this night was a part of the Sabbath which they then kept doth yet further appeare in that the Apostle keepeth this night in the manner of a Sabbath with performing the exercise of holinesse therein as also in that being to depart hee would not depart till the rest were ended Which I obserue in that it is said ver 11 that he communed with them till the dawning of the day and so departed both which circumstances concurre well with this to prooue that hee held the night following to be a part of the Sabbath Now if any man will say that by this reason we may iustifie the deliuerie of the word and Sacrament in the night I graunt it the time being as this was a time of persecution otherwise not But this to keepe the night of the Sabbath in the nature of the night I take to be no extraordinarie but an ordinarie thing such as is now also required of vs and I presse it no further than to shew the practise of the Church from which wee ought not rashly or vnaduisedly to dissent And this hath been obserued euer sithence the Apostles times to be iust who keep the day first and call the night following
more will I thinke that when God did forbid works of our ordinarie vocation that he meant to allow works of pleasure such as are our works of recreations and pastimes as we call them Which will the better appeare if wee consider the reason why these workes of our ordinarie vocation are forbidden vs vpon the Sabbath which is not that they are vnlawfull in themselues but because they destroy the rest and take vp the mind that it cannot be imployed in Gods businesse now these doing the same things are by the same reasons forbidden Wee must vnderstand therefore that this commandement is of the same nature with the rest and as in them by one sinne forbidden are vnderstood all of the same kinde as by murther is forbidden all crueltie whether inward or outward and by adulterie all wantonnes and vncleannes as offending against chastitie Matth. 5. so by these seruile workes named as breaking the rest of the Sabbath are forbidden al workes that breake the rest of the Sabbath onely those excepted which God hath dispensed with of which before And therefore all such workes as are done for recreation as bowling shooting hunting hawking wrestling playing at cat and such like howsoeuer in the weeke they may be allowed yet are vpon this day vtterly vnlawfull and forbidden Yea and me thinks the reason standeth more strongly against them for as from that Leuit. 19. 15. Thou shalt not fauour the poore in iudgement A man may implie a portion from the stronger that hee must then much lesse fauour the rich So here thou maist not doe any worke of thine ordinary vocation vpon the Sabbath which yet at other times thou art commaunded to doe then much lesse maist thou doe the workes which no where are required of thee but onely by way of permission are at sometimes allowed And surely if you marke it you shall finde more danger in these of the last sort than in the other for that they more carrie away the minde from God than these of our ordinarie vocation doe for who is it that had not rather goe to Church than goe to work but who is it I speake of the multitude that had not rather goe to play than goe to Church But when then will some one demaund shall wee haue time for recreation if not vpon the Sabbath If thou wilt haue time for that allow part of thine owne for that is thy worke and therfore thou must allow part of thy time to doe it in but Gods time thou maist not for that he hath reserued for his owne businesse Let me aske thee one question If thou shouldest allow vnto thy seruāt of thy sixe daies fiue whole daies to do his businesse and to recreate himselfe in them and shouldest reserue vnto thy selfe but one wouldest thou take it well at his hands if thou chiding him for neglect of thy businesse vpon that day he should answer when should I vse recreation if not now Which answere if thou wilt not take at thy seruants hands doest thou thinke that God will accept of it at thine that hath dealt more liberallie with thee than thou with thy seruant And therfore out vpon it that thou shouldest offer this vnto him vpon his Sabbath to pleade thus for libertie and recreation when yet in truth all the recreations in the world cannot be answerable vnto the recreations of the Sabbath for what can recreate or refresh a man more than to drinke of the waters of life What can glad a man more than to heare of the forgiuenes of his sinnes To one that is in prison fast bound in fetters what greater recreation than to heare of his inlargement and what greater comfort than to come vnto the sealing of his pardon And are these things offered vnto vs vpon the Sabbath and yet doe we like children runne after butterflies and let these things alone If wee doe it well shewes that since we were created we neuer were yet recreated and borne againe for if we were the enioying of these things would be vnto vs aboue all the recreations in the world But then here it will be demaunded of me Not al recreations at all times vpon the Sabbath vnlawfull whether I doe vtterly disallow all recreations vpon the Sabbath Not so neither for it may sometimes come so to passe that recreation may bee more necessarie for a man than his meate as also it may so fall in the weeke daies yea and sometimes the setling of a mans minde free such is partly the corruption and partly the weaknes of our nature may bee a furtherance vnto vs in the performance of the duties of godlinesse as well as in other duties of our owne And therefore so farre foorth as it is either of necessitie for the present preseruation of our health or of necessitie for the present furtherance and fitting of vs vnto the seruice of God we may vse it But by this allowance will some say euill men will take liberty vnto themselues vnder these pretences to prophane the Sabbath by their sports Answ It may well be so that they which stumble at Christ to their ruine and they that wrest his word to their owne condemnation will also wrest this libertie to bring themselues into the bondage of sinne yet must not this let vs to giue that allowance vnto Gods children which hee hath left him in his word But as for such as abuse their libertie I admonish them in the feare of God that they make not Gods commandements like cheuerell laces to stretch them euery waie to their owne bents and purposes For if they doe I appeale vnto the highest Iudge of all the earth that they haue no such libertie giuen them And therefore if they take it their blood bee vpon their owne heads if they bring themselues by their libertie to bee the sonnes of bondage But as for the children of God I know they will and shall finish their saluation with feare and trembling And thus wee haue seene how these workes of recreations are also forbidden vs vpon the Sabbath § Sect. 2 The third sort of workes which are here forbidden vs are our sports which commonly wee Pastimes vnlawfull vpon the Sabbath call pastimes which indeed though they be but recreations in their owne nature yet as wine by his long standing becommeth vineger so doe these sports and recreations by the excessiue vse or rather abuse of them become sinfull that is when wee vse them not to make our selues thereby fit to redeeme time which the Apostle requireth but rather to spend time and vainely to passe it And therefore if the former were vnlawfull which did after a sort build vp a man then how much more these that destroy a man who by the excessiue vse of them is made vnfit vnto the performance of any duties of which sort of pastimes are stage-plaies cards and dice-playing vpon the Sabbath as also Beare-baitings Cock-pits and such like All which in particular to confute were
the Pope is indeede the butcher and the Prince but his boy to hold the sheepes legges whilest the butcher cuts his throte I will not dispute this question neither but I come vnto that which I proposed that is how farre Princes may meddle in matters of religion to compell thereunto First therefore the Prince must especially see that his people bee taught the law of God and that was the reason why Iosiah caused the law to be read vnto all the people 2. King 23. 1. Secondly in the same place for that almost teacheth a King his dutie when he hath caused them to bee taught he bindeth them by couenant vnto the same yea and himself also vers 3. Thirdly hauing thus done then hee goes to reformation and there hee begins with the Priests First hee makes them bring out of the Temple all the vessels that were made for Baal vers 5. Then he destroyes their Idols and their houses vers 6. When he hath so done for this was not all for he had a greater toyle with them than euer King Henry had with the Abbeys in England hee comes to the Kings houses and there first hee breakes down the Altars of the Kings of Iudah ver 10. He breakes downe Manasses altar vers 12. Then the high places that Salomon had built for Asteroth and Chemos And lastly the Calues of Ieroboam vers 15. Now hauing taken away all these abominations then fourthly he brings the people backe againe vnto the obseruation of the true worship of God and commaunds all the people to keepe the Passeouer vers 21. Thus farre went Iosiah But now what if they had refused this what then Surely hee would then haue ranne a further course with them he would no doubt haue inforced them by punishment which is the fifth dutie and the last in a Prince when no course will serue then to inforce by laying punishment vpon them either in their goods as Saul Those that come not foorth after me saith he thus shall his oxen be killed 1. Sam. 11. 7 or else hee would haue laid hands of them to haue imprisoned them Nehe. 13 or if all this would not haue serued he would haue punished with losse of life it selfe And so Asa decreed that those that would not seeke the Lord that is that were obstinate they should be slaine 2. Chro. 15. 15. And thus farre I take it a Prince hath power to proceede against an obstinate contemner of Gods truth And so much for this that we are to compell others vnto the obseruation of the Sabbath as well as to keep it in our owne persons THE FOVRTH BOOK TREATING OF THE REASONS MOVING TO THE sanctifying of the Sabbath CHAP. I. The first reason because God hath giuen vs sixe daies to labour in Sect. 1. Whether it be lawfull to vse recreation vpon any of those sixe daies Sect. 2. Whether it be lawfull to consecrate any one or more of those sixe vnto the seruice of God Sect. 3. § Sect. 1 YOV haue heard in the former booke of the persons that must obserue the Sabbath Now it remaines that I shew the reasons which are vsed in the commaundement to inforce thereunto and there are foure deliuered in this commandement The first is in these words Sixe daies The first reason of the keeping of the Sabbath shalt thou labour c. and it is an argument à fortiori perswading from the greater to the lesse thus If I haue giuen thee sixe daies to worke in them then thou oughtest of conscience to rest one day but I haue allowed thee sixe and therefore rest the seuenth This is the manner of this argument but me thinkes it is proposed by way of answer as it were vnto some question that might be obiected vpon the former words for where as God had in the commandement required to rest the seuenth day some might obiect as many doe that it were very hard to rest a whole day To which hee answereth that they ought at least to rest one whole day being that God had bestowed vpon them sixe to their owne vses So that here I might take an occasion to answere those that thinke it sufficient on the Sabbath if they come to the publique exercise though they spend the rest in sports but this naile I haue driuen before come we now to the words Sixe daies shalt thou labour c. First in that that he giues vs sixe daies to doe our businesse in therein hee lets vs see that sixe daies are sufficient for vs to do our businesse in and for the dispatch of all our works and if that he had seene that we should haue needed more hee would haue giuen them but seeing sixe were sufficient he gaue no more though in respect of himselfe as hee is Lord of the Sabbath and so is he also of all the rest of the daies of the weeke hee could haue giuen vs more And therefore as he saith Psal 50. 