Sabbath he promises in Gods name That they should be made joyfull in Gods house of Prayer and their services accepted by Him v. 3 6 7. So that spirituall comfort in God and His gracious acceptation of their services is the blessing promised to the faithfull observance of this Time appointed by God for the chiefe solemne Time of His Worship Neither can this be eluded by our Disputers as they offer to Except 1 throw off all the places of the Old Testament by saying that this Except 2 was typicall of Christ and our spirituall rest in Him from sinne or else that it belonged only to the seventh-day Sabbath which the Jewes observed and so either way and both wayes we have nought to doe with it For we have proved sufficiently Solut. that a solemne proportion of Time determined for Religion for the necessary and sufficient chiefe Time as the Weekly Sabbath then was undeniably is no typicall matter but a substantially-necessary thing to Religion and that there is need of a Blessing upon such Time whatever the proportion be unlesse it were all our Time or else it will not be sufficient And so the Blessing here cannot be to the Sabbath in any typicall respect but as that proportion of Time determined by God for the chiefe Time for Religion His worship and mens soules Inst And though they may happen to object the mention of Gods accepting of their burnt offerings and sacrifices upon His Altar which Sol. if referoed to our Times must needs be meant typically 1. This will not hurt our interpretation of this place since the difference is apparant enough between His calling for the observation of that which is so substantially necessary in the kind of it to Religion that is either this Proportion determined for the chiefe Time or some other and that which is plainly a figure and a type as all burnt offerings and materiall sacrifices were Of which kind there are now none such under the Gospel So that in this the Prophet only speaks in the language of the present time that while sacrifices were offered and burnt upon Gods altar by the conscientious observers of His Sabbath according to His command those services should bee accepted and after they were ceased their spirituall services of prayers and thanksgivings which are in stead of them under the Gospel Like unto that of David Psal 51. who first saith God would have no sacrifices from him but a broken and contrite heart yet afterward he saith God would accept young bullocks from him Sol. 2. v. ult And as for the seventh Day they urge so much we deny the emphasis to lie at all upon that though it were the particular Day then to be observed but wholly upon the Proportion though taking in that seventh Day because then in being and then only commanded by God But we have shewed our grounds of difference enough between these two in point of substance and necessity to Religion one Day in seven and that seventh Day And what needs more to be said we shall adde when hereafter we shall come to shew as we have promised it and are forced to repeat it oftener then we would that the seventh Day was not directly commanded in the words of the fourth Commandement nor at all as the substance and particular matter of them But only within the generall scope as then appointed by God elsewhere and so our Lords-day comes equally within it and is now become successour to it in the particular title to the Blessing as we shall see So that this place stands good for our having a Blessing on Gods determined Time His Sabbath observed both by Jew and Christian The other place is Isa 58. Where LXXIII Another text Isa 58.13 expounded after he had called to a most carefull observation of the Sabbath both negative and affirmative and that both outwardly in deed and word and inwardly in thought v. 13. he promises in Gods name a remarkable spirituall Blessing v. 14. Then shalt thou delight thy selfe in the Lord that is God will so afford thee His divine Blessing upon thy conscionable imployment with joy and cheerfulnesse calling the Sabbath a delight of that Day of Gods solemne appointment for the chiefe Time of His worship that all the week after thou shalt find a delight in the Lord thou shalt have a heart oft to think of Him even in the midst of thy worldly businesses and to redeeme Time also ever now and then from thy worldly businesses to converse voluntarily with Him and be glad of all opportunities so to doe not willingly missing any time any day when thou canst have freedome to converse with Him and attend upon Him And that this is the meaning of this Promise and Blessing understanding it Evangelically and not to an absolute perfection of delight in God in this world which is not to be found in sinfull man We desire no other proofe than the Consciences of Christians that keep the Lords day as Gods Sabbath by Him commanded and their very manifestation of it in the eyes of their very adversaries Namely that such as delight in the strict and exact observation of the Sabbath doe answerably delight or seem at least to delight in conversing with God at other times and every Day gladly wait upon God some time morning and night even they and their families too and at extraordinary times they delight to heare and pray publikely and to converse with Christians in a spirituall manner privately and to attend upon God by themselves alone when they can get leisure Which is unlesse men will say that all such are wilfull and grosse