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
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
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
by the name of the day precedent And so much for the day of rest THE SECOND BOOK TREATING OF THE DVTIES OF THE SABBATH CHAP. I. Of the preparation vnto the Sabbath by remembring it before hand Sect. 1. 2. The things to be remembred are to settle our affaires Sect. 3. And our affections Sect. 4. § Sect. 1 IN the former discourse we haue seene these foure things handled First that the Sabbath is perpetuall Secondly that the day is changed Thirdly that it cannot againe be changed And fourthly that the whole day must be kept holie All which things being discussed it remaineth that we proceede vnto the handling of the duties of the day And first I will speake of the preparation vnto the Sabbath which we are put in minde of when he wils vs to remember this day which words import so much as if hee should haue said Thou art by nature forgetfull and negligent in the performance of any holie dutie and therefore thou haddest neede to thinke vpon this day before hand and to remember it that thou Why the word remember is placed before the commandement maist bee prepared to keepe it holie And me thinkes God deales in this like a Master that giuing many things in charge vnto his seruants yet one thing in speciall aboue all saith he remember this So dealeth God in this case Thou shalt haue none other Gods Thou shalt not make any grauen image Thou shalt not take my name in vaine these commaundements thou shalt obserue but especially remember this to sanctifie my Sabbath And although this word remember bee placed but in the beginning yet it hath a reference vnto euery word in this commandement for he requireth not onely that we should remember the day when it is comming but also we must remember to rest vpon it when it is come Neither is it sufficient that we rest on that day but we must remember to sanctifie that rest and that thou must remember to do thy self and not that alone but that thy children and seruants also doe it Indeed were it not that wee were more negligent in this than in any other dutie God would not haue vsed this speciall remembrance but seeing in good things wee are like the Disciples that slept though thrice admonished when the Pharisies could wake well enough without any admonition at all God therfore willeth vs to remember the Sabbath thereby as it were stirring vs vp to the performance of our duties And as God willeth vs to remember in regard of our forgetfulnesse in good matters so doth he will vs much more to remember in regard of the easinesse that is in our nature to bee drawne away to that which is euill from Gods seruice When Balaam heard a messenger sent with that ambassage I will promote thee to great honour what haste made hee to bee gone to Balac though hee went vpon the point of a sword Numb 22. 21. The young man as soone as euer hee heard that Syren in the Prouerbs sing Come let vs take our fill of loue hee followes her straight way though as an oxe vnto the slaughter Pro. 7. 12. Which easinesse of ours to bee insnared and inticed God obseruing as a most louing friend willeth vs to be aduised and before hand to remember that we who by nature are so facill and easie be not abused § Sect. 2 But much more doth he will vs to remember in regard of our manifold lets and excuses which we pretend and to let passe those lets which one once sported himselfe merrily with as the couerlet the partlet the phillet and the frontlet which things many times bee le ts vnto vs as when wee lie too long in bed or stand a good part of the day in trimming yet they bee not the greatest lets How say you to those lets which kept those that were bidden vnto the wedding that they could not come as merchandise a farme fiue yoke of oxen a wife and such like Are not these things many times le ts vnto vs that we cannot keepe the Sabbath Now for the preuenting of all these God willeth vs to remember that it is his Sabbath thereby shewing vs that the very respect of the Sabbath must weigh downe all our worldly lets O but faith the master when hee should goe to Church I must needes goe talke with my seruants and tell them what they shall doe the next weeke Yea but thou must remember to goe to Church for God will talke with thee and tell thee what thou shalt doe the next weeke I but saith the seruant my master commaunded me and I must go do my masters businesse Yea but God saith thou must goe doe his businesse hee commaunds both thee and thy master too and therefore remember the Sabbath saith hee Yea but will some man say I must needs go doe a thing I forgot to doe the last weeke The more shame for thee for doth not God will thee to remember it Yea but I had forgotten it and therefore now I must goe doe it Indeed as if because through negligence thou going from home and leauing thy cloake behind if it should chance to raine and thou wanting thy cloake shouldest therefore meeting thy neighbour take away his were it therefore lawfull because thou haddest forgotten thine So wilt thou because through thy negligence thou forgettest thy businesse when thou shouldest haue done it wilt thou I say therefore take Gods time and imploy it about thy businesse Well I dispute not whether it be lawfull to doe it but this I am sure it is sinfull for thee to forget to doe it before for thou shouldest haue remembred it and indeede this doth nothing but argue thy vnto wardnes vnto good things for thou vsest not so to pleade in the weeke daies when thou shouldest goe about thy worldly businesse Sir I haue forgotten this day to pray with my familie to instruct them to reade some part of the Scripture c. Thou neuer remembrest this in the weeke or if thou doest thou presently dispensest with thy selfe for the omission of it but on the Sabbath thou easily remembrest any of thy worldly businesse and thou wilt not omit to do them though holinesse it selfe attend thee in the meane season Which easily sheweth what it is that runneth in our minds namely our worldly affaires for these we remember at euery turne and not onely so but we forecast all inconueniences before hand As for example is a man going to a market or faire before he goes he sits down first and forecasts what things he lackes where and of whom he may buy them at the best hand yea he remembers all his wants and rather than hee will forget any of them when he comes thither hee will set them downe in writing tables or binde a threed about his finger to put him in remembrance or else commaund some of his seruants to remember him when he cōmeth thither that he may be sure to dispatch all his
enough for vs to forbeare our works and so to keepe it idly but we must rest to keep it holily therefore it is called a holie Sabbath and a holy rest and here remember to keepe holy the rest It is true that the first thing that is here commanded is rest but it is not the principall thing Rest is but the huske but sanctification is the almond rest is but the shadow but sanctification is the bodie rest is but the meanes but sanctification is the end and if wee doe but cease from our labours and do no good it is nothing but the oxes Sabbath if we come to Church for nothing but to sleepe that is Eutychus Sabbath if wee cease from our labours and follow riotousnesse that is worse that is the golden calses Sabbath they sate downe to eate and drinke and rose vp to play Exo. 32 or if we keepe it onely vpon constraint that is the Princes Sabbath and not Gods Lament 1. 7. it is said that the enemies of the Church of God seeing their Sabbaths they laughed at them how iustly I know not but this I am sure if the diuell see vs keepe such Sabbaths he wil laugh at them but the Lord will say Goe your waies I know you not nor your Sabbaths and Who required these Sabbaths at your hands Esai 1. 12 13. It behooueth vs therefore to doe that which hee exhorteth vs vnto in so many places of the Scripture namely to sanctifie his Sabbath § Sect. 2 But here I know it will bee demaunded how is this day sanctified seeing all daies are alike and What it is to sanctifie a thing one hath no more holinesse than another in themselues The bread and the wine in the Lords Supper haue no more holinesse in them of themselues than other bread and wine the water in Baptisme is in it selfe but as other water the trees in Paradise of life and of the knowledge of good and euil in themselues were but as other trees what is it then that maketh them holier namely this that they are put apart from other things vnto a holy vse and so are the bread and wine holie in the Lords Supper so is the water in Baptisme so were the trees in Paradise so were the Priests holie so were their garments holie so was the Temple holie and so is this day holie But this way the day is rather said to be holie in regard of the institution which is from God who hath only power thus to sanctifie but there is another holinesse which is in the obseruation and in that respect wee are said to keepe it holie The manner of which sanctification the Prophet Esay expresseth thus If thou turne away thy foote from the Sabbath from doing thy will vpon mine holy day and call the Sabbath a delight to consecrate it as glorious to the Lord and shalt honour him not doing thine owne waies nor seeking thine owne will nor speaking a vaine word then shalt thou delight in the Lord c. Esai 58. 13. In all which words hee doth nothing else but set downe the keeping of the Sabbath And first to shew the rest of this day he cals it a Sabbath Secondly to shew it must be sanctified hee calleth it his holy day Now as touching the rest of this day first he requireth a bodily rest of thee to turne away thy foote from it that thou breake it not viz. by any bodily labour Secondly hee requireth a spirituall rest from sinne also thou must not doe thine owne will vpon it Hauing thus shewed the rest then he sheweth the sanctification of this rest First it must bee called a delight so that we must take comfort in the approching of it and our hearts must leape within vs as the babe did in Elizabeth at the approching of Mary For this is the day of our prouision this is the market of the soule wherein we must furnish our selues of that spirituall Manna the foode of our soules in the strength of which wee must walke all the weeke following as Elias did after his refection by the Angell Secondly it must not bee our delight as some delight in that day to spend it on their lusts but it must be a delight to consecrate it and that not vnto our Whitson Lords and Ladies vnto our groues and hill-altars vnto our May-bowers and shreenes of pleasure not vnto our Theaters to gaze in nor vnto our fields to walke in but it must be consecrated as glorious vnto the Lord. And therefore as Hanna desired her sonne that she might offer him vp vnto the Lord 1. Sam. 1 so must we this day that wee may consecrate it vnto the Lord. Lastly because the nature and propertie of things consecrate vnto the Lord is that they may not be other waies imployed than vnto his honour and vse therefore hee addeth that thou shalt honour him vpon this day to serue him and to giue worship vnto his name and that wee may the more safely keepe it he shewes how wee breake it For danger is not well auoided vnlesse it be foreseene and knowen he setteth downe therefore three things which must be looked vnto that wee breake not his Sabbath our workes our thoughts and words and first for our workes wee must not doe them not doing saith he thine owne waies Secondly for our thoughts wee must not thinke them thought is not free neither are our tongues our owne for wee must not speake a vaine word So then to conclude will you know who keepeth holie the Sabbath Esay telleth you he that keepes the rest of this day that keepes it as the Lords holy day that cals it his delight that consecrateth it as glorious vnto the Lord that doth not his owne waies that thinketh not his owne thoughts that speaketh not a vaine word he is the man that keepeth the Lords Sabbath and he it is whom the Lord wil honour and make to mount vpon the high places of the earth and heauen also § Sect. 3 Hitherto hath the Prophet giuen vnto vs the true patterne of a Sabbath which euery Christian is bound to obserue as being both the summe of this and the same with this precept of the Sabbath which we haue in hand the keeping of which holy consisteth in the performance of the duties of holinesse which are of three sorts publique priuate or mixt of all which wee will seuerally speak and first of the publique And because these duties cannot bee well performed without the helps and meanes conducing thereunto wee will therefore first shew the things required to the performance of these publique duties which are in this precept commaunded as well as the duties themselues and they be these foure First that we assemble our selues for there can be no publique exercise without a publique assemblie Secondly that the assemblie must bee timely Thirdly our demeanour whilest we be in the assemblie And fourthly our continuance in the assemblie § Sect. 4 And first that vpon the
