defending them with such peremptory pride of iudgment as if he had receaued cleare and certaine reuelations therof The order of my discourse is easy to be discerned by the titles of my questions in both Controuersyes My manner of writing is to declare and refute his assertions with as much breuity and plainesse as I could contriue ech question I cite not many authors for any opinions both because my aduersary contemneth such proofes as also for that I want the cōmodity of a Library to collect them I haue intentionally written this Preface to discouer Traskes opinions not to disgrace his person further then I conceaued personall circumstances fitly vttered to expresse fully the grounds and occasions of his doctrines hauing to authorize me therein sundry examples of great Saints not sparing to relate grosser passages then heere I haue done of their Heresiarchicall Aduersaryes who as Diuells in their fearefull apparitions by platter-eyes clouen feete or stinking smells are wont to be discerned so they truly wolues in sheeps garments are by leuity of Doctrine pride of iudgment and other personall demeanours easily discouered to want the innocent humble nature of lambes conterfaited by them And as he that putteth himselfe on a stage to play the Fooles part must patiently expect laughter from his beholders so Traske broaching his hereticall fancies must prudently prepare himselfe to be more then smiled at by iudicious Readers THE I. CONTROVERSY QVESTION I. Of the seauenth Day before Moyses IOHN Traske seemeth falsely to suppose and Maister Cra. his Aduersary as lightly to graunt that a Sabaoth or seauenth daie of rest from bodily labour was from the beginning of mans Creation cōmanded by God by faithfull people continually obserued grounding as it should seeme this their assertion vpon the holy text of Gen. cap. 2. v. 3. wherein God is sayd to haue rested from his laboures blessed and sanctified the seauenth day As if for God to sanctifie and designe a day to be holy afterwards obserued in his especiall honour and seruice were all one as to make it a sabaoth or day of rest from externall labours which is most false and may be easily disproued by sundry plaine examples in the Moysaicall feasts of Azimes Tabernacles c. Wherein amongst eight holy ferialls or festiuall dayes celebrated with peculiar sacrifices and cerimonies cōmanded in them Leuit. 3. vers 8. 36 37. the first eight ōly were to be obserued as sabaoths and daies of rest from corporal labours So that God might sanctifie and designe the seauenth day to be holy and especially honored therein by Adam and his faithfull posterity and yet not make it such a sabaoth as afterwards he cōmanded Exod. 20. vers 8. 9. that strict manner of rest from eternall labours being no essentiall condition but only a cerimoniall solemnity of a sanctified day as those already instanced textes of Leuiticus do import in which it is said of the first and eight daies that they should be more solemn thē he other six immediatly God commanded in them abstinence from all sorts of bodily labours which notwithstanding when they are either necessary in themselues or charitably expedient for others cannot bee accounted morall breaches prophaning that day in which they are with due honour and praise otherwise giuen to God moderatly performed That representation of Gods rest by ours on the seauenth day which is cheifly respected and often instanced by Iohn Traske being only a typicall or figuratiue respect hauing no holines or morality in itselfe further then moderate rest from seruile and continuall labours as needfull and conuenient for all men to performe their thankfull duty and seruice towards Almighty God and lesse oftentimes interrupted and hindered by externall exercise of the body then by superfluous sleepe idle words or distractiue thoughts not expresly forbiden in the precept of the Sabaoth which according to the strict and ceremonious obseruance thereof from corporall labours is no where in the whole history of Genesis intimated to haue ben obserued by Abraham and other Patrarches whose labours iournies māner of spēding their liues altars erected sacrifices offered exequies celebrated couenants and lawes giuen by God holily by them obserued are without any insinuation of such a Sabaoth particulerly recounted Moreouer many passages of that sacred historie seeme euidently to import that before Moyses time their was no such Sabaoth cōmaunded by God or by holy people practised as Genesis 31. vers 40. 