that in the depth of popery for otherwise such a tradition could not have gotten foot and prevailed among them Neither do I alleadge this for want of true examples in this kinde there being many and me norable which are recorded by others as well of forraigne parts as our own Country in which to the honour be it spoken of the reformed Religion and our Soveraigne Princes the protectors thereof our Reverend Judges have restrained themselves and our ordinary Carryers have by publique Authority been restrained from travelling on the Lords Day though both carry with them the advantage of the publique good to the great comfort of such as without all schismaticall humour or peevish affectation of singularity heartily embrace both the Doctrine professed and discipline practised in the Church of England and their hope is that other abuses yet remaining and tending to the prophanation of that Day may in good time likewise be reformed as in some forraigne reformed Churches they have lately been Lastly for our instruction and imitation against the prophanation of this Day as well Generall Councells and Provinciall Synods have bent their Canons as Emperors and Kings and Commonweals their Laws Such were Conâ—…tine the Great the first Christian Emperour born in this Island and Charles the Great Canutus the Dane Henry the 6th and Edward the 6th three of our most pious Princes who zealously stood for the religious observation of this Day as Nehemiah did for the sanctifying of the Jewish Sabboth My Conclusion shall be That if some bodily recreations on the Lords Day for the better sanctifying thereof be thought requisite yet under correction I should conceive them more tolerable in the Paâ—…or who that Day hath spent his spirits in a faithfull discharge of his Ministeriall Function than in the people and among the people rather in Trades-men and Husband men than in Gentlemen who for the most part make every day holy-day in following their sports and in all with these limitations First That they be in their conscience fully perswaded that the games which they use be not onely lawfull in themselves but also in regard of the Day for whatsoever is not of faith is sinne that which I think unlawfull or am not perswaded in my self that it is lawfull though in it self it be so yet to me it is sinne so as it is a safe rule in Divinity Quod dubitas ne feceris that which thou doubtest of do not The second limitation is That our Recreations do not tend to the scandall of others If meat make my brother offend saith the Apostle I will eat no flesh while the world standeth lest I make my brother to offend and yet may publique Recreations one day in the week be more easily be forborn than meat whiles the world standeth My third limitation is That these Recreations tend to the better sanctification of the Lords Day in the refreshing of mens spirits Sanctification being by all Divines confessed to be the principall end thereof which being laid for a ground the consequence in my judgement is unavoidable That all our actions on that day ought more or lesse to be directed and squared thereunto according to that approved rule of the Schools Tantum destinati sâ—…mendum quantum ad finem prodest so much of the means as conduceth to the end is to be taken and no more I will shut up all with that of the Evangelicall Prophet Esay only changing the Jewish Sabboth into the Lords Day the Sabbath of the Christians If thou turn away thy foot from doing thy pleasure on my holy Day and call it a delight the holy of the Lord honorable and shalt honour him not doing thine own wayes nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thiâ—…e own words Then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed thee with the Heritage of Jacob thy father For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it God grant that we may so truely serve the Lord by a due observation of his Day hâ—…re that we may eternall raigne with him hereafter Part of a Speech delivered in the Starre-Chamber against the opinion of Mr. Traske By the Right Reverend Father in God Lancelot Bishop of Winchester deceased IT hath ever been the Churches Doctrine that Christ made an end of all Sabboths by his Sabboth in the Grave that Sabboth was the last of them And that the Lords Day presently came in place of it Dominicus dies Christi resurrectione declaratus est Christianis ex illo coepit habere festivitatem suam saith Augustine The Lords Day was by the resurrection of Christ declared to be the Christians Day and from that very time of Christs Resurrection it began to be celebrated as the Christian mâ—…ns festivall These two the Day and the Supper have the Epithet of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Dominicum in the Scriptures to shew Dominicum is aâ—…ike to be taken in both This for the practice If you will have it in precept the Apostle gives it and in the same word still that against {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the day of their Assemâ—…ly Every one should lay apart what God should move him to offer to the Collection for the Saints and then offer it which was so ever in use That the day of oblations So have you it in practice and in precept both FINIS in Gen. 2. 3. Loc. Com. câ—…s 2. c. p 7. In 2 â—… Gen. exerciâ—… 13. a In Gen. 2. Hom. 18. b Loc. Com. Class. 2. cap. 7. c De cult. Sanct. lib. 3. cap. 11. His accedt Robertus Loeus in effigiatione â—…ua veri Sabbatismi pag 48. Of the 〈◊〉 and time of prayer part 1a. Maâ—… 24. 