Sabbath day there ought to bee an assemblie is more euident than We must vpon the Saâ—bath be assembled togetâ—er wiâ—h the coâ—gregation can be denied the word sounding it with shriller trumpet than that wherewith the congregation was wont to bee assembled euery Sabbath day and new Moone Num. 10. 10. For God himselfe requireth Leuit. 23. 3 that there be vpon that day an holy conuocation And Luk. 4. 16 wee see it was their practise this day to assemble and to that end they had houses built them which were called Synagogues borrowing their names from their assembling in them And Paul sheweth that at Antiochia he found the whole citie assembled vpon the Sabbath Act. 13. 43 44 which assemblie Psal 110. ver 3 is called Gods armie God as it were taking a muster of them there and as this was in the time of the law solemnely assembled so was it in the Gospell when though the ceremonies of the law were done away and the Sabbath chaunged into the first day of the weeke yet they retained their manner of assembling as a morall dutie to bee kept for euer Of which meeting there is not onely mention made 1. Cor. 11. 17 18 but also the time set downe euery first day of the weeke 1. Cor. 16. 1. Then if this assemblie be commaunded of God practised by Christ and the faithfull also in the time of the law and since the law most religiously obserued I marueile with what face these time-seruing and place-seruing Papists and these statute-protestants I may say Atheists well enough for they are without God in this present world being without his worship will stand vp before God to answere whose feete seldome or neuer tread in the Lords courts or weare the thresholds of his Sanctuarie but only when the law bindes them thereunto It was Dauids desire when he was banished and that aboue all things he did desire Psal 27 that he might dwel in the house of the Lord for euer And Psal 87. when he sheweth it noâ— his desire longing as of women but euen fainting as of the hungrie soule or chased Hart that is falling for thirst yea hee thinketh the sparrow in better case than himselfe that might lay his young neere the Lords altar The Iewes came earlie vnto Ierusalem though dwelling in the vttermost lists and bounds of the land The Queene of Sheba came out of her own countrie to heare the wisedome of Salomon yea the beasts came to the Arke to be saued but these will not come to the Church to bee saued It was well wished of good Master Latimer that men would come to the Church though it were but to sleep for these he thought happely might be caught napping but these men will not doe so much Well let them know that as Saul marked Dauids place when hee was absent 1. Sam. 20. 27 so will God much more marke their emptie seates and solitarie pewes when they are absent But they that are so cold when God and Prince require their presence what would they doe thinke you if the line of France should be stretched ouer our land when men should be killed with Bibles in their hands and their blood should be sprinkled about the seates they sit on Well I desire not to be ominous but if it should come so to passe which God forbid how easily would they conclude as that euill messenger 2. King 6. 33. Commeth not this euill of the Lord and doe we waite on him any longer Though neither yet is this sufficient for them We must come timely to the church that they come but that their comming be timely that they may preuent the preacher as Cornelius and his kinsmen did Peter Act. 10. 33. Now wee are all here present before God to heare all things that are commaunded thee of God and that they might stay as the cripple waited for the mouing of the waters at the poole of Bethesda considering that God hath promised that they that seeke him early shall finde him Prou. 8. And that it is a note or a marke of true Christians that they come willingly at the time of the assembling Psalm 110. 3 which if they did they would as timely come vnto it as any should make haste to see a shew or to come to a good market But let them know that are late commers that as they come so they shall speede and as they doe Gods worke to holinesse so they shal finde comfort to holinesse The next thing is how wee ought to demeane our §. Sect. 5. selues when wee bee assembled which consisteth in these three things reuerence attention and consideration Reuerence attention and consideration required in hearing Reuerence in regard of the maiestie before whom wee stand attention in regard of the thing which wee heare and consideration in respect of our selues whom those things so much concerne All which 3. things are taught Eccl. 4. 17. When thou entrest into the house of the Lord take heed vnto both thy feete there is reuerence Secondly Be more neere to heare than to offer the sacrifice of fooles there is attention Thirdly Be not rash with thy mouth there is consideration All which if they will not preuaile yet heare the reason God is in the heauens but thou art on the earth thou a base sillie weake worme of the earth standest before the greatest maiestie which the world is not able to comprehend This should make thee to feare and quake as it did Iacob at Bethel that is at the house of the Lord if thou diddest consider How fearefull is the place saith Iacob Surely it is none other but the house of God and this is the gate of heauen This I say if thou diddest consider would make thee to bee readie as Cornelius to heare whatsoeuer is commaunded thee of God But it befalleth to the most part of men as it befel to Iacob while he slept The Lord was there but he was not aware Genes 28. So the Lord is there but they wist it not they stand gazing about the Church as if they should be asked that question when they come home What went you to the Church to see and not what to heare their eyes are on euery one saue on the teacher on whom they should be fastned as the peoples were on Christ Luk. 4. 16 but as for the Preachers though they sit before them yet as Phineas wife they neither aske nor regard though they speake comfortably vnto them But doe these men thinke that God is present that they stand before his Angels Surely they wist it not if they did they would not doe it Neither would others so soundly sleepe as though the Preacher came to make their funerall sermon if they wist that God were there least in his wrath hee should make them sleepe their last and should make them fall downe dead in the place as he did Eutychus for their prophanation of his Sabbath Act. 20. The next and last point
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
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
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
practise in assembling vpon this day and if not the institution yet at least an argument that there was such an institution amongst them in that it was called the Lords day § Sect. 7 But here I know I shall be required to make good two things before I may proceed any further the first whereof is to maintaine our translation The second is to maintaine that by the Our translation iustified Lords day in the Reuelation is meant the first day of the weeke That which will be put vnto me as concerning the translation will be how I can maintaine that in the Acts chap. 20. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth the first day of the weeke and that 1. Cor. 16. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth euery first day of the weeke When the one should rather signifie the first of the Sabbaths and the other some one of the Sabbaths For the iustifying of our translation thus I answere that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be vnderstood either properly as the words themselues do signifie the Sabbaths or els they must be figuratiuely vnderstood and signifie the whole weeke now the first I thinke they will be vnwilling to graunt least these places should speake too lowd for the perpetuating of the Sabbaths that should successiuely follow in ranke and order the one after the other It must therefore be vnderstood of the second that is of the whole weeke which I thinke they will not denie in that elsewhere in the Scripture it is so taken as Leuit. 23. 15. Seuen Sabbaths shall be compleate that is seuen weekes And Luk. 18. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I fast twice in the Sabbath that is in the weeke for it is impossible to fast twice in one day so in this place I take it that by Sabbath the weeke is meant though to retaine the proper signification would be more aduantagious for vs. Yea but yet the doubt is behinde for how come wee say they to translate it the first day of the weeke when the words seeme rather to signifie some one day of the weeke First we translate it so because the Apostle seemeth to note out some set time of the Disciples assemblie which if it were so translated some one day of the weeke could not import that which the Apostle meant Secondly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is an Hebraisme and the Hebrues vse often by one to signifie the first as Gen. 1. 5. the euening and the morning are said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one day that is the first day And Gen. 10. 25. Heber had two sons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the name of one that is of the first for hee nameth afterwards his brother So one moneth for the first moneth is an Hebraisme And to translate it thus we are lead by that Matth. 28. 1. where he saith in the end of the Sabbath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vsing the same phrase that here is which we must needs translate thus as we doe in the end of the Sabbath when the first day of the weeke began to dawne for that day must needes bee the first day of the weeke insuing that dawneth first next after the week past and that this is out of question true appeareth Mark 16. 4. where that which hee calleth vers 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one day of the weeke he calleth afterwards vers 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first day of the weeke And thus I hope I haue iustified our translation § Sect. 8 The second question is how it may appeare that by the Lords day was meant the first day of the That by the Lords day is meant the first day of the weeke weeke seeing that the Lord had so many daies as some say as the day of his birth the day of his death the day of his resurrection and the day of his ascention c. Therfore to make this appeare first it is most certaine that as in generall all the beasts of the field are said to be his Psalm 50. so all the daies of the weeke may bee said to be his But more properly that day which is set apart to his seruice is said to be his And in this sense that supper wherein Christ departing did institute the Sacrament is called the Supper of the Lord 1. Cor. 11. 20 the table the Lords table the cup the cup of the Lord 1. Cor. 11. 21 c. because they were all more specially consecrated vnto the Lords seruice So must it also necessarily here be taken that by the Lords day the Apostle meant some one day that was famously knowne in the Church to be consecrated to his seruice or else he would not so barely and nakedly haue passed it ouer especially if that were true that there had been so many Lords daies at that time kept as they would thrust vpon vs the Apostle had neede to haue made his speech plaine vpon which of these hee was rauished in the spirit But it is most certaine that in the Scripture there is not any other day mentioned than this and therefore it must consequently bee vnderstood of this It being then kept as I haue shewed in the Apostles times and the other daies then not obserued but brought in afterwards And that it was so it will appeare yet more plainly if we giue any credit vnto that which Master Beza noteth which is that he found in a certain ancient Greeke coppie these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Lords day added in the text 1. Cor. 16. 2. which words being added the text must runne thus euery first day of the weeke which is the Lords day c. And so it is plaine that by the first day of the weeke must be meant the Lords day As also is euident by that which Master Iunius obserueth out of the Syriak translation which is that whereas it is in the Greeke when yee are come together in the Church in the Syriak it is when yee are come together on the Lords day which maketh the truth of this fullie to appeare that this first day of the weeke vpon which we keepe our Sabbath was the Lords day And further to make it euident that this day That the first day of the weeke is the Lords day shewed also by the Fathers was the Lords day the Fathers who came neerest vnto the Apostles times giue euident testimony As Iustinus Martyr in Apol. 2. who setting downe first the meetings of the Church Secondly the greetings of the Church with an holie kisse Thirdly their prayers Fourthly their administration of the Sacraments Fiftly the reading of the Scriptures then exhortation by the Pastor Lastly deliuereth the time of all this their meeting which was vpon the Sonday as he calleth it first because on it God began to create the world Secondly because on it Christ rose again from the dead by which it euidently appeareth that this day was then kept And Ignatius as ancient as he sheweth in