41. Where Iacob pleading his faithfull diligent seruices done to Laban he testifieth him selfe to haue indured laborious dayes sleeplesse nights for twenty yeares togeather making no exception of Sabaoth daies as he would haue done no doubt if such had then ben obserued by him And Exod. 5. vers 19. the labours of his children are said to haue ben per singulos dies euery day prefixed and exacted by Pharaos officers without any insinuation of Sabaoths interposed And to say as Iohn Traske seemeth in his conference to do that as the first institution of mariage was by degrees corrupted with bigamy and diuorcing one wife to marrie another afterwards Math. 19. vers 8. So the Sabaoth likewise in processe of time grew neglected by gods people vntill in his law he renewed the old institution thereof is coniecturally only affirmed Christ himselfe hauing taught vs the first institution of marriage to haue byn so depraued but no mention is made in scripture at all of the old Sabaoth neglected Who likewise seeth not that neither the Patriarches themselues nor their holy progeny being knowne to haue obserued any Sabaoth but that it were a far more pious and profitable coniecture thence rather to inferre that no Sabaoth was then cōmanded then that such holy persons neglected the dew obseruance thereof and liued Idolaters of Gods precept against his owne expresse testimony giuen of Abraham Genes 26. vers 5. Where he is sayd to haue obayed Gods voice kept his precepts comandements ceremonies and lawes amongst which Iohn Traske groundlesly and idly supposeth to haue been included the obseruance of the sabaoth sithence no such precept giuen to Abraham or practise thereof can be found mentioned in scripture vntill the Israelites returning out of Egypt cam into the desert of Sin and began to be feed on the Manna rayned downe vnto them Exod. 16. vers 5. of which they were cōmanded to gather only six daies and on the sixt day they were willed to gather a double measure to serue the day following Moyses then first begining to tell them vers 23. 26. that God had spoken vnto him that on the morrow which was the seauēth day of gathering that miraculous food the rest of the Sabaoth was to be sanctified to our Lord. And when the Israelits either not crediting or not vnderstanding that which Moyses had tould them went out to gather Māna on the 7. day as they had done on the other six daies before which is an euident signe that as yet they held not
praier preaching almes frequenting Sacraments c. mentioned by holy Iustin in Apolog. 2. to Marcus Antoninus and other Gouerners of the Empire in behalfe of Christians and sundry of those holy Fathers formerly mentioned Thirdly I make this Argument for obseruance of the sunday in place of the Sabaoth That day of the weeke is chiefly to be obserued by Christians which our Lord was pleased to make and haue called his owne day But our Lord did make and call his owne day the first day of the weeke and not the Iewish Sabaoth Therfore the first day of the weeke and not the Iewish Sabaoth is especially to be obserued by Christians The maior is certaine because as Christians are bound by their faithfull profession to honor Christ himselfe with thankefull humble seruices so doth the wisdome of faith teach them also especially to honor and esteeme that day of all others most holy which their Lord himselfe most respected and did choose to make and haue called his owne day For as to name any day the day of a King importeth that day to be specially regarded by the king himselfe and festiually obserued by his subiects in memory of some victory obteyned or memorable good happened to himselfe or his people on the same so for such holy and memorable respects the first day of the weeke is called our Lords day Apocalyp 2. 5. worthiest of all other daies of the weeke to be honored and festiually obserued by Christians as shall be particularly proued in my next Argument My minor is proued cleerely by that former text of S. Iohn expresly calling one day of the weeke or yeare as a familiar name knowne to all Christians in his time Diem Dominicum our Lords day to wit a day especially sanctified by Christ deuoted to his seruice which was not the Sabaoth of the Iewes no where els in Scripture so called nor any other day but vna or prima Sabbati the next after the sabaoth as S. Ignatius S. Iohns scholler testifieth epist. 6. ad Magnesianos saying that after the Sabaoth ech louer of Christ celebrateth Diem Dominicum our Lords day consecrated to our Lords Resurrection regina principium omnium dierum the cheifest and principallest of all other daies c. els where Epist 8. ad Philippenses he contesteth that if any Christian celebrateth his Easter with the Iews or their other Symbolicall festiuities amongst which the Sabaothes are included he maketh himselfe partaker with those who killed Christ and his Apostles S. Augustin also to omit many other like testimonies of ancient Fathers serm 251. de tempore teacheth the religions solemnization of our Lords day to haue beene instituted by the Apostles themselues because our Sauiour therein rose from death to life and to haue beene by them called our Lords day that we might learne by that name to abstaine therein from sin and earthly labours attending to diuine seruices And after much honourable mention made of that day he saith that therefore the holy Doctors of Christs Church meaning the Apostles decreed to transfer on that day al the glory of the Iewish Sabaoth that what they celebrated in Types we might celebrate in Verities c. Fourthly the precept of the Sabaoth obligeth Christians no further then it can be proued to conteyne a moral law necessary to direct them in their religious duty and thankfulnes towards Almighty God for benefitts But the obseruance of our Lords day is fitter to direct Christians in their duty towards God to put