Hypocrites a reall Comment upon this Promise of the Prophet of delighting in God increased in men by the Sabbaths observation And on the contrary it is more then evident that the most of those that make no conscience of the Sabbath of the Lords day doe expresse very little or no delight in God or any true spirituall converse with Him at any other Time They care little for any other Opportunity of hearing His word they worship Him not at all or seldome or very slightly with their families and lesse perhaps if the truth were known in their own solitary devotions In a word the one sort though Gods commandement and indulgence together satisfie them that one Day in seven is ordinarily sufficient for the chiefe Time for God and their soules yet they cannot satisfie themselves their consciences towards God nor their longings after Him unlesse they besides both daily and extraordinarily redeeme what Time they can possibly or at least conveniently redeeme to waite upon Him and satiate their soules more and more in enjoying a spirituall converse with Him like a friend or lover whose felicity is to be with the party loved as much and often as may be The other sort though they have no ground to think that Time sufficient not regarding the Commandement yet they hardly or not at
is in a manner acknowledged by one that yet makes exception to this Distinction Primr p. 5. It must saith he be the revealed will of GOD that matches Positive with Naturall Lawes and marks them with the silver stamp of Immutabilitie So we say it must be and so it is for XXII 2. His wil hath done so in severall Ages Secondly the same Will that was pleased to make Positive Laws universally and perpetually obligatory to the World of the same Age may no doubt make Lawes universall and perpetuall for both Ages of the World But God hath done the former as will appeare by these instances 1. For the old World even beginning with Adam and ending with Christ as Divines commonly make the period the Law of Sacrifices was an universall and perpetuall Law the practice whereof we find in the very beginning in Cain and Abel without doubt not without some Divine command to their Father and all succeeding Generations even of Heathens practised this 2. To Noah was a Law of this kind given for himselfe and all his Posteritie as cannot be denied Gen. 9. To abstaine from eating blood though afterward it was more specially renewed and applied to the Jews and the Gentiles lost it as they did other things even of the Law of Nature as we touched before 3. In the new World beginning with Christ At least for this Age. and continuing till the day of Judgement the two Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper are unquestionably Positive Lawes yet universall as soon as the Gospel comes to any and perpetuall and so may be termed Morall from the time they were given to the worlds end 4. Nay we have a Record of a Law Morall-Positive given to Adam even before his fall reaching to all his Posterity to the worlds end viz. The not eating of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge For that it bound all men appeares by too wofull experience all Mankind being sinners for breaking of it in and with Adam Therefore since God hath done thus from the beginning to give Positive Lawes and yet make them Morall Universall and Perpetuall we can see no reason but that there may be some other such for both Ages of the World Only we must looke that we pitch our mark aright upon those that are indeed so To which therefore we say further Thirdly that not only there may be XXIII 3 There are such still in force Confessed by the Adversaries themselves XXIV 1. in Sense C. D. p. 8. but that there are some other such Positive Lawes delivered in Scripture that from the time they were first given bind all Posterities in the Generations succeeding even in all Ages and this by the confession of the Adversaries themselves 1. in sense and 2. in plain words 1. In sense To which purpose let those words of one of them be considered That however all the Precepts of the Morall Law he meanes it of the Decalogue belong to the Law of Nature as being agreeable to Reason which is the rule of humane actions and are in that respect of perpetuall observation yet all of them are not of the same ranke nor belong in the same degree and manner to the Law of Nature Something 's there are which we by the instinct of Nature presently see to be good or bad c. Others there are that require more consideration of Circumstances and use of Discourse to apprehend and judge of them And lastly there are some to the knowledge whereof Humane Reason stands in need of Divine instruction And these two latter sorts specially the last though they in some sort belong to the Law of Nature and were haply at our first Creation written in the Tables of mans Heart in more plain characters and more easie to be read then now since the fall they are may in respect of the other be termed Morall not in regard of Nature dictating but in regard of Discipline informing Nature He speaks here of the last sort of Laws under the Title of Lawes of Nature which is more then we will say But afterwards qualifying the speech and calling them Morall not in regard of Nature dictating but in respect of Discipline informing Nature he saith the very same that we doe For Morale Disciplinae and Morale Positivum are one and the same Divine Instruction or Revelation