10. All the beasts of the forrest are mine so may he say All the daies of the weeke are his by which right hee might haue craued of vs euery second or third day Yet hee deales more liberally with vs and requireth but the seuenth Then hence to perswade you to keepe this Sabbath let me reason with you as Naamans seruant did with his master What saith he if the Prophet had commaunded thee a greater thing than this wouldest not thou haue done it how much more then when he saith Wash and be cleane 2. King 5. 13. So I say if the Lord had commaunded thee a greater thing than this wouldest thou wouldest thou do I say nay oughtest thou not to haue done it how much more then when he saith keepe the seuenth And if we refuse this to keepe one of seuen what would we doe if he should require one of three or foure So that Gods liberalitie in this case doth much aggrauate the sinne of man when restraining him but in one and giuing him plentie of others yet hee will not be restrained from that one This was it that made Adams sinne out of measure sinfull that hauing plentie of all the trees of the garden both for varietie and sacietie Genes 2. 9. yet he must needes taste the forbidden fruite So was this also that which made Dauids sinne a notable sinne that hauing many wiues of his owne yet hee could not be content with all these but hee must take the wife of poore Vriah 2. Sam. 12. 9. Well I know not how deepe this argument sinketh into the hearts of Sabbath-breakers their consciences are so seared and so hardened with the custome of that sinne and their hearts so couered as it were with a shield of brawn that they are growne past feeling of it but I am verely perswaded at the day of account it shall stick vnto them neerer than the marrow cleaueth vnto the bones and it shall bee more sensible vnto them than the tenderest bile in the world When I say they shall
it he giueth sight thereby Ioh. 9. 6. Who would not thinke that if a man should strike a rocke that he should rather make fire come out of it than water yet he strikes the rocke and the waters flow Exo. 17. 6. Who would not thinke that Colloquintida should rather poyson a man than be healthsome meate for him yet he blessing it there is no euill in it 2. King 4. 40 41. Who would not think that the fire should not burne yet the three children put into the fornace were not only not burned but had not so much as any smell of fire about them Dan. 3. This therefore hath this vse to comfort vs that when comfort shall seeme to stand a farre off like Abraham in the heauens yet we be not dismaied for God is stronger than the Duiell and therefore though wee be troubled yet wee may be still comfort is on foote and in the middest of them we shall finde helpe in the middest of the wildernesse we shall finde water as the Israelites in the Lions belly an hony combe as Sampson in the prison an Angell as Peter and in the middest of the fire one like the Sonne of God as the three children And so much for the third reason CHAP. IIII. The fourth reason because God blessed the seuenth day and hallowed it What it is to blesse and hallow Sect. 1. The vse of this Sect. 2. The summe of the whole booke Sect. 3. § Sect. 1 NOw followeth the last reason to bee discussed in these wordes Therefore the Lord blessed and hallowed the Sabbath day In which let vs first see what is meant by blessing and hallowing which two words that I may speak of them to our purpose haue a double sense and vnderstanding in the Scripture For first blessing is vsed to signifie the setting apart of some thing to a holy vse in which sense the wine in the Lords Supper is called the cup of blessing when it is set apart to that holy vse and the setting of it apart to that vse is called the blessing of it as 1. Cor. 10. ver 16. The cup of blessing which we blesse c. And to the same purpose also is this word sanctifying or hallowing vsed as Exod. 13. 1. Sanctifie to me the first borne that openeth the wombe that is set apart to my seruice This is plaine I neede not to shew it further The second sense of blessing or hallowing is when as some gift is bestowed vpon any one hee is said therein to be blessed and so gifts are called blessings Gen. 33. 11. I pray thee saith Iacob to his brother take this blessing that is this gift And Iudg. 1. the daughter of Caleb prayed hir father to to giue her a blessing and what was that springs of water Iudg. 1. 15. The same sense also hath sanctifying when God shal bestow some gift of sanctification vpon vs that day Now both these waies God doth blesse or hallow this day first in instituting this day vnto his seruice Secondly in that in this his seruice he doth effectually blesse vs vs I say and not the day for all daies in their owne nature are alike and not one more holie than another more than in regard of the institution in that it is set a part to holie vses or of the blessing that is this day bestowed vpon vs aboue any other Now God doth consecrate it in the first respect and wee must in the other that the blessing may bee vpon vs but take it in which sense you will yet it standeth as a strong argument to perswade And if in the first sense then it is thus gathered To what end God did blesse and hallow this rest to that end it must be kept but God did therfore blesse and hallow this day that it might be kept holy and therefore so it must be kept holy The equitie of this reason is grounded vpon the right and authoritie that God hath to commaund or institute any law which if he doe it is like vnto the lawes of the Medes and Persians which cannot be altered but by himselfe for thou must put nothing to his word Deut. 12. 31. The reason is Pro. 30. 6. Least he reproue thee and thou be found a lier neither must thou take any thing therefrom there must be no clipping The reason also is yeelded Deut. 4. 2. That thou maist keepe his commaundement which thou canst not doe if thou take any thing there from and as thou maist not adde so thou must not alter but thou must keep his Sabbath as he commandeth Deut. 5. 16. Yea thou maist not so much as varie from it for thou must turne neither to the right hand nor to the left the reason that is giuen is drawne from the benefit that comes thereby namely that thou maist prosper Ios 1. 7. As who should say if thou turne either to the right hand or to the left thou shalt not prosper but if thou keepe it and turne not aside then thou shalt prosper for he will blesse thee as here thou seest For this is the second signification of blessing or hallowing and is the thing that God especially here intendeth to shew namely that hee will powre foorth his blessing vpon those that keep his Sabbath And that blessing he most fully promiseth Isai 58. If thou wilt turne away thy foote from the Sabbath not doing thine owne waies nor seeking thine owne will nor speaking a vaine word these three things on the Sabbath must bee auoided but what followeth to bee done First we must call the Sabbath a delight Secondly wee must consecrate it as glorious vnto the Lord. And thirdly we must honour him vpon that day But then what shall they haue that thus honour the Lord Why God will honour them againe and make them to mount vpon the high places of the earth and like a tree planted by the waters side shall they prosper and not onely so that they shall be blessed with worldly blessings which might perswade worldly men but much more with spirituall blessings which may perswade Christian men he will feede them with the heritage of Iacob as if hee should haue said they shall enioy all the priuiledges of his Church loe thus shall the man bee blessed that shall keepe his Sabbath And therefore Isai 56. 3. Let no man that keepeth the Sabbath say The Lord hath separated me from his people Why so For he will feede them with the heritage of Iacob as now you haue heard neither let the Eunuch say Behold I am a drie tree No for if he keepe his Sabbath and chuse the thing that is good and take heede of his couenant he shall mount vpon the high places of the earth as there he promiseth Yea and as it followeth he will giue him a place in his house and a name better than of sonnes and daughters But can all this be true Yea certainly make account of it for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken
it Isai 58. 14. § Sect. 2 Now the vse of this is two-fold First it notablie meeteth with the error of the multitude that thinke if a man serue God he shall neuer thriue as though God were like an euill master that vseth to reward him worst that doth him the best seruice But these blinde bayards that thus beate their heads against the wall little think vpon this that God here promiseth that those which keepe his Sabbath shall bee blessed if they did they would neuer goe stumbling on But to the keeper of the Sabbath this is a most sure word that if a man keepe it the Lord will make him to mount vpon the high places of the earth and wil feede them with the heritage of Iacob And therefore by this a man shall know when hee is at the sermon how well he thriueth at home for if he truly serue the Lord in the Church God will truly blesse him at home for hee hath promised it and hee cannot goe from his word no more than hee can denie himselfe happely hee may sometimes denie some worldly blessings when he seeth it not good for thee to haue it but then assure thy selfe he will giue thee that which is ten times better and that thou shalt in this life finde and assuredly know And therefore thinke not that if thou lose an houre or a day that thou shalt be vndone but waite vpon the Lord for it is his blessing that maketh rich and not thy labour And if he blessed the Manna that was gathered on the sixt day that it should be enough for the seuenth also and if he made the earth in the sixth yeere to bring forth food sufficient for two yeeres Leuit 25 why shouldest thou distrust his bountie towards thee Therefore cast thy care vpon him for if thou wilt keepe his Sabbath he will care for thee The second vse is to informe the Sabbath breakers of their estate in which they stand and I would to God they would take notice of it that they are in a cursed estate for if the Sabbath keepers be blessed then the Sabbath breakers by the law of contraries must bee accursed And so they are indeede And Nehemiah is not afraide to tell them so much to their faces Did not saith he your fathers thus that is breake the Sabbath and did not God therefore bring all these plagues vpon vs and will you yet increase the wrath vpon Israel in breaking the Sabbath Nehe. 13. And as Nehemiah told them what they had alreadie felt so Ier. 17. vlt. tels them what they shall further looke for If saith he you will not heare me to sanctifie the Sabbath and to beare no burthen What then then the Lord will kindle a fire in the gates of Ierusalem Yea but it shall not come into the high streetes Yes saith he for it shall deuoure the palaces thereof But we will quench it first before it goe so farre Nay saith he it shall not be quenched as though the fire thereof should burne like wilde fire or rather like hell fire that is vnquenchable Mat. 3. And of this there is good reason For if for the neglect of the building of the Lords house the Lord cursed his people so that when they sowed much they brought in little that when they eate they were not satisfied when they dranke their thirst remained c. If I say the Lord cursed them thus for the neglect of the building of the materiall Temple what will he doe for the neglect of the building of the spirituall Temple which is certainly neglected where as the Sabbath is neglected And although happely it sometimes come to passe that the Sabbath breaker may prosper in worldly matters yet they are but blessings of Gods left hand Prou. 3. 16. which many times hee giues to the ruine of the owners thereof Eccl. 5. 12. He giueth them as he gaue a King to the Israelites in his anger and in his wrath he takes them away againe But how soeuer this is certaine that though he giues them their hearts desire yet with the gift he sendeth leannesse into their soules as Psal 106. 