20. Vide Hieron. Epist. Hâ—…bid quest 4. Ambros. Sâ—… 61. Cap. 19. In prolog. in Psalm expla. Epist. 119. Idem habet Cypri Epist. 8. Lib. 3. Idem habet Hilar. in praefat in â—…salmos salmos Revel. 19. in 2â— Gen. ever cit. 13 versus finem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Loâ—…us in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sabâ—…mi pag. 47. His câ—…usis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Apo stolâ—… 〈◊〉 ex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dominâ—…um 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 randum statuerent Mar. 2 27. a Homâ—…l in hoc dictum Omnia mihi tradita sunt a patre b Epist. 83. c De resurrect serm. 5. d Serm. de tempo 15 â—… To these Prerogatives some 〈◊〉 that our Saviour was likewise circumâ—…i sed on the Lords day and that on the same day the star first appeared to the Wisemen See 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 râ—…lig 2. 4. Acts 1 3. Acts 2. 1. Lib. 12. c. 58. In Ioh. 20. v. 26. In hoc dictum Omâ—…ia mibi c. â—…ist 119. Lib. 2. cap. 17. In cap 16. Apol. Piscator etiâ—…m Dominicum diem ab ipso Domiâ—…o instiâ—…utum ad sanctificâ—…dum mâ—…ndatum esse affimâ—…t in Aâ—…o 1. 10. 1 Cor. 11. 23. Lact. 7. â—… Caâ—… 33. â—… 78 79. Serm. de temp. 154. Super ex Hom. 7. Deviâ—…a Conâ—…tan p. 4. 18 In epist. ad ubique Orthodox in Hom in hoc dillum om nia mihi tradita sunt Serm. 5. â—…e resurrect Ex H. Wolphii 〈◊〉 de Temp. lib. 1. cap. 2. 2. 5. Serm. 251. Io. 4. 24. 2 Chron. 28. 9. Aâ—…ol 35. Leo Constit 54. In Deut. 5. Serm. 34. The same in effect he hath in his Book De dâ—…cem Chordis cap. 3. De temâ—… Scrm. 251. Epistol. Lib. 11. Ep 3. Serm. de festis pag. 10. Edit. Colon an 1604. Loâ—… com â—…lass 2. cap. 7. 〈◊〉 de vita Const. lib 4. c. 18. 19 23. Rom. â—…4 23. 1 Cor. 8. 13. cap 48. v. 3 14.
the mother Synagogue as St. Augustine speaks might be buried with the greater honour it was dâ—…ely and constantly observed by the Church of God But when the fulnesse of time was come for the abrogation of it yet the equity of the Commandement which Divines do call the morall part thereof remaining still in its full strength and vigour required not onely some certain time to be set apart for the publique Worship of God but at least one day in Seven which is not onely the judgement of a Chrysostome and b Peter Martyr and c Bellarmine and Doctor Fulke in his answer to the Rhemtsts commenting upon the words of my Text and other grave Divines but of our profound and judicious Hooker writing purposely against the Schismaticks of our time so as we need not suspect him of Puritanisme Wee are bound saith he in the 5th Book of his Ecclesiasticall policy and seventeenth Paragraph Touching the manner of celebrating Festivall dayes We are bound to accompt the sanctification of one day in seven a duty which Gods immutable law doth exact for ever although with us the day be changed in regard of a new revolution begun by our Saviour Christ yet the same proportion of time the same proportion of time continueth which was before by way of a perpetutuall homage a perpetuall hâ—…age never to be dispensed withall nor remitted Then which I see not what can be spoken more plainly or more punctually which is the rather to be marked for that the Author being a man of admirable learning and of a deep judgement and by reason thereof making many doubts to himself which the ignorant by reason of their shallow and narrow capacities hardly discern and easily swallow is notwithstanding in the point so positive and peremptory as you see Whereunto we may adde the testimony of our Homilies allowed to be read in our Churches by publique authority making also one day in the week by the morall part of the Commandement to be consecrated and that not in part but wholly to heavenly exercises of Gods true Religion and Service And truely this our Churches resolution therein to me weighs more than the opinions of many others to the contrary though I will not censure much lesse absolutely condemne them My conclusion shall be That as the tenth part ad minimum is Gods portion for the fruits of the earth so the seventh part of his proportion for time and both of them not onely under the Leviticall Law but under the Gospel the number of seven is sacred as Philo in his book de opificio mundi hath learnedly shewed but for proof thereof I will go no further then this very book of the Revelation wherein we read of Seven Angels and Seven Trumpets and Seven Vialls and Seven Seales and Seven Stars and Seven Candlesticks and Seven Churches and Seven Spirits before the throne of God all which seems to imply the number to be Mystical and sacred and consequently most properly due to religious exercises in publick consisting in the sacred Service of allmighty God All which notwithstanding some such are found professiâ—…g themselves Christians as Anabaptists and 〈◊〉 who not only deny any set time to be appropriated to Gods service by the law of Christ but further affirme that no such time is now by Christians living under the Gospell in any sort to bee observed And to this end they wrest those passages of the Apostle Gal. 4. 10. Rom. 14. 5. Col. 2. 