earnestnes theÌ„ they were of the Iewes in the old lawe Wherfore it is expedient and mete that amonge vs be dayes appoynted when the church ought to assemble and come together to heare the preaching of the word of god Act. ij Holye day behauiour to vse ofteÌ„ the lordes supper to make common prayer for the state of christendome to make collections of almes for the relefe of the poore i. Cor. vi that families housholdes may be informed in the christen religion godlines to visite our frendes in a christien maner to visite the sycke to practyse suche other lyke holye dedes Youth of it selfe is vnruly headye The vplandishe feble faythed sone falle into errour Holye dayes be deadfull wherfore it is necessary for this intent to ordeyne holye dayes that the youthe may be nurtred and kept in awe â–ª and that the ignoraunte may learne to knowe what christeÌ„ religion is and what seruice is due to be geuen to god The thyrde cause wherfore the sabboth was dyuised is open playne by the wordes that the lord spake to the Hebrue people Thou shalte obserue take hede sayeth the â—ord that thy seruaunte and thy mayde rest them remembre that thou was a seruaunte in the â—and of Egypt For these two â—auses therfore that be cyuill â—e christians must haue choâ—â—n and determinated dayes 〈◊〉 the church may continually 〈◊〉 exercised inured aswel in â—ardly in workes of the sprit 〈◊〉 outwardly in loue toward â—ur neighbour For this consiâ—â—ration the law of the Lord â—â—â—bad the Iewes only suche â—orkes on the sabboth daye 〈◊〉 letted theÌ„ that they could haue no leasure or respyte to heare the worde of God Why worke is forbiddeÌ„ to do the ordinary oblations and sacrifices to make publike prayer and other exercises full of charitye and loue As for example they were forboden to tyll the land to buyld houses and to do any other ordinary labour on the sabboth day because such workes held a man busied al the day that he could intend to no other thynge notwithstanding because the lawe of the sabboth was ceremonial to the Iewes they synned not if for necessitie or for the weale profite of their neighbour they chauÌ„ced some time to breake it as I haue sayde aboue in thys treatyse We Christians be fre from those ceremonies and those ordynaunces Christians be fre that the Iewes were in bondage vnder Therefore no lawe of meate of dayes of clothynge of places can bynde vs to a synne as it dyd the Iewes Neuerthelesse for so muche as the church can not be coÌ„gregated Dayes to what vse and gathered except there be dayes appointed wherin the worde of God muste be preached the lordes supper minystred publike prayer made other Christen workes aforementioned must be practised Therefore oure aunciente fathers elders haue determined and instituted that at the lest one day of the weke shuld be bestowed geuen to these religyouse and deuout seruyces i. Cor. xvi And in the Apostles church the Chrystyans folowynge the custome of the Iewes came together on the sabboth daye so that many yeares the holy congregatioÌ„ of christendom vsed the sabboth for the day dedicated to the spirituall gouernement But afterward wheÌ„ Christendome increased and spred abrode in the tyme of the great Constantine that the Iewes shuld haue no occasion to glory against vs that other shuld not think that a Christian man became a Iew lastly to declare to the whole world that one day is not more holy then another the sabboth was altered into the daye folowynge which was named of the christians the dominical day SoÌ„day â—â—o i. that is dedicated to the lord And the kepynge of thys day hath bene alwayes vsed sythen that in the church thinges may be done with order reuereÌ„ce Now to proue that the holy dayes were ordeyned of our auncestours for thys polytycall ende Howe the fathers vsed the sabboth not to make one daye holyer then that other Lib. 4. suffiseth the auctority of Tertulliane In his boke against Marcion Hierome vpon the epistle to the Galathians wher he sayeth lest the vnordinary congregatynge of the people shuld minish the faith in Christ therfore certaine dayes be appoynted vs that we myghte all mete together not that that day wherin we mete is more holy or reuerent but to the end that more reioysing may come of the mutuall beholding whatsoeuer day we