Ye were once darknes Now that it is a worke of euill men appeareth in that the worst men for the most part most desire it and that it is vnfruitfull I meane as touching any fruite vnto godlinesse who seeth not seeing no man is made the better the wiser the holier or more religious thereby No man is drawne thereby to reforme any euill in himselfe no corruption reprooued no sin abated no repentance wrought no feare Seeing then no grapes grow on these thornes nor figs vpon these thistles but that as the tree is so is his fruite and as his fruite is so is the tree it followeth that as the Apostle willeth wee haue no fellowship with these vnfruitfull works of darknes but rather reprooue them Which wee shall the sooner doe if wee consider how disagreeing they are with the profession of a Christian who is willed to be sober to gird vp the loynes of his minde Luk. 17. to crucifie the flesh with the lusts thereof Galath 5. 24. to seeke those things which are aboue Coloss 3. 2. All which or any one how doth a Christian practise in his wanton dauncing But were there no other reasons but this one that it is offensiue vnto good men and especially vnto Gods ministers it ought to bee left For as the Apostle would neuer eate meate while the world stood rather than hee would offend his brother so doubtlesse had they the Apostles minde that vse it they would neuer daunce whilest they liue rather than they would offend their brethren Indeede were it a dutie that were commanded then they were to doe it whosoeuer said to the contrarie and the offence was not giuen but taken but being a thing indifferent which wee may doe or not we ought to leaue it in that our brethren are offended at it And yet further to shew the euils of dauncing I might alleage the euill of the punishment that is oftentimes vpon them First in their bodies by their vnmeasurable toyle aches surfets and so consequently deadly feuers are ingendred in their soules that whatsoeuer they haue composed and ordered in the day or time before they shall finde it all troubled and out of course in their goods a thriftlesse and prodigall wasting and spending of them as also losse of their time that can neuer be recouered If they thinke that I speake not the truth herein let them no more but when they lie downe vpon their beds examine their own consciences whether it he not so As also oftentimes the wrath of God lighting vpon them in the middest of their sports In a daunce the daughters of Shilo were all defloured Iudg. 21. 21. In a daunce the men of Siglag were all slaine 1. Sam. 30. 16. Whilest the Israelites daunced about the calfe the wrath of God grew hot amongst them Exod. 32. And Iob sheweth how the wicked goe to hell in a daunce Iob. 21. Is not all this sufficient to prooue it euill if not yet it is certaine that it hath an appearance of euill and therefore wee must abstaine from it For 1. Thess 5. 22. the Apostle willeth vs to abstaine from all appearance of euill But howsoeuer at other times it may be held circumstances considered an exercise not so euill yet vpon the Sabbath I will iustifie it to be a notable euill First because by this the rest is broken as farre foorth as by any other labour Secondly the minde is distracted and lead away to pleasures when as it should bee wholy intent to Gods worship But they serue God will some say although they daunce Surely no more than they can goe two waies at once or indite a letter and tell a tale no more can they minde their pleasures and serue God too It is Christs rule a man cannot serue God and riches no more can hee serue God and pleasures Yet my soule weepeth in secret to see that whereas God hath appointed his Sabbath to be sanctified and kept holie and his word then to bee taught this wantonnes hath miserably incroched vpon him and taken his right and part and giuen it to sports and pastimes to kissings and imbracings and wrung his righteous scepter out of his hand and giuen it vnto Lords of Misrule euen so farre foorth that now the striuing is for these things For this sinne of wantonnes hath set vp a monarchie in the mindes of men and beginneth now to striue with God for his day for when say they should we do these things if not vpon the Sondaies But as for the preaching of the word catechising and instruction these are but the lesser things of the law they are but mint and cummin but the great things of the Sabbath are their sports though God requireth that his kingdome should first be sought and that all other businesses and delights too should be set aside for his seruice And therfore as here he dispenseth with our workes for a day so 1. Cor. 7. 4. he dispenseth with the very duties of mariage it selfe for a time that the married may giue themselues to prayer yea Ioel. 2. 15. he calleth the bride and the bridegroome out of their bed chamber who though hee would not haue sundred the first yeere for any affaires of warre yet they must come foorth into the assemblie and doth hee not then call vs much more from these foolish vanities Will he restraine the bride and the bridegroome from delighting one in anothers loue for a season that his seruice may be performed and will he then thinke you allow these foolish vanities vpon the Sabbath Of which I may say as Ionah They that waite vpon them forsake their owne mercie Ion. 2. 8. But you wil say all doe not this Tell not me what some doe not but tell me what the most part doe to proue a disease contagious it is sufficient to shew that many bee infected by it and in matters of perill what commeth often not alwaies to passe though in this I dare say it fareth as in a common plague in which it is no wonder to see many die but it is a wonder to see any escape the infection For shew me almost one that is a common dauncer that preferreth not his pleasure before Gods seruice Yea but you will say be it that dauncing is euill yet were not a man better to daunce vpon the Sabbath than to doe worse Answ First I would know of such whether there be a necessitie laid vpon them to doe naught must they needes doe this or else will they doe worse Are they Ieremies Negroes that neuer wil be washed white And haue they so accustomed themselues to do euill that they can doe no good Iere. 13. 23. Secondly if it be so I would know of them because they will do bad or else they will doe worse whether the Magistrate must therefore suffer them to doe bad were it not to giue the way vnto all sinne and iniquitie But thirdly how in this reasoning is goodnesse and badnesse tied by
the tailes like Sampsons foxes to worke mischiefe withall Better doe you say to doe this than to doe worse Indeede I know that of euils some are worse than others but for their degrees in goodnesse I think of them as of the foxes whelpes there is neuer a better for there is neuer a good but they bee all naught And therefore this thou maist truly say it is not so bad to doe this as to doe worse but this cannot iustifie the doing of either Indeede we vse to say of euils the least must be chosen but if the euils bee sinnes then I say of euils neither must bee chosen And therefore this is a foolish kinde of reasoning to iustifie euill by worse as whoredome by the stewes Tell me if a theefe should set vpon thee in the way and should vse this argument Sir it is better to robbe you than to kill you and therefore giue me your purse wouldest thou be so sheepish vnlesse he brought club arguments to beate thee downe with to yeeld thy purse or if thou diddest let him haue thy purse might he not be hanged for all his Logicke But if this be a good kinde of reasoning I dare vndertake to maintaine and iustifie any sin in the world by that which is worse the worst sin onely excepted But I am wearie of turning this dung and therefore I end To come therefore vnto a conclusion of this point though dauncing be not expressely in the Scripture forbidden yet if wantonnes be if foolish iessing if it bee an vnfruitfull worke of darknesse if not agreeing vnto our Christian profession if dangerous in regard of the corruption of our nature that is soone set on fire if hurtfull to our health and to our wealth a spending of our time an offence to our brethren an appearance of euill a breach of the rest of the Sabbath a destraction of the minde from holy duties nay a fighter against holinesse then I pray you leaue it and pleade no more for it for will a Christian pleade Baals case euen against the ministers of God who haue so often beaten your eares I mistake the ayre with these arguments that I haue now alleaged against it who although they haue been heretofore vnto you as Physitions of no value prescribe what they will yet you will doe what you list and you haue snuffed in these words as the wilde asse doth the ayre that wil not be taken for who can turne her backe Iere. 2. 24. Yet my comfort is that there are twelue houres in the day and though you cannot be taken in the first yet you may in the last houre which I now come vnto you in and that at least for all your wildnesse yet you may bee taken in your moneth ibid. that is when you shall finde Gods hand heauie vpon you And then I pray you at least think vpon it as Iosephs brethren when they were in miserie remembred that they had sinned against their brother and there thought that that trouble came vpon them For they said one to another Wee haue sinned against our brother in that wee saw the anguish of his soule when hee besought vs and wee would not heare him therefore is this trouble come vpon vs Gen. 42. So should you say we haue sinned against God in breaking his Sabbath and when wee saw his ministers in anguish of their soules beseeching vs that wee would not breake his Sabbath we would not heare them and therfore is this trouble come vpon vs. For euen for breaking of the Sabbath in this manner doth God often plague you And this much of pastimes and especially that dauncing is vnlawfull vpon the Sabbath § Sect. 3 Now as I haue shewed hitherunto how the Sabbath is broken by doing vpon it either the The Sabbath must not be broken by our words workes of our ordinarie vocation or else the workes of pleasures so let vs now see how the Sabbath is broken by our words for our tongues also are bound vnto the good behauiour vpon this day that they speak not a vaine word And good reason it should be so for when as all the other commandements take order for the tongue as the first forbiddeth Atheisme the second making mention of our Idols the third blasphemy the fifth cursing of parents the sixt brawling the seuenth wanton speech the eighth deceitfull speech the ninth false speech c may it be thought that this commaundement onely giueth the raines vnto the tongue or may it be thought that when the Lord giueth a quietus est vnto all the members as to the hand and foote yea to the whole bodie that it rest vpon the Sabbath that it giueth libertie to the tongue which hath more neede to bee restrained than any of the rest because it is an vnruly euill and therefore cannot be ruled vnlesse he charme it and full of deadly poyson and therfore cannot be emptied vnlesse he purge it Iam. 3. The Psalmist maketh as it were a proclamation after a man that desireth to liue and see good daies Then as if some man had answered him that doe I he presently directeth him what he shall doe Keepe thy tongue from euill saith he Psal 34. And that which here he teacheth others Psal 39. he resolueth to practise himselfe namely to keepe his tongue and to hold it backe as it were with a bridle and least hee should not be able to curbe the vnruly beast hee prayes God to helpe him Keepe the doore of my lips saith he Psal 141. 3. And it hath indeed great neede to be kept for death and life are in the power of the tongue Prou. 18. 21. But as it must be kept in all the commandements so aboue all in this commandement because in any one vaine or sinfull speech vpon the Sabbath we sinne twice first against the commaundement that forbids that sinne secondly in that it is a breach of the holinesse of the Sabbath Therefore Esay the best expounder of this law when he sheweth wherein this commaundement is broken among other things forbiddeth a man the speaking of a vaineword Isai 58. 13. And therefore here are first condemned all such worldly men who although vpon the Sabbath they will not for shame bee seene to worke yet they make it an ordinary day of accounts and reckonings with their workmen and to direct them what they shall doe the next weeke are there not sixe daies allowed for men to doe these things in and yet must Gods day be made a day of our accounts Vnder the like condemnation also come all those that vpon the Sabbath talke of nothing but their pleasures and sports that rehearse and tell nothing but gossips tales and newes that loue to haue their tongues to runne through the world and to be medling in other mens matters if any question shall be put as concerning religion they grow as mute as fishes But let these men and women know there is a time when they shall answer for euery
is our continuance We must not depart before the publique exercise be ended which the Prince himselfe is bound vnto For the Prince shall be in the middest of them he shall go in when they goe in and when they goe foorth they shall goe foorth together Ezek. 46. 10. Neither yet was this a dutie other than became a King to doe which made Dauid desire to bee a doore-keeper in the house of the Lord. Now a doore-keeper is first in and last out Such a one saith Dauid would I bee in Gods house Neither was Dauid alone in it but the people When Zachary saw a vision in the Temple though he stayed long yet they waited for him Luk. 1. 24. they would not depart without the blessing which the Priest was to pronounce Numb 6. 24. We see in the Court great men will not depart without the Princes leaue but out of Gods court euery whistle of pleasure is sufficient to call vs away and it fareth with the Preacher oftentimes while hee is in the pulpit as with Christ while hee wrote with his singer on the ground they goe out one by one till he be left alone especially if he chance a little to sting them as indeede if hee preach well his words bee like goades Eccl. 12. 11. then vp they start as if their seate had been shaken vnder them and away they fling as if the stout had taken them One moues this question what should be the cause a man should talk so long about worldly matters and neuer bee wearie but in matters of godlinesse should so soone giue ouer As for example let a man reade a storie he will sit vp all night to reade it and wee can sit a whole after-noone and talke of nothing but of worldly matters and neuer complaine of being wearie so can wee spend whole daies and nights at cardes and dice and neuer giue ouer But come wee vnto matters of religion come we vnto a sermon goe we to prayer good Lord what a businesse is there to keepe open our eyes one houre it is euen the very time of tediousnesse vnto vs and wee think of such a time as those in Amos of the new Moone Amos 8 which was the first day of euery moneth which they accounted as a whole moneth When will the new Moone be gone say they as if the day had bin vnto thē so long as a whole moneth What is the reason of this Surely Sathan knoweth well that if he let vs alone in these things downe goeth his kingdome therefore he setteth vpon vs as soone as may bee and our corruption which vnto good is lesse than a will but vnto euill more than a will presently like a traytor giueth ouer any longer to resist Now to stay vs against these temptations let vs bethink our selues when we are assailed by them as Peter Lord whither shall wee goe thou hast the words of eternall life and promise as Dauid to goe into the house of the Lord and that our feet shall stand in his gates Psal 122. 