16. they wrest them I say the only scope of the Apostle in those passages being to cry downe the Ceremomall use or Superstitious abuse of dayes as well among the Iewes as the Gentiles not to make holy dayes set apart for Gods Service unlawfull nay it is certaine that in other places hee mâ—…kes theâ—… lawfâ—…ll and this day here spoken of in my Text in paâ—…ticular aswell by his practice as his precept wâ—…ich will appear in my second generall part which offers it selfe in the next place namely that tâ—…e day here spoken of in my Text is that particular day which is now by us Christians in a speciâ—…ll manner set apart for the service of God In the handling whereof wee have two things to be considered first the severall names of this day and then why it is termed the Lords day This day is sometimes called the Sabboth sometimes Sunday sometimes the first day of the week sometimes the Eighth day and sometimes the Lords day as here in my Text The name of the Sabboth I must confesse in the ancient Councels or Fathers wee shall hardly find applyed to this day unlesse withall they adde Sabbathum Christianorum the Sâ—…bboth of Christians For when they speak of the Sabboth absolutely without any addition they alwayes understand the Saturday the Seventh day the Sabboth day of the Jâ—…wes which except it bee heedfully observed of those who are conversant in their writings it may be an occasion of much errour and mistake Which notwithstanding I make no question but this day may without any just suspition of Iudaisme be called the Sabboth and that for these Reasons First because our Saviour himselfe as I conceive hath so called it pray that your flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabboth day where he speakes of the destruction of Hierusilem which fell out about forty years after his Ascention whereas the Sabboth of the Iewes was abrogated by his resurrectioâ—… and consequently it cannot well bee understood but of the Sabboth of Christians the day here spoken of My second Reason is for that Sabbath signifying Rest the word in regard of that signification is appliable to our day as well as to theirs it being a day of Rest to us as well aâ—… to them True indeed it is that the Sabbath was so called a day of rest in a double respect First because God himâ—…e upon that day rested from the workes of the Creation and then because they in imitation of God and by commandement from God were likewise to rest upon the same day whereas ours cannot be called a Sabbath in respect of the first that is Gods rest but only in respect of the second that is our rest My third reason is for that our Lords day succeeded in the place of the Sabboth and was ordained to the same generall end as our spirituall exercises are called Sacrifices because they succeed in the place of their Sacrifices so may our Lords day not unfitly bee termed the Sabbath because it succeeds in the place of tâ—…eir Sabboth Secondly this day here spoken of in my Text is sometimes called Sunday which though it be a name imposed by the Gentiles who knew not the true God giving the names of the seven Planets to the seven dayes of the week yet for distinctions sâ—…ke I see not but wee Christians may without superstition or relation to them call the dayes of the weeke by the same names that they did as well as we do the
day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God hath prospered him That the Collection for the poor is here enjoyned it cannot be denyed the words themselves proclaim it and that this Collection was inseparably annexed to the Lords Day because on it the Congregation was assembled not onely this Text but the Ecclesiasticall Writers give plentifull testimony from whence the conclusion in my judgement is clear and fair That the Lords Day it self in which such Collections were made was consequently by them enjoyned for where two things are inseparably united he who enjoyns the onâ—… cannot but by consequent likewise enjoyn the other As when God said Let there be light if light cannot be â—…ep from heat it was in effect as much as if he had said Let there be heat Thus mâ—…ch doth Doctor Rivet collect from these words of the Apostle And thus much it should seem Saint Augustine in his 251 Sermon de tempore gathered either 〈◊〉 this or some other passage of this kinde where he teacheth us That the Apostles not onely obsâ—…ved this day but religiosa solennitate habendum sanxerunt decreed it to be kept in a solemn religious manner from whence we may safely conclâ—…de That at leastwise in his judgement it was not onely their practice but their precept The other point remaining to be proved is That both this pâ—…actice and precept of theirs was by order from the Lord himself and that not onely by secret inspiration but by overt Acts As the Sacrament is câ—…lled tâ—…e Lords Supper because it was instituted by tâ—…e Lord and that excellent Form of Prayer whicâ—… he hath left us the Lords Prayer becaâ—…se it was coâ—…posed by the Lord so is this Day called the Lords because it was ordained by him He is that Sonne of man who is Lord even of the Sabbatâ—… As he dissolved the Sabbath of the Jewes so he appointed the Lords day of the Christians to succeed it New Lords they say new lawes which in him was verified new Sacraments new sacrifices a new Priesthood a new Pentecost a new Sabbath Thus old things passed away and alâ—… things by him became new and if all other things belonging to his service then surely the day too in which this service is solemnly to be performed that so it might be suteable to his service This blessed day was not only foreseen and foretold by the Psalmist but the making of it by the Lord This is the day which the Lord hath made let us rejoyce and be glad in it Psal. 118. 