contra-distinguished to Nature and Divine Imposition is altogether the same in point of Lawes Tract of Sab. pag. 3. To which purpose see another of their own Mr. Brerewood by name who being dead was forced first to speak against the Morality of the fourth Commandement yet this Distinction he acknowledgeth and applies to the fourth Commandement Morall is that which belongs to Manners 1. by the instinct of Nature as belonging to the inward Law written in our hearts Or 2. by Instruction of Discipline as being of the outward Law appointed by GOD as that of observing the seventh Day so that it may be termed Naturall which is more then we yet say as being not of the Institution of Nature but of the Discipline of Nature c. XXV 2. In expresse words Bp. of E. p. 27. Namely 1. Against Polygamie Proved Positive yet Morall Secondly in the very words the learned Bishop speaking of Lawes Positively Morall saith Some are common and generall to all Mankinde as the Law of Polygamie and Wedlock within some degrees mentioned Lev. 20. And that the Law against Polygamie published by Adam or by GOD himselfe to Adam at the first beginning For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and cleave to his wife and they two shall be one flesh Gen. 2. was indeed but Positive may be sufficiently concluded by that that many even of the holiest men after Abraham were Polygamists Of whom it were a wild sentence to say they lived continually in a breach of a Law of Nature Can it be supposed that those holy men who had the light of Divine revelation often should generally have wanted light about a Law of Nature or much lesse that they could have lived in a Practice against any light they had Divines also generally acknowledging the Negative part of the Lawes of Nature to binde ad semper and to be perpetually indispensable It was then a Positive Law yet Morall and therefore though ignorantly yet they sinned in breaking of it as appeares by what Malachy writes Mal. 2. And our Saviour specially argues from the institution of Mariage in the beginning Mat. 19. Again for the Lawes against incestuous mariages XXVI 2. Against incestuous Mariages proved Morall though Positive wherein we have at once many instances of Lawes Positively Morall That they were and are Morall appeares by Gods counting the Transgressions such Abominations when he speaks of them and saying that for them the Land of Canaan did spue out her Inhabitants though Gentiles And that they were yet but Positive appeares also by the speciall instance of Cain and Seth
to be so captivated we hope we should blesse God for His command of the Sabbath and comfortably beare witnesse to the truth of it even before those that are altogether strangers and enemies to God and His true Religion and Worship as well as to any other part of the Truth and Word and Commandement of God And again that this Commandement of His were incomparably more advantagious to our comforts then if the determination of the Time were left either to our selves or to the Church Suffering for Gods Commands gives assurance of encouragement and comfort in suffering to beare a soul out as all His servants have found and even the Maccabees did for refusing to eate Swines flesh while that Commandement stood in force though but ceremoniall But to suffer for the Churches determination in any thing specially being out of her precincts and in an Infidell Country of which we shall say a word more anon as it hath no peculiar promise to it So we remeÌ„ber not any credible example of those that have done so among Orthodox Christians or much lesse any that have had any spirituall comfort in so suffering We expect therefore of our disputers XVIII The adverse party pressed or the next for them that shall undertake the defence of their cause which of the forenamed sentences they will stand to 1. Either that the morality of the fourth Commandement is only for Publique Worship and for Solemne Time but consequently for it and then a resolution how this can be called a Morall Naturall Commandement which is not not can be possible for so many of mankind to observe Or whether this be not a formall contradiction that any man is totally fâ—re from a Morall Naturall Commandement 2. Or that the Morality is for a sufficient Time to be determined by men and then by whom Whether by the Pagan Governours in their Countryes and if they do it not then by whom whether by a poor captive for himself Or the Church Christian for him And in both cases whether be may and must venture upon all the rage of his cruell and ungodly Master for it 3. Or if in neither of these as we conceive not any great pleasure they can take in asserting any of them whether then as Master Broad hath already dared to do they will venture to lay the fourth Commandement wholly levell and rase it out of the number of the morall commandements making no more a decalogue but an Ennealogue no more ten but nine Commandements and some of them speak suspitiously enough that way though yet for shame or fear they dare not speake out And if so yet then again whither they will admit no necessity neither of any sufficient Time to be determined for Gods Worship and mens soules how little and how seldome soever and how Religion can except by miracle or extraordinary divine dispensation possibly stand without it 4. If they will have such a determination still under what command it comes Who must make it and 