2. yea that we will dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of our liues Psal 27. 4. And this if we did once set down with our selues we should not so soone be wearie of these things And this much touching these helpes and meanes conducing to the keeping of the Sabbath in publique § Sect. 6 Now it remaineth that we intreate of the publique duties themselues which are three the first whereof is the preaching and publique reading The word must be preached vpon the Sabbath of the word being sanctified by the publique prayers of the Church The second the administration of the Sacraments And the third discipline of all which in order And first that the word is to bee preached vpon the Sabbath is euident Act. 15. 21. in that Moses had of old time in euery citie those that preached him seeing hee is read euery Sabbath in the Synagogue For it was their manner after they had read it to giue the sense and cause the people to vnderstand the reading Nehe. 8. 8. And at Antiochia after the lecture of the Law and the Prophets the Rulers of the Synagogue requested Paul and Barnabas to preach Act. 13. 15. If yee haue any word of exhortation for the people say on And after they had taught the Iewes the Gentiles requested them to preach the same things the next Sabbath which they did vers 44. Yea and this Christ did ordinarily for it was his custome Luk. 4. 16. Neither was it ordinary amongst the Iewes onely but at Troas the first day of the weeke which is our Sabbath they came together and Paul preached vnto them Act. 20. 7. And good reason that it should be so for if the word be the seede of regeneration whereby we are begotten againe and wee cannot enter vnlesse wee be borne againe Ioh. 3 how can we be without it If it be that milke whereby we are fed how can we grow without it 1. Pet. 2. 2. It is a question that yet in the memorie of man was neuer assoiled how a man might bee saued without the preaching of the word For how can wee beleeue in him of whom wee haue not heard and how can we heare without a preacher Rom. 10. 14. And therefore let them that hold faith and denie preaching answere the Apostle and I will lay my hand vpon my mouth and pleade no more for preaching otherwise I cannot but hold it the ordinarie meanes vnto saluation yea and such a one as that the world though it count preaching foolishnes cannot be saued without it 1. Cor. 1. 12. Indeed some say is not reading of the Scriptures and Homilies as good as preaching Indeed they are good we denie not and a good meanes also to saluation yet not matchable with the word preached which if they might be thought so in the iudgement of men yet must wee not appoint God meanes by which he shall saue vs. But you will say the word may be preached at some other time I graunt it but then much more on the Sabbath the day being set apart thereunto and his blessing being most vpon his owne ordinance wee ought most to expect it vpon that day But as by this it appeareth that the Minister is bound to teach so on the Sabbath the people are The people are bound to heare the word vpon the Sabbath bound to heare For hee that saith the Priests lips should preserue knowledge saith also that the people must seeke the law at his mouth Mal. 2. Yea the King himselfe is bound thereunto although the distractions of his affaires might seeme to let him And therefore away with these excuses It is too farre it is too soone it is too late it is too cold it is too hot euery excuse will easily let vs and wee can better away with it to sit at cards on the Sabbath by a hot fire than to sit at a Sermon with God in a
c. which notablie meeteth with the backwardnes of this generation that hardly can bee drawne to learne that which in truth they cannot be without And so much of the fourth mixt dutie § Sect. 6 The fifth and last of these mixt duties is the shewing of mercie vnto our brethren for as this is a 5. Duties of mercie day wherein God sheweth the greatest mercie vnto vs in that he bestoweth vpon vs his word a rare and singular blessing and therefore a singular blessing because it is so rare For hee hath not dealt so with euery nation Psal 147. 20 As I say he hath shewed vs this mercie so should wee shew mercie one vnto another And here first order must bee taken in publique vpon the Sabbath that collections bee made for the reliefe of the poore Saints 1. Cor. 16. 1. And as in publique reliefe must be made for them so also in priuate it behoueth vs to visit and to goe vnto them as Christ did to the sicke and lame folkes lying at the poole of Bethesda Ioh. 5. that by that meanes wee might the better bee acquainted with their wants as also the more stirred vp to yeeld them some reliefe and of our superfluitie to send vnto them as in Nehemiahs time vpon a Sabbath after they had heard the word they did eate and sent part vnto them for whom none was prouided Nehe. 8. 10. But now vpon the Sabbath what is our manner so soone as we haue dined No regard is had but presently we call for cards or tables or else away we haste to bowles or to dauncing or some such like exercises but vnto the poore whose bowels sound like shaulmes for want of foode and whose faces gather blacknes through famine we haue no bowels of compassion notwithstanding the pitifull child halfe starued and hanging vpon the mothers breast crieth out ready to giue vp the ghost where is bread and where is drinke and that the hearts of the parents fall in sunder like drops of water because they haue not to giue vnto them Be moued with this my brethren you that are fed with the fattest of the stall and more than the flower of wheate spare something of your excesse to relieue their penurie Behold shall the mother eate her fruite and childe of a spanne long shall they perish and die at your doores and in their houses for some had rather starue at home than goe abroad to begge shall they perish I say without compassion Will you spare no dishes from your tables nor morsels from your mouthes to relieue them no not though Christ commaund it and reckoneth what is done vnto them as done vnto himself Matth. 25. Shall he send them vnto you hungrie pitifull naked and miserable and will you doe nothing vnto them for his sake that did so much for yours If he would he could haue made you poore and them rich or prouided riches enough for all or made no more than hee had riches for or he could haue made that the Rauens should feed them as they did Elias or that they should haue needed no foode as Moses in the mount But hee would haue it thus to trie what you would doe for him and therefore to this end he saith Ye shal alwaies haue the poore with you why then giue them of your bread to eate and of your wooll to clothe them At least if you will not do it for the poores sake yet do it for Christs sake Loe he will accept it as done vnto himselfe for Matth. 25. 4. when the righteous shall denie that they had either clothed him or fed him c. what is his answere In as much as you haue done it vnto one of the least of these my brethren ye haue done it vnto me But will some man say I am a poore man and I haue nothing for my selfe and therefore nothing to giue Neither had the Apostle Siluer and gold haue I none saith Peter Act. 3. 6. yet such as he had he gaue so hast thou no siluer nor gold yet thou hast instruction admonition consolation and such like giue these then for they be almes and duties of mercie and are most agreeing to the nature of a Sabbath The other doe good to the bodie but these doe good both to the bodie and soule and this thou oughtest to doe For if thou must helpe vp thy brothers asse that is downe vnder his burthen then how much more thy brother that is downe vnder the burthen of sinne And if thou must pull a beast out of the mire then much more a man out of the mire of sinne 2. Peter 2. 22. And if it be a dutie to make peace betwixt man and man vpon the Sabbath then much more betwixt God and man And therefore helpe thy brother with this almes and relieue his wants but this if thou hast not to giue then thou art poore and needest it thy selfe and therefore must seeke it of others And so much touching these mixt duties vpon the Sabbath CHAP. VI. Of priuate duties namely meditation Sect. 1. And conference Sect. 2. § Sect. 1 THe exercises that are only priuate follow and they are two meditation We must vpon the Sabbath meditate vpon that we heare and conference That we are bound to meditate vpon the Sabbath appeareth by the practise of one of the best Sabbathists that euer was the Prophet Dauid that professed it to be his exercise continually Psal 119 and if continually then on the Sabbath much more As also it appeareth in that God inioyned it to Iosua that hee should meditate in the booke of the law day and night I trust then that there is no man but will say that then he was commaunded to doe it vpon the Sabbath and that we haue neede to doe it it appeareth by the weaknesse of our memories which may well be compared vnto ashes as Iob saith that easily lose any impression that is made in them and if wee neuer rehearse that which we haue heard but suffer all to runne out like leaking tubs as fast as it comes in and that the Preachers words make only a thorowfare in our heads comming in at the one eare and going out at the other when shall we profit by it No no it is the hiding and not the hearing of the word that makes vs wise Otherwise as it was said of the widowes 1. Timoth. 5. that they were alwaies learning but neuer comen vnto the knowledge of the truth so may it be said of many hearers that they are alwaies hearing and neuer profiting because we meditate not on it Well the stomack that receiueth meate and presently putteth it vp againe we say is sicke As it fareth with the bodie so is it with the soule if it draw no nourishment out of the spirituall foode of the word it is a sick soule Yea but will some man say my memorie is An obiection remoued short and I cannot remember what the Preacher said I thinke
thou rather disobey God than chastise thy sonne Yea haddest thou rather let him stand vnder the heauie wrath of God which burneth vnto the bottome of hell for breaking his Sabbath than to correct him then woe worth the time may thy childe say that euer hee knew the that lettest him thus to die for want of correction And this much shortly concerning the duties of parents towards their children in compelling them to keepe the Sabbath § Sect. 3 The next dutie is of Masters towards their seruants who are so farre foorth bound to see The master must see that the seruant keep the Sabbath their seruants keepe the Sabbath as themselues For God will haue them his seruants aswell as theirs and to doe his businesse vpon the seuenth day aswell as their masters vpon the sixe daies And this in truth wee ought to doe if not in this regard that God commaundeth vs whose commaund should be of greatest authoritie with vs yet at least that we may shew our selues good gouernours and that we gouerne them as tendring their good ouer whom we are set and wherein can we more tender them than in bringing them vnto the knowledge of the chiefe good euen vnto the sauing knowledge of God in Iesus Christ And if we will not yet gouerne as tendring their good yet at least let vs doe it as tendring our owne for be yee well assured that he that is not faithfull to God will neuer be faithfull to thee and that hee that will not serue God truly will neuer ferue thee truly Well hee may serue thee so long as thine eye is vpon him but when thy backe is turned his seruice is ended But the seruant that feareth the Lord will be as faithfull vnto thee when thou lookest off as when thou lookest on for hee knowes well that a greater than thy selfe looketh vpon him to whom hee must answere for his seruice done to thee Let this therefore at least teach thee thy dutie to thy seruants Yea but will some Master say my seruants wil not thus be held in by you No will who holds them in then to their worke in the weeke daies If any shall then start aside from your businesse you will easily finde meanes to inforce him and can you finde no meanes to inforce him to Gods businesse Yea but they will not vpon the Sabbath bee held in but they will then haue their libertie Then let them haue it altogether and discharge them For wilt thou haue him that will not serue God to serue thee thou oughtest at least to be as carefull for Gods seruice as for thine owne Now thou wilt not keepe a seruant that will not faithfully doe thy businesse how much lesse then shouldest thou keepe one that will not serue the Lord Dauid would neuer haue done it for saith he a wicked person shall not dwell in my house Psal 101. Yea but how shall my worke bee done then Get thee such seruants as doe feare the Lord that was it that Dauid purposed first with himselfe Mine eyes saith he shall be vnto the faithfull of the land And He that walketh in a perfect heart he shall serue me vers 6. ibid. And they indeed bee the best seruants for they serue not with eye seruice but as the seruants of Christ as seruing the Lord in thy businesse and not thee Ephes 6. 