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A78513
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A brief tract on the fourth commandment wherein is discover'd the cause of all our controversies about the Sabbath-day, and the means of reconciling them ...Recommended by the Reverend Dr. Bates, and Mr. John How.
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Chafie, Thomas.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing C1789; Wing B1099; ESTC R19953
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88,157
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93
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according to their order that day was called by the name of that Planet so Worshipped As Saint-Worshippers do call the days of the month on which they gave special Worship to St. Peter St. John St. James St. Peters day St. Johns day and St. James day So did those Sun-Worshippers on what days of the week they gave special Woâ—ship to the Sun or Moon or Saturn those days were called by the names of the day of the Sun the day of the Moon the day of Saturn The time of the day for their Worship was ever the forenoon not the whole forenoon for them all but at the rising of the Sun when the first hour of their day for such Worship began And that Planet which came to be Worshipped by course the first hour of the day was counted Trump or Lord of that day They gave not equal Honour unto the Planets neither were the days of their week alike Sacred but they had the Sun in the greatest Honour and for their most high God next to him was the Moon and the next Saturn so accordingly were their days Sacred their chiefest day of the week being then the day of the Sun of which I will speak more when I come to speak of their seventh day Sacred Boëmus telleth us Writing of Assyria and their Customs that four of the Planets they had in less esteem than the rest His words are these Martem Venerem Mercurium Jovem prae caeteris observari quoniam velut proprium cursum sortiti futura ostenderent tanquam Deorum interpretes (a) Boëus ubi de Assyria quod ipsum adâ—o persuasum habuerunt ut quatuor ista astra uno nomine Mercurios appellâ—rent b That they diligently observed Mars Venus Mercury and Jupiter for these by their proper course would foreshew things to come as being Interpreters of the Gods out of confidence whereof they called all these four Stars Mercuries And my opinion is that as Boëmus doth here orderly recite their names in the same order did the Idolaters place them aloft in their Temples Mars on the right hand and Venus on the left hand of the other three chief then Mercury on the right hand next to Mars and Jupiter last on the left hand The reasons moving me to think these Idols to be thus placed aloft in their Temples are especially two First For that the Romish Church when they had got some power into their hands and did in Pope Boniface the fourth his days suppress the Idolatries of the Heathen who Worshipped their Idols in the Temple at Rome which was Dedicated to all the Gods and then called Pantheon and having instead thereof set up another kind of Worship like unto that even of the Virgin Mary and all Saâ—nts Whereupon that day was by that Pope Boniface made an Holy day called by the name of All Saints day and the Temple also Dedicated to the Virgin Mary and All Saints called thenceforth Ecclesia Beatae Mariae rotunda (b) Too Val. Nic. Triveth Com. in Aug. de Civit. Dei l. 2. c. 4. I will deliver the words of an Old Chronologer hereof Iste Bonifacius scilicet Quartus consecravit Pantheon id est Templum omnium Deorum ubi Christiani periclitabantur à Daemonibus Et est pulchra similitudo quomodo Spiritus Sanctus ex malis institutis Paganorum scit eligere Sanctum exercitium devotionis quasi medicina fiat ex veneno Vbi enim impii colebant Daemones ibi Christiani colunt omnes Sanctos sic ars deluditur arte (c) Fascicul temporum And a little after Festum omnium Sanctorum instituitur à Bonifacio quarto Then at that time I suppose were the Images of the Saints placed up on high in their Rood which common People here with us call their Roodloft in imitation of the Heathen For commonly when the Romish Church put down any Idolatrous custom of the Heathen then they set up another resembling that which they put down and this did they either for avoiding the greater scandal of the Heathen which were then potent or to win them the better by degrees to Christian Religion or for some other by respect As the Heathen had some one or