5. Finally what the poor captived Christian shall do or may or must do when his barbarous and tyrannous Master will not allow him to keep any such sufficient proportion what ever it be If the Lords day may be but conscionably observed till they give the world a rationall answer to these necessary questions we suppose we shall need trouble our selves no more to dispute for it whilest we live A second argument we have sutable also to a former against Pagan Governours XIX 2. The impossibility of agreement having this authority to determine the times of Gods Solemne Worship that is There is no probability or possibility that the severall Pagan Governours will agree in the same proportion number and length of times or of the same particular day neither among themselves nor with the Christian Church Which yet we have argued greatly conducible to the honour of God for all mankind all the world over and the generall exercise of the communion of Saints This we will only prosecute by putting one question to our adversaries and so to the Judgment of the Christian reader concerning the particular day suppose the number and continuance were agreed on And that is suppose the Great Turke or Governour of Algiers or the King of Persia who are all Mahometans would offer to any Christians within their Territories liberty to Worship God one day in a weeke only they would determine them for the day to Friday which is the day appointed by mahomet and observed by all that professe the Mahometan religion we will not instance in Saturday which is the day observed by the Jewes still because our adversaries would say perhaps that this day being rejected of God might not of all others be taken up again at least for feare of breeding superstition again in men toward it as necessary But we instance in Friday a day not forbidden by God any where no more then not commanded Will they now say that Christians whether Captives or others inhabiting those countries might lawfully or must necessarily accept and observe that day and relinquish the Lords day This they must say if even the particular day be but left to the determination of Pagan Governours And if they would say that the Church Christian having determined the Lords day it may not be relinquished at the command of a Pagan Prince we aske again will they put such Christians then upon the necessity of extreme sufferings for such a circumstance as they usually make this day to be God not having determined it in His Word as they say if they say yes Pagan Governors in this case are to be obeyed even with thankes for allowing the liberty of any day so frequently and the particular day not to be made a matter of persecution without cause and without profit We desire them to consider how a sober conscience reading the story of the Apostles observing of the first day of the weeke the Lords day for the day of publique meeting and with an intimation of the generall meeting and the Sacrament deferred till that day Act. 20.7 And again reading the intimation of an Apostolicall precept for that day and expresse mention of observation of it for collection for the poor which was wont to be in the publique meeting or aftâ—â— 1 Cor. 16.2 and again the title of the Lords day given to it by the Holy Ghost Rev. 1.10 as a day for the Lords Honour His day by way of possession as the word Lords is a plaine possessive terme belonging to the Lord expounded by the Church in the next Age and ever since till this quarrelling age which denyes all things to be meant of that first day of the weeke observed from that Time to this by the Christian Church we say how a sober Christian reading all this in Gods word dares let this day go and make the Lords day a common work-work-day and entertaine another invented by a meere man Even by such a wicked devillish Impostor as Mahomet the veriest villaine one of them that ever lived in the world If
oftener being not so necessary and so burdensome And therefore still this houre in a yeere or any other Continuance in any other Frequencie pitcht upon is above all other Times for Religion no other being equall to it VII Arg. 4. Nature requires a determination of a particular day Ergo. 4. If there must necessarily be together with the determination of the Continuance and Frequencie for the necessary sufficient chiefe Time also a particular determination of the particular day and houre wherein this houre in a yeere must be observed or else it is impossible to be observed by a whole Particular Church together constantly and much more impossible in regard of a whole Nation and most of all for all Christâ—ans and men all the world over Then when that particular Day and Houre is once determined by what authority soever in any Church as it must necessarily be as soon as the old seventh-day Sabbath was known to be abrogated All Dayes and Times are not equall in Religion under the Gospel even in regard of the particular Season or Order Day or Houre No other Day or Houre is equall to this determined Day or Houre but It above them all That particular Day wherein that Houre is to be observed is above all other Dayes and that particular Houre of that Day is above all other Houres even of the same Day As a King once chosen in an elective Kingdome and chosen he must be as soon as possible may be is above all other men in that Kingdome or Nation and none equall to him from henceforth whatever they were before his