mete Saynte Augustine also in hys worke de ciuilate dei maketh mention of certayne memorialles of holy dayes as the natiuity of the lord the circuÌ„cision the passion the resurrection the ascension whit soÌ„day on whiche daies the christians dyd accoÌ„pany themselues to heare the word of the lord to vse the coÌ„munion to make coÌ„mon prayers do other christian dedes The same is red in the ecclesiastical historye of Eusebius So that oure elders knewe that ceremoniall holynes of the sabboth dayes as the Iewes did They onelye on those dayes assemble for the same purpose that the Apostles did Act. ii The apostles vse on the holy daye whiche continued in doctrine in prayer breakyng of bread in the communicating that is in aydinge and releuing the poore And it appeareth that Paule appoynted the day of the sabboth on whiche day 1. Cor. xvi at the time the congregation came together that the churche of Corinth shuld make theire collections of almes that the poore christians at HierusaleÌ„ which died for hunger might be releued succoured I coÌ„clude therfore the christians be fre froÌ„ al superstitiouse hypocrisy of keping the sabboth other festiual dayes The Iewes among other feastes Iohn x. Fest of tentes did vse to soleÌ„mse a feast of tabernacles so named because they dwelled vij dayes in pauilioÌ„s bothes This feast was obserued in remembraunce that theire fathers dwelled in the desert and wyldernes in tentes when they were delyuered froÌ„ the bondage of Egypt According as the Lord commaunded sayinge In the seuenth moneth whiche agreeth wyth the moneth of October amonge vs the .xv. Leui. xxx daye of the moneth shal be the holy day of the tabernacles seuen dayes shall ye lodge in tentes that your posteritye may knowe how that I made the chyldren of Israel to dwell in bothes when I deliuered theÌ„ out of the land of Egypt Thys solemnitie shuld be kept without hipocrisye superstition because it was but only a memoryall remembraunce of the benefyte that God had done to their fathers But the Iewes forgetting the meanyng of the feast thought they shulde offende deadly if on such dayes that were festyuall they had done anye bodelye outward worke In like maner the Phariseis expounded vnto the people the precept of the Sabboth amisse The lord sayeth thou shalte not worke on the sabboth day This commaundement onlye bounde the Iewes froÌ„ doynge such labours as letted the people that they coulde
Of the Christian Sabboth a godlye treatise of mayster Iulius of Milayne translated out of Italian into English by Thomas Langley Exod. xx ¶ Remembre that thou kepe holye the Sabboth daye Anno Domini 1552. Mense Maio. ¶ To hys verye entier frende mayster William Lewes of London Thomas Laugley wisheth grace and peace in Christe THE discipline of good conuersation gentle Mayster Lewes standeth chieflye or rather altogether in ij poyntes that is in doctrine and exercise By doctrine is taught to know what should be done by that other men be broughte to custome that they be willinge readye to put in execution that which they haue learned And the one of these with out the other is maymed vnperfecte Wherfore Moyses semeth to haue taken better fourme of gouernement theÌ„ any politike ruler of the heathen in his lawes makynge For where the Lacedemonians and Cretians ordered al by doinges and vse withoute muche a do makyng in wordes and contrary wise the Athenians spente longe space in decrees making but were slacke in requyrynge the performaunce of the same Moyses most diligently hath coupled And ioygned them so together that nether he parted good custome of liuynge from doctrine nor suffered doctrine to be wtout inuring of workes But because they shoulde agreablye be matched he aswell made lawes for reste and forbearynge of workes as he did for the dilygence of labour to be occupied not that they re ceasynge from workes shoulde mayntayne idlenes and slouth but that therby they might be guyded by knowledge and that their offences shoulde not be cloked or excused by ignoraunce For that daye that they rested whyche they named therfore the Sabboth and was not ones or twyse in the yeare but euerye weke ones on the seuenth daye they came together to here the lawe of God wherin was conteyned all suche thynges as they shoulde do and expres