15. and they shall finde one day the euill of their riches when they shall weepe and howle for the miseries that shall come vpon them when I say their consciences shall crie out against them Wee haue gotten this money by breaking the Lords Sabbath and when the rust of the same shall testifie so much against them then shall they finde that true which euen now I cited that their riches was giuen them for their euill § Sect. 3 Loe thus as you see that I may conclude haue I troden foorth before you the path of the Sabbath that was I confesse hard and difficult to finde by reason of so many by-paths and waies of error And herein I haue shewed first the perpetuitie of the Sabbath Secondly the change of the time of the Sabbath Thirdly that it may not againe be changed Fourthly that the whole day must bee kept and this in the first booke In the second I haue shewed the duties of this day which consist first in preparation to the Sabbath Secondly in obseruation which contained two things first to rest vpon it when it is come from all workes words or thoughts that might be a let to the performance of the holy duties that were required of vs which duties were of three sorts either publique or priuate or mixt and this was the summe of the second booke In the third I haue shewed the persons to whom these duties doe appertaine which were either vnto vs or those that were vnder our gouernment And last of al in the fourth the reasons that might inforce vs to the keeping of this day holy that which remaineth is that euery one of vs in regard of the time past fall downe before the Lord in the feeling and acknowledgement of this great sinne of Sabbath breaking and that with purpose of heart hence-foorth wee endeuour with all our might both in our owne persons and by all meanes we may to prouoke others also to keepe the Sabbath with vs and then shall the Lord euen our God assuredly blesse vs with the riches of his mercies reserued from euerlasting in heauen for vs which the Lord graunt vnto vs for Christ his sake Amen FINIS The Errata Pag. 16. lin 4. reade which is one p. 50. l. 10. put out not p 7. vlt. reade Reu for Rom p. 93. vlt. r. our p. 99. l. 15 r. à fortiori p. â—â—1 â— 9. r. setting l. 26. reade them p. 117. l. 3. r. not to commit any sâ—â— p. 126 l. 25. 26. r. halues
leaues In the first leafe whereof is written the dutie of man to God Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God and this Christ calleth the first and great commandement And in the second because God will not be loued alone but will haue man also loued with him is written the dutie of man to man Thou shalt lâ—ue thy neighbour as thy selfe Now in the first of these which teacheth mans dutie to God are contained foure commaundements The first whereof teacheth Gods inward worship the second his outward worship the third the reuerent vse of them both and the fourth the time when his worship is especially to be performed And in the second table are contained sixe commandements in the first whereof are taught speciall duties and these mutuall as of the superiour to the inferiour and of the inferiour to the superiour in these words Honour thy father and thy mother In the other fiue are contained generall duties And first because life is the ground of all the rest therefore in the fâ—rst of them which is the sixth he taketh order for the preseruation of life Thou shalt not kill Secondly because as life must be perserued so he would haue vs liue an honest life Therefore he giueth a commandement for that Thou shalt not commit adulterie Then thirdly because an honest life must be honestly maintained God takes order for that also he will haue no stealing Thou shalt not steale And as he hath taken order for our goods so also for our good names he will haue no false witnesse borne Thou shalt not beare false witnesse And last of all because as when we see many pipes and conduits infected we goe to the fountaine because from thence comes the corruption so sinne being conueighed by the heart as water by the pipes from the fountaine because from the heart come euill thoughts for it is indeed the very puddle and sinke of all sinne God therefore giues vs a commaundement to keepe vs from the first motions and ticklings of sinne although neither heart consent nor deed follow In these words Thou shalt not couet And this is the generall straine of these ten words as Moses calleth them Deut. 4. 13 vpon which hang the whole law and the Prophets Matth. 22. 40. § Sect. 2 But now betweene the commaundements of the first table and of the second there is great difference For they of the first table are hedged All the commandementâ— of the first table haue their reasons added so haue not these of the second except the first in with many reasons The others are barely set downe without any reasons added whereof I take this to be the cause for that these of the second table are such things as euen a naturall man in a sort consenteth easily vnto For say vnto him Thou shalt not kill content saith he for then shall no man kill me Thou shalt not commit adulterie agreed saith he for then shall not my wife or daughter bee defiled Thou shalt not steale I like it well saith he for then I shall keepe my goods and so of the rest But come vnto the commaundements of the first table it is not so here is more adoe to perswade men to obedience Must we loue God aboue all We loue pleasures more than God 2. Tim. 3. 4. Must we serue God as he requireth in his word We will not serue him but as we please as those 2. King 17. 41. that feared the Lord and serued their images also Must his worship bee done with reuerence that is precisenes Must we serue him on the Sabbath why when shall we play then God seeing this our peruersnesse in things concerning him vseth reasons and those most effectuall to perswade vs vnto the obedience of them they being such things as a naturall man doth not easily admit § Sect. 3 But amongst them all in no one commandement hath God vsed more effectuall reasons to The reasons of this commandement of great force to perswade perswade by than in this it needing indeed greater fortification than any of the rest because the assault against it is stronger than against any of the rest For the diuell hath stirred vp some that denie that there should be any Sabbath at all but that euery time should be alike Others acknowledge a time but cannot agree vpon the day Others confesse the day but yet denie that the whole day should be kept holy God shall haue but one houre or two of the day And we are almost of the Iewes minde the time is not yet come Hag. 1. it is too soone to goe to Church too soone to heare too soone to pray In regard of which slacknes of ours he vseth foure reasons all of great moment to perswade vs. And first because he knoweth that nothing will perswade so well with vs as a benefit therefore in the first place he vseth this argument of his bountie he giues thee sixe daies to keepe one where if he should commaund thee to keepe sixe daies and giue thee but one thou oughtest to haue done it for that ones sake how much more then sith he hath giuen thee sixe daies to keepe one Secondly lest thou shouldest doubt of the equitie thereof he sheweth thee what right he hath vnto it in that he saith it is his Sabbath It is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God And wilt thou then withhold the right from the owners thereof Prou. 3. 27. Or as the Apostle reasoneth shall I take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot so wilt thou take the Sabbath of the Lord thy God and make it the Diuels Sabbath which if thou keepest not vnto the Lord thou keepest vnto the Diuel as the Idolaters that sacrificed vnto their Idols sacrificed vnto the Diuels 1. Cor. 10. 20. Thirdly lest thou shouldest say that hee is like the Pharisies that bound heauie burdens and grieuous to bee borne and laid them vpon other mens shoulders but would not themselues mooue them with one of their fingers he sheweth that it is no other thing that he commandeth then that which himselfe did for he kept it holy And therefore as Abimelech said What ye see me to do do ye the like so what you haue seene God to doe doe yee the like Lastly if none of these will perswade yet let that mooue thee to regard it which moueth all men their benefit for Gods blessing resteth vpon them that keep it § Sect. 4 Now this is not all that God vseth a greater number and weight of reasons to perswade by but he hath more specially dealt in this commandement than in any of the rest For first if you marke it in the very entrance God setteth a What things this commandement containeth in it in speciall watch as it were in the gate which all the rest of the commandements want though neuer so orderly set downe Remember saith he the Sabbath As if he should say think on this day afore hand and
which if any dare be so shamelesse as to affirme of the ceremoniall law yet they shall be vndone and proue nothing thereby against vs but all for vs namely that the Sabbath shall continue it being as they say ceremoniall But the truth is it cannot be vnderstood of any other law than of the Decalogue or tenne Commaundements as I haue alreadie shewed And yet further to shew that Christs meaning was so he presently falleth into an exposition of certaine precepts of the Decalogue wherein the Pharisies had taught amisse But now will some man say he doth not there expound the Sabbath and therefore the Sabbath is not reestablished Answ Besides that hee little considereth what I haue shewed that euery iot and title thereof is established as firme as the heauens and that he that breakes the least commaundement and teacheth men so shall bee the least in the kingdome c. Besides all this I say he may abolish by this reason the rest of the commandements that are not there expounded He must therfore know that there was another reason that caused Christ not to speake any thing of the Sabbath for it was Christs intent and purpose there to shew how they came short in the exposition of the law and made the commandements speake lesse than they did whereas they extended the Sabbath too farre as touching the outward ceremonie and made it speake more than in truth it did And therefore his intent being to shew how they came short in the exposition of the law it was not meete to bring in an instance quite besides his intention § Sect. 7 And that it was the minde of our Sauiour Christ that the Sabbath should continue as it appeareth The Sabbath continued by Christ by that which I haue alreadie alleaged so also by that Matth. 24. 