election And in reference to this election necessary to be made of a King that State is called properly a Kingdome even during the inter-regnum or vacancie and it cannot be said properly that all men are equall in that State because the Fundamentall Law of the State requires that one be above all the rest as King So that from the Law of Nature and the confessions of our Adversaries themselves It cannot be properly said that in any one of the Respects of Time Continuance Frequencie or Order all Times or Dayes are equall in Religion under the Gospel For that 1. The Law of Nature requires a determination of all the three Respects that so a chiefe Time may be observed 2. It then requires upon the supposition of Gods not determining now an undelayed immediate determination of all of them by the Church 3. It binds consequently upon the supposition of this determination left to the Church the Consciences of all under the Churches authority to that determination in all respects as well and as strongly as if God himselfe had expresly made it And so to all inferiors in the Church and superiors too unlesse endued with cleare authority to alter what is once ratified by God that Time so determined for Continuance Frequencie and Order also is necessary and unalterable and above all others 5. If God in the New Testament VIII Arg. 5. God ownes one day as his viz. the Lords-day Ergo. have owned one particular Day in a Revolution as His calling it the Lords day as He hath undoubtedly whatsoever ridiculously D. Gomarus hath fancied that it signifies only the day of the vision to John and no more Then how seldome soever it come about be it but once in a yeere Or whatever be meant by it whether the day of the Lords nativitie Christmasse day as it is called or of His resurrection Easter-day or any other day and how little soever be to be observed of it as holy and spent in Religion two houres or one houre or lesse Yet still in as much as it is intituled the Lords-day by the Spirit of God guiding St. Johns pen All Dayes and Times are not equall in Religion under the Gospel for Frequencie and the particular Day in that Frequencie For this Day in its Frequencie is above all other It alone and no other with it or besides it is honoured and graced with that Majestick and glorious title IX Arg. 6. The Church in all ages hath owned the Lords day Ergo. 6. If the Church in all Ages from St. Johns time be a sufficient Interpreter or living Dictionary of a word or phrase in Scripture as a man would thinke no man would offer to contradict that Then the Lords-day signifies both a Day in a Weekly revolution and not an Annuall Day and the first Day of the Week the Day after the old Sabbath which was the last Day of the Week On which first Day of the Week S. Paul being at Troas seven Dayes kept a speciall meeting and administred then the Sacrament and on that first Day of the Week he appointed at least the charitable collections to be taking it for granted that that Day was weekly observed as undeniably it was in the next Age and ever since Then also againe All Times and Daies are not equall in Religion under the Gospel But the Lords-Day the first Day of the Week for Order and Frequencie is above all other Daies and numbers of Daies One Day in seven and the first of the seven have that dignity in the New Testament to be owned as Gods as the Lords own time which no other Number or Day can pretend unto None so necessarie as this to be observed X. Arg. 7. The Lords day in all the three respects of Time most necessary to Religion Erg. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Perrincus al Dominum Scap. 7. If whatsoever God ownes as His possession by way of discrimination or difference from other things of the same kind uses to be wholly His no part or parcell of it for worldly use as it was with the Lords house and the like Then is the Lords day wholly the Lords wholly sacred the whole Continuance of it being the Lords possession to be wholly imployed in His immediate worship and service The Greeke word for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being plainly a Possessive belonging to the Lord. And then also again All Times and Daies are not equall in Religion vnder the Gospel even for Continuance as well as for Frequencie and Order But the Lords-day is in all the 3. Respects of Time more necessary to Religion than any other and so above all other Dayes and Times There being none besides this ennobled with such a relation to the Lord to be stiled by Himselfe His. None so every way or any way the Lords day as this For also XI Arg. 8. The Scripture ownes the Lords day as of his institution Ergo. 8. If Scripture may be safely interpreted by Scripture even about the nature and reason of a phrase or terme as that uses to be a generall rule among Divines except there be in the Text it selfe an evidence that it cannot be here taken as it is elsewhere or that it oppose some other undoubted truth Then besides all that hath been already noted of the Lords-day it is hereby also intitled to an Institution from the
LORD Himselfe from CHRIST The Primitive Church seemes to beare witnesse to this calling the Prayer instituted by Christ by the same terme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oratio Dominica neither can it signifie any thing but the Prayer of the Lords institution Though the Generations after weakned the Testimony by calling Churches