other particular Planet or Idol to be the Patron and Protector of some one People or other anâ— so many Protectors as there were nations Belus for Assyria Diana for Ephesus Jupiter for Rome Juno for Samos Bacchus for Thebes c. So when that Idolatry was supprest instead of these Idols the Roman Church had Holy Saints to be invocated and had for Protectors in like manner Thus was St. James for Spain St. Dionysius for France St. Andrew for Scotland c. As the Heathen Idolaters had for several occasions several Gods and Goddesses on whom they called for help Bellona in time of War Cunina for Infants Segetia for standing Corn Forculus to keep the doors (a) Aug de Civ Dei l. 4. c. 1. c. So the Roman Church to win the Heathens by degrees suffered them to continue in Idolatry still but instead of their Demi-Gods they should invocate Saints St. Rumbal for the Tooth-ache St. Petronel for the Ague St. Loye for Horses St. Anthony for Pigs St. Gregory for Schollars St. George for Souldiers c. What were the Monks and Friars the Chast Shavelings and Holy Nuns but the Natural successors of Berecynthia's and Vesta's Priests and Virgins Rome Heathen had two Goddesses in special reverence Berecynthia and Vesta Berecynthia they held to be the Mother of the Gods (b) Aug. de Civ Dei l. 2. c. 4. Her Priests where Chast un-married men and if it happened that any one of them could not Live Chastly yet he lived Warily until that Atys (c) Tho. Vallois Nic. Triveth in Aug. de Civ Dei l. 2. c. 4 7. l. 7. c. 25. one of her dearest Priests lived neither Chastly nor Warily wherefore he was caused to be Gelded (d) Ovid. de fast l 4. after which time the Priests of Berecynthia otherwise called Cybel were Gelded also and as some Commentators on Augustine say were called Galli id est Castrati (e) Tho Val. Nic. Triveth locis praedic When these were put down by Christians Popish Priests and Fryars succeeded in their room untill this time It hath been wished by not a few that these had been Gelded also as were the former for though these have lived cautè warily yet is it notoriously known that they lived not castè Chastly no more than Atys did witness the many Bones and Sculls of Infants that have been credibly reported to have been found in their Motes and Ponds (f) Nic. Fox his Mart. p. 1155. Andr. Willet Synops Pap. Controv. 5. Quest 5. As for the other Goddess Vesta Ovid and Augustine witness and none denieth that her Priests were Virgins that Idolatrous custom being put down also this of Nuns and Votaries of Chastity unto the Honour of the Virgin Mary
till of late our Tables have testified obedience to that decree being usually furnished with more variety of Dishes on the Sundays and Thursdays than on any day of the week besides If any one here say that these days were not Sacred but Fasting days because Binius call them jejunia I would have him informed that Sacred days were with the Heathen called Fasts because they abstained from feeding themselves till their Services were ended the like did the Jews yea and Christians too in old time Trogus Writing the Customs of the Jews when he would tell us that Moses ordained the Saturday being the seventh day with the Jews to be a Sacred day perpetually he thus expresseth the same Septimum diem more Gentis Sabbatum appellatum in omne aevum jejunio sacravit Moses (a) Trog li. 36. Dr. Heylin sheweth plentifully that the Heathen Poets and others called Sacred days Fasting days (b) Heyl. part 1. page 102. But to put us out of doubt that the Thursday and Sunday were not only fasting days but Sacred also with the Heathen Platina resolveth the case who on the Life of the said Pope sets down his Decree thus Miltiadis institutum fuit né Dominico neve feriâ quintâ jejunaretur quia hos dies Pagani quasi sacros celebrant Whereby it appears that Sunday was a Sacred day not of the month but of the week with the Heathen 6. Lastly The Testimonies of divers Learned Writers shew that the day of the Sun with the Gentiles was a week-day even the same which we call the Lords day Sozomen telleth us that Constantine commanded Dominicum diem quem Ebraei primum Sabbati appellant Graeci Soli deputant c. à cunctis celebrari (c) Soz. Eccl. hist li. 1. cap. 8. Constantine then held that the day which the Heathen then Greeks deputed to the Sun was the very same which we call the Lords day Justin Martyr in several passages called the Lords day no otherwise than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as then the Gentiles or Greeks called it saith Dr. Heylin (d) Heyl. part 2. page 62. and we call it now Bonaventure acquaints us how Christians spoiled the day of the Sun of its Idolatrous Worship and so kept it in honour of Christ Secundum Gentiles dies Dominicus primus est cum principio illius diei incipit dominari principalis planeta Sol propter quod vocabant eundem diem Solis exhibebant ei venerationem Ut ergo error ille excluderetur reverentia cultûs Solis Deo exhiberetur praefixa fuit Dominica dies quâ populus Christianus vacaret cultui Divino (a) Borav in 3. Distin 37. Cael. Rhodigin lect Antiq. li. 13. cap. 22. thus sheweth Nos jure optimo diem quem Mathematici Solis vocant Domino ascripsimus dicavimúsque illius cultui totum mancipavimus It seemeth by these that Christians at first devested the Sun of the Worship given him on the day of the Sun and gave the whole right of Worship on that day unto the Lord God They served the day of the Sun as the men of Israel were to serve their Captive Maidens the things that grew excrementitiously on them as hair and nails were to be shaven and cut Deut. 21.12 and so cast away c. and then the men lawfully might keep and use them So Christians of the first Age after Christs Ascension pared off and cast away what did excrementitiously if I may so say grow on the day of the Sun as the Adoration and Superstitious Services given to it on that day and then they lawfully might and did make use of the same and it became their standing service-day unto Gods honour Divers other Testimonies of sundry Authors may be given to prove the day of the Sun with the Gentiles to be not their seventh day of the month but the seventh day of the week all which I here omit only I referr the Reader for his further satisfaction to Doctor Heylins History of the Sabbath (b) Heyl par 2. pag. 53 61 62 63. wherein he sheweth that not only the days of the Moon of Mars of Mercury c. with the Gentiles were the same which we call Munday Tuesday Wednesday c. But also that the day of the Sun is the same which we call Sunday proving the same out of Tertullian Justin Martyr Saint Augustine and others Quest But here it may be demanded that sith the Sunday was the day Sacred with the Heathen Dedicated to the Sun and to the dishonour of God so much abused by their Heathenish Superstition and Idolatry Whether Christians in the Apostles time or afterward should not have done well to have chosen Friday or Saturday or some other day for their standing day of the week for Gods service rather then the Sunday Answer To alter or change the Sabbath from the seventh day and to make it the eighth ninth sixth or any other than the seventh which is the last day of the week is against the express Law of God as before hath hath been shewed though it be no where forbidden to alter the whole week by beginning the same sooner or later Secondly They lawfully might and did alter and change both the name and also the Worship or service done on that day for they called it no longer Sunday unless in their common talk with the Heathen but they called it the Lords day being the day which the Lord in this Law commanded to be Sanctifyed Neither did they adore and Worship the Sun any more on that day but the Lord their Creator and Redeemer Thirdly It is true that all the week-days were abused to the Idolatrous Worship of the Planets though not in the like degree as was the Sunday And that one day in it self was no more holy than another Yet Christians should not have done well in changing or in their endeavouring to have changed their standing service day from Sunday to any other day of the week and that for these reasons 1. Because of the contempt scorn and derision they thereby should be had in among all the Gentiles with whom they lived and toward whom they ought by St. Pauls rule to live inoffensively 1 Cor. 10.32 in things indifferent If the Gentiles thought hardly and spake evil of them for that they ran not into the same excess of riot with them 1. Pe◠4.4 what would they have said of Christians for such an Innovation as would have been made by their change of their standing service-day If long before this the Jews were had in such disdain among the Gentiles for their Saturday-Sabbath which the Gentiles held to be a singularity and innovation brought in by Moses insomuch that Jeremy lamenteth the same Lam. 1.7 How grievous would be their Taunts and reproaches against the poor Christians living with them and under their power for their new set Sacred day had the Christians chosen any other than the Sunday Had Sr. Francis Drake