6. Yea but wee cannot get such It may be so because you do not walke as Dauid did in the middest of your house with a perfect heart vers 2. Therefore they will not dwell with you which if you did you should not neede to seeke for seruants would seeke you fast enough Yea if you did so walke by Gods blessing though you did not finde them such yet you would make them such but this is the miserie of it our seruants must bee sent abroad euery Sabbath in errands and trifling businesses riding and running and posting as if it were for life as if it were on other daies in the weeke as if no commandement were from God to the contrarie So our owne turnes be serued wee care not how God be serued wee shew thereby that wee loue our selues more than God And our seruants seeing vs not to make conscience of Gods businesse they grow to make as little conscience of ours especially they being by this meanes depriued of the benefit of the word whereby they should bee taught better to discharge their duties towards their masters And thus much for that that the master ought to see that his seruant keepe the Sabbath And as this instructeth the master in his dutie to his seruant so also it containeth in it matter of comfort for the seruant For they may hence obserue the kindnes and loue of God towards him that notwithstanding their seruitude yet hee is mindfull of them they think poore wretches that because God hath laid this state of seruitude vpon them therefore hee regardeth them not no no it is not so but he thinkes vpon them and remembers them euery Sabbath vouchsafing as it were to looke downe from heauen vpon them in giuing them a rest promising them as it were in that rest that one day they shall thoroughly rest from their labours and rest with him in heauen where they shal be no more in seruitude but shall be the Lords free men Therefore you seruants thinke of this and learne to serue him on his Sabbath that hath not alone in his flesh serued you but will assuredly in that flesh saue you and giue you a perpetuall rest if you serue him And behold this he requires at your hands then doe it for you cannot serue a better master Lay aside then your foolish vanities your idle delights and impertinent sports be no more the seruants of sinne but as in the whole course of your liues so on this day especially bee yee the Lords seruants loe hee offers it Now who is it that would not serue his Prince if he might but their seruice is nothing to this for euen Princes themselues sue to bee Gods seruants as Dauid though it were but in a meane place as to bee a doore-keeper yet he would thinke himselfe happie let this therefore be your resolution to serue the Lord. You will say peraduenture you would but you cannot your masters lay such burthens vpō you And surely this I know many masters lay greater burthens vpon their seruants on the Sabbath than in any daies of the weeke besides they deale therein like Pharaoh when the people desired to go to serue the Lord then he laid more worke vpon them Exod. 5. 9 so when they should goe to heare the word of the Lord then they lay more businesse vpon them In this case what shal the poore seruant doe shall hee doe Gods businesse or his masters Surely whether it be better to obey God or man masters iudge you Act. 4. vers 19. Though neither herein doe I intend to exempt the seruant from being subiect to his master
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
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
prepare thy selfe before it come for thou art forgetfull that there is any difference betwixt this and other daies therefore saith he remember This is as it were the first stake Secondly he doth not only giue this commandement but he afterwards explaines it to the full sheing not only what workes are forbidden vpon this day to be done but also vnto whom and why Thirdly least thou shouldest bee drawne away by the example of great men to breake it hee sets before thee the example of him that is higher than the highest who did keepe it God himselfe did keepe it A rare example and a thing that he specisies not in any of the rest nor scarce againe in the whole Scripture so that in these three things this commandement is alone and neither these nor the like things may be found in any of the rest expressed You must thinke God had a meaning in it and what else can it be but that hee would haue this commandement vnderstood and remembred as being most necessarie for vs to know because vpon this day we are taught how to walke in the obedience of all the rest Which that wee may the better attaine vnto let vs see what things offer themselues in this commandement to be examined and considered of CHAP. II. The diuerse kindes of Sabbaths Sect. 1. The difference betwixt the morall and the ceremoniall Sabbaths Sect. 2. The vse of the ceremonies to the Iewes Sect. 3. That the Sabbath is perpetuall Sect. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Arguments to the contrarie answered Sect. 11. and 12. § Sect. 1 THese words being thus vnfolded it now remaineth that we proceede to the handling of them And first of the Sabbath day or day of rest that I may bee vnderstood of what rest I intreate How many sorts of Sabbaths there were amongst the Iewes We are to consider that amongst the Iewes there were two kinds of Sabbaths one of yeeres another of daies That of yeeres was euery seuenth yeere in which they might not sowe their land but let it rest or euery seuen times seuen yeeres which was the yeere of Iubile in which bondmen went out free and alienated possessions returned againe vnto the owners Leuit. 25. 10. Of these Sabbath of yeeres we intend in this place no further discourse we come therfore vnto that other part of the diuision namely the Sabbath of daies And here againe I must distinguish for the Sabbath of daies was also two-fold ceremoniall and morall Now of the first sort were all the Sabbaths that were instituted by Moses in the ceremoniall law such as were the Passeouer Pentecost the new Moone and the feast of Tabernacles which Leuit. 23. are called Sabbaths Of the second sort which wee call morall is that Sabbath which is commanded in the Decalogue or tenne Commandements of which here in this treatise our purpose is to write § Sect. 2 Now betwixt this morall Sabbath which we so call because it is a part of that law which giueth instruction for manners and these other ceremoniall Sabbaths there is great difference which Moses Leuit. 23. 37 38 pointeth at where The differēce betwixt the morall and the ceremoniall Sabbaths hauing spoken before in the chapter both of this Sabbath and of those feasts before named hee concludeth his speech of the feasts thus These are saith he the feasts of the Lord which ye shall call holy conuocations c. besides the Sabbath of the Lord that is besides those Sabbaths which they were to keep euery seuenth day Now the difference was First this morall Sabbath God himselfe spake it immediatly Exod. 20. 1. and afterwards writ it in tables of stone with his owne finger Deut. 9. 10. and therefore Exod. 32. 16. these tables are said to be the worke of God and this writing to be the writing of God ingrauen in the tables And this he writ not once but when the tables were broken he wrote in the second time Exod. 34. 1. And lest any man should say that God also spake and writ the rest when Moses Deut. 5. 22. had rehearsed the tenne Commandements vnto the Israelites he addeth that all these words God spake and added no more but wrote them vpon two tables and when he had written them as appeareth Deut. 4. 13 14. hee commanded Moses at the same time that he should teach them ordinances and lawes which they should obserue in the land which they went to possesse So that this is manifest that the Decalogue or tenne words was only spoken and written by God but all the rest added by Moses which is the first difference Secondly this morall Sabbath was more ancient For it had his institution as appeareth Gen. 2. 2 the very next day after mans creation yea and his obseruation together with his institution for God himselfe rested vpon it where as those ceremoniall Sabbaths tooke their beginning but from Moses Thirdly it was also more holy for where as vpon this day it was not lawfull for the Iewes to dresse their meate Exod 16. 23. nor to kindle a fire Exod. 35. 3. vpon these ceremoniall Sabbaths it was permitted vnto them to doe it Exod. 12. 16. And lastly it was more durable for the couenant of the moral Sabbath was an euerlasting couenant Exod. 31. 16. as also shall anon further appeare whereas the other was but a vanishing shadow and to last but vnto the comming of Christ for it was foretold by Daniel that the Messiah should cause the sacrifice to cease Dan. 9. 27. And that the Iewes knew well enough in that Iohn being demaunded by them what he was and denying that he was either the Christ or Elias or any of the Prophets They demanded again of him why he did then baptize thereby intimating that vnles he were one of these he might chaunge nothing in the Law wherin they secretly graunted that these might doe it And as the Messiah had authoritie in himselfe to change the ceremoniall law of Moses so might he also change these ceremoniall Sabbaths they being a part of that law which was ceremoniall which also hee did And therefore saith the Apostle Let no man condemne you in respect of an holie day or of the new Moone or of the Sabbaths which were but a shadow of things to come namely of our eternall rest in heauen which wee obtaine by faith in Christ Which Sabbath the Iewes thought did shadow out only their rest in Canaan but the Apostle Heb. 4. vers 8. confuteth them for saith he if Iesus that is Iosua had giuen them rest then Dauid would not after that day haue spoken of another rest saying that God sware in his wrath that the vnbeleeuing should not enter into his rest for their vnbeliefe sake yet this rest in heauen remaineth now vnto the children of God that is to the beleeuers although the shadowes thereof be done away the bodie which is Christ being come § Sect. 3 Indeede it pleased God in the minoritie
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
chaunge this day they may not for this were to become as the Princes of Iudah to change the land-markes Hos 5. 10 and to plucke vp Gods stakes and bounds which hee hath set for his Sabbath yea to take away his Sabbath and to appoint a day of our owne in steed thereof were yet to come neere vnto the fact of Nadab and Abihu who in steede of fire from heauen brought straunge fire Leuit. 10. 1. which sinne God punished with death and may not we feare the like at his hands if in steed of that day which he hath appointed we shal institute vnto him a day of our owne for which if hee punish vs not yet hee may iustly returne it vpon vs with this reproofe Who required this at your hands Isai 1. 12. But be it graunted were it so that the Church might alter this yet they must bee lead thereto by some great reason that may ouerwaigh that for which it was instituted to bee kept vpon this day but greater reasons cannot bee yeelded for any day than for this of which wee haue spoken before which being considered there cannot another day be placed in the roome thereof neither yet if another day might be placed could a fitter day be placed and therefore not another so well And therefore being it is so that this day is set apart by the church I say more though yet that were sufficient by the Apostles to be kept holie let vs be contented to keepe it holie as the Apostles haue left it knowing that although we may sometimes sanctifie that which is common yet wee haue no power to make that commō which is sanctified For that is a destruction or a snare vnto a man to deuoure that which is sanctified Prou. 20. 25. Now that which may seeme to make against That place of the Romanes chap. 14. explaned this which I haue written is that of the Apostle Rom. 14. 5 6 where hee seemeth to make all daies alike either to bee obserued or not obserued True it is that hee saith some men count them so but yet the Apostle maketh no such account for the question moued there being not betwixt the Iew and the Gentile as some would haue it but betwixt the stronger and the weaker as appeareth chap. 15. 1. about eating of hearbes and keeping of daies which arose as may seeme vpon this occasion that forasmuch as the restitution of our former estate was now wrought by Christ therefore wee as in the beginning our fathers did should eate hearbes and no flesh Now as in these controuersies he setteth downe their tenents on both sides both what the stronger held and what the weaker so he sheweth either of them their duties towards other Now the tenents were thus The stronger beleeued that they might eate all things the weaker he eateth herbes He doth not say beleeueth as to the former but eateth thereby distinguishing it from the other So againe vers 5. This man esteemeth one day aboue another that is the stronger which appeareth in that there was a day both commaunded receiued and approoued in the Church as I haue alreadie shewed and therefore that must bee the stronger then the weaker must needes be to hold euery day alike So then if men count all daies alike it is an argument of their weaknesse yet we that are perswaded that one day is aboue another as the Lords day aboue all the rest ought not to despise the weaker but to beare with their infirmitie so long as it may be for their good to edification chap. 15. 