it ought to be retained and kept of all good Christian people And therefore by this Commandment we ought to have a time as one day in the Week wherein we ought to rest yea from our lawful and needful Works Again God hath given express charge to all men that upon the Sabbath day which is now our Sunday they should cease from all Weekly and Work day labour c. And a little after God doth not only Command the Observation of this Holy day c. And again a little after Thus it may plainly appear that God's Will and Commandment was to have a solemn time and standing day in the Week wherein the people should come together and have in remembrance his wonderful benefits and to render him thanks for them as appertaineth to loving kind and obedient people This Example and Commandment of God the godly Christian people began to follow immediately after the Ascension of our Lord Christ ☜ and began to choose them a standing day of the week to come together in Yet not the seventh day which the Jews kept but the Lords day the day of the Lord's Resurrection the day after the seventh day which is the first day of the Week Of the which day mention is made by St. Paul on this wise In the first day of the Sabbath let every man lay up what he thinketh good Meaning for the poor By the first day of the Sabbath is meant our Sunday which is the first day after the Jews seventh day And in the Apocalyps it is more plain whereas St. John saith I was in the Spirit upon the Lords day Sithence which time Gods people hath always in all ages without any gainsaying used to come together upon the Sunday to Celebrate and honour the Lords blessed Name c. These are the words of the said Homily which sufficiently declare the Doctrine and sense of the Church of England of which we are members in this point To which as not impertinent I will add the words of the Judicious Hooker in his Ecclesiastical Polity We are bound Hook Eccles Polit. l. 5. says he to account the sanctification of one day in seven a Duty which God's immutable Law doth exact for ever altho with us the day be changed in regard of a new revolution begun by our Saviour Christ yet the same proportion of time continueth which was before by way of a perpetual homage never to be dispensed withal nor remitted And so I come to the second thing which I undertook to speak to viz. Secondly The manner how the duty is to be performed wherein the right and due observation of the day consists And this we may learn from the words of the Text from the Notions here Sabbath and keep Holy To keep holy or to sanctifie is not to infuse or put any moral inrinsick Holiness into the day as the Spirit does infuse holiness into the hearts of men But to sanctifie here is to separate from a common and prophane to an Holy and religious Use And thus both God and Man are said to sanctifie God sanctifies by appointing and separating a thing from a common to an holy and religious use And Man sanctifies by applying to such holy and divine use as God appointed And to what use this day is sanctified or separated we may learn from the Word Sabbath which signifies a day or time of rest A rest from bodily labours from the Works of our particular calling but always with this reservation that we must make allowances for Works of necessity and Charity to which positive Laws must always give Place S. Mat. 12.1 2 c. all Judaizing severities being to be renounced and detested which our Saviour teacheth in the instance of his Disciples gathering the ears of Corn a Work of necessity to satisfie hunger v. 10.11 c. and healing the Sick and Lame Joh. 5.16 a work of Mercy and Charity on the Sabbath day Which indeed the Jews quarrel'd with accounting it unlawful on the Sabbath day Which superstitious strictness of theirs our Saviour reproves by the allow'd Instance of Mercy and Charity to a Beast that falls into a Ditch on the Sabbath day Luk. 14.3 4. much more then à fortiori ought it to be extended to Man Mat. 12.12 Mark 2.27 the nobler Creature for whom the Sabbath was made and not Man for the Sabbath So that making these allowances for works of Necessity and Charity it must be a day of rest from bodily labours But that 's not all it must not be a bodily rest and no more for then the Ox and the Ass keep as good a Sabbath as we but the rest must be consecrated to God it must be an holy rest a vacation from the works of our particular that we may attend those of our general Calling The day must be spent in religious Exercises and performances both publick and private as Divine Service in the Church Reading and Preaching and Hearing the Word of God and Celebrating and Receiving the holy Sacrament and Catechising Ecclesiastical Censures c. together with Prayer reading the holy Scriptures and other good Books and Catechizing in private Families visiting the sick and relieving the Poor and meditating on the Works and Word of God our Creation and Redemption and sitting and preparing our selves and our domestick Relatives for another World God hath given express charge to all men saith the Homily before mention'd that upon the Sabbath day which is now our Sunday they should cease from all weekly and work day labour to the intent that like as God himself wrought six dayes and rested the Seventh and blessed and sanctified it and consecrated it to quietness and rest from labour even so Gods obedient people should use the Sunday holily and rest from the common and daily business and also give themselves wholly to heavenly Exercises of God's true Religion and Service So that God doth not only command the observation of this holy day but also by his own example doth stir and provoke us to the diligent keeping of the same Good natural Children will not only become obedient to the commandment of their parents but also have a diligent eye to their doings and gladly follow the same So if we will be the Children of our heavenly Father we must be careful to keep the Christian Sabbath day which is the Sunday not only for that it is God's express commandment but also to declare our selves to be loving Children in following the example of our gracious Lord and Father Thus briefly of the second thing which I propounded to speak to I come now in the Third and Last place to make some Reflections on what hath been said by Application This Doctrine of the Observation of the Lords day serves 1. For Reproof and that of three sorts of Persons 1. Those who keep the Jewish but not the Christian Sabbath 2. Those who keep both 3. And especially those who keep none