them in mind of his gracious benefitts towards them then the obseruance of the old Sabaoth Therfore our Lords day not the old Sabaoth is now commaunded and fittest to be obserned by Christians The maior is certaine because all cerimoniall and iudiciall precepts are confessed by Iohn Traske to haue beene abrogated by Christ and no law of the old Testament bindeth Christians which is not morally expedient and necessary to direct them in their Christian duty and seruice My minor may be best proued by examining and comparing the institution and ends for which our Lords day and the old Sabaoth were first ordayned and obserued The old Sabaoth was cheifely ordayned in memory of Gods rest from his labours of creating all things in six daies and therefore Philo lib. de opificio mundi wisely calleth it the worlds birth-day seruing for a continuall instruction of Gods people in the knowledge of their creator and to exclude the error of Philosophers commonly teaching the world to haue had no beginning Secondly it serued to represent vnto the Israelites that rest which God had giuen vnto them after their Egyptian seruitude and painefull labours ended as is expresly affirmed Deut. 5. vers 15. Thirdly it declared them to be a peculiar people sanctifyed by God and deuoted to his seruice Exod. 31 vers 13. Fourthly the Iewes Sabaoth allegorically prefigured Christs rest in his sepulcher after his paynefull labours for mans redemption ended as is insinuated by S. Paul ad Hebr. 4. vers 10. Fifthly in a tripologicall sense it signifyed the spirituall rest of soules after the seruile workes of sinne by Christs grace ended as S. Augustine teacheth vs tract 30. in Ioan. and in sundry other places Sixtly is was Anagogically a figure of that rest which holy soules after this laboursome life ended were to enioy in Abrahams bosome as is insinuated by S. Paul ad Hebr. 4. vers 6. 11. and is also taught by S. Augustine epist 119. For all which holy respects and mysterious significations it was expedient and necessary that the old Sabaoth should be changed by Christ into that blessed day on which himselfe was borne for mans redemption to wit the first day of the weeke as may be Mathematically demonstrated by searching backwards the Cicle of Dominical letters which will be found on the 25. of December in the second yeare of the hundred and ninty fourth Olympiade of Rome first built 754. from Cesars death 42. from the Triumuirate began by Augustus 41. of Herods raigne 29. when our Sauiour was certainly borne to haue beene B. Secondly on that first day of the weeke he rose and began humanely to lead his glorious immortall life as may be expresly gathered from the last chapter of all 4. Euangelists Thirdly on that day he visibly infused his holy spirit on the Apostles in the day of Pentecost to wit the fiftith day after the second of Azimes whē the Iews began to number their day of Pentecost which happened to be cōpletly ēded in the yeare of our Sauiours passiō on sunday as is learnedly proued by Ribera de festis Iudaeorum Cap. de Pentecoste by Bellar de Cultu Sanctorum lib. 3. Cap. 13. and sundry other authors So as three of the greatest mysteries of our Sauiours life and most singular benefitts that God could deuise to bestow on mankind happened on our Lords day to sanctify and make it more worthy then the Iewes Sabaoth to be by vs Christians weekely
celebrated and obserued To which holy respects we may add also these that God created the earth the heauens Angelicall creatures on that day graciously so therein preparing the locall place of our eternall Beatitude and heauently repose signified better by ours then the Iewish Sabaoth prouiding our companions therein an earthely habitation in the meane while to honour him in this life and make our selues by his graces worthy of our future glorification All Types of the old Sabaoth are in the mysteries of this fully accomplished This day is a gracious Symbole or signe of our speciall deuotion towards Christ a holy memoriall of spirituall graces receaued from him as the other was chiefly of Gods temporall benefits towards his creatures So as they seeme to be Iewes rather then Christians who against the vniuersall and known practise of Christs Church since the Apostles tyme esteeme the old Sabaoth more holy and worthy to be obserued then our Lords day made for such high and mysterious respects memorable to Christians Lastly the Apostle S. Paul ad Hebr. 4. plainely supposeth Christ to haue instituted a new Sabatisme or day of rest for his people in memory of his rest after the labours which he sustayned for our redemption ended as God ordayned from the beginning a holy day in memory of his owne rest after his workes of creation perfected And from the mysticall signification of these two distinct Sabaothes succeding ech other and simbolizing a double rest of Gods people the one in Abrahams bosome as our Sauiour tearmeth the place wherein the Patriarches before him rested and the other in heauen with himselfe after his Resurrection he taketh an occasion to exhort the Hebrewes that sithence their Forefathers entred not through their incredulity into Gods rest figured by the first Sabaoth they should hasten to enter into the rest of Christ by the day of his new Sabaoth represented from which Text litterally so and truly explicated I make this argument The first Sabaoth representing that rest which God gaue to his people before Christ of which it is sayd Genesis 2. he rested the seauenth day from his workes c. is ended according to the Apostle vers 7. 