20. where he wils that his children which should liue about 40. yeeres after his ascention should pray that their flight might not be vpon the Sabbath hee doth sufficiently declare that he held not this commandement in account of a ceremonie but of a morall precept For first if it had been ceremoniall they might haue fled without any care for it had bin abolished fourtie yeeres before Secondly hee should haue done ill to haue vsed this as a scar-crow or as a bugge to fray children with when there was no such thing Yea thirdly if this commandement had been ceremoniall hee should haue contradicted his owne doctrine in establishing that which himselfe did take away by his death And last of all had he held it a ceremonie hee should rather haue taught them not to haue stood vpon the keeping of it being it had been a great sinne for them to haue retained it and made an account of it it being abolished and done away before Now as for those that would qualifie Christs speech by saying that he spake not as he meant but according vnto the superstition of the Iewes that held it vnlawfull as they say to flee vpon the Sabbath and that therfore his speech was directed vnto them which held this error First this their euasion hath no ground For how will they make it appeare that the Iewes held it vnlawfull vpon the Sabbath to flee for preseruation of life being they had no ground for it in the Scriptures Secondly their owne practise was to the contrary for they fled out of Egypt vpon the Sabbath Exod. 12. And as for that in the book of Macchabees that some would not fight vpon the Sabbath besides that it is no scripture we see them in the same place condemned for it and the case generally resolued by their brethren to the contrarie as they might well doe hauing such presidents in the Scriptures for their so doing as 2. King 11. and in the destructiō of Iericho Iosh 6. and elswhere Thirdly if there had bin any infected with that error he would rather haue willed them to haue prayed for the change of their mindes than for the chaunge of their flight Fourthly be it that some held it vnlawfull to flee vpon the Sabbath yet what was that vnto his Disciples who were not possessed with that error for this was spoken vnto his disciples apart as we see vers 3. And lastly if hee had spoken to such as had held that error he would rather haue continued his forme of speech which he vsed in the former verse and as there hee saith Woe be vnto them which are with childe in these daies manifestly speaking of others so he would rather haue continued that forme of speech and haue said Woe bee vnto them that in these daies shall hold it vnlawfull to flee vpon the Sabbath for then had the speech been plaine But it is certaine that as the forme of Christs speech was altered so the words looked quite another way as namely vnto the hindrances and lets that might befall vnto them And first to the bodily lets if their flight should fall in the winter the shortnes of the day together with the foulenesse of the way might bee combersome Therfore pray saith he that your flight be not in the winter And with this it well fitted that hauing set downe their bodily lets and grieuances he should in the second place set downe the spirituall lets and grieuances which might befall them if their flight should bee vpon the Sabbath For how could this but grieue them to see not onely abomination or desolation in the Temple but abomination of desolation to be set vp in the high places euen in place and steede of Gods worship and that in the time of his worship also how could this I say be any other than grieuous vnto them and therfore exceeding grieuous because then also vpon the sight thereof they were to bee depriued both of Gods word and worship and to bee driuen out into exile Yet if troubles and afflictions must needs come a man would desire that they might not come at the worst or in the middest of his happinesse And if a man must needs die yet he would desire to end his prayers first and first to be prepared thereto In regard of which Christ willeth them to pray that their flight might not be vpon the Sabbath that is that though it were vneuitably decreed that their flight should bee yet that the extremitie of it might be something mitigated for the elects sake And this I hope that notwithstanding these wrenches it is euident that Christs meaning was that the Sabbath should continue § Sect. 8 The more iniurie therefore they offer vnto God that would nullifie this his commaundement The morall law was long before the ceremoniall and make it stand but as a Iewish ceremonie when as yet it is more anciently descended than to take his beginning with the ceremoniall law For in the writings of Israel mention is made of the keeping of the Sabbath by that patterne that cannot erre euen by God himselfe before the giuing of the ceremoniall law or before Israel
was a people or called after the name of their father Iacob yea I say long before there was any promise made vnto Abraham their father Neither yet alone did God then keepe it but did also institute it to be kept Yea but it was not kept will some man say What then shall the disobedience of some make the law of God of none effect God forbid though neither yet can I yeeld that it was not kept For what if the keeping of it bee not mentioned doth it therefore follow that it was not kept Were all things that were done by the Fathers written by Moses If they should I suppose the world it selfe would not haue contained the bookes but these things which are written are written for our leraning Rom. 15. 4. And to this end is the institution of the Sabbath recorded by Moses that we might thence learne the obseruation therof seeing that God did institute it to that end to bee obserued vnlesse wee will say that God did institute a day for rest which yet he would haue no man to rest vpon But to take away all wrangling the truth is the obseruation of this day is also shewed by Moses before the giuing of the law aswell as the institution and so shewed as that he sheweth it not once to be kept by God himselfe in the creation Gen. 2. 2 but againe in the wildernesse in that he ceased to raine downe Manna vpon the Sabbath Exod. 16. 15. Loe thus twice hee obserueth God keeping of it And to this hee addeth the practise of man also for Exod. 16. he sheweth how the Israelites kept it in the wildernes when as yet the ceremoniall law was not giuen by which it is certaine that this law was perpetuall § Sect. 9 And that it is so me thinkes I neede bring no other proofes than the reasons themselues For The reasons of the precept proue the perpetuitie of the Sabbath where the reasons be generall do they not binde in generall from one to euery one euen from the free denison to the straunger And where the reasons bee perpetuall doe they not implie the perpetuitie of the commandement otherwise the reasons should perswade when the commandement were ended Now the reasons that here are vsed to perswade vnto the keeping of the commaundement being perpetuall what shall we iudge of the commaundement but that it is also perpetuall and bindeth vs aswell as the Iewes for are not these reasons to all men and at all times alike Doth not God giue vnto euery one sixe daies aswell as vnto the Iewes and then is not euery one bound to keepe a seuenth aswell as the Iewes Is not the Lord thy God aswell as theirs and must not thou then keepe his Sabbath aswell as they Or did he rest onely for their example and not for thine also Or haue they need onely to be blessed and not thou also Then these reasons perswading thee aswell as them and now aswell as then doe they not pleade for the perpetuitie of this commandement and proue that it is no vanishing shadow but a lasting precept and to remaine for euer § Sect. 10 But what neede I to alleage so many reasons to perswade in a thing so apparant were there The perpetual vse of the Sabbath prooueth the Sabbath perpetuall no more but this one reason namely the continuall vse and neede wee haue of the Sabbath to perswade the perpetuitie of the Sabbath it were sufficient For if there were no time to call vs backe how farre would that corruption wherewith wee are warmed in our mothers wombes carrie vs like a mightie streame or current from all godlinesse How deepe would we diue into the things of this world if wee should neuer bee pulled out If there were no time to water that seede that is sowen in our hearts wee should become as a garden that hath no water Isai 1. 31. where euery thing dieth Yea how easily would our hearts become like vnto the sluggards garden that is ouergrowne with thornes and nettles which couer the face thereof Pro. 24. 31. And if the best men notwithstanding the best meanes be many times ouertaken Lord what shall we poore men thinke shall become of vs If there were no time set downe by God vnto vs for his seruice and if it were left vnto our owne discretions when should wee finde a time would wee not pleade as the Iewes in the building of the Temple The time is not yet come Hag. 1. 2. And therefore I say being wee haue such continuall vse and neede of it what doth it els but perswade the continuance of it vnto vs To conclude therefore this point if this law The conclusion of all be the same with the law of nature if established by the Apostle if confirmed by Christ if instituted before the people was to whom the ceremoniall law was giuen if warranted fortie yeres after the ceremoniall law was abolished if the reasons be now as effectuall to perswade vs to the obedience thereof as euer and the vse also now as great as euer we may truly conclude that seeing in the institution it was not ceremoniall it cannot in processe of time become ceremoniall but as it came in with the world so it must end with the world And from this must not a Christian be driuen no not for all the world § Sect. 11 But notwithstanding the euidence of this truth yet there haue bin obiections of two sorts Arguments pretending to prooue the law to be abolished answered found out to weaken the trueth thereof some whereby they endeuour to prooue the whole law abolished others that if not the whole law yet at least that the Sabbath is abolished Now to prooue that the whole law is abolished they alleage that 1. Tim. 1. 9. To the iust there is no law and that Rom. 6. 14. We are not vnder the law but vnder grace To which to answere in a word it is true that we are not vnder the correction of the law For there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus Rom. 8. 1. Yet we are vnder the direction of it For ibid. ver 7. the flesh is condemned as an enemie vnto God in that it is not subiect vnto the law Secondly wee are not vnder the law as it was giuen by Moses but as it is warranted by Christ Thirdly wee are not vnder the rigor of the law for Christ hath redeemed vs from the curse of the law Galath 3. 13. from the curse of the law saith the Apostle not from the law And therby it is that now his commaundements are not grieuous vnto his Ioh. 5. 3 but wee willingly subiect and giue our selues seruants vnto it to receiue direction from it c. But of this sufficient it being something besides my purpose § Sect. 12 Come wee therefore vnto those that more neerely concerne the matter in hand amongst Our rest from sinne taketh not away our rest from
the Iewes whom the Lord brought out of the land of Egypt and whom the Lord would bring into the land of Canaan But vnto vs it is as the Apostle vrgeth it Ephes 6. 3 that thy daies may be long vpon earth So in the first commandement I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the bondage of Egypt but wee may rather say which brought vs out of the bondage of sinne or out of the bondage of Poperie And Deut. 5. 15. he vseth another reason to perswade the Iewes which doth not appertaine vnto vs which was that they should keepe the Sabbath because they were seruants in Egypt All which reasons we see are vrged in respect of them as being the fittest to perswade them being taken from the present benefit which either they had or were shortly to enioy And what letteth but that the like respect shuld be had in this commandement of thē as in the former You will happely say then that there is somthing in the commandement that concerneth not vs but the Iewes Not so neither for though there might bee some particular reasons vsed that might more concerne them than vs yet the commaundements might concerne vs both alike they being the same with the law of nature written in our hearts as also they being warranted vnto vs in the Gospell to remaine Though neither yet if we should graunt these words to bee part of the precept doe they tye vs to keepe that seuenth day from the creation but onely require of vs a seuenth to bee kept which wee willingly embrace as being the fittest time and the meetest for Gods seruice And the rather because the Apostles haue retained and still kept a seuenth day for Gods seruice from whose example we may not varie § Sect. 2 But now as I haue shewed that the time of the Sabbath might be changed without any razure of the commandement so also it is meete It was meete that the Sabbath day shuld be changed that it should be chaunged vnto another day for these reasons For first seeing the seuenth from the creation was ceremoniall and did figure out our rest in heauen by Christ as appeareth Heb. 4 ver 8 why should it not by the same reason bee thought meete to be abolished by which other shadowes are abolished namely that the people might be thereby kept from Iudaizing as also they being shadowes must necessarilie giue place when the body commeth Coloss 2. 17. Thirdly seeing that when Christ rose it was a new world Heb. 2. 5. and olde things were past and all things become new 2. Cor. 5. 