in their behauiour The maner of their comming together as Philo telleth was thus When the ordinarye day came they assembled to their temples with muche spede and there did sitte geuing good audience diligenteare to the scriptures onlesse at tymes wyth one accorde they spake a word in commendation of that that was there saide redde and the priest or one of the elders rehersed the lawe and expounded it and this fashion they vsed at the seuenth day till the euening tide and then departed By meanes wherof they neded not to aske of the lawiers what they shoulde do nor coulde be in their euill discharged by any colored excuse of lacke of knowledge but the husband to the wife the father to his chyldren maisters to their seruauntes declared the commaundementes of the law Thus was doctrine taught one daye exercise and practise all the weke after was put in execution and vsed Whatsoeuer labour letted them from resorting to the hearing of the law was straightly forbiddeÌ„ sharpe payne appointed for correction of the offendours therin Nowe if this precise order was vsed on the Sabboth daye vnder Moyses his doctrine so duely taught and all to bringe men to a ciuill order outward rightewesnes howe muche more nedefull is it that we which profes christ be busied in learninge the lawes of the gospel the law of the sprite the word of life which whosoeuer knoweth shal receaue for their obedience honest coÌ„uersation not only reward temporal in this life but also in the world to come saluation of our soules life euerlastinge Let it not therfore greue vs which be in the daylight of the gospell on the dayes of assembling together deuoutly to vse our selues seing the Hebrues the were hudâ—â— the cloudy shadow letter of the lawe shewed theÌ„selues so willing forwarde to obserue the same For albeit the Iewysh Sabboth touching the seuenth day be abrogated expelled yet is not the coÌ„maundement of the Sabboth sanctifiyng disanulled but remaineth stil as a headful part of christian religion coÌ„teyning all such due seruice as belongeth to the glory of god And for that cause our elders when otherwise blind ignoraunce had ouershadowed the hole world that the Sabboth might reuerently be halowed ordeyned by act of parlament that in thys realme no fayres nor markettes shuld be kept vpon the sonday or other soleÌ„ne feast as vpon christmas day easter day with soÌ„day ascension day as appeareth in the actes of Henry the .vi. king of this realme But nowe wheÌ„ for our knowledge we should be better thorough vnbrideled libertie we be groweÌ„ to such badnes that al law of god maÌ„ set aside men be wholy geueÌ„ ouer to folow their lustes on the sabboth daies not only by going to markets fayres gasinge games but also by misusing their time that shuld be spent in reading or hearing of the word of god in praier and visiting of the poore in beare baiting hauking huÌ„ting daÌ„sing carding dising baÌ„quetting other kindes of riot surfetting And thus make those daies most vnholy of al the weke worthier to be named idle dayes for their euil occupiyng of the rest then holy dayes for any halowed working where our rest froÌ„ workes of body should be an earnest exercising of oure sprites in goostly doinges Wherfore it is to be wished that a reformation and redresse might be taken therin by the magistrates for the restoring of the sabboth to it owne propre kinde And because I perceaued that this treatise of maister Iulius of Milayne declareth handleth this matter at large I thought good so as I coulde to turne it into oure natiue speche that therby the christiaÌ„ reders might learn what their office is on the holy dayes se how far we be swarued oute of frame from the true natural vse therof And albeit the argument be vniuersall mete for all men for the matter yet it specially semeth verye fitting that it be dedicated to your geÌ„tlenes aswel for that you be geuen to the study of the Italian tong the by reading herof you mighte be an Aristarchus to examine how nere I haue gone to the Italian Phrase meaning of the author as also because it was my duty to shewe some testimony vnto you of the good hert the I haue borne to you euer sitheÌ„we wâ—re first conuersaÌ„t together in familiaritie of coÌ„pany and conference of study whiche as it began long agone so hath it stil coÌ„tinued fixed stedfast on my behalf Pleaseth it you therfore to accept in good part this tokeÌ„ small in quantitie but great both for godlines of the worke good will of the presenter chiefly for that it is your wont geÌ„tlenes to set muche by any gift the cometh froÌ„ your herty frendes And I shal dailie as occasion oportunitie serueth further vtter my faithfull loue toward you by suche thynges as my habilitie shal be sufficient to perfourme be a coÌ„tinuall petitioner to god for youre prosperouse healthe longe to endure Fare you hertelye well From Headcrone the .xxi. of Marche 1552. ¶