8. and a new Sabaoth or Symbolicall day of rest was fortould by Dauid and ordayned by Christ after his labours ended vers 9. 10. But no new Sabaoth or Symbolicall day of rest distinct from the seauenth day can be vnderstood to haue beene mentioned by Dauid and instituted by Christ after his labours ended praeter diem Dominicum besides the day of his glorious Resurrection Therefore the old Sabaoth figuring the rest whereunto God inuited holy people before Christ is now ended and the Dominicall day symbolizing the new rest which Christians inuited holy soules vnto is in place thereof happily succeeded Iohn Traske lately entred into a humor of reading histories that he might seeme skilled in some other good studies besides the knowledg of Scriptures may chance to stumble vpon an obiection seemingly sufficient to proue the continuance at least of the old Sabaoth togeather with our Lords day For example S. Gregory Nissen in his Oration against such as brooked not reprehensions asketh an Heretike with what eyes he saw our Lords day who despised the Sabaoth these dayes being brethren so as he that reproacheth the one wrongeth the other also Socrates lib. 6. hist cap. 8. affirmeth the Sabaoth and our Lords day to be the weekly feasts of Christians wherein they were wont to assemble themselues And Anastasius Nicenus lib quaest 77. affirmeth those two dayes to be holy and festiuall The Apostolicall Church also of Aethiopia doth at this day religiously obserue both Sabaoths so as the old Sabaoth by these historicall passages and other authenticall testimonies of antiquity seemeth not to haue beene abrogated by the Apostles Whereunto I answere that albeit the Apostles abrogated the old Sabaoth and introduced the obseruatiō of our Lords day in place thereof as is already proued in this and my former question yet afterwards Christian Bishops occasionally and for a while only in many Easterne Churches renewed a festiuall and Christian obseruance thereof not that they held the Moysaicall precept still to oblige them thereunto as doth Iohn Traske and his disciples or that as Ebion they held it necessary for all Christians equally to obserue both Sabaothes whose opinion all the ancient Fathers are knowne generally to haue detested But for a holy and zealous refutation of the Symonians Menandrians Cerinthians Carpocratians Basilidians Marcionistes and other like Heretykes who to reproach the Author of the old Testament whom they tearmed An euill God least they might seeme to honor him in any sort feasted on the Sabaoth as S. Epiphanius recounted haeres 42. the holy Pastours and people of Christs Church in a zealous detestation of their blasphemies and to shew the same God to haue beene author of both Testaments faithfully and fittly for a tyme obserued both Sabaothes forbidding any Christian vnder grieuous penalties to fast on Saturday more then on our Lords day one Saturday only excepted wherein our Sauiour lay dead in his sepulcher as is expresly mentioned in S. Ignatius Epist. ad Philipenses in the 55. Apostolicall Canon and in sundry other ancient Authors Which Christian and occasionall obseruance of the old Sabaoth is knowne not to haue beene generally practised but only in particuler Churches wherein such heretikes liued and as those Heresies ceased the festiuall keeping of the Sabaoth ceased also and Christians feasted aswell on it as on friday in memory of our Sauiours death and the Apostles sorrow continued vntill his ioyfull Resurrection as is expresly affirmed by Innocentius epist 2. c. 4. Hieron epist 97. August epist 86. 18. by Cassianus collat 3. cap. 10 c. As for the Aethiopians still obseruing the Sabaoth I answere that they are knowne to haue byn corrupted since their Apostolicall conuersion with many Hereticall and Iudaical doctrines practising circumcision and sundry other rites of Moyses law vnlawfull to Christians An other Argument much vsed by Traskes Disciples is that if circumcision were by an expresse decree of the Apostles Act. 15. repealed with much more reason was the Sabaoth by their like decree to haue ben abrogated also considering that the Commandement thereof was included amongest the other morall and still continuing precepts of the Decalogue tables c. Wherunto I answere first that Circumcision was indeed by the Apostles declared to be a burdensome and vnnecessary precept to be imposed on the Gentills But to the Iewes it was abrogated only as generally the Sabaoth was by the contrary doctrine of the Apostles sufficiently warranting and securing the consience of any good Christian to belieue and practise any point of Religion taught by them albeit we read of no Apostolicall Synode purposely made to determine the same Secondly I answere that an expresse decree was more necessary to haue ben made by the Apostles of abrogating the practise of