24. where no doubt he prophecies of this very Lords day here mentioned in my Text and so have many of the Fathers rightly applied it and among the rest a Athanaâ—…ius and b Ambrose and c Chrysostome this is the day saith the great Sâ— d Augustine in which our Lord was baptized in Iordan in which he turned water into wine at a wedding feast in which he blessed five loaves wherewith he satisfied five thousand men in which he rose again from the dead In which he entred into the house where the Apostles were assembled the doors being shut in which he sent down the holy Ghost upon them finally in which we expect his comming to judgement Besides all which Bellarmine in his third Book de cultu Sanctorum and eleventh Chapter is confident that he was also born on the same day which he proves by the Dominicall letter of that year falling just upon the 25th of December And shall we imagine that on this day he was born on this day baptized on this day wrought his first and greatest miracles on this day rose again on this day appeared to his Apostles and lastly on this day sent down the holy Ghost upon them the three last of which are most evident in holy Scripture and yet had no speciall designe for the sanctifying of this day in a speciall manner Moreover it may not be forgotten that upon this day his Apostles and in them their successors received from him their Benediction their Mission and Commission Peace be unto you there is the Benediction Iohn 20. 19. As my Father hath sent me so I send you there is their Mission vers. 21. And when he had said this he breathed on them and saith unto them Receive the holy Ghost whose sins ye remit they are remitted and whose sins ye retain they are retained there is their Commission vers. 22. 23. And again his disciples being assembled as before in all likelihood by his Commandment for the exercise of religious duties upon the very same day of the week following he appears to them again as for the imparting of other mysteries unto them so in particular for the â—…rengthning of Thomas his faith who at his former apparition was absent from that assembly yea after this again before his Ascension he appeared unto them sundry times by the space of forty daies speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God and good Divines are of opinion that he still appeared upon the same day as it is certain that ten dayes after his Ascension he sent down the holy Ghost the same day upon his Apostles being then again assembled being the first day of the week and the day of his Resurrection or the Lords-day on which he also by the Ministry of an Angel imparted these most divine Revelations to St. Iohn All which should argue that this indeed was the day which he had selected and sealed for the religious Assemblies of his Church in all future ages even to the worlds end Neither is this my opinion alone but Saint Cyrill in his Exposition upon Saint Iohns Gospel is of the same minde and Maldonate the Jesuite freely confesseth that some Conjecture may from thence be made Diem Dominicum aliquam ex Christi voluntate originem habuisse That the Lords day had some kinde of rise from the will of the Lord himself yet because he seeth the Schoolmen take another way he professeth himself unwilling to forsake their Company But had he been free to take his own course no doubt he would easily have found therein somewhat more then a bare Conjecture Which I am the rather induced to beleeve for that Ribera a Bird of the same Feather and Nest in his Commentaries upon the words of my Text tels us that Iustin Martyr in his second Apologie to Antoninus the Emperour teacheth Apostolos a Christo hujus diei celebritatem accepisse That the Apostles received the celebrity of this day from the Lord himself which he disproves not but rather allowes and withall addes that the Apostles themselves delivered it over and recommended it to the Church in their Constitutions as witnesseth Clemens Lib. 2. cap. 59. lib. 5. cap. 9. lib. 7. cap. 31. 37. And herewith accords the great Athanasius in the very entrance of his Homilie De Semente Anciently saith he the Sabboth was
indicâ—…is saith he Dominica dies extat insignis By these and such like Characters is the Lords-day become renowned And again in his 154. Sermon of the same Book Venerabilis est hic dies qui dominicus dies dies primus atque perfectus est dies clarus in quo visa est prima lux This Lords day is a venerable day The first day a perfect and shining day in which the light was first seen Nay Pererius the Jâ—…suite in his Commentaries upon the work of the first day having recounted no lesse then thirteen speciall Prerogatives thereof at last he thus concludes Haec sunt primi illius diei insignia atque ornamenta quibus ea dies mirabiliter nobilitatur atque decoratur These are the ensignes and ornaments of this first day wherewith it is wonderfully ennobled and garnished Likewise the Hebrew Author of the Book called Sedar Olam Rabba cap. 7. Recordeth many memorable things which were done upon the first day of the week as so many types that the chief worship of God should under the new Testament be celebrated upon this day As that on this day the cloud of Gods Majesty first sate upon his people Aaron and his children first executed their Priesthood