〈◊〉 For so S. Athanasius saith expresly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Lord translated the Sabbath to the Lords day Whether he did this immediately by himself or by his Apostles inspired by him all comes to one That it was so translated is evident and a Christian Name given it being not call'd the Sabbath and when we call it so stiling it the Christian Sabbath it is not strictly and properly but analogically and by way of allusion to the Jewish Sabbath which was a day of rest but the proper and peculiar and Evangelical Name is the Lords day which the Jews stil'd the first day and the Gentiles Sunday But it matters not much by what Name we call it whether Sabbath or Sunday or the First Day so that we allow the divine right and Institution and observation of it Only I must observe to you that the Lords day is the most proper and peculiar and Evangelical Notion which was observ'd and us'd not only in the Apostles times but in the succeeding Ages of the Church which is an historical Evidence of the divine Institution of the day that it was not instituted by the Church succeeding the Apostles but by the Apostles themselves and the usage derived to the succeeding Ages of the Church by Apostolical Tradition and the day generally observed by the Church immediately after the Apostles days and so forward as I could shew you at large by the Testimony of the * St. Ignatius who was St. Johns Disciple makes it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Queen the Lady paramount among the other weekly days 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. After the Sabbath let every Friend of Christ make the Lords day a Solemn Festival says the same Ignatius Upon the Sunday 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a common assembly both of Citizens and common people is held c. says Just Mart. Apol. 2. Upon that day i. e. Sunday we Christians meet together in the common Assembly c. says Tertullian Apol. cap. 39. We Christians assemble our selves with much diligence upon the Lords day to praise God c. Clemt Rom. Const Ap l. 2. c. 63. St. Basil de Spir. Sanct. 27. Numbers the Observation of the Lords day amongst Apostolical Traditions And St. Augustine's general Golden Rule proves it to be so Quod universa tenet Ecclesia nec Conciliis institutum sed semper retentum est non nisi authoritate Apostolica traditum rectissimè creditur Aug. de Bapt. c. Donatist l. 4. cap. 24 Plin. Ep 97. ad Trajanum lib. dec p. 434. essent soliti stato die ante lucem convenire carmenque Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem seque Sacramento c. Ancients But I shall only take particular notice of the Testimony of an Enemy as to the matter of fact that the Observation of the day was as old as the Apostles and that is the famous Heathen Pliny who inform'd the Emperor Trajan in whose Reign the Apostle St. John liv'd that it was the use of Christians on a stated day by which he could mean no other than the Lords day to meet together to sing their Hymnos antelacanos their Hymns to Christ as God before day-break and to bind themselves by a Sacrament not to do any wickedness c. This is the Testimony of a great Heathen whose report as an Historian is not to be questioned Nay the observation of this day was so taken notice of by the Heathen in the Primitive persecutions before any Imperial Edict or Canon of Council enjoyn'd it that it became a constant interogatory to the Christians when brought upon their Tryal and Examination Have you kept the Lords day To which their answer was ever ready I cannot intermit it for I am a Christian and the Law of God prompts me to it Now put these things together the historical Notices which occur in Scripture of the Apostolical Institution and Observation of the day and their Approbation of it in others for certainly they would not have approv'd of it but vigorously oppos'd it had it been an usurpation and contrary to the mind of Christ these things I say together with the concurrent testimony of the succeeding Ages of the Church and not only of Friends but Enemies too I think sufficiently prove the Apostolical Observation of the day and consequently the Divine Institution of it and that in obedience to the Command of God in this precept Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy which may be prov'd by an Enumeration or induction of particulars what Christ the Son of God did that God the Father did who sent him into the World what the Spirit the Holy Ghost did that Christ who sent him did and what the Apostles who were inspir'd with the Spirit did that the Spirit himself did Thus in their first Council Act. 15.28 It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us and the Spirit was to lead them into all Truth and bring all things to their remembrance c. Now I have prov'd to you both by Scripture and History that the Apostles did command and institute and approve of the Observation of the Lords Day And if they did it the Holy Ghost did it and if the Holy Ghost did it Christ the Son did it and if Christ did it God the Father himself did it who here commands us Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy So that there are two things whereon the Divine Right of the Lords Day is founded Upon the moral Equity of the Fourth Commandment and upon Evangelical Institution Our Church reduceth the Institution of this day as a weekly day to the Fourth Commandment and as the first day of the Week she foundeth it upon Apostolical practice and tradition For which I might refer you to the Words of the Homily of the place and time of Prayer As concerning the time which Almighty God has appointed his people to assemble together solemnly Book of Homilies p. 214. it doth appear by the Fourth Commandment of God Remember saith God that thou keep Holy the Sabbath day Vpon which day as is plain in the Acts of the Apostles the people accustomably resorted together and heard diligently the Law and the Prophets read among them And albeit this Commandment of God doth not bind Christian people so straitly to observe and keep the utter Ceremonies of the Sabbath day as it was given unto the Jews as touching the forbearing of Work and Labour in time of great necessity and as touching the precise keeping of the seventh day after the manner of the Jews For we keep now the first day which is our Sunday and make that our Sabbath that is our day of rest in the honour of our Saviour Christ who as upon that day rose from death conquering the same most triumphantly Yet notwithstanding whatsoever is found in the Commandment appertaining to the Law of Nature as a thing most godly most just and needful for the setting forth of Gods Glory