such labours of prouiding corporall foode vnlawfull any day they found none And Moyses sayd vnto them Behould God hath allotted you a Sabaoth giuing you double prouision of food on the sixt day to serue you the seauenth day wherfore let euery man remayne with himselfe or in his owne tent and let him not go out on the seauenth day and the people then sabathized or began to obserue the Sabaoth on the seauenth day first then being taught sayth Philo lib 1. de vita Moysis not only by Propheticall instruction but also by a most manifest argumēt of the Manna ceased to be rayned downe that day and continuing incorupted which was gathered in a double measure on the sixt day that the same was the seauenth day wherein God rested from his labours they hauing longe before desired to know the day of the worlds first creation and could not till then learne it which obseruance God afterwards cōmanded wrote in the first Table of the Decalogue willing his people not only to sanctify and keepe holy the seauenth day but expresly also forbidding them all sorts of externall labours in memory that him selfe had rested from his labours on that day calling it therfore in hebrew Saphath of the word Sacath which signifieth to rest QVESTION II. VVhether the precept of the Sabbaoth were Morall or Cerimoniall IOHN Traske seemeth not in any of his speaches or writings rightly to vnderstand wherein the morality of any Law or Precept consisteth neither doth Maister Cra. his superficiall aduersary indeauour in his confused answere to instruct him in the true vnderstanding thereof as he ought specially to haue done considering that all Traskes singuler opinions are chiefly grounded in a wrongefull conceyuing of some Moysaical precepts to haue ben morall and so consequently not abrogated by Christs coming which were indeed morally cerimoniall according to that precise figuratiue and mysterious manner at the least comaunded to the Iewes in the obseruance of them Heere therfore for both their instructions I define the morality of a law or precept to consist in that conformity which it hath to the naturall light of humane vnderstanding and iudgment taught in all true Philosophy to be the rule of naturall and morall actions and rightly tearmed by the Apostle ad Rom. cap. 2. vers 14. 15. A Law written by God euen in the hartes of such Gentills as had no knowledge of any other supernatural law approuing them in good and reprehending them in euill actions causing in them that practicall internall knowledge called Conscience and iustly seruing to condemne all such as contradict and do against it So that only such lawes and precepts are said to be morall which are conformable to this Synderesis and naturall light of humane iudgment perfected by grace aswell in the knowledge of naturall obiects as of supernaturall reuealed verities amongst which some are purely speculatiue and do only require a faithfull pious and firme assent of our iudgment vnto them and others contrarily are in their owne nature practicall precepts and diuine directions or laws commanding or forbidding things to be done by vs which if they be such according to the substance or manner of the act commaunded or forbidden by them as do appeare to humane vnderstanding and iudgment voluntarily to haue ben commaunded by God and exacted in due obedience from vs his Creatures for such mysterious respects as naturall iudgment cannot apprehend to be necessary or any way belonging to our direction in manners and morality of life towards God our selues or our neighbours those precepts are not to be accounted morall but mysterious and ceremoniall abrogated by Christ as Iohn Traske willingly confesseth Which true ground supposed briefly declaring the nature and condition of a morall law I answere thus to the difficulty of my Question heere proposed that the Commaundement giuen to the Iewes of keeping a Sabaoth or weekely day of rest was according to the substance and chiefe intention of that law morall Because naturall vnderstanding illuminated by faith teacheth it to be fit and expedient that all sorts of persons should abstaine from corporal labours so far forth as to allot certaine daies of their life to the especiall seruice and honour of Almighty God but the determination rather of the seauenth day in which God rested frō his labours then of the sixt in which man was created for to serue his creatour here in this world and to inioy him afterwards meerly depended on Gods free choyce and election misteriously resoluing to make the day of his owne rest the Sabaoth and resting day of his people also from corporall labours symbolizing therby that eternall day of clarity and rest which they were to inioy with himselfe afterwards As touching likewise the precise manner of rest from all sortes of labours euen such as were easily performed and belonged in a sort to the conuenient health and nourishment of their bodies commaunded to the Iewes on their Sabaoth as to light fire prepare meate c. I affirme and proue it to haue beene meerly cerimoniall naturall experience teaching vs first that the lighting of fire and such easy labours of preparing food on the Sabaoth for our selues or for the charitable releife of our brethren are no way repugnant to the morall end and intention for which the Sabaoth was chiefely ordayned to wit of yealding due honor and praise to God for his continuall blessinges and benefits towards vs which only requireth moderate rest from seruile and paineful labours wholy distrasting mens minds and making them vnapt for holy exercises of piety and deuotion Secondly experience likewise teacheth vs that mens dulnes and vnablenes ordinarily to be actuated any whole day togeather in prayer and prayses to God without ceasing is such as easy walking and other needfull or charitable exercises moderately vsed do help rather then hinder the frequent and feruent vse of mental and deuout exercises and serue to honour God and sanctify the Sabaoth more then superfluous sleep idle thoughts vnprofitable conuersation with others not expresly in that commaundement prohibited Which morall obseruation of the Sabaoth euen since Christs time religiously and vniuersally practised by Christian pastours people on the weekly day of our Sauiours Resurection was intimated by our Sauiour himselfe in many passages of the Ghospell doing for example many miracles on that day albeit he saw them by the Scribes and Pharisies scandalously apprehended to haue beene breaches of the Sabaoth Luk. 6. vers 9. Matth. 12. vers 10. c. commaunding such as he had cured to take vp theyr beds and go home to their owne houses which seemed a worke of toyle and labour forbidden to the Iewes on their Sabaoth Io. 5. vers 8. 10. defending his disciples for rubbing the eares of corne to eate Matth. 12. vers 1. Luc. 6. vers 1◠Marc. 2. v. 23. which the Iewes present reputed to haue beene a certaine laborious preparatiō of food seemingly forbiddē by God Exod. 35 vers 3.
in Moyses declaration of that precept instancing against those captious accusers of himselfe his disciples the exercises of Priests labouring about sacrifices in the Temple yet not violating the Sabaoth the practise of Circumcision on the eight day albeit it happened on the Sabaoth their vsuall custome of leading out their cattle to water and drawing them out of pittes and places of daunger on the Sabaoth day without any sinfull breach thereof as may be gathered out of our Sauiours manner of speach Luke 13. 14. importing no reprehension of them for such facts but produced rather by him as fit examples apt to authorize his miraculous workes done with lesse labour and more charity and vtility to such as were by his voice or a touch of his hand or garment in soule and body perfectly cured So that Iohn Traske and other Puritanes in their cerimoniall and precise manner of obseruing the Sabaoth are rather superstirious imitators of the Iewes our Sauiours aduersaries then humble and faithfull members of Christs Catholike Church euer knowne to haue practised a morall and not the Iewish and cerimonial obseruance of the Sunday QVESTION III. Concerning the abrogation of the Iewes Sabaoth IOHN Traske adhering more constantly and consequently then other Protestants do to their dangerous ground of beleeuing nothing not expresly mentioned in Scriptures or thence necessarily deduced hath of late vpon conference with others and more diligent search then he had made before of many texts in the old and new Testament like a weather-cocke turned with euery blast of his owne ignorant fancy and iudgment hath determined himselfe and drawne his disciples to a most strict keeping of Saturday the Iewish Sabaoth comaunded saith he by God out of fire and written with his owne finger in the first Table of the Decalogue holily likewise by Christ and his disciples afterwards obserued as a sacred memoriall of Gods rest on the 7. day and therfore now also as a morall and diuine precept still to continue Presse him with the vniuersall practise of Christs Church present past since the Apostles certainely knowne to haue reiected the Iewish Sabaoth and insteed thereof to haue obserued the first day of the weeke in continuall memory of our Sauiours Resurection and he will in horrible pride and pertinacity of iudgment affirme it to haue ben a corrupt and abusiue practise little by him regarded as not being at al grounded in Scripture but repugnant vnto it Vrge him with Christs promises of being present with his Church to the worlds end Matth. 28. vers 20. of establishing it so surely on a rocke that hell gates shall neuer preuaile against it Matth. 16. vers 18. of comforting it with his spirit of loue leading it into all truth Iob 14. vers 16. 17. 26. which fitly therfore is said to be Columâ—â— firmameÌ„tum veritatis the suporting pillar and foundation of true faith 1. Tim. 3. vers 15. to whose holy obedience all Christians are tied vnder paine of being by their brethreÌ„ accounted as Ethnickes and Publicans Matth. 18. v. 17. he will ridiculously tell you as he did to one of his fellow prisoners conferring with him on this very point that the true Church of which these and the like texts were written is knowne to very few consisting of 2. or 3. gathered togeather in Christs name himselfe promising to be in the midst of them Matth. 