not come to the common assembly to be exercysed occupied in the law and wyl of the Lord as I haue alredy sayde here to fore The laste cause of kepynge the sabboth was Reste of seruauntes that the seruauntes labouring persons might haue some quyetnes releafe of laboure neuerthelesse the Phariseis neglecting the true vnderstandinge of the sabboth had bewrapped and folden the people in the snare of hypocrisye and vayne superstition Ouer and besydes this Pharisaicall traditions they added of their own heade infinite other obseruauÌ„ces and rites wherwith they brought the people into better bondage for they sayd on the sabboth day men oughte not walke vpoÌ„ the grasse leste it wyther and be deade nor clymbe trees nor eate frute gathered on the sabboth day nor ryde on that daye leaste the Sabboth were broken nor washe clothes that were filed nor blende wine and water nor kil a flie nor fede anye thing nor rede by caÌ„del light onlesse there be two at the least together in a companye and innumerable other superstityouse toyes they put to of their owne brayne by meane wherof they made the people superstitiouse hypocrytes And they were so earnestly geuen to such nouelties that they forgate the weyghtye thynges of the lawe that is true faythe in God mercye pytye towarde their neyghbour Of such thynges if perchaunce they spake any thing to the people it was done very coldely because they were strayghte kepers of thynges of no value and were satisfyed in magnifyinge theyr carnall Sabboth Commons blinded by whych meanes they so kepte vnder the vnderstandynge of the common people that they neuer came to the knowledge of the very truthe But we Christians to whome is opened and declared the gospel must kept a perpetual sabboth in spryte For to a christian only belongeth the true rest of the spirituall Canahan Heb. iiij If Iosue had geuen the chyldren of Israell the true quyetnes when he wente ouer Iordane GOD wold not eftesones promyse a true reste nor speake of another sabboth by the Prophet Dauid Psa xxiiij whyche was a longe while after Moyses Iosue Therfore Iosue was but a shadowe and figure of Christ Heb. xiij Iosue a figure whyche geueth vs the verye rest spirituall sabboth Let vs kepe a spirituall goostlye sabboth and not a carnall because we haue not here anye continuyng citye but we seke for one to come Wherfore let vs as Paul sayeth knowe 〈◊〉 â—oure earthye house of thys dwellyng were destroyed ij Cor. â— we haue a buyldynge ordeined of god an house not made with haÌ„des but euerlasting in heaueÌ„ And therfore in the same let vs lighted estringe to be clothed with oure mansion that is in heauen And a lytle after he sayeth we that are in thys tabernacle sigh and are greued for we had rather not be vnclothed but be clothed vpon the mortalytye myght be swalowed vp of lyfe Therfore whilest we be in thys worlde we can not perfectelye kepe the goostly sabboth for the fleshe in suche sorte combereth our thoughtes that we can not cease froÌ„ workes of the fleshe that the spryte of the Lorde myghte onlye in vs kepe the goostly and heauenlye Sabboth and that we myghte be coupled wyth Iesu Christe our heade whyche hathe geuen vs the true reste by entrynge into the most desyred land of Canahan by the path passage that is made and sette open by hys bloude To whome be glorye worlde wythout ende Amen ☞ Fautes escaped The vij leafe b. the laste lyue for consecration reade conseruation The viij leafe b. the xviij lyue for with reade wythout ¶ Imprynted at London in Paules churcheyarde at the signe of the George by Willyam Reddell In the yeare of oure Lord. 1552. Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum