come nigh the vessels of the Sanctuary and the Altar that neither they nor you also dye No lesse then death is menaced if the Levites come nigh the Altar which they must doe if they sacrificed aright Both may be well reconciled thus first I say that the ordinary continued duty was committed by God to the Priests onely and the Levites by their place were not to meddle in sacrifices yet if Levites were divinely inspired by God to doe so they might and did so did Samuel a Levite offer a whole burnt offering d 1 Sam. 7.9 and in exigents the priests were helped by the Levites e 2 Chro. 29.35 2 Chron. 29.35 The priests were so few that they could not flay all the burnt offerings wherefore their brethren the Levites did helpe them till the worke was ended now the flaying of beasts belonged to the priests the sonnes of Aaron f Levit. 1.6 Levit 1.6 As this upon extremity was practized by the Levites so were the other duties also and Salianus saith well in this point Nunc ex necessitate duntaxat propter multitudinem victimarum non ex officio id munus usurpabant Not the place or office of Levites but necessity priviledged them for this time and for this Worke. PAR. 8. LEt me adde when priests and Levites were too few when Sacrifices were superabundant as in the Iewish passeovers which were to bee killed on a set moneth on a set day of that moneth on a set houre towards the end of the day on the first part of that houre when all the Lambes could not be brought nigh the doore of the Tabernacle not onely every Levite chiefe of an house but every Master of a Family was allowed to be as a priest for that time his servants as under Levites his house as a Temple That this was one true reason of communication of that power to the Levites and the people appeareth by the contrary practice when the Sacrifices were few when they kept the passeover g Ezr. 9.19 Ezr. 6.19 The Priests and the Levites were purifyed together all of them were pure and killed the Passeover for all the children of the captivity and for their brethren the Priests and for themselves the Priests and Levites killed all the Lambes h see 2 Chron. 29.21 likewise The sonnes of Aaron offered a sin-offering for the Kingdome and the Sanctuary and for Iudah for the number of the sacrifices was but 21 and they killed the bullockes and received the blood and sprinkled it on the Altar but when the Sacrifices and Thanke-offerings encreased when the priests were too few the Levites helped as the Scripture said before yet if the people were unpure they might nor they did not use their priviledge their prerogative ceased and not the impure people themselves but the Clerus Dei must reconcile the people the Levites had the charge of killing the passeovers for every one that was not cleane to sanctify them unto the Lord i 2 Chro. 30 17 2 Chro. 30.17 Yet did the onely right in ordinary belong to the priests to which sacrificing of beasts by the priests Christ alluded k Math. 12.5 Math. 12.5 When he said on the Sabbath dayes the priests in the Temple prophane the Sabbath which is more forcible then if he had said they observe not the Sabbath because God commanded their Sabbaticall duty of sacrificing l Num. 28 9. Num. 28.9 c. Which not Levites but priests fulfilled m Levit. 1. Levit 1.6 PAR. 9. THey prophane the Sabbath not simply but by an improper locution because if eyther Priests or any others had killed flayed or cut a sunder any beasts any where else it had beene a sinne but the law priviledgeth the Temple from the Law of the Sabbath the wiser Jewes held in Templo non esse Sabbatum there is no Sabbath in the Temple and a rule they have that Circumcision chaseth away the Sabbath for it was exactly kept on the eight day though the eight day happened to be the Sabbath it sanctified all the laborious workes of mens hands done in it done to the worship of God and his service which is perfect freedome makes those handy-workes lose their name of servile workes Away then with those halfe-Jewes strict Sabbatarians who will not have bells rung on the Sabbath dayes nor water carryed in pitchers or payles to fill the font nor the raw ayre of the Church to bee sweetned with frankincense perfumes or wholesome odours nor the decent ornaments of the Priests to be put on they are ignorant that the Temple priviledgeth if not sanctifieth such workes and what is done in ordine ad Deum as tending towards the worship of God is no way forbidden when their imperiall censoriousnesse and scorne the daughters of pride are forbidden for never had the common people libertie to judge their Priests oh how humble was Hannah to erring Ely The heathen were very strict in keeping of their Holy-dayes yet saith e Macrob. Sturnal 1.16 Macrobius Vmbro denyed him to be polluted qui opus vel ad deos pertinens sacrorumve causâ fecisset vel aliquid ad urgentem vitae utilitatem respiciens actitasset Scaevola denique consultus quid Ferijs agiliceret respondit quod praetermissum noceret Wherefore if an Oxe fell into any dangerous place and the master of the family did helpe him out or if a man under propped a broken beame of an house to keepe it from ruine hee seemed not to breake the holy day saith Scaevola which words I have the rather related to shew not onely as f Clem. Alex. Strom. 