Selected quad for the lemma: rest_n
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A61830
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Eight cases of conscience occasionally determined by the late Reverend Father in God, Robert Sanderson, Lord Bishop of Lincoln.
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Sanderson, Robert, 1587-1663.
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1674
(1674)
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Wing S598; ESTC R37202
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62,486
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160
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have therefore now sent you but a naked summary of my thoughts concerning the three Questions abstracted from all those Explanations Reasons Testimonies of Authors removals of Objections and other such Enlargements as might have given further both lustre and strength thereunto Howsoever by what I presently send you may sufficiently see what my opinion is which I shall be ready to clear so far as my understanding will serve in any particular wherein you shall remain doubtful and as ready to alter when any man shall instruct me better if he bring good evidence either of Reason or of Scripture-Text for what he affirmeth The Questions are 1. Which is the fittest Name whereby to call the day of our Christian weekly-weekly-rest whether the Sabbath the lord's-Lord's-day or Sunday 2. What is the meaning of that Prayer appointed to be used in our Church Lord have Mercy upon us and encline c. as it is repeated after and applied to the words of the fourth Commandment 3. Whether it be lawful to use any bodily recreation upon the lord's-Lord's-day and if so then what kind of Recreations may be used I. Concerning the Name Sabbatum or Sabbath I thus conceive 1. That in Scripture Antiquity and all Ecclesiastical Writers it is constantly appropriated to the day of the Jews Sabbath or Saturday and not at all till of late years used to signifie our Lord's-day or Sunday 2. That to call Sunday by the name of the Sabbath-day rebus sic stantibus may for sundry respects be allowed in the Christian Church without any great inconveniency and that therefore men otherwise sober and moderate ought not to be censured with too much severity neither charged with Judaism if sometimes they so speak 3. That yet for sundry other respects it were perhaps much more expedient if the word Sabbath in that notion were either not all or else more sparingly used II. Concerning the name Dominica or the Lord's-day 1. That it was taken up in memory of our Lord Christ's Resurrection and the great work of our Redemption accomplished therein 2. That it hath warrant from the Scripture Apoc. 1.10 and hath been of long continued use in the Christian Church to signifie the first day of the week or Sunday III. Concerning the name Dies Solis or Sunday 1. That it is taken from the courses of the Planets as the names of the other daies are the reason whereof is to be learned from Astronomers 2. That it hath been used generally and of long time in most parts of the World 3. That it is not justly chargeable with Heathenism and that it proceedeth from much weakness at the least if not rather superstition that some men condemn the use of it as prophane heathenish or unlawful IV. Of the fitness of the aforesaid three names compared one with another 1. That according to the several matter or occasions of speech each of the three may be fitter in some respect and more proper to be used than either of the other two As viz. 1. The Name Sabbath when we speak of a time of rest indeterminatè and in general without reference to any particular day and the other two when we speak determinately of that day which is observed in the Christian Church Of which two again 2. That of the Lord's-day is fitter in the Theological and Ecclesiastical and 3. That of Sunday in the civil popular and common use 2. Yet so as that none of the three be condemned as utterly unlawful whatsoever the matter or occasion be but that every man be left to his Christian liberty herein so long as so long as superior Authority doth not restrain it Provided ever that what he doth herein he do it without vanity or affectation in himself or without uncharitably judging or despising his Brother that doth otherwise than himself doth To the second Question V. The words of that Prayer Lord have mercy c. repeated after the fourth Commandment do evidently import as they do in each of the other ten 1. An acknowledgment of three things viz. 1. That the words of that particular Commandment contain in them a Law whereunto we are subject 2. That it is our bounden duty to endeavour with our uttermost power to keep the said Law 3. That our naughty hearts have of themselves no inclination to keep it until God by the work of his Grace shall encline them thereunto 2. A double supplication viz. 1. For mercy in respect of the time past because we have failed of our bounden duty heretofore 2. For Grace in respect of the time to come that we may perform our duties better hereafter VI. But how far forth the words of the fourth Commandment are to be taken as a Law binding Christians and by what authority they have that binding power is the main difficulty For the resolution whereof it may suffice every sober minded Christian to understand the Prayer appointed by the Church in that meaning which the words do immediately import and without over-curious inquiry into those things that are more disputable to believe these few points following which ought to be taken as certain and granted amongst Christians viz. 1. That no part of the Law delivered by Moses to the Jews doth bind Christians under the Gospel as by vertue of that delivery no not the ten Commandments themsâ—lves but least of all the fourth which all confess to be at least in some part Ceremonial 2. That the particular determination of the time to the seventh day of the week was Ceremonial And so the obligation of the fourth Commandment in that respect although it were Iuris divini positivi to the Jew yet is ceased together with other legal Ceremonies since the publishing of the Gospel and bindeth not Christian Consciences 3. That the substance of the fourth Commandment in the general viz. that some certain time should be set apart from secular imployments to be sanctified to an holy rest for the better attending upon God's publick and solemn worship is moral and perpetual and of Divine right as a branch of the Law of Nature whereunto Christians under the Gospel are still bound 4. That de facto the Lord's-day or Sunday is the time appointed to us for that purpose by such sufficient Authority as we stand bound in Conscience to obey absque hoc whether that Authority be immediately Divine or but mediately through the power of the Church This is sufficient to regulate the judgment and Conscience of every ordinary Christian yet is it not unlawful for Scholars soberly and fairly to argue and debate a little farther matteâ—s which are questionable for the better finding out of the Truth And the points in this Argument that are most in controversy are these two viz. 1. Concerning the observation of a weekly Sabbath whether it be of necessity to keep one day of every seven And by what right we are tied so to do 2. Concerning the change of the Jewish Sabbath into the Lord's-day and by what Authority
His Majesties last Declaration in that behalf having put it past Disputation I say then 1. For the Thing That no man can reasonably condemn the moderate use of lawful Recreations upon the Lord's-day as simply and de toto genere unlawful 2. For the Kind Albeit there can be no certain rules given herein as in most indifferent things it cometh to pass by reason of the infinite variety of â—â—rcumstances to fit with all particular cases but that still much must be left to private discretion yet for some directions in this matter respect would be had in the choice of our Recreations 1. To the Publick Laws of the State Such games or sports as are by Law prohibited though in themselves otherwise lawful being unlawful to them that are under the obedience of the Law 2. To the condition of the Person VValking and discoursing with men of liberal Education is a pleasant recreation it is no way delightsom to the ruder sort of people who scarce account any thing a sport which is not loud and boysterous 3. To the effects of the Recreations themselves Those being the meâ—test to be used which give the best refreshing to the body and leave the least impression in the mind In which respect Shooting Leaping Pitching the Bar Stool-ball c. are rather to be chosen than Dicing Carding c. 3. For the Vse That men would be exhorted to use their Recreations and Pastimes upon the Lord's-day in godly and commendable sort For which purpose amongst others these cautions following would be remembred 1. That they be used with great moderation as at all other times so especially and much more upon the Lord's-day 2. That they be used at seasonable times not in time of Divine Service nor at such hours as are appointed by the Master of the house whereunto they belong for Private Devotions within his own house His Majesties Declaration limiteth mens liberty this way till after Even-song be ended 3. That they be so used as that they may rather make men the fitter for God's Service the rest of the day and for the works of their Vocations the rest of the week than any way hinder or disable them thereunto by over-wearying the body or immoderately affecting the mind 4. That they use them not doubtingly for whatsoever is not of Faith is sin He therefore that is not satisfied in his own judgment that he may lawfully and without sin use bodily recreations on the Lord's-day ought by all means to forbear the use thereof lest he should sin against his own Conscience 5. That they be severer towards themselves than towards other men in the use of their Christian liberty herein not making their own opinion or practise a rule to their brethren In this as in all indifferent things a wise and charitable man will in godly wisdom deny himself many times the use of that liberty which in godly charity he dare not deny to his Brother The CASE of Marrying with a Recusant SIR YOurs of Iuly the 2d I Yesterday Iuly the 6th received In Answer to the Contents whereof desiâ—ing that my Services may withal be most humbly presented to my very much Honoured Lord I return you what my prâ—sent thoughts are concerning the particulars therein proposed First for Marrying a Daughter to a professed Papist considered in Thesi and as to the point of Lawfulness only I am so far from thinking the thing in it self to be simply and totâ— genere unlawful that I dare not condemn the Marriage of a Christian with a Pagan much less with any other Christian of how different Perswasion soever as simply evil and unlawful inasmuch as there be Causes imaginable wherein it may seem not only Lawful but expedient also and as the exigence of Circumstances may be supposed little less than necessary so to inter-marry But since things lawful in the General and in Thesi may become by reason of their inexpediency unlâ—wful pro hic nuâ—c and in Hypotheâ—i to particular persons and that the expediency or inexpediency of any action to be done is to be measured by the worthiness of the end the conjuncture of present Circumstances and the probability of good or evil consequents and effects prudentially laid together and weighed one against another I conceive it altogether unsafe for a Consciencâ—ous person especially in a business of so great concernment as the Marrying of a Child to proceed upon the General Lawfulness of the thing without due consideration of Circumstances and other requisites for the warranting of particular Actions Now as for the Marriage of a Daughter with one of so different Perswasion in point of Religion as that they cannot joyn together in the same way of God's Worship which is the case of a Protestant and a Papist it is very rare to find such a concurrence of Circumstances as that a man can thence be clearly satisfied in his Judgment without just cause of doubting the contrary that it can be expedient to conclude upon such a Marriage and how dangerous a thing it is to do any thing without a doubting Conscience we may learn from Rom. 14.13 For the evil consequents probably to ensue upon such Marriages are so many and great that the conveniences which men may promise to themselves from the same if they should answer expectation as seldom they do to the full laid in an equal ballance there-against would not turn the scale and in one respect the danger is greater to marry with a Papist than with one of a worse Religion for that the main Principle of his Religion as a Papist is more destructive of the comfort of a Conjugal Society than are the Principles of most Hereticks yea than those of Pagans or Atheists for holding that there is no Salvability but in the Church and that none is in the Church but such as acknowledg Subjection to the See of Rome it is not possible but that the Husband must needs conclude his Wife to be in the state of Damnation so long as she continueth Protestant whence one of these two great inconveniences will unavoidably follow that either he will use all endeavors engins and artifices to draw her to the Church of Rome as indeed who can blame him to bring his Wife into a capacity of everlasting Salvation the restless importunity whereof together with the ill advantages they of that party can make from the sad Confusions that are amongst us in these times it will be very hard for one of the weaker â—ex perpetually to resist or else in case she stand firm in her Religion against all Assaults and Attempts to the contrary whatsoever he may be towards her in outward carriage he cannot but in his inmost thoughts pass judgment upon her as an obstinate and desperate Heretick and so living and dying an accursed and damned Creature These are sad things both and it is not conceivable how a Woman so matched should live with any comfort or ever hope to see a