2. And this is our minde towards those that through ignorance or weaknes account of the Lords day but as of another day So long as it may bee for their good to edification wee will beare with their infirmitie which yet if they shal hold obstinately and defend with an high hand we are to rebuke them sharply that others may feare Now if any man to auoide the point of this argument shall say that the Iewes are they which are meant by the weake because they did eate herbes and obserue daies First I would haue them to shew me where it may appeare that they were restrained of eating flesh Secondly if they were those whom the Apostle meant that kept and obserued daies I would know of them also whether they thinke they kept them to the Lord which the Apostle affirmeth which if they say I see not how the Apostle might be afraide of them so farre that hee might thinke he had laboured amongst them in vaine in that they kept a day holy vnto the Lord. And this much touching this question whether the day of rest may be chaunged againe or not CHAP. IIII. That the whole Sabbath day is to be kept Sect. 1. And the night also in a sort Sect. 2. When the Sabbath beginneth and endeth Sect. 3. § Sect. 1 BVt now there is another sleight of Sathan and that is when he cannot The whole day must be kept holie leade vs beyond the marke then he labours to haue vs come short of it And to that end he beareth thousands in hand that they are not bound to rest the whole day and keepe the whole day holie but onely the time of the publike exercises But for this they are to know that God requireth in the commandement that we rest the whole day and that we keepe the whole day holy for if he had meant but a part of the day he could haue said so much but in that he requireth a day in the commandement he putteth it out of question If thou thy selfe shouldest hire a man to worke with thee a day wouldest thou not looke that hee should worke with thee a whole day Or a seruant to dwell a yeere with thee wouldest thou not looke that hee should dwell a whole yeere with thee How is it then that thou vnderstandest God to halfes when his word is as plaine as thine Doest thou not think that Ananias was iustly punished because he brought but a part when hee should haue brought the whole And shall not God as iustly punish thee if thou keepest but a part when thou shouldest keepe the whole Indeede this word whole is not expressed but yet it is implied and necessarily vnderstood in that hee requireth a day And that his meaning is so appeareth euidently also by the reasons hee bringeth afterwards to perswade thee thereunto For first thou knowest the whole weeke consisteth of seuen daies Of these he giues thee sixe and keepes one for himselfe now such daies as he giues thee to doe thy businesse in such and so long a day he reserues for himselfe but euery one of thy daies hath foure and twentie houres and therefore he must haue so many to his day or els thou hast more than sixe daies giuen thee or if not giuen then thou takest it as Hophnie did the flesh and then thou robbest God of part of his day and so thou committest theft which were the case
arrands But in Gods seruice no such care it is the easiest thing in the world to forget that wee are so slacke so cold so frozen that wee forget any thing In regard whereof our memories may not vnfitly be compared vnto siues which easilie holde the chaffe when they let the good corne goe by which weaknesse God obseruing in vs willeth onely so farre they vse them as their beasts to do their businesse and no more But what shall the poore sea-man doe in this case Surely first to importune the Merchant for instruction which if it will not be granted let him not depriue himselfe of Gods blessing for a warme sunne let him tarrie at home Or if it be so that he will needes goe yet let him haue a speciall care in some measure at least as hee may to sanctifie that day vnto the Lord. And this much as touching the rest in generall that must bee kept both at home and abroad § Sect. 13 But yet I know there be some particular doubts that trouble many men and often leade them to the breach of the Sabbath For sinne is spunne many times of a fine thred and hath such a glasse set vpon it that we cannot easily discerne it Somtimes the diuell pleadeth vnto vs the smalnes of the sinne as thus Thou maist doe this vpon the Sabbath well enough this is but a small matter and I pray God you neuer do worse c. Indeed I confesse all sinnes bee not of one sise some bee gnats and some bee cammels some be moates No breach of the Sabbath is to be counted small and some be beames they being compared betwixt themselues but yet the maiestie being considered against which they bee committed they appeare in their owne shapes euery one of them infinitely great and they bee not as they seeme vnto vs light being waighed in the ballance of our owne priuate conceit but being waighed in the ballance of the Sanctuarie they are infinitly waightie euery sinne deseruing death and therefore wee must not account sinne light because it seemeth so vnto vs but we must reckon and account of them as God hath taught vs to account of them in his word Cast wee our eyes vpon the Israelites in gathering Manna vpon the Sabbath what great matter think you was it for them vpon the Sabbath day in the morning to stoope and gather Manna that lay before them at their feete they might haue done it and kept the Sabbath too yet God takes this most heinously How long saith he will this people breake all my commandements reckoning that breach of the Sabbath as the breach of his whole law Againe what great sinne was it for a man to step ouer the threshold of his doores and to gather a handfull of sticks to make a fire with would any of these men that reckon sinnes small haue accounted him worthie of death though happely hee had done it presumptuously yet God adiudgeth him to dye for it and therefore that work which thou presumest to doe is it seruile is it forbidden Count it not light then for the breach of Gods law is no small matter especially if thou presumest to doe it because it is a small sinne or disorder § Sect. 14 Yea but will some man say this which I doe is very requisite and meete to bee done and I No pretence of meetnes must make vs breake the Sabbath know not whether I shall againe haue a time to doe it if I neglect this as for example in the time of haruest the weather is catching the corne is readie to grow in the gripes and the hay to rot in the swath and now the Sabbath is a faire day and is it not meete to gather it vp Yet I say for all this thou must let it alone for in seede time and in haruest thou must rest Exod. 34. 21. Yea but I know not whether I shall haue another time so fit to take it vp Why who taught thee to distrust especially when thou seest faire weather comming Doth not the same God giue the second day that gaue the first and diddest thou hang vpon his prouidence so long as it rained and now it shineth wilt thou presently vnclaspe thy hold by thy carnal distrust Yea but the weather is very catching and the scarcitie is great and therefore it is best to take the opportunitie What still is thy soule buried vnder a loafe of bread and wilt thou haue bread or else thou wilt make it of stones If thou doest remember what Salomon saith of the bread of deceit it is sweet but afterwards it filleth their mouthes with grauell Such shall this bread be vnto thee that is gotten with the breach of the Lords Sabbath Yet it were better to be without it than to haue it in his anger least he smite thee whilest the meate is in thy mouth and make it come foorth againe at thy nostrels for thy contempt of his law as hee did the Israelites Numb 11 yet rather so long as it perisheth not by thy default throw thy selfe vpon the Lord and resolue that as he gaue so if it please him to take it thou wilt be content knowing that hee is able to giue much more If not yet in thy obedience is his loue Ioh. 15. 10. and in his loue is life Psal 35. And last of all let this rather make thee to erect a new Sabbath than to destroy the old as in Ioels time in a great scarcitie they did as appeareth Ioel. 1. 14. Sanctifie a fast call an assemblie What is the matter see before vers 10. The field is wasted the land mourneth for the corne is destroyed So that Gods punishments must leade vs to the keeping of his Sabbath or rather vnto the erecting of a new but by no meanes vnto the breach of the old But wil another say that which I do is a good No pretence of the goodnesse of the worke must cause vs to breake the Sabbath worke and it tends to the glorie of God and to his seruice and therefore I trust you will not denie but that a man may doe such workes vpon the Sabbath To which I answere is it a worke of thine ordinarie vocation and is it seruile I say then for all this glorious shew thou maist not doe it for God would not haue them worke about the Tabernacle vpon the Sabbath day Ex. 31. 13 though the businesse were no lesse than to make a house for him to dwell in And the women that followed Christ out of Galilie would not imbaulme the bodie of Christ vpon the Sabbath though it might haue been thought a work of great consequence but how great soeuer in the eyes of men yet they would not doe it and least they should bee blamed as being ouer curious and strict in not doing of it the holy Ghost defends them and shewes they did well in forbearing for they rested saith the text according vnto the commandement Luk. 22. 56. § Sect.
meate which is also warranted by the Disciples pulling and rubbing of the eares of corne Wherein also respect may be had of his place and degree as Nehemiah had daily an oxe and sixe sheepe besides birds prouided for him Nehem. 5. 18. Now if euery day then on the Sabbath yet here we must take heede that wee make not the Sabbath a day of feasting as in many places in the countrey they doe keeping their feasts not like Iobs children euery one his day but euery one his Sabbath day A good rule therefore for the ordring of this will be vpon the Sabbath not to exceede our ordinarie Thirdly this also giueth libertie for the dressing of our cattell milking of our kine and such like without which things life it selfe is not so comfortable vnto them Last of all as all these things may be done for preseruation of health so also may we labour vpon the Sabbath for the preseruation of Labour vpon the Sabbath for preseruation of goods lawfull our goods being in danger of losing them Which of you is it saith Christ that hauing an oxe or an asse fallen into the ditch doth not pull him out All which things as they may bee done vpon the Sabbath so if necessitie be they must presently bee done and the exercises of the Sabbath neglected for the doing of them for Christ will haue the oxe pulled presently out of the pit Luk. 14. 5. And in regard of this it is that he requireth mercie and not sacrifice not but that hee will haue both but if the case so stand that hee cannot haue both at once but must content himselfe with one hee had rather haue mercie than sacrifice And therefore Paul when Eutiches was fallen downe dead left preaching to recouer him to life and the Israelites though they were commaunded not to touch a carrion yet they must take vp Iosephs bones Exo. 13. 19. And Mat. 5. though he commands thee to offer sacrifice yet if thy brother haue ought against thee thou must first goe and be reconciled and then come So that in all these respects howsoeuer the law commaunds a precise rest yet as we say Necessitie hath no law so truly may wee say it hath no Sabbath daies § Sect. 16 But yet in doing these workes of necessitie three things must diligently bee taken heed of Cautions to be obserued in doing the workes of necessitie First that we send not for excuses and make matters of necessitie when before hand wee might haue preuented the necessitie As for example if a man owe a summe of money vpon a band and neglect the taking of order for the paiment of it vntill the day be so neere that he must needs trauaile on the Sabbath to discharge his band Also when a man is serued with processe to appeare on such a day at Westminster hee hauing time enough deferreth it so long that he must needes trauaile vpon the Sabbath to come there by his day and by this meanes bringeth a necessitie vpon himselfe which God neuer laid vpon him all which necessities if men did well consider before hand might be easily auoided Well but when a man hath negligently runne into this necessitie whether may hee then trauaile vpon the Sabbath I say if it bee of necessitie to be done thou maist doe it but thou must withal remember to crie to God for mercie for forgetting his Sabbath which thou shouldest haue remembred The second thing that must be taken heed of is that no recompence be taken for the labour which thou doest vpon this day for by that meanes thou makest it a seruile worke Secondly it will be a meanes to leade thee on to this sin of Sabbath-breaking for rewards do blinde the eyes And thirdly be well assured that God will neuer blesse that hire but it shall be vnto thee like the Manna that the Israelites gathered more than needed that rotted and stunke Exod. 16. The last caution is that when we are thus forced by necessitie to breake the Sabbath that then we haue an especiall care sometime of the weeke to repay that time which we tooke on the Sabbath by imploying so much of the weeke vnto holie exercises so that although God hath not the precise time prescribed which he requireth yet hee may haue at least the equitie thereof so much time Now there be I know that vnto these workes All workes of mercie may not be done vpon the Sabbath which God hath in his word dispensed with to be done vpon the Sabbath doe adde moreouer all works of mercie which I take may no further be done vpon the Sabbath than they come within one of the foresaid limitations that is that they be either in speciall commanded as 1. Cor. 16. 1. As first collections for the poore of which kinde also are visiting of the poore and sicke and such like or such as godlinesse requireth as a man may trauaile to bring others vnto the exercises of religion or necessitie inforceth vs vnto of which before But if neither of these leade vs thereunto though they be workes of mercie yet they must be deferred As for example a poore man hath an aker of corne to bee cut who is not able to pay for the cutting of it neither yet to cut it himself Now to help such a man there is no man but wil say it is a deed of charity to cut his corne yet if his neighbours should some sixe or seuen of them euery one take his sithe and cut downe his corne vpon the Sabbath they should breake the Sabbath and should cleane contradict Gods commandement that forbiddeth them to doe any seruile worke vpon the Sabbath for this charitie to our neighbour must not take away our dutie to God nor hinder it vnlesse as before The conclusion then of this point is this That no kinde of ordinarie or seruile worke may bee done vpon the Sabbath neither in the house nor in the citie nor in the fields nor vpon the seas be they neuer so small or neuer so meete or neuer so glorious in shew except either God commaund it extraordinarily or that the worke tend directly to Gods worship or be of necessitie either for the preseruation of life or health or goods in which respects God hath giuen vs allowance vpon the Sabbath to worke and not otherwise And this much touching the first kind of workes here principallie and by name forbidden CHAP. III. On the Sabbath we must rest from recreations Sect. 1. And pastimes namely dauncing Sect. 2. Also from wordly words Sect. 3. And thoughts Sect. 4. But aboue all from sinne Sect. 5. § Sect. 1 BVt now doth God meane that these workes of our ordinarie vocation Pastimes vpon the Sabbath vnlawfull are only forbidden and no others Surely no for as I will neuer think that when Dauid prayed Lord turne away mine eyes that I behold not vanitie Psal 119. 37 he meant that his eares should stand open to heare vanitie no