all that has been said is no Argument to prevail with some They value not the Law of Nature nor the Law of their Creator nor the Blood nor Love of their Redeemer They are not fond of the Character of being a good Christian but they aspire after that of a good subject though I profess 't is a Riddle to me how he that is not a good Christian can be a good Subject but this Title and Character they are proud of and glory in and desire above all things to be accounted good Subjects Well but tell me you that are ambitious of this Title and are so little fond of that of a Christian is he a good Subject that breaks the Kings Laws You 'l readily answer no. 4. Consider therefore which is my fourth Argument that not to keep the Sabbath but to break and prophane it is to break the Kings Law to trespass against the Law of our temporal Governour which enjoyns the pious Observation of the Lord's day by repeated sanctions of Parliament under Penalties to be inflicted on the violaters of it So that in a word Sabbath-breakers are neither good Christians nor good Subjects 5. My Fifth and Last Argument is drawn from the benefits and advantages of the due and conscionable Observation of the day This day is a blessed day The Lord blessed the Seventh day and hallowed it 'T is a day of blessings of many blessings and the cheifest and best of all spiritual ones and the pledge of eternal This is the day wherein pardons are sealed to penitent Sinners and the Sentence of Guilt and Condemnation reversed and Reconciliation ratified in the blood of Christ This is the day that the Sun of Righteousness ariseth with healing under his wings to dispel and scatter the Clouds that sit upon the angry face of God's Justice to clear up the Heavens above and make it serene and pleasant on the Earth beneath and take off the Sable Mantle that black and dark covering which over-spreads the troubled Breasts the aking hearts and afflicted wounded consciences of Sinners and give them rest and peace and joy in the comfortable and refreshing gleams and illustrious shine of the light of God's countenance This is the day of feasting and banqueting for the Soul Now it Feasts with Angels and with Saints yea with the whole glorious Trinity I will come and sup with him and he with me This is the Souls treasuring it 's enriching day It lays up Treasures where neither Moth nor Rust do corrupt and where Theives cannot break through and steal Now the Soul is enriching it self growing rich towards God Now is her attiring day wherein she buys and puts on her glorious Robes the white Robe the Upper Garment of her Saviour's Righteousness and those inner Linings of inherent Holiness These she now buys and puts on that she may be in a readiness to meet the Bridegroom And this is the Market-day for the buying of this Provision this spiritual Food and Raymment and the getting of these Riches Ho every one that thirsteth so runs the Royal Style of that gracious Proclamation Isa 55.1 Come ye to the water and he that hath no money come buy Wine and Milk without money and without price And Rev. 3.18 I counsel thee to buy of me Gold tried in the fire that thou mayest be rich and white rayment that thou mayest be cloathed and the shame of thy nakedness do not appear And he that neglects the opportunity on the Market day for the buying of this Provision for his Soul for the other days of the Week are taken up in making provision for the Body in getting temporal food and rayment and riches he I say that lets slip the opportunity on the Market day for the buying of this Provision for his Soul this spiritual food and rayment and the getting of these riches when or how will he buy and get them How can he expect that his Soul should be nourished to eternal Life How can he be but wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Finally this shorter is a pledge to the due Observer of that longer and eternal Rest with we expect in Heaven an Ante-past a Preludium of that eternal Sabbath which we hope to celebrate in the other World that Rest which the Apostle observes remains to the people of God Heb. 4.9 There remaineth therefore a Rest to the people of God The word in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a day or time of Rest 'T is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies any common rest but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies a Sabbatical Rest a Rest that has affinity with a Rest bordering and conterminous on the temporal Sabbath which is a type and pledge and pregustation of that eternal Sabbath of rest which remains to the people of God a rest infinitely satisfactory and delighting fully compleat and perfect a rest from labour and working from sinning and suffering from diseases and pains from cares and fears from the vanities and vexations of this mortal Life O let us labour to enter into that rest as the Apostle exhorts Heb. 4.11 And happy is that man that spends the temporal Sabbath of rest here in preparation for and expectation of that eternal Sabbath of rest hereafter Happy is that Servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing He will bid him enter into a better rest and joy He will then take him by the hand and conduct him from the Earthly to the Heavenly Jerusalem from the material to the Spiritual holy Temple where the Lamb is worshipped in the Regions of Glory He will translate him from Rest on Earth to Rest in Heaven from the Company of Saints Militant to the Chorus of the Saints Triumphant from the solemnities of a temporal Sabbath in the State of Grace to the Celebration of an eternal Sabbath of Rest in Glory To which God of his infinite Mercy bring us all for Jesus sake to whom be ascribed by us and the whole Church all Honour Power Praise Dominion and Glory now and for ever Amen FINIS