5. Clemens Alexandrinus hath it Philosophia peripatetica ex lege Mosaicâ aliis dependet Prophetis but even the very Roman Priests borrowed much of Moses his Law and in likelihood even from the Gospell his particular instance that mercy is to be shewed to the Oxe in need g Luk. 14.5 Luk. 14.5 Which of you shall have an Oxe fallen into a pit and will not straight way pull him out on the Sabbath day which is all one with that which Scaevola delivereth after to the Romans PAR. 10. ANd now I come to the seventh extraordinary great Passeover when the Israelites came out of the Babylonish captivitie for the Passeover appointed in Ezekiel was onely in Vision where there is mention indeed of the first moneth and foureteenth day of unleavened bread Seven dayes and other offerings for the feast to be provided by the Prince h Exek 45.21 Ezek. 45.21 but what Ezechiel fore prophefied was not accomplished in his time but about 150. yeares after it was performed by Ezra which is the last famous Passeover specialized in the old Testament when they were freed from bondage and had dedicate the Temple i Ezra 6.19 Ezra 6.19 they kept the passeover for all the children of the captivitie and for their brethren the Priests and for themselves And so much for the seven
are their new Moones and solemne Iewes-feasts to us Christians They shamefully wrong S. Augustin and wrong the unlearned Readers who produce this testimonie to confute seemely recreations of Christians on the Lords Day after the holy Service is ended Fourthly let the indifferent judge whether S. Augustines later passages in this testimony doe not rather afford a patrociny for labour than the former words did condemne fit refreshings Lastly good Reader when thou readest in the Fathers or from the Fathers ought concerning the Sabbath I pray thee search and examine whether they speake of the Iewish Sabbath or of the Christian Quiet very seldome doe they call the day of Christian rest properly to be Sabbatum They doe often say it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dies dominicus our Lords Day or Sunday So much be said to vindicate S. Augustin from divers too Iewishly addicted in our dayes against our lawfull Sports Secondly that most learned Prelate the last Lord Bishop of Ely citeth Theodoret on Ezechiel the 20. as saying that no other Nations but onely the Iewes observed the Sabbath Day He meant no Nation kept the Sabbath to the same end and with the same strictnesse that Iewes did 2. Indeede no Nation but the Iewes onely kept the Sabbath at that time which Ezechiel speakes of viz. at their comming out of Aegypt Ezech. 20.10 c. yet many Nations did afterwards keepe the Sabbath day 3. No Nation kept it as a particular Law and as a signe of a distinct republique as Israel did Vt sit signum inter me ipsos to be a signe betweene me and them saith Theodoret in the very words of the text ver 12. yet is he Totius historiae ignarus blinde in all history who denieth that other Nations imitated the Iewes in observation of a Sabbath In which regard the most reverend Prelate the Eye of our Tymes and one who for all religious learning may be called Arca Foederis In the same page 156. saith If any Heathen did observe the Iewish Sabbath they did it not by the light of naturall reason but by imitation of Gods people But because the living Library in his Margin in the same place quoteth Josephus contra Appionem lib. 2. and Clemens Alexandrinus stromat 5. as denying Vrbem ullam Graecorum sive Barbarorum ex Judaico ritu âdiei septini cessatione ab opere suo in suos mores suscepisse That any city of the Grecians or Barbarians did use the fashion of resting from their worke on the seventh day from the custome of the Iewes I thus answer them If they sayd and meaned that the Iewish Sabbath with all its circumstance and severe strictnesse which the words ex Iudaico titu will well permit was never received by any Heathen cities or by the immediat delivery of God as the Iewes had it then they are in the right but particularly Josephus in the same Booke against Appion declareth the cleane contrary avouching that every Nation Greeke or Barbarous observed the Sabbath in imitation of the Iewes and Clemens Alexandrinus in the same cited booke saith expresly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Septimum diem esse sacrum non solùm sicut Hebraei verum etiam Graci Not onely the Iewes but the Gentiles also know that the seventh day is the holy day and he proveth it by divers reasons and authorities but Clemens ibidem exceedeth when from Plato his tenth Booke de Repub. he would prove that Plato did fore-divine of the Lords day page 437. Againe though that Mundus eruditionis that world of learning saith the Grecians and the Romanes observed for resting dayes the one the eight day and the other the ninth day and saith it well enough to oppose the simple Sabbatarians who horribly incline to Iudaisme of late and will not remember that the Iewes shall be turned to be Christians but that the Christians should be converted Proselytes of the Iewes was never foretold nor expected yet the most learned Lord Bishops words if they be rightly printed must be interpreted of some of the Romanes and some of the Grecians and not of the greater part Or secondly of the extraordinary dayes of rest and not of the ordinary and continued weekely Sabbath Plutarch in the later end of Theseus life saith indeed the Athenians did make the solemnest and chiefest sacrifices unto Theseus on the eight of October and doe further honor him every eight day of every moneth but first this was Athens alone Secondly this honoring of Theseus on the eight day hindered not their other observations of the seventh day which they constantly also kept as I have demonstated Thirdly in the same place of Plutarch it is sayd they worshipped Neptune or did sacrifice to him on the eight day of every moneth because the number of eight is the first Cube made of the even number and the double of the first squared which reasons are ridiculous Lastly as we have holy dayes besides our Lords Day so had they multitudes of extraordinary Festivals which were not properly such dayes of sacred rest as the Iewes observed Romish Pestivalls on the Ides of their moneths See at large set downe by Alexander ab Alexandro Genialium dierum 3.18 singulis Idibus saith he ibidem which Ides jumpe not exactly with every eight day a Gracis singuliâ— Calendis dii vener antur The gods are worshipped by the Grecians every Calends Macrobius in the like place maketh not the ninth day a generall rest Indeed saith he Nundina est Romanorum Dea a nono die nusceritium nuncupata qui lustricâ—â— dicitur quo die infantes lustrantur nomen accipiunt Sed is maribus nonus Octavus est faeminis Nundina is a goddesse of the Romanes so called from the ninth day that infants were borne which day was called Lustricus because on it children were purged and first named but in men children it was the ninth day in women children the eight day it may now be used for the Christning day Idem Macrob. 1.11 Nonis Iuliis diem festuÌ„m esse ancillarum vulgò notum est it is commonly knowne that the Nones of Iuly is maides holiday Dio Cassius placing the weekely Sabbath among the speciall observances of that Nation doth not say that no other Nations kept their Sabbath day but rather pointeth at this the Sabbaths were given more especially to the Iewes that they were the first Nation that kept the Sabbaths and generally and strictly observed them Secondly the Sabbatarians unto their forced expositions invent lyes that they may further their seeming devotions but God needs not mans lye to uphold his truth Who but the Father of lyes suggested those horrid untruths which are published concerning the evills that befell upon Glastonbury for prophaning the Sabbath which the Inhabitants thereof and we the neighbours doe know to be false almost in every point Thirdly is it not knowne generally how dangerously many fell into Iudaisme and turned Traskites the most ignorant of all Hereticks and
would bury in the Dunghill chines of porke or puddings or any swines flesh which their neighboures courteously bestowed upon them they further bragged they would know the saved from the damned by their lookes the Lords day they regarded not and were as obstinate as the Iewes laughing at imprisonment and punishment as a good poore man complained of his wife to me and was it not time that the supreme Magistrate should looke to them If we consider the Scripture of the new Testament which must first be heard we shall finde that Christ doth not diminish but rather augment the weight force and power of divers other commandements concerning Murther see the strictnesse Matth. 5.21 c. and concerning Adultery Matth. 5.28 c. and Matth. 5.24 are choyce Rules for swearing and for other matters in that Chapter but he no where commanded a more rigorous keeping of the Sabbath Indeed he sayd Matth. 24.20 Pray that your flight be not on the Sabbath this evinceth not that he intended a stricter observation of the Sabbath than the Iewes admitted but sensu primo his well-wishings were that they might meete in their flight which was to be both sudden and remote even out of Judea with no impediment either from their opinion of the Sabbath who then thought they might not travell on that day above two miles which they accounted a Sabbaths dayes journey Act. 1.12 or from any other Crosses whatsoever and that Christ meaned not in that place to improve the strict Religion of the Sabbath fairely resulteth from the other words in the first place Pray that your flight be not in the Winter that is cold wet stormy weather or short dayes nor on the Sabbath when ye are unprovided to fly by reason of your full bellies and store of cloathes or your over-strict opinion for in these Cases many more will dye than if the flight were at other times Marke 13.18 He wholly leaveth out the mentioning of the Sabbath and onely sayth Pray ye that your flight be not in the Winter when he mentioneth an impediment from the Sabbath himselfe meaneth not that it is unlawfull to fly farther than two miles to save ones life but argueth from their opinion at that time but in all other places of Scripture where he speaketh of the Sabbath though the Mosaicall Law was then of force and the Sabbath strictly to be observed he inveieth against the Iewish rigour and reduceth it to an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our Church of England runneth the same way and is not Iewishly zealous In a booke of Canons Printed 1571 by Iohn Day pag. 15. It is said Every Sunday and holiday the Parsons Vicars and Curates shall come to Church so timely and conveniently in due season that the Parishioners having done their businesses may come together c. Lo a permittance of doing worldly businesse before they come to Church and obiter pag. 13. on other times the Parsons are to use their Bowes and shafts onely more to the former point in the advertisement made upon Queene Elizabeths command 1584. among the Articles for administration of Sacraments it is sayd in all Faires and common Markets falling upon Sundayes there shall be no shewing of wares before the service be done Loe here also is no disallowing of shewing wares after service is done but rather an involved indulgence and permittance Besides Christ defended his Disciples for plucking and eating some eares of corne which the Pharisees condemned Matth. 12.1 but Christ proved the lawfulnesse thereof by Davids eating the shew-bread in an exigent which otherwise was unlawfull ver 3.4 Secondly by the Priests who prophane the Sabbath and yet are blamelesse ver 5. by reason that Christ was greater than the Temple and Lord even of the Sabhath day which Lord accepteth more of mercy than of Sacrifices ver 6.7.8 and not fearing their accusation hee both miraculously healed the mans withered hand on the Sabbath day and since every one of them who should have a sheepe fallen into a pit on the Sabbath day would lay hold of it and lift it out how much better is a man than a sheepe wherefore saith Christ it is lawfull to doe well on the Sabbath day ver 11.12 S. Marke 2.27 addeth remarkeably The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath and S. Luke speaking of the same Story sayth Christ propounded to them this quicke question Is it lawfull on the Sabbath day to doe good or to doe evill Luke 6.9 apparently implying that not to doe a good worke on the Sabbath day was to doe evill Againe when the Ruler of the Synagogue answered with indignation because Christ healed one on the Sabbath day Christ called him hypocrite Luke 13.25 confuting him by his owne and their generall practise Doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his Oxe or his Asse from the Stall and lead him away to watering Observe first nor Oxe nor Asse can take much hurt if they be not wrought though they drinke not from Sun-rising to Sun-set yet for covetousnesse or for pitty they did loose them Secondly they might have loosed them though themselves had not led them away to the watering places for Nature teacheth beasts to know their drinking places but they would lead them away thither which they needed not and being done for lucre was certainely a breach of the Sabbath And Iohn 7.22 The Iewes did on the Sabbath day circumcise a man about which they used many Ceremonies of preparation of abscission of washing of stopping the blood and applying of salves to heale the would though it were but one little part to be wounded and made whole and are ye angry with me saith Christ because I have made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath day Every member of his body and I doubt not also but he healed the ulcers of every ones soule whose bodily parts he healed In 1 Cor. 16.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is well translated On the first day of the weeke on the Sabbath day Christ did not take up already made but newly made clay and healed the blinde Joh. 9.14 so that not onely the mayne worke of healing or doing good but all necessary or convenient helpes conducing thereto may be used on the Sabbath day without prophanation thereof for Christ anointed his eyes and sent him to the Poole Siloam and there he washed Againe it is said Matth. 28.1 In the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawne toward the first day of the weeke and Marke 16.1 When the Sabbath was passed the words are most observeable and may involve within themselves not onely that the Sabbath of that weeke was at an end and passed which was true and no man questioneth but even this deeper sense when Christ's rest in the grave had supplied and substantiated the Typicall Sabbath adumbrating his rest for the Sabbaths were shadowes of things to come but the body was Christ Col. 2.17 and his Resurrection from the dead
Angels were created after the world as the soule of man was after his body So Gennadius and Acatius Yet Beda Cassiodorus and others are peremptory that the Angels were created within the sixe dayes And they followed the Divine S. Aug. for after Aug. almost all the Latines saith Ludovicus Vives de Civitate 10.9 and since them all the Schooles say all the Angels were created within the sixe dayes I boldly say Col. 1.16 By Christ were all things created that are in heaven earth whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers hee might have specialized Angels or Archangels Cherubims or Seraphims since hee added Al things were made by him and for him What some said of Origen I may say concerning those Greek Fathers that they rather Platonize than Christianize for Plato long before them in his booke de mundi opificio held the same opinion The reasoning of Augustine de Civitate Dei 11.9 is good That the creation of Angels is not left out only by Moses I thinke by this saith he it is said expresly God ended his worke on the seaventh day and hee rested the seaventh day from all his workes Gen. 2.2 And In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth Gen. 1.1 Now if he made nothing before the sixe dayes and rested from all his worke the seaventh day then the Angels must needes be created within that time But yet there is a plaine place Exod. 20.11 though it be not sufficiently expressed without some deduction In sixe dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that in them is The Angels are in heaven and on earth This is the assumption Therefore in the sixe dayes they were created Psalm 146.6 It is varied somewhat God made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that therein is From whence you may extract the same conclusion As man was created when all things were fitted for him and the soule is infused into the body when the body is prepared to receive it so as soone as the Heavens the Angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 now framed the Lord filled it with Angels Furthermore it is said Psalm 148.2 Praise the Lord all yee Angels of his the reason is added in the fifth verse Let them praise the name of the Lord for hee spake the word and they were made hee commanded and they were created not onely Sun and Moone not onely Starres of light not onely heavens of heavens and the waters above the heavens but Angels also and first of all are Angels placed when hee had formerly said Praise the Lord from the heavens And so are they comprized as well as other creatures within the sixe dayes compasse of the creation Augustine in the forecited booke and chapter argueth from the song of the three children in the midst of the fire though it be Apocrypha tous for in the 34. verse it is said All yee workes of the Lord blesse yee the Lord and in the next verse O yee heavens blesse yee the Lord the subsequent verse hath it O yee Angels of the Lord blesse yee the Lord as if they were created and indeed so they were so soone as their habitation was made and God had fitted them a dwelling place But that was done towards the beginning of the creation and therefore the Angels were then created Againe though there be not expresse mention in iisdem terminis sic terminantibus In plaine words and disert termes of baptizing of infants yet the Church justly profitably and excellently observeth it And thus it may be evinced by Scripture In the Apostles time they did baptize whole housholds 1 Cor. 1.16 I baptized the house of Stephanas Lydia was baptized and her houshold Act. 16.15 So the Jaylor was baptized hee and all his streight way Act. 16. verse 33. that is his children as well as his houshold servants Act 2 38. Be baptized every one of you For the promise is made to you and to your children vers 39. This were a silly reason if children might not be baptized but indeed it is a strong motive that they should bring their children to Baptisme and an argument faire enough that children were baptized for those to whom the promise is made must be baptized but the promise is made as much to children as to any others therefore children ought to be baptized Certainly the Apostles would never have named their children if none of them had any children but the converts in that place being some thousands it could not be otherwise but many of them had children yea and that their children were baptized with themselves as in the same day was Abraham circumcised and Ishmael his sonne and all the men of his houshold Gen. 17.26 For otherwise hee had beene disobedient to the holy Apostle who said Be baptized every one of you But no good Christian will or can thinke that those then converted were disobedient and therefore their children were baptized It is a ridiculous thing to thinke the Apostles chose out such housholds only as had no little infants in them leaving great and numerous families unbaptized because some little children were in them And fairelier we may conclude In many families there were some infants But many whole families were baptized therefore some infants If some why not others If others why not all And so all infants are to be baptized Againe Baptisme is necessary for us as Circumcision was for the Jewes This is proved because of the correspondence betweene the Type and Antitype which correspondency is so square and perfect betweene the Old and New Sacrament that the Apostle 2.11.12 in effect designeth out Baptisme by the name of Circumcision But their infants were circumcised Gen. 17.27 and therefore our infants must be Baptized Act. 2.41 In one day were added to the Church about 3000 soules yea daily the Lord added such to the Church as should be saved vers 47. but children are some of those that must be saved for of such is the Kingdome of God saith Christ Matth. 19.13 It is added Mark 10.15 verse Verily I say unto you Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdome of God as a little child hee shall not enter therein Lastly lest any should cavill these children were not very little but such as came of themselves unto Christ it is said in the same verse of Saint Matthew They brought little children unto him and some of those children so brought were infants Luk. 18.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it being significantly translated in our best and last translation They brought unto him also infants Therefore infants according to Christs yea the Apostles practise must be baptized For there is no likelihood but in such great multitudes as were together baptized and divers day by day but there were some infants Much more may be added to this point but Quantò diffusares est tantò substringenda nobis erit that I may use Tertullians phrase ad Nationes 2.12 The second Supper is not