18. vers 20. that is to say a small number of such little ones as haue truly repented and are made sure of their election in Christ hated and persecuted by men but beloued by God guarded by Angells seeing the face of their Heauenly Father Matth. ibid. vers 10. And examining him further on this point he will in processe of speach tell such as he will be confident with all that himselfe and his brethren are those little ones the only Gnostiks illuminated members of Christs Church others belonging therunto no further then true faith repentance and morality of life shall lead them and ignorance with all excuse them for not actually professing his singular doctrines So he foolishly seeketh with Ebion and other ancient Heretikes to breath life and spirit into the ceremonious carcasse and buried rites of the Iewish law feeding his grosse children with such vnsauery excrements for so the Apostle tearmeth them ad Philip. 3. vers 8. as Christ long since in the ending of that Law hath cast out of the mystical body of his church as not conteining any true norishment of soules in them vainely endeauoureth to illuminate those which obserue shadows who haue happily since Christs time liued in the cleere sunshine of heauenly graces planting like a foolish builder such new points of his faith on the sandy fleeting foundation of the Iewish law and seeking to set vp againe medium parietem maceriae that parting wall of ceremonies which distinguished Iewes and Gentills subuerted and quite ouerthrowne by Christ ad Eph. 2. vers 14. 15. euacuating al such legall decres and ceremonial comandements that he might build on himselfe the foundation and corner stone both people in a Holy Temple and habitation of God c. purifiyng alike their hares by faith Act. 15. vers 9. And that amongest other cerimoniall precepts and decrees of Moyses Law abrogated by Christ the Sabaoth was one holily rraÌ„slated by the Apostles themselues into our Sunday as shall bee proued in my next Question is by S. Paul ad Coloss 2. vers 16. 17. expresly affirmed willing his disciples not to be iudged or discouered in their faithfull profession in meate or drinke or new moones or any part of a festiuall day or Sabaoth which are shadowes of future good thinges By which Sabaoth cannot be meant the feasts of Trumpets Tabernacles Expiation and other such ceremoniall and Iewish festiuities as Traske heretically coÌ„menteth For albeit those feasts be called indeed Leuit. 23. Sabboths or daies of rest because all externall workes were alike forbidden in them as on the seauenth day yet the Apostle rest rayneth the word Sabaoth in this place to signifie the weekly Sabaoths of the Iewes as appeareth first in that hee numbreth such Iewish festiual daies distinctly from the Sabaoth equally forbiding the obseruance of them both His second reason why he prohibiteth them conteyned in that part of the text quae sunt vmbra c. which are shaldowes of future good thinges equally agreeth to them both for as those feasts were shaddows and types so were the weekly Sabaoths also Wherfore Ebion and his disciples the first hereticall obseruers of our Lords day and the Iewish Sabaoths togeather as witnesseth S. Epiphanius haers 30. S. Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 26. pressed with the authority of this place and perceauing the vnanswerablenes therof rather then they would therunto conforme their doctrines absolutly reiected all S. Paules Epistles and accounted him an Apostata from the Iewish faith The which Iohn Traske seemeth not yet to do albeit hee dared once to say of
to Ierusalem from all places should be sodainely so inclosed as they should haue no meanes to fly hauing the gates shut vpon them by such captaines and people as vndertooke to defend the citty and so narowly watched by the Romā soldiars as when any were taken to fly they were vsually crucified before the walles and being restained by such multituds they suffered vnspeakeable famine plague and slaughters by externall foes and intestine dissentions which being forknowne by our Sauiour he might wel wish them to pray that their flight or cause of flying to wit the approach of Titus army might not happen in winter or on the Sabaoth not that they might not lawfully fly thereon for safeguard of their liues or fight against their enimyes as we read of Iudas Machabaeus souldiers 1. Machab. 3. but because all meanes of flight should be hindred by the sodaine approach of their enimies without Iewish captains within the Citty and their miseries be multiplied by occasion of such multitudes assembled on the Sabaoth Finally if Iohn Traske for continuance of the Sabaoth shall obiect as one of his disciples seemed to do that the celebration of the same is called Exod. 31. A sempiternall Couenant betwene God and his people to be obserued with perpetuall honour in all their generations Exod. 12. I answere that the like manner of speach is vsed of the old Aaronicall Preisthood Exod. 28. now translated into the Priesthood of our Sauiour ad Heb. 7. v. 11. 12. 15. 16. and abrogated by Traskes owne confession Wherfore we are to interprete the eternal duration of such rites to import only a continuance of them till the Law fully ended or because they still remaine according to the morall eternal things signified by them as S. Augustine solueth this obiection quaest 46. 124. 131. in Exod. QVESTION IIII. Of the Sabaoth translated into the weekely day of our Sauiours Resurrection SAINT Augustine epist 118. rightly termeth it a most insolent madnes for any particuler man to reproue that which the whole Church of Christ generally obserueth for in so doing with vnreasonable pride he practically prefereth his owne singuler opinion before the iudgements of all other Christian Pastours and people as doth Iohn Traske in his nouell obseruance of the Iewish Sabaoth abrogated by the Apostles themselues as I haue proued in my former Question and translated into the holy euer memorable day of our Sauiours Resurrection as is plainely testified by the 65. Apostolicall Canon by S. Ignatius the Apostles disciple in his Epistle ad Magnesianos by holy Iustin Apologia 2. by Tertullian de Corona militis Apologia cap. 16. by Clemens Alexandrinus lib. 7. stromat by Origen homil 7. in Exod. by S. Athanasius in illa verba Omnia mihitradita sunt c. by S. Hilary praefat in psalm by S. Ambrose epist 83. serm 62. by S. Hierome in cap. 4. ad Galatas by S. Augustin contra Adimant cap. 16. lib. 22. de ciuitate dei cap. 30. serm 252. by S. Leo epist 81. ad Dioscorum by S. Gregory lib 2. epist 3. by the Laodicean Councell cap. 29. Wherein Christians are expressely forbidden to play the Iewes and to be idle on the Sabaoth and willed with all to obserue and prefer our Lords day before it So as if any testimonies of antiquity might be by Traske and his Companions admitted and held sufficient to proue the Apostolicall translation of the Sabaoth there would need no other arguments to refute and reduce them from their idle and singuler fancies then those former vndoubted authorities of ancient learned Fathers But as he his companions are wholy ignorant vnacquainted with their workes so are they fully bent to contemne all such Testimonies which they find not warranted by plaine texts of scripture as themselues only are pleased to expound them For whereas not only the Ancient Fathers but Ebion also himselfe and his disciples acknowledged their hereticall doctrine of Iewish feasts and Sabaoths necessary to be obserued by Christians togeather with their owne Dominicall daies and proper festiuities to haue beene expresly contradicted and condemned by S. Paul ad Coloss 2. reiecting thereupon all his Epistles from the Canon of Scripture these new Ebionites by shifting comments and absurd glosses of their owne deuising seeke to delude the text and drawe it against all ancient expositions therof to be only vnderstood of cerimoniall feasts mentioned in the 23. of Leuiticus only because they are there called Sabaothes Whereas the Apostle distinguisheth such festiuall daies from the weekly Sabaoth and equally in this text forbiddeth the obseruance of them both to Christians Which true exposition heere supposed I conclude this argument One day of seauen is still as a morall precept to be holily obserued by all Christians But the obseruance of the old Sabaoth is prohibited by the Apostle to Christians and no other day introduced in place thereof but the day of our Sauiours Resurrection Therfore that day only and not the Iewish Sabaoth is still as a morall precept to be holily obserued by Christians Secondly because Iohn Traske is most delighted with Sillogisticall collections albeit himselfe be so little skilled in Logique as writing lately against an Aduersary he denied the Minor of his Enthimeme supposing that Christ was as he tould the Iewes Dominus Sabati and had full power either by himselfe or his Apostles to abrogate and alter as well as to institute approue the obseruance thereof I frame this argument That day of the seauen is by Christians now weekly to bee obserued which the Apostles themselues allotted for their holy Assemblies and other publique exercises of their Christian faith But the day which the Apostles so allotted c. was the first day of the weeke and not the Iewish Sabaoth Wherfore the first day of the weeke not the Iewish Sabaoth is to be obserued by Christians The Maior or former part of my Argumēt is certaine because such publique assemblies and exercises of faith are the chiefe end for which the Sabaoth and other festiuall daies were first ordayned The Minor or latter part is clearely proued by the practise of the Apostles Act. 20. v. 6. 7. where S. Paul many other Disciples of seauen whole daies which they spent in Troas are read only to haue assembled themselues for preaching frequenting Sacraments which are the most publike exercises of faith on the first day of the weeke and not on the Iewish Sabaoth Likewise on that day the Apostle 1. Cor. 16. vers 1. 2. willed the Christians at Corinth to make their Collects or cōmon gatheringes for the poore brethren at Ierusalem which is an euident signe that Christians vsed to assemble themselues on that day there being no reason to be yealded why such common collections of almes should be rather on the first day of the weeke then any of the rest but that Christians vsed only therein to make their holy Sinaxes conuents for