7 was it not then meete that as the old couenant had the old day and the old feales so this new couenant should haue this new day and his new seales especially seeing that in the contracts and couenants renewed between man and man we require that as they be new drawne so they be new dated and new sealed § Sect. 3 But here I know it may seeme straunge vnto some how this may be that the Sabbath should How the Sabbath is perpetuall and yet changed be perpetuall and to remaine for euer and yet to bee chaunged For if it bee perpetuall how is it chaunged if chaunged how is it perpetuall For answere whereunto it is to be vnderstoode that there is a two-fold consideration or respect of the Sabbath either as touching the substance of this commaundement which is contained in these words Remember thou keep holy the day of rest which is the same with the law of nature and is so farre foorth warranted by Christ as I haue alreadie heretofore prooued or else as it was giuen vnto the Iewes by Moses and had many ceremonies and shadowes annexed vnto it both 1. in the manner 2. in the end and 3. in the time 1. In the manner first they were to keepe it with offering vp of sacrifices vpon that day as two lambes of a yeere old two tenth deales of fine flower c. Numb 28. 9. Secondly that they were more strictly to keepe the rest so as they might not kindle a fire vpon that day Exod. 35. 3. nor dresse their meate Exod. 16. 23 which strictnes of rest was ceremoniall and after the law was giuen was added by Moses and therefore is abolished the morall rest required in the commaundement notwithstanding remaining as being a thing so vnseparably ioyned vnto holinesse as that wee cannot keepe the day holy without it 2. In the end also there was something ceremoniall for the Sabbath was made vnto them partly memoratiue as Deut. 5. 15. it was to bee kept in remembrance that they were seruants in Egypt and partly it was representatiue for Exod. 31. 13. it was to be kept as a signe of their sanctification 3. And last of all in the time as I haue alreadie shewed in that they kept the seuenth day from the creation As also in that they kept their Sabbath from euen to euen Leuit. 23. 32. whereas the Church now keepeth the day first and the night following Whereof more hereafter Now all these additions concerned the Iewes onely vnto whom they were giuen in charge to bee obserued yet no longer neither than vntill the comming of Christ which was the bodie of all these shadowes And therefore as touching al these complements of the Iewes significations of the rest sacrifices of the day obseruation of the time from the creation wee know them not hence-foorth and therefore in respect of these let no man condemne vs. Yet let no man so much as imagine that because that which was ceremonial in it is done away therefore the day the rest the sanctification of that day of rest or any substantiall thing in that law commaunded is done away For as no man may say the Sacrament is abolished because the signe is chaunged no more may any man say the Sabbath is abolished because the time is chaunged for if euerie commandement that hath a ceremony annexed vnto it should therefore presently be done away or should with the ceremonie become also ceremoniall it should follow that most of the commandements should be done away for they had ceremonies annexed vnto them As the sixth Commandement had the ceremonie of things strangled and of blood for as they might not kill so they might not strangle or eate the blood The fifth Commandement had the ceremonie of writing the law vpon their post or of binding them vpon their hands for as they were to teach the law so by this ceremonie to teach And all the ceremonies in Gods worship appertained vnto the second which commanding Gods outward worship must necessarily commaund these ceremonies by which he would be worshipped yea the whole law had the ceremonie of the parchment lace Now will you therefore say that all the law is ceremoniall and done away because these ceremonies are done away If not no more may you prooue that this commandement is done away because the ceremonie is done away And therefore as
incense And least we should pleade ignorance that wee know not how to pray hee giueth vs his spirit to helpe our infirmities Rom. 8. yea and promiseth that his eares shall stand open whensoeuer we pray Psal 34. 15. This then maketh against those that on the Sabbath or else neuer pray But let such know that it is a certaine token vnto them that they are wicked men For Dauid going about to describe wicked men giueth this as a speciall marke of them they call not vpon the Lord Psal 14. 4. Secondly it stirreth vs vp to performe this dutie especially seeing Christ requires it Cant. 8. 13. My loue let me heare thy voyce And so much for prayer § Sect. 3 The second exercise that is both priuate and publique is the reading of the Scriptures which 2. Reading of the Sriptures appeareth in that Christ willeth vs to search the Scriptures and Matth. 12. Haue you not read in the law as though wee were bound to reade it And in very truth the King himselfe is bound to doe it Deut. 17. 19. Which wee will yet doe so much the sooner if we consider that he is blessed that readeth c. Reu. 1. 2. Which reasons lead the Bereans Act. 17. 11. when they had heard Paul to see whether it were so or no. And as we must reade the word in priuate so must it be read in publique Paul would haue his Epistle read in the Church of Laodicea Coloss 4. 16. And Nehem. 8. the Priests first read the law and then afterwards gaue the sense So Act. 13. they had a lecture of the law And Act. 15. Moses was preached seeing he was read Now it may be many would reade but as the woman answered Christ when hee would drinke thou hast nothing to draw so they would reade but they haue no bookes Of those that come to the assemblie how many can reade I mistake I would say of those that can reade how many haue bookes If a man haue taken a peece of ground he is neuer quiet til he haue his lease or coppie or deeds If he doubt in any clause he will either looke in it himselfe or goe to him that can reade But in these things wee passe not wee thinke wee shall stumble vpon saluation well enough though we neuer seek it It is reported of the Iewes that they Iosephus knew the Scriptures as well as their owne names but amongst vs many scarce know the names of the Scriptures When a booke is named they know not where to finde it This was the policie of popish times to keep the people in ignorance hauing herein followed the policie of the Philistines who because they would keepe the Israelites in slauerie would not allow the vse of any weapons vnto them Ionathan and his Armour-bearer and Saul onely excepted whom forsooth they would seeme to grace nor permit a Smith among them the reason was least they should make them swords and as for their tooles they must come downe to the Philistines to sharpen them So deale the Papists they claspe vp the book of God in an vnknowne tongue and wrest out of lay mens hands the sword of the Spirit which is the word Onely they vouchsafe it to some few of their faction for a mischiefe but as for the people they must come downe to the Popes Decrees and Church-traditions vnwritten truths and vntrue writings and there they must sharpen their tooles but Smith must they haue none no Preacher least hee make them swords Yea but they will say many grow into errors by reading of the word Answ First I know no greater heresie than Poperie that is an heresie of heresies Secondly if this bee a good reason that because many abuse it therefore others may not vse it I see not but that men must forsake their meate and drinke also because some be drunken and some surfet So the Sacrament should be banished because some receiue it to their condemnation Nay so the word yea Christ himselfe should not be receiued because he is put for the fall of many Luk. 2. They must therefore know that in things indifferent in themselues though the abuse doth take away the vse yet not so in things commanded vs yea but shall we giue holy things to dogges No but will you withhold the childrens bread because the dogs catch at it Should a Captaine because some be alwaies quarelling stabbing and killing therefore presentlie commaund that all his souldiers should lay aside their weapons No but rather that they take armes to beate downe the quarellers And so wee say that the wearing of weapons breedes peace and so must we vse our spirituall weapons but whereas they pretend a feare of running into errors God hath promised to giue his spirit vnto his that shal leade them into all truth and better they cannot bee lead than by the word for that is a glasse wherein a man may see what is amisse Friends dare not tell a man his faults for feare of displeasing Enemies will not But reade the word and thou shalt see there is no fault which thou hast committed in all thy life but either Moses or Dauid or Salomon or Peter or Paul or one of the Prophets or of the Apostles will tell thee of it And therefore being that reading shewes a man his error how can it be that it should bring him into error And so much for the second dutie that is mixt § Sect. 4 The third dutie is singing of Psalmes which also is an exercise of the Sabbath as appeareth in The third is singing of Psalmes that all are exhorted and stirred vp thereunto Kings of the earth and all people Princes and all Iudges of the world young men and maides old men and children all must praise the Lord. And againe Psal 147. 1 2 Praise the Lord. Of which he giueth diuers reasons First it is a good thing then what better time than to doe it vpon the Sabbath Secondly because in good things wee are soone wearie vnlesse we delight in them therefore he saith it is a pleasant thing so that it is as it were the Sabbaths recreation Lastly because there are many things pleasant which yet are not seemely therefore he shewes that it is such a pleasant thing that is also comely There are good things that yet are not pleasing as afflictions which are grieuâ—us for the present Heb. 12. 11. And there are pleasant things that yet are not comely as foolish iesting Ephes 5. 4. But this hath all three it is good pleasant and comely Good in it owne nature pleasant to the hearers and comely to the vser It is good there is no euill in it it is pleasant there is no harshnes in it it is comely there is no affectation in it In regard hereof Paul and Silas sang in prison Act. 16. 25. And Christ after supper sang a Psalme or Himne Matth. 26. It was their exercise and that in publique as well as in priuate as
of the Ministerie than a lame man were to goe without his crutches they are or they should be the salt of the earth but if the salt season not you know it is good for nothing no not for the dunghill What thinke you then of the Church is the Church worse than a dunghill that you season it with such vnsauourie salt The Ministers should feed and giue the milke of the word vnto the people but these are more cruell than the very Dragons for they giue sucke vnto their young Lament 4. 3 but these starue and famish them Well they are cruell Nurses that take a mans childe to nurse and haue drie breasts But what are these that take Gods children to nurse and haue no breasts What shall we doe for them when they shall bee spoken for There is no father but would say of such a nurse she hath murdered my childe And doubtlesse God our father when he shall make inquisition for the bloud of his children will account them no lesse than murderers I know what will be answered they are men and they must liue they cannot digge and they are ashamed to begge what then must they rob must they kill I say more starue the soules of Gods people Rather let them returne to their occupations whence they came and let them that waies shift if at least they doubt of Gods mercie towards them or thinke that hee will not regard them but it were a thousand times better for them to digge or begge or starue than thus to starue the soules of Gods people and to sell them for morsels of bread and handfuls of barley Ezech. 13. 19. But I know my words are too weake to preuaile in this case Well yet let them know that their sinnes are written before the Lord with the poynt of a Diamond and that he will neuer forget them vntill he be auenged of them vnto the full vnlesse they repent And so much touching the lets by which wee are held from the duties of holines on the Sabbath THE THIRD BOOKE TREATING OF THE PERsons that must keepe the Sabbath CHAP. I. We our selues must keepe the Sabbath and those that are vnder our charge Sect. 1. The father must see that the sonne keepe the Sabbath Sect. 2. And the master that his seruant keepe it Sect. 3. § Sect. 1 OF the keeping of the Sabbath holie we haue alreadie heard it remaineth that wee consider the persons whom these duties doe concerne which are either thy selfe or those that are vnder thee And first he requireth it at thy hands We must first obserue the Sabbath in our owne persons because hee would haue reformation alwaies to begin where loue doth that is with it selfe and then with those that are at our elbowes And of this there is great reason For if a man be not himselfe reformed either hee is remisse in reforming of others because they are like himselfe or if he be forwards yet hee shall be challenged because he is in his practise vnlike himselfe and is like the boate-man that fetcheth his stroake one way and looketh another Therefore God speaketh in the second person of the singular number the reason of which is that euery man may know that God speaketh vnto him directly When Princes make a law they vse generall termes as no man shall doe such a thing or euery man shall doe such a thing but these lawes we vse to shift off as if they concerned vs not For say we that which is spoken to all is spoken to none This God wisely preuenteth and speaketh to thee directly thou shalt do no manner of worke The reason why God speaketh in this manner is because sinne hath gotten her a whores forehead Ier. 3. 3. it will not blush nor bee ashamed vnlesse it bee pointed at and vnlesse a man speake vnto it as the voyce vnto Nebuchadnezzar To thee be it spoken In deede a good man when he readeth any thing in the Scripture spoken in so generall termes doth sometimes applie it vnto himselfe as Dauid Psal 40. 7. In the volume of thy booke saith he it is written of me that I should doe thy will which though it be no where in particular written of Dauid yet hee being a man applies it in particular vnto himselfe as if it had bin spoken vnto him And there be I confesse some like Dauid but this sect hath not many disciples For the most are of minde that it concerneth any man rather than themselues of which mind Dauid also was when Nathan came vnto him with a parable which stifnes of ours God obseruing speaketh in particular to euery man Thou shalt not doe any manner of worke So that this euery man when he readeth it must needes confesse as Dauid it is written of me and so must the King say this is written of me that I should keepe the Sabbath so must the master say this is written of me that I should keepe the Sabbath so the Minister so the husbandman and so of the rest for this is spoken vnto euery man of what place or calling so euer he be of what sexe or age so euer he be And vnto that purpose in the word we shall find precepts of euery sort to inforce so much Isai 56. ver 5. the Eunuch must keepe the Sabbath Neh. 13. 15. the victualler must keepe the Sabbath Exod. 31. 3 4. the artificer must keepe the Sabbath Nehe. 10. 31. the buyer and seller must keepe the Sabbath Ierem. 17. the carriers and porters must keepe the Sabbath Exo. 34. the husbandman must keepe the Sabbath Exo. 44. 24. the Priest must keepe the Sabbath And what shall I more say if any might except then the Prince either by reason of his authoritie or his distractions in waightie affaires but the Prince himselfe must be in the middest of them Ezech. 46. 9 10. And therefore wee see none is exempt from this dutie but thou whosoeuer thou art must keepe the Sabbath Though neither yet art thou alone bound in Those that are vnder vs must keepe the Sabbath thine owne person to keepe it but also in thy place to see it kept Art thou a father then thou must see that thy sonne keepe it Art thou a Master then thou must see that thy seruant keep it Art thou a Prince then thou must see that thy subiect keepe it for the commaundement runneth thus thou must keepe it and thy sonne thou and thy seruint thou and thy cattell thou and thy stranger But why is not the husband also in ioyned to see his wife keepe the Sabbath The reason is first because she is a part of her husband and they twaine be but one man Rom. 5. 19. Secondly she is a gouernour in the familie with the man and therefore she is to see that others keepe the Sabbath Thirdly all are not mentioned in the commaundement but it is figuratiue and a part is put for the whole For as the master is ouer the seruant or
in such workes as vpon the Sabbath be lawfull to be done but if he shall ordinarily vpon â—mall or no occasions be depriued of the publique ministerie of the word let him in such a case rather venture his masters displeasure than Gods And surely in my iudgement if he be beaten for it hee suffereth for well doing and therefore let him take it patiently for it is acceptable vnto God 1. Pet. 2. 20. yea and let him in this put it vp not answering againe For that is required at the seruants hands Tit. 2. 9 or if he answere let it be thus in the spirit of meeknes for a soft answer turneth back wrath Prou. 15. 1. Master I pray you haue patience this one day with me I haue serued you faithfully these sixe daies and I would also doe your businesse this day but that my great Lord and Master commands me this day to serue him and therefore as you would not blame mee if when my Prince commands me I should leaue your busines vndone to serue him how much lesse should you blame me if I let alone your businesse for a while when God commaunds me to serue him Thus if seruants would answere their masters I doubt not but that they would stay their wrath and call backe their sentence of displeasure gone out against them But if they will not heare this so reasonable a request his seruant can iudge no other waies of his master than Nabals seruant did of his master Surely some euill will surely come vnto my master and vpon all his familie for he is so wicked that a man cannot speak vnto him 1. Sam. 25. 17. And so may such masters thinke of themselues if they will not heare their seruants intreating them for that which they should inforce them vnto if of themselues they would not And thus much of that the seruant should doe CHAP. II. Our cattell must keepe the Sabbath that they be not an occasion of labour vnto vs Sect. 1. And the stranger Sect. 2. The reasons why the strangers were to keepe it Sect. 3. Diuersities of religions not to be tolerated Sect. 4. All to be compelled to the true religion Sect. 5. § Sect. 1 THat which remaineth to be spoken of is of those that must rest least by their labours they should be vnto vs either an occasion of the breach of the Sabbath as the oxe for if the oxe or asse The cattell must rest vpon the Sabbath worke man must worke also or else an offence as if the stranger should worke hee should be a stumbling blocke vnto the keepers of the Sabbath of both which here wee haue occasion giuen vs to intreate And first of the cattel that they must rest for the Lord commaundeth here that thine oxe must rest What hath God care of oxen 1. Cor. 9. Yes he hath And mercie is to bee shewed vnto them which the righteous man will doe for he is mercifull vnto his beast Pro. 12. 19. But that is not here commaunded but elsewhere in the sixth precept Thou shalt not kill where all crueltie is forbidden euen vnto the creature But the reason why here he commaunds rest vnto the beast is not for the beasts sake but for the mans sake least he should be imployed in setting the beast to work and so should breake the Sabbath So that God dealeth with vs like as a louing father dealeth with his children who forbids him not onely to hurt himselfe but forbids him also kniues and edge tooles wherby he might chance to hurt himselfe So hee dealeth in euery commandement And in the sixth and seuenth commaundement by name he forbids the meanes of euill as when hee saith Thou shalt not kill he forbiddeth anger the whetstone of crueltie when hee saith Thou shalt not commit adulterie hee forbiddeth wanton lookes the stall of lust Matth. 5. And so here the oxe is forbidden to labour to which there is no law neither is it sinne to the oxe to worke on the Sabbath but it is sinne for man to set him to worke and in that respect labour is forbidden the oxe Like as Exod. 21. 29. If the oxe push and kill through mans negligence the owner shall answere for it So here if the beast breake the Sabbath through thy default thou shalt answere for it for God requires it at thy hands that he rest vpon the Sabbath To conclude this point then if any shal come vnto thee vpon the Sabbath to borrow thy beast to ride to a Wake or Faire or such like wherein the breach of the Sabbath is apparently seene thy answere must be vnto them that thou art commaunded to see that thine oxe and thine asse keepe the Sabbath and that therefore thou maist not lend them about such businesse § Sect. 2 Now as the oxe must keepe the Sabbath that by his labour he be not an occasion of labour vnto The stranger must rest vpon the Sabbath to thee so also must the stranger within thy gates keepe the Sabbath that he be not an offence vnto thee But here it will be demaunded what is meant by this speech within thy gates By it is meant those that are within thy power as Mat. 16. the gates of hell shal not preuaile against the church that is the power of hell so then so farre as thy power and authoritie extendeth so farre extend the limits of thy gates As for example the whole familie is Abrahams gates the whole citie is Nehemiahs gates and the whole countrie is Iehosaphats gates And as the Master in the familie and the Magistrate in the citie so is the King in the countrie to see the Sabbath kept And in very truth this speech concerneth Princes and Magistrates especially for in this speaking within thy gates and not within thy authoritie or power he alludeth vnto their manner of sitting in iudgement which was in the gates and doth thereby as it were secretly admonish them that sit in the gates aboue others that they see that the Sabbath bee kept And that which we hence note is that the Magistrate must not alone see that the home-borne and free Denison but also that the stranger keepe the Sabbath But of strangers there were two sorts some conuerted to the truth and are called Proselytes Act. 2. 10 others that were opposite vnto the Israelites in religion but yet did traffique with them as Nehe. 13. those of Tyre that brought wares to sell Now this commaundement concerned them both conuert or other Was he a stranger was he within their gates they were to see that they kept the Sabbath or else to shut them out as Nehemiah shut out those of Tyre Neh. 13. But notwithstanding that both these sorts of strangers were to bee compelled to keepe the Sabbath yet after a different manner For the Proselyte was bound to keep the Sabbath as farre foorth as any Iew Numb 9. 14. there was but one law vnto them both but the other sort of strangers though they were
bound I confesse by nature vnto the morall law which is nothing else but the law of nature refined as it were by God and they had the effect thereof written in their hearts Rom. 2. 15 yet the Magistrate was not to compell them vnto the outward ceremonie thereof for that was left free Num. 9. 14. vnto them but they were onely to restraine them from practising any thing to the contrarie or if they would not be restrained to punish them for the same accordingly And for both these points we haue the word plaine and euident For that they were restrained in the outward ceremonie appeareth Exod. 12. 19. where the strangers were inioyned to haue no leuen in their houses and here they are commanded to see the stranger keepe the rest Now if this inhibition would not bee sufficient to keepe them from the breach of this commandement then they were to be punished for their offence according vnto the ciuill law of the Iewes as appeareth Leuit. 23. 16. The stranger that blasphemed was to be stoned And the Moabitesse suffered for her adulterie aswell as the Israelite Num. 25. vers 8. And in this very commaundement Nehemiah had not the strangers ceased to breake the Sabbath would haue laid hands vpon them and punished them Nehem. 13. 16. Which must teach the Magistrate this profitable lesson not to suffer or permit any thing to be practised or done that is contrarie vnto religion or holinesse no not by strangers And if they may not suffer strangers then much lesse their owne people But of this more anon § Sect. 3 In the meane time let vs see the reasons why strangers were restrained Which was as I take it for two causes especially first in respect of the Iewes secondly of themselues In respect of the Iewes lest the libertie of the stranger might haue been an occasion of stumbling vnto the Iewes and so their manners corrupted For it is the nature of men when they see others doe euill they presently pleade vnto it Why may not I doe so aswell as such a one But in good things they haue not this plea for grace hath not such force in them to draw them from euill as corruption hath to draw them to euill And hence it is that they are so soone drawne into the imitation of euill in any but especially in strangers Examples whereof wee haue in the Israelites so soone as euer they saw the new fashions and attires of the Galdeans that were strangers vnto them they were in loue with them presently Ezech. 23. 15 16. As we here in England are in loue with the fashions of other countries and wee can no sooner see a new cut but wee must haue a new garment of the cut or our garment cut anew that wee may be in the fashion which is hard to be and not to be in the abuse also Which pronenesse vnto euill God obseruing in vs forbiddeth the stranger to worke vpon the Sabbath least his children should take occasion therby to grow into imitation of them and so should breake his Sabbath And hence wee are taught a profitable lesson We must hinder the instruments of euill by the example of God himself namely so much as in vs lieth to hinder and let such euill men be they strangers or otherwise as doe by their euill manners corrupt others And therefore Asa was commended that tooke away the Sodomites out of the land 1. King 15. 12 least by their euill they might draw others to euill For this is the nature of sinners they cannot be euill alone and their sleepe departeth except they cause some to fall Pro. 4. 16. therfore they draw on others as the harlot the yong man in the Prouerbs Come let vs take our fill of loue Pro. 7. 18. And the eues call their mates Come with vs Pro. 1. One sinner saith Salomon destroyeth much good Eccles 9. 8 then what do many thinke you especially if they be suffered We see in a citie if one house be on fire if it be not quenched it will fire the whole and one man infected with the plague is enough to infect a whole towne one drop of Colloquintida marreth a whole tunne of oyle and a little leuen sowreth a whole lumpe of dough 1. Cor. 5. All this we know as well as we know the ioynts of our fingers And we are readie enough to quench this fire least it burne our houses and to shut vp those that bee infected But this fire of sinne is not quenched neither are men pulled out of it Iud. 23. Nay rather men become cole-carriers like the Adulemite to Iudah Gen. 38. 20. and gather stickes to kindle this fire as in Iere. 7. 18. the children gather stickes and the fathers kindle the fire the women make the dough to bake cakes to the Queene of heauen Euery one helpeth forward other to euill and there is no shutting vp in this infection nor shutting out these leapers out of the campe that are infected with sinne Nay wee turne not from them we auoide them not we passe not by them which wee should doe Pro. 4. 14. as wee doe by those that are infected with the plague but wee take the most wicked by the hand although wee know their sinnes aswell as if they were stamped in their forheads And by this doing we strengthen them least they should returne from their wickednesse Ierem. 23. 14. The brothell and the harlot haue free scope to allure and intice most flourishing and towardly wits and no man saith vnto them what doest thou Vpon the Sabbath Lords of misrule fidlers Iesters and such like are suffered to prophane the best day of seuen and to leade our youth into all excesse of riot and no man letteth nay rather wee thrust them forward vnto it But if any man shall be more forward in restraining them that shall be turned vpon him as a note of a Puritan he is factious he is contentious and he loueth no good fellowship as though a man could not loue good fellowship vnlesse hee will suffer Gods Sabbath to be broken or as though that were good fellowship to breake Gods Sabbath But what doe I complaine of these things seeing it is the time that the Apostle speaketh of 2. Tim. 3. 3. that men shall be despisers of them that are good traytors headie high minded and louers of pleasure more than louers of God And so they be for they preferre their sports before the Lords Sabbath and therefore though they haue a shew of godlinesse for they will be called Christians yet they denie the power thereof for it shall not allure them to walke in the obedience thereof And therefore wee passe vnto the second reason Now as the former reason was in regard of the good of the Iewes so there was another reason in regard of their owne good and that in respect of the principallest part in them their soules of which though they were strangers they were to haue a care
For if a man must haue a care of his enemies beast Exod. 23. 4 must hee not much more haue a care of his soule And how could they better shew their care than in this that they might thereby be lead forward to the hearing of the law For as wee see many worldly men when they haue nothing to doe will goe heare a sermon with their neighbours when yet they will not neglect the least wordly businesse for the best sermon of them all so doubtlesse fared it with these strangers And therefore in regard hereof God vpon the Sabbath commaundeth them a rest from all their labours and enioynes the Iewes to looke vnto it that they keepe the Sabbath that at least they hauing nothing to doe might goe heare the word for companie And so we see many of them did For Iosh 8. vlt. the law was read vnto the stranger that was conuersant amongst them And from this reason wee are taught another dutie namely to labour to bring others so farre We must labour to bring others to the knowledge of God foorth as we may to the knowledge of God As Andrew brought Simon Peter to Christ Ioh. 1. 42. and Philip brought Nathaniel ver 46. So Matthew whē Christ was to dine with him had many publicans and sinners there Matth. 9. And Cornelius when Peter was to come vnto him called his friends and kinsfolks together Act. 10. 24 that they might heare Peters sermon And herein should Christians bee like vnto those that brought the man sicke of the palsie that could not goe that brought him I say vpon their shoulders vnto Christ so should we endeuour vpon our shoulders to carrie them and to lend them as it were our legges to bring them to Christ that haue no legges of their own It is the manner of men when they come vnto any that is sicke if themselues haue been sick and receiued health by the hands of any Physition presently to will the sicke to send vnto them by whose hands themselues haue receiued comfort or if they know any medicine that did them good they will acquaint them with it and thereof grew that prouerbe partly either a foole or a Physition because euery one almost be hee neuer so simple yet will be prescribing something to the sicke But in the sicknes of the soule why doe we not will them to come to our Physition Christ to whom if they come it skils not how daungerous the disease be for hee will ease them Matth. 11. And why doe wee not acquaint them with our medicines and shew them the tree of life which is our physicke the leaues of which tree will cure all diseases Reuel 22. 2. Surely if we euer haue been rightly touched with our owne sicknes wee will be readie to helpe others And in the meane time let vs know it is a dutie And so much for the reasons § Sect. 4 Hauing thus in particular shewed the reasons why the strangers are restrained let vs now see lastly what all these words in the generall containe in them to be obserued And first in that he saith that thou thy sonne thy daughter thy seruant the stranger euen all must keep the Sabbath note Toleration of a false religion may not be suffered that diuersities of religions are not to be suffered in one kingdome citie or familie For that were to make it to stand vpon feete partly of iron and partly of clay and to bring in such a confusion of religions as there was of languages in Babel which God who is but one cannot endure For either we must worship another besides him or else there be more waies than one to worship God aright by But that a man should worship another that he can in no sort abide for that were to dispoile him of his glorie For his worship is his glorie Psal 50. 23. and therefore he will not part with it it being one of the three things which he hath reserued vnto himselfe first his vengeance secondly his iudgement and thirdly his glorie Now as for his vengeance hee craueth that vengeance saith he is mine Heb. 10. 30. So also is iudgement hee hath appointed a day for that and it is not in man to know the time Act. 1. 7. But as for his glorie he will in no sort part with that for he will not giue his glorie vnto another Isai 42. 8. and to aske it were to take from him his kingdome And what could a man desire more to bee God and therefore hee will not part with his worship And to say that there be more waies than one to worship God aright by is most false For as there is but one truth so there is but one faith and one hope of our calling The hope of our calling is heauen that is but one the entrance is by the Lord Iesus Christ Ephes 2. 18. which is the doore Ioh. 10. And there is but one Lord Iesus Christ Eph. 4. 5. And the meanes by which we enter is by faith for we haue entrance by him through faith Rom. 5. 2. and that also is but one Ephes 4. 4 5. Then if there be but one heauen and but one way into it and but one meanes to enter by that way it cannot be that there should bee more waies to serue God aright by than one And therefore diuersities of religion cannot bee suffered vnlesse also in his worship he will now endure that which in the time of the law hee would not for then he would not endure them to plough with an oxe and an asse together Deut. 22. 10. or to sow their fieldes with mingled seedes or to weare a garment of diuers stuffes all which though they were ceremonies lead them directly by the hand to this that now wee treate of namely that they should not endure diuersities of religion And if hee did then dislike haulting betweene two opinions will he allow vs now thinke you to professe Iudaisme and Christianitie Gospell and traditions true religion and Poperie No no it cannot be For betwixt the Arke and Dagon God and Mammon Sion and Babylon there is no agreement but they are like poysons in the stomack the one still sicke of the other and how then should that bodie bee healthfull that containes them both Reuel 2. Pergamus is blamed for maintaining the doctrine of Balaam ver 14. Thyatyra for suffering Iezabel to teach ver 20 and will not the same expositor euen the holie Ghost carrie the same with as readie a hand against such as are Protestants and Papists Vters and Neuters Omnifidians Solifidians and Nullifidians Or was it Paul that would not so much as endure any copartnership in the Church of Galatia not so much as to tolerate Iewish ceremonies Gal. 5. 2 and will he thinke you endure that these beggerly rudiments of Poperie I say more intollerable blasphemies should stand vp by the scepter of his word No no his sheepe will heare his voyce one degree further and
heare God out of his law to reason in this sort against them I gaue you sixe daies to doe your worldly businesse in to labour to ride to runne to buy to sell to sow to reape to solace your selues to see your friends to make merrie c. and yet cannot you bee contented with them but that you must incroach vpon me to take my holy day also and to spend it I say not vpon your labours but that which is more vntollerable vpon your lusts and delights This I say cannot but strike them thorough and make their harts to fall in sunder like water when they shall consider their great ingratitude towards him that when he of seuen could affoord to giue them sixe they of seuen cannot affoord to giue giue doe I say out vpon it nay cannot suffer him to enioy one The scarre of churlishnes sticketh like a starre in the forhead of Nabal and shall to the worlds end 1. Sam. 25. 3. that Dauid when in regard of his kindnes shewed vnto his shepheards in the wildernesse requiring him to giue him a present of any thing that came next vnto his hand the churle refused to doe it Now Nabal how soeuer churlish yet this was his owne it was in his power and it was prouided for his shearers yet for all this is hee iustly condemned for a chrule in that hee sent not a present vnto Dauid that had so well deserued it With what words then may this sinne of ours be sufficiently aggrauated that whereas God of his bountie of seuen hath giuen vs sixe if we also should take away from him that one If a poore man on the way as thou trauellest should come vnto thee and craue of thee for Gods sake to bestow vpon him something to relieue him and thou out of thy liberalitie and compassion towards him shouldest giue him all the money in thy purse reseruing onely a very little for thine owne vse to bring thee home if hee I say should catch thy purse and that also and run away with it wouldest thou not account him very vngratefull Yet thy vngratitude to God is as great as his and more for in very truth thou art so bound vnto God as that if thou shouldest giue halfe of thy daies yea all of them back againe vnto him thou couldest not sufficiently recompence him To conclude therefore this point let that reason which mooued Ioseph not to consent to his Mistris preuaile with thee My master hath committed all into my hand and hath kept nothing from me but onely thee because thou art his wife how then shall I doe this great wickednesse and sinne against God Genes 39. So shouldest thou answere thy companions when they shall allure thee on the Sabbath to sinne The Lord hath giuen me all the daies in the weeke to doe my workes in sauing onely this one he hath reserued vnto himselfe how then can I do this great wickednesse and sinne against the Lord in breaking his Sabbath And thus much for the manner of the reason how it inforceth vs to the keeping of the Sabbath The doctrine that we learne hence is first that the commandements of God stand all of them and are grounded vpon good reason and therefore that all his commandements are not onely true Psal 119. 86 but righteous also vers 106. Yea they are all most iust vers 128. And there is nothing in the world that standeth with such reason as the seruice of God which maketh the Apostle to call it our reasonable seruing of God Rom. 12. 2. And therefore Ezec. 18. 25. God blames those that say his waies are vnequall and no lesse worthie of blame are such as thinke that it is vnreasonable to keepe a whole day holie vnto the Lord. Why then how should their businesse goe forward why then when should they haue any time for recreation What is all this but to finde fault with Gods law as if it were not iust as if it were not equall But what saist thou is it not equall and is it not meete that thou shouldest haue thy sixe daies to doe thy businesse in which God hath allowed thee And is it not as meete that God should haue one Let this therefore cease thy murmuring against Gods law seeing it standeth with such good reason The second doctrine that wee note in these words Sixe daies shalt thou labour is this that as it is sinne for vs ordinarily to worke on the seuenth day so also is it sinne for vs through negligence or idlenes not to dispatch our worldly businesse in the sixe daies seeing he hath allowed them vnto vs for that purpose And therfore on them we ought to labour and it behoueth vs so much the more carefullie to labour in them seeing that God hath enioyned man to labour in the sweate of his browes Genes 3. Yea seeing as Iob saith he is borne to labour as the sparkles flie vpward Iob. 5. 7. And hence it is that God hath left him so many precedents of labour before his eyes the oxe is made to till the land and tread out the corne the asse is to stand vnder the burthen the heauens are still in their motion as it were still a working the Angels are ministring spirits Psal 104. 4 and when man was in the state of perfection God would not haue him idle Gen. 2. though God had no neede of his worke nor the garden for it brought out all things without planting yet hee would haue man to labour because man had neede of it and therefore sets him his taske to dresse and trimme the garden Nay God himselfe in his owne person wrought sixe daies in making of the heauens and the earth Hee could indeed haue finished it in one or at a words speaking but yet he would worke sixe daies to leaue vnto vs an example to doe the like Then here are those slow bellies and idle Abbey lubbers condemned that spend whole daies in doing nothing that are like paralitique and gowtie members loose and vntied in the ioynts of obedience that say vnto the head commaund vs not for we will not moue neither will we stir But shal not God curse them as he did the fig tree that bare no fruite cut it downe why combreth it the earth And were it not that these words did stand vp so pregnantly against these men yet the very euils that accompany idlenes were sufficient to make it to be detested for what sinne is it almost that groweth not out of this as out of a nurcerie of all sinne Idlenes causeth to fall asleepe Pro. 19. 15. then idlenes is the cause of drowsinesse So is it of beggerie He that will 〈…〉 in winter shall begge in summer Prou. 20. 4. Idlenes is the cause of ill husbandrie His land cries out against him and the furrowes thereof complaine that haue not their water courses Iob. 31. 38. Thornes and nettles couer the face thereof Prou. 24. 4. So is idlenes the cause of drunkennes Amos
pleasure of sinne though it be but for a season yet we are presently in loue with it and forsake our old Lord and master to serue him like children that though they haue good things in their hands yet they will cast them away for toyes and trifles doth not God behold this and is not this our sin of disobedience written euen with the point of a Diamond before him Surely he will not forget it neither shall it bee put out vntill we die if we repent not and learne to serue him better who is the Lord of all flesh by creation but by a more neere band the Lord of his elect euen by redemption and therefore much more to be serued by them And this is another motiue to moue vs to serue him for though as a Lord he might onely commaund and wee ought not therein to disobey him yet as a mercifull God in Christ he had rather perswade and to that end he vseth an argument drawne from the couenant of grace that he hath made with man in that he vouchsafeth to be called to bee called doe I say nay in that hee vouchsafeth indeed to be his God for he saith not that it is the Sabbath of the Lord but in a more particular sort he addeth thy God pleading as it were thy possession in him and his interest in thee and indeede in this the very bowels of Gods mercie and compassion are as it were wound vp in that hee saith hee is thy God And it containeth in it plenteous redemption yea and assurance also Hee is able to saue for hee is God and hee is willing for he is a God vnto thee Therefore hee calles himself thy God Were he a Lord a God a Christ a Iesus what is that to thee if he be not thy God thy Lord thy Christ thy Iesus It would not much profit vs to know that meate is eaten an hundred miles off if wee perish for hunger As little would it auaile vs to know that Christ is a God and a Sauiour vnlesse hee be thy Sauiour And this is indeede the very marrow and honie combe of the word to know that the promise is made vnto vs and to our children Act. 2. 39 that a childe is borne vnto vs Isai 9. 6 that Christ is vnto vs wisedome and sanctification and redemption 1. Cor. 1. 30 and that he died for our sins and rose for our iustification Rom. 4. 25 and here that he is not ashamed to be called thy God But the greatnes of a benefit can neuer be conceiued vnlesse we conceiue first our great neede and our great vnworthinesse And first for our basenesse and vnworthinesse may wee not say as Dauid Lord what is man or the sonne of man that God should be mindfull of him Psal 8. that he should vouchsafe to be called his God Man is a very grashopper of the earth Isai 40. 22. yea all men together are but as a drop of water and as the dust of the ballance Isai 40. 15. and as little goodnesse haue wee as greatnes The best is but as a brier and the most righteous as a hedge of thornes Mich. 7. 4. What were the Israelites themselues they were but brickmakers and pioners in Egypt their foode was but onyons and garlicke their worship but Idolatrie Gen. 12. their father but an Amorite their mother but an Hittite Ezech. 16. 3 then what are wee who in respect of them are but the wilde branches of the Oliue and they the naturall Romanes 11. vers 21. Now as Dauid saith seemeth it a light thing vnto you to be the Kings sonnes seeing I am but a poore man and of small reputation So may we a thousand times more iustly say in respect of the highest Maiestie Seemeth it a light thing vnto you that God should vouchsafe to be called our God secing we are poore men and of no reputation But this was not all wee were not onely meane but miserable also wee were by nature the children of wrath Ephes 3. and the fire of Gods vengeance did burne against vs vnto the bottome of hell for our sins Yet then doth he step in and becomes vnto vs a sauing God by his bloud to clense vs from all our sinnes And not onely so but in this that he vouchsafeth to be called our God to giue vnto vs the assurance of the forgiuenes of our sinnes the assurance of the resurrection of our bodies the assurance of life euerlasting yea the assurance of all graces whatsoeuer That all this is promised in these words shall appeare first that it containeth in it the forgiuenes of sinnes appeareth in that Dauid saith The man is blessed whose God is the Lord Psalm 33. 12. Now there is none blessed but he that hath his sinnes forgiuen him Psal 32. 1. And therfore he whose God is the Lord hath his sinnes forgiuen him Secondly as it containeth in it forgiuenes of sinnes so also doth it containe in it the promise of the resurrection of the bodie And that Christ sheweth Mat. 22. 32. where he proueth against the Saduces the resurrection of the bodie by this God is the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob now he is not the God of the dead but of the liuing The reason holdeth thus whose God the Lord is hee is their God by an euerlasting couenant and they shal liue for euer but hee is the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob therefore they shall liue for euer and so consequently if he be thy God thou shalt liue for euer And that it containeth the promise of life euerlasting in it is manifest Heb. 11. 16. God was not ashamed to bee called their God for hee had prepared for them an heauenly citie The reason is thus concluded If he had not prepared for them a citie to come he should haue been ashamed but their God cannot be ashamed therefore he prepared a place for them and so consequently he will for thee if hee bee thy God In a word in this one word thy God are al the promises of God Yea and Amen for as the Apostle reasoneth He which gaue vs his sonne how shal he not with him giue vs al things also Rom. 8. 32. And if God vouchsafe to giue vs himselfe how shall he not with himselfe giue vs all things also Let vs then seeke to make this sure that God is our God and all things are ours whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the world or life or things present or things to come euen all things are ours together with him and that shall we know by this if wee be his 1. Cor. 2. vlt. And his wee are assuredly if his law be written in our inward parts to doe it then I say are we sure that he is our God and wee his people Iere. 31. 33. So then to conclude this point if in thy basenes God aduanced thee if in thy miserie he relieued thee if he forgiues thee thy sinnes assureth thee that thou shalt rise