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
cold church Tush it is enough to serue God in the fore-noone but to serue him againe in the after-noone is too much though in the law the sacrifices were doubled that day Num. 28. yet now to go twice to the seruice and sermon is too much holinesse But whilest wee will not be too holy wee are grosly foolish and prophane keeping back halfe as Ananias when God requires the whole Yea but the world was neuer so bad as since Obiections remoued there was so much preaching and there are none so bad as they that runne after sermons Indeede these are the voices of them that haue sold themselues to worke wickednesse and it is no marueile to heare them disclaime preaching for they whose eyes are sore crie out against the light yet is there no fault in the light but their eies be bad so is it with these men they are euill themselues but the word is good Esay 49. 8. And therfore they crie out against it because as the light it maketh all things manifest and therfore it is as welcome amongst them as a torch is amongst a companie of the eues which they willingly labor to put out least their dealings should bee espied so true is that which our Sauiour saith Euery one that euill doth hateth the light neither commeth to the light least their deedes should be reprooued Ioh. 3. 20. And this is the cause why the Papists and the Atheists are so much against the word because it maketh their dealings to be seene therefore they put out the light that they may sinne the more greedily in the darke Secondly I answere as the Apostle reasoneth What if sinne shall take an occasion by the law to be more sinfull shall we therfore blame the law God forbid So if iniquitie hath neuer been so rife as now it is in the rifenes of the Gospell shall we lay the fault vpon the Gospell we may not doe it no more than the Apostle might vpon the law for it is most certaine the word is as a light vnto our feete and it sheweth vs what is the will of our Master Now whether thinke you is more likely to stumble he that seeth or hee that is blinde and whether is likelier to doe his masters businesse hee that knowes his will or he that is ignorant of it Thirdly I see not how it may come to passe that men should be the worse for preaching For doth the preacher teach it or doth hee not crie out against sinne against adulterie oathes Sabbath-breaking oppression and such like These cockle and weedes are none of their planting they sow good seede faith in Christ repentance from dead workes c. But will you know how this commeth to passe looke Matth. 13. 28. The enuious man hath done it the Iesuite hath done it the Papist hath done it the Atheist hath done it the Diuell the father of them all hath done it for this is their cockle and darnell that they haue sowen amongst the wheate and these are they that make men two-fold more the children of hell than they were before Lastly as for those that truly imbrace the Gospell howsoeuer they may and doe a thousand times condemne themselues of sinne before the Lord and go mourning and hanging downe their heads that it is so yet they may easily compare with these Blackamoores these Papists and Atheists that haue nothing white besides their teeth And therefore I conclude with Salomon Eccl. 7. 12. Say not that former times are better than these for then thou doest not wisely Inquire for it is certaine that sinne was as rife heretofore as now but not so much seene for then they liued in blindnesse and ignorance whereas now they liue in the sunshine of the Gospell Now let a man come into a house at midnight he seeth nothing out of order but let him come in at midday he shall espie many faults So in the time of Poperie wee liued in darknesse euen as grosse as that of Egypt we could not then as we say see the wood for trees nor know sin for sin all almost was veniall or rather commendable for the Masse an abominable Idoll was counted the highest point of religion but now the Sun is risen we see things to be as they are and therfore howsoeuer they blame preaching yet must wee lay holde vpon it as the light that must guide vs through this world full of daungers But will some say we haue not the word preached where wee are The more is the pitie but what shall we doe in the meane time wee must doe as beggers wee must seeke it the law cannot restraine them but they will begge rather than they will starue Or else as it was said of the people of God in the famine that they sighed and sought their bread and gaue their pleasant things for meate Lament 1. So must you the soule being more worth than the body ye must doe so much for the soule at least as yee would for the bodie Giue then your pleasant things for meate How many Ministers stand idle I say not in the market place but in the Vniuersities that no man hath hired send for them shew your selues christians honour God with your riches Prou. 3. 9. let him haue the first fruites of your increase The Israelites for their Calfe plucked off their earings and frontiles and Michah hired a Leuite for his Teraphim at his owne charge And shall these Idolaters rise in iudgement to condemne you But the cost would be great But if it were a greater matter were it to haue thy fourth against thy neighbor thou wouldest bestow it and wilt thou not bestow so much to doe him good no nor thy selfe neither Out vpon that money and that treasure that shall lie and rust by thee when thou shouldest dispend it to the aduantage of thy soule the rust of it shall beare witnesse against thee in the day of vengeance and then what will it aduantage thee to haue a fat purse and a leane soule Buy therefore now whilest thou maist the truth but sell it not buy the field where the treasure is The good Merchant will doe so be thou therefore the good Merchant thou canst be no loser by it and therefore buy it And this much touching the first publike dutie namely the preaching and hearing of the word § Sect. 7 The second publique exercise of the Sabbath is the right and due administration and receiuing The administration of the Sacraments a dutie of the Sabbath of the Sacraments which being part of the Ministers dutie Matth. 28. 20 is to haue a place in the Sabbath and therefore when Paul preached at Troas they brake bread also Yea and this is so set downe that it is made the end of their comming together namely to breake bread Act. 20. 7. And 1. Cor. 11. 18. Paul reproouing their faults in their publike assemblies hath these words When therfore yee come together into one place this is not to
so vnlesse you meditate vpon it But sir as short as your memorie is if a man anger you you will hardly forget it But tell me I pray you this one thing as short as your memorie is did you euer forget where you laid your treasure No no the asse himselfe doth not forget his masters cribbe Esai 1. 2. and these things which wee take care of wee can easily remember bee they done neuer so long since And therefore blame not thy memorie but thy will thou giuest not thy heart vnto these things as Dauid that hid the word in his heart Psal 119. 11. and as Mary that kept and pondred the sayings which she had heard of Christ in her heart Luk. 2. 19. They kept it as it were vnder locke and key But diddest thou indeede desire to remember these things thou wouldest vse all meanes to conforme thy memorie and to helpe it Amongst the which there is not a greater than this oftentimes to meditate on it For as Salomon saith If the iron bee blunt put to the more strength Eccles 10. 10. he speaketh as if hee saw a man cutting of a sticke with a bad hatchet that he can hardly make to cut he must strike the oftner or the stronger to cut off the logge so must wee doe when wee feele the bluntnes of our memories wee must recompence it by the diligence of meditation often recalling and repeating the same thing by which at the last they will become vnto vs as the principles of Grammar vnto the schoolemaster we shal haue them by heart Another meanes also to helpe thy memorie will be to bring thy heart to the practise of that which thou hadst floting in thy head and by that meanes thou shalt bee sure to make it thine owne Another is to take delight in the things wee heare as Dauid saith Psal 119. 16. I will delight in thy statutes and I will not forget thy word Wee forget not the things we delight in Last of al if thou hast found thy memorie so slipperie that it wil hold nothing long then set it down in a note-booke there laying it vp as in a store-house For if we be carefull in our worldly matters that we will not trust our memories with our accounts but will be sure to note them downe to a farthing yea and will keep seruants to that purpose what a shame is it that we should be so negligent in better things Though neither when we haue done all this is our meditation done but wee must meditate We must meditate vpon the workes of God vpon his workes aswell as vpon his word The Psal 92 which is intituled A Psalme of the Sabbath is nothing else but a meditation of the workes of God And this it seemeth that God would teach vs by his own example who when he had finished his workes in sixe daies in the seuenth he rested to consider the goodnes of them Gen. 2. Now this we may doe if wee follow the example of Christ who drew euery thing of which he talked vnto a spirituall instruction Ioh. 4. 10 when hee talkes with the woman of Samaria that was drawing of water he falles into a discourse of the water of life When the Disciples talke of meate hee begins to talke with them of another meate vers 4. When hee sate at dinner Luk. 14. 15 he turned his speech vnto a spirituall banquet So maist thou in the beholding of any of Gods creatures consider some one thing or other therein As when thou lookest vpon the grasse consider thy frailtie that all flesh is grasse When vpon the dust thy basenesse that thou art but as dust and dust wil returne to the earth Eccl. 12. 7. When vpon the darknesse the time of thy ignorance Ye were once darknesse Eph. 5. 8. When vpon the light the time of the Gospell and therefore ibid. walke in the light It is not so much as the Ant but thou maist learne something from hir namely diligence therefore God sendeth the sluggard to schoole to the Ant Pro. 6. 6. Goe to the Pismire O sluggard c. And here I wonder how these earth-wormes whose mouldie soules are buried vnder their loaues and whose hearts are pinned and glewed vnto the things of this life though they nothing but pore vpon the things of this life yet neuer make any spirituall vse of them no not vpon the Sabbath doth not the Lord see it and will not his soule be auenged for these things But I had forgotten my self I speake vnto the bellie that hath no eares I will therefore ouer-passe them § Sect. 2 Come wee now vnto the last dutie which is conference For after meditation that must next We must conferâ—e with others especially those of our familâ—e follow for when Dauid said hee had hid Gods words in his heart he addeth that with his lippes he declared his iudgements Psal 119. 11. So that as Salomon saith If the clowdes be full they will powre soorth raine Eccles 11. 3. And if our heart be inditing a good matter the tongue will be the penne of a readie writer and it will fare with vs as with the Bereans Act. 17. who when they had heard Paul they sought whether it were so or no. And as with the Disciples going together to Emmaus that conferred together on the way as they went about the Resurrection Luk. 24. 13. And in the Prophet Malachies time though the words of the wicked were stout yet they that feared God spake euery one to his neighbour Mal. 3. But were there not any scripture to inforce this yet very reason would proue this meete For two eyes see more than one and many torches put together burne lighter many hands make light worke and many aduentures a full fraught euen so also commeth it to passe that either conferring with other eithers portion is made others and so one portion is made a double by making a double portion one For as firebrands put together either giueth heate to other and they burne the better that the greene wood also may take fire whereas if they be sundred they presently go out as quenched euen so it fareth with christians in this businesse Though neither yet doe I speake this to this purpose that men should runne into priuate corners to make conuenticles as the Brownists but with their families and houshold to conferre and reason or with the Minister that is able to direct them in the truth or with their neighbours that are better able to instruct them who thereby also themselues are bettered for knowledge in a man is like the widowes oyle a man may powre out and yet the vessell will bee neuer the emptier But is this lawfull will you say for euery cobler or tinker for euery botcher and butcher to talke and conferre about the Scriptures Doubtlesse it is God himself hath commanded it Deut. 6. 6. The words that I commaund thee saith he this day shall be in thine heart Nothing