God first solemnly blessed his people The Princes of his people first offered publikely unto God The first day wherein fire descended from heaven The certainty of these I leave to the Author to prove but sure I am that the Primitive Church for more than a thousand yeers after Christ to expresse the greatnesse of their joy upon this day neither fasted nor kneeled Nay Tertullian goes further in his Book de corona militis cap. 3. Die dominico jejunare nefas ducimus de geniculis adorare We hold it unlawfull upon the Lords Day either to fast or to pray kneeling And Saint Hilary in his Prologue set before his explanation of the Psalms gives the reason thereof ne festivitatem spiritualis hujus â—…eatudinis impedirit lest it might hinder the joy of our Spirituall happinesse on that day Look then what the fire is among the Elements the Eagle among the Fowls the Whale among the fishes the Lion among the Beasts Gold among the other Metalls and Wheat among the other Grains the same is the Lords Day among all the dayes of the week this Day differing as much from the rest as doth that Wax to which the Kings great Seal is put from ordinary Wax or that Silver upon which the Kings Arms and Image â—…re stamped from Silver unrefined or in Bullion And for other holy dayes it is as farre transcendent above them too as they are beyoud other ordinary dayes the other holy dayes consecrated by the authority of the Church and amongst us religiously observed may not unfitly be resembled to those honorable women spoken of in the 45 Psalm Kings daughters were among thy honorable women but the Lords Day ordained by the Lord himself and from him derived unto us by his Apostles is as the Queen here standing at the Kings right hand in Gold of Ophir gloriously apparelled the rest are as waiting-Ladies she as the Empresse gradiensque Deas superem net omnes and were they all brought into one Chain the Medale of this Chain could be no other than the Lords Day This was doubtlesse the generall aâ—…d constant opinion of antiquity touching thâ—…s Day but I know not how it came to passe that after ages by insensible degrees much degenerating from the simplicity of those primitive times so infinitely multiplied and magnified their holy dayes beyond all measure and reason that the Lords Day began to be fleighted and at last with many to be accounted a common holy day nay perchance inferiour to some of the Saints insomuch that with us it had lost not onely the honour due unto it but the name by the Apostles imposed upon it Which no doubt a speciall occasion of that thick cloud of superstition which afterwards over shadowed the face of the Church and in appearance the reducing of this day to its originall honour and name would prove the readiest means to restore the Church again to her originall lustre and beauty even in those parts where that cloud is not yet dispelled as in all likelyhood the preserving of that name and honour with us would likewise serve to preserve that soundnesse of religion which now by Gods blessing we have long enjoyed under three such Princes as the world in their severall kindes and in succession cannot shew the like And so I passe to my fourth and last generall part The duties of the Lords Day which in a word is to be in the Spirit that is in Sptrituall exercises as Saint Iohn upon this day was Though he were then banished into the solitary Isle of Patmos where he had no means to converse with any Christian much lesse to communicate with their Assemblies in religious duties yet was he present with them in spirit as Saint Paul was with the Colossians though absent in body much desiring to be present with them and joyning with them even in his private devotions A good lesson for such as cannot have accesse to the publique Congregation considering they cannot do what they would yet to do what they may which is religiously to observe the Lords Day in their private houses or chambers in the ship or in the prison if their condition be such as they cannot come to the Lords House This is it which Saint Augustine adviseth discoursing of the duties of this day veniat cuique possibile est oret in conventu Ecclesiae pro peccatis suis Deum He who possibly can come let him come and in the Church let him there pray to God for the pardon of his sinnes Qui vero hoc non possit saltem in domo sua oret non negligat Deo solvere votum reddere pensum servitutis but he who cannot come to the Church let him pray in his house and let him not neglect the paying of his Vows to God and the rendering of that service which is exacted Now for such as have free accesse to the Congregation these spirituall exercises are either publike or private publike in the Lords House private in our own houses with our families or in our chambers and closets in our Gardens or in the Fields The exercises to be performed are confession of our faith and our faults absolution thanksgiving humble and hearty prayer reading and expounding the sacred Oracles of God the private readiâ—…g of the Scriptures or other godly books the administration and participation of the holy Sacraments the singing of Divine Hymnes meditation and conference as well touching those things we have read and heard as touching the wonderfull works of God in the Creation and Government of the world This is to be in the Spirit specially if these dutiesbe practised by us in a Spirituall manner that is if we perform them not