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
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
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
lawgiuer himselfe gone before you in keeping this commaundement let me then exhort you as the Apostle doth Ephes 5. 1. Be you followers of God as deare children and walke as ye haue him for an example Now louing children will followe their parents then if you be children I say if louing children you wil follow him Now I know in generall that euery man will subscribe vnto this that they must follow God in keeping his Sabbath but yet come and presse them to yeeld obedience in the particular duties there you shal haue them as the young man in the Gospell they then depart sorrowfull that makes them to scratch where it doth not itch What must they doe nothing but heare pray meditate c. Nay if it had been onely to forbeare the doing of some worldly businesse which they greatly cared not for the doing of at any time they would haue forborne but now vpon this day to forgo their afternoone sports and playes and to sit as they terme it moping in a corner this is too hard Well but I say if you bee Gods children you will follow him yea and more than any sonne imitateth the father for the father begetteth his sonne but like vnto him in substance but God begetteth his children like vnto him in qualities They be holy as he is holy mercifull as he is mercifull and will imitate him in all his doings and therefore in this they will keepe the Sabbath as he kept it otherwise they are no children but bastards I say bastards on the mothers side but not on the fathers for were they his true children they would be also his deare children as in this place and would follow him § Sect. 2 Yea but will some man say what a stirre is here about following of God what would I haue them to doe and I thinke I would haue them assaile to make a new heauen and a new earth because God made them both Not so neither but I would haue them labour sixe daies and rest the seuenth as God did But that they may be the more fully answered the workes which God hath wrought are of three sorts Whereof the first are such as are miraculous as to giue sight vnto the blind to fast fourtie daies to walk vpon the waters to raise the dead c. Now these are to bee wondred at but not to be imitated because the gift of working miracles ceaseth in the Church and it is a note of Antichrist now to worke wonders 2. Thess 2. 9. The second sort of works are works of our redemption as the sonne of God to become the sonne of man to be borne of a virgin to beare our sinnes to die for vs to rise againe and to ascend into heauen Now these are works to be beleeued but not to be imitated vnlesse it bee in a certaine similitude or resemblance that as Christ was conceiued and borne so he should bee conceiued and borne in vs Gal. 4. 19. And as Christ died for sinne 1. Cor. 15. 3. so we should die to sinne Rom. 6. 2. As Christ in his flesh was crucified vpon the crosse so should we crucifie the flesh with the lusts thereof Galath 4. 24. As Christ being dead for our sinne was buried so wee being dead to sin should also be buried with him by baptisme Rom. 6. 4. As Christ being buried rose againe so must we being buried with him by baptisme rise again to walke in newnes of life vers 5. As Christ being risen did ascend so must we risen from the graue of sinne ascend by setting our affections on things aboue Coloss 3. 2. And hereupon grew that rule that whatsoeuer Christ did for vs the same he did in vs. Lastly the third sort of duties are morall duties commaunded in the law and these are the workes wherein he is to bee imitated by vs. Examples whereof he giueth vs Mat. 11. 29. Of meeknes Learne of me that I am humble and meeke In Iohn of loue and brotherly kindnes Ioh. 13. 15. I haue giuen you an example And in this place of working sixe daies and resting the seuenth Indeede hee could haue finished all his workes in one houre or with a word speaking but hee would worke about them sixe daies and rest the seuenth for our example And therefore as Christ said Haue you not read what Dauid did how when hee was an hungred c. So haue you not read what the Lord did how when he made the heauens and the earth he laboured sixe daies and rested the seuenth haue you not read it I say if you haue then againe I say as Christ in another case Goe and doe the like Luk. 10. 37. that is rest as he did For not the worke but the rest is that which is proposed vnto thee § Sect. 3 But here is one doubt more that may be moued in this place and that is how God can be said to rest that is a pure act in himself and alwaies worketh or how he can be said to worke that alwaies resteth in his action The answere is he alwaies worketh and alwaies resteth in himselfe but in this place he is said to rest or to worke in respect of his creatures To rest I say in that hee ceaseth to make any more creatures yet not to rest from preseruing them being made For God was not idle on the seuenth day but did sustaine and preserue the creatures which hee before had made otherwise they would haue come to nothing And therein wee are taught that though on the Sabbath it bee not lawfull to labour to increase that wee haue yet it is lawfull to saue and preserue that we haue and this he teacheth vs here by his owne example And so much touching the sense and force of these words § Sect. 4 Now the vse of these words is foure-fold First they serue to confute those that stand so much vpon the examples of others let a man demand of thē why they do so prophane the Lords day by their vnlawful games sports by their riding and running abroad in errands by their trudging and posting to Faires and Markets they will answere they doe but as others doe and they that are better men and haue more knowledge than they do so and if it were not lawfull they would not doe it would such a Iustice or such a Preacher bowle or banquet or ride about vpon the Sabbath if it were not lawfull And when they haue thus answered they thinke they haue spoken to the matter passing well But I wonder seeing they will bee lead by example why they doe not looke vnto God and follow his example which is the best of all for I am sure that there is none of those which they follow is worthie to bee named the same day with him none so learned none of such authoritie as he may not a man then returne this their answere vpon them when they shall say such and such that are learned and of authoritie do breake the
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
eate the Lords Supper And hereupon doth the Church define a Sacrament to bee a publike action And in the Primatiue Church it was vsually deliuered vpon the Sabbath therefore it was called dies panis In regard of this no complaint can sufficiently bewaile the backwardnes of this age whereinto we are fallen that some scarce once in a whole Iubile of Sabbaths nay if law had not prouided to the contrarie scarce once in a whole Iubile of yeeres would bee partakers of the Sacrament which we see euidently in that they come no oftner vnto the Lords table than they are compelled Moses was like to haue bin slaine for the neglect of circumcision What shall wee thinke the neglect of this will bring vpon vs And if vnworthie taking make vs liable vnto iudgement 1. Corinth 11 what shall we thinke of this not taking at all When Christ talked with the Iewes of a bread from heauen euery man would haue it Ioh. 6. 34. This is so and yet no man calleth for it though the price bee vnualuable and the vertue no lesse than the communion of the bodie and blood of Christ And if the very hemme of his garment had vertue to heale vncurable diseases how much more shall this his bodie heale vs if we be truly partakers of it But surely for such as take it onely by constraint and compulsion well they may finde the cloathes where Christ his bodie was but not his bodie And because they receiue it not worthily and with comfort but of constraint therefore in steed of a seale of his mercie they may receiue a pledge of his wrath And so much for the second dutie § Sect. 8 The third publique dutie is the administration of discipline admonition reprehension excommunication The execution of discipline a dutie of the Sabbath c. A publique worke also of the Sabbath to looke vnto the manners of men to admonish them that are vnruly 1. Thess 5. and to deliuer the obstinate sinner vnto Sathan that his soule may be saued And this the Apostle sheweth also to be a worke of the Sabbath 1. Cor. 5. 5. where he willeth them that when they were gathered together in the name of the Lord Iesus they should deliuer ouer the incestuous person vnto Sathan Now their assemblie was vpon the Sabbath as before hath been shewed and therefore that should then also be done as a worke of the Sabbath CHAP. V. Of mixt duties Sect. 1. Namely prayer Sect. 2. Reading the Scriptures Sect. 3. Singing Psalmes Sect. 4 Catechising Sect. 5. And shewing mercie Sect. 6. § Sect. 1 THE next duties that follow to bee handled are such as are mixt of which sorte are prayer thanksgiuing singing of Psalmes catechising almes c. which I terme mixt because they are such as may bee done in publique or in priuate which also are to bee performed vpon the Sabbath as they shal be best fitting with the time and place Now many men when they haue bin at Church they thinke they may doe all the rest of the day what they list As the harlot when she had payed her vowes she thought she might play the harlot Prou. 7. So do many they serue God in the forenoone and the flesh and the diuell in the after-noone But they must know that God doth require the whole day to be spent in holy duties And therefore as thou maist in no part of the day breake the rest by labour so much lesse maist thou breake the holinesse for God commaundeth the one aswell as the other holinesse aswell as rest nay rest should not haue been commaunded but for holinesse And therefore as I haue shewed before it was a sin to breake the rest so is it much more to breake the Sabbath by omitting the duties of holinesse Indeed thou art not tied to spend the whole day in the publique exercises before mentioned neither were the Iewes for they had but their sacrifice euening and morning Numb 28. and prayers with their sacrifice as appeareth Luk. 1. 10 in that the people prayed whilest the incense was a burning Then they had a lecture of the Law and Prophets Act. 13. 15 after that preaching For when they had read the Law they gaue the sense thereof and caused the people to vnderstand the reading Nehem. 8. 8 and then thanksgiuing All which cōtinued not the whole day but the congregation was dismissed at mid-day Nehem. 8. 10. 12. And they returned at three of the clocke at what time Peter and Iohn went vp to pray which is called the ninth houre answering vnto our third at what time also was the euening sacrifice But yet the interim before betwixt and after was spent either in priuate exercises of godlinesse or else in these which are both priuate and publique which are therefore noted and obserued in the practise of the Church that wee might draw them also into imitation which being at other times of the weeke to bee done so much more were they on the Sabbath and the exercises of religion being vpon that day doubled Numb 28 why should God bee now lesse serued vnder the Gospell than hee was vnder the Law § Sect. 2 To come therefore vnto these duties which we call mixt first of prayer Which that it is an exercise The mixt duties are first Prayer of the Sabbath is euident in that his house is called the house of prayer Ioh. 2. and the word cannot be without it Therefore Neh. 8. Ezra before he preached praised God And though Christ would haue vs to pray in priuate Matth. 6. yet God requireth the same to be done also in the assemblies Psal 107. 32 and that not alone by the teacher as Dauid in the midst of the congregation would praise the Lord when hee did declare his name Psal 22. 22. but by the people also Therfore when Zachary was burning of incense within the people were in prayer without Luk. 1. 10 which as it must bee done in the morning so also at night For Dauid would haue his prayer as the incense which was the first thing the Priest did when hee came into the Temple and the lifting vp of his hands as the euening sacrifice Psal 142. which was on the Sabbath at night offered so must our prayers be It maketh me the more to marueile at some kinde of men that thinke if they haue been at seruice as they call it in the fore-noone that God is beholding vnto them for that and that they are not bound to returne againe in the after-noone but that they consecrate vnto some pastimes as though they had been at Church in the morning to aske God leaue to goe to play in the after-noone Now as this is a publique exercise of the Sabbath and must go before and after the word so also at other times or else why are wee commaunded to pray continually 1. Thess 5. 17. and in all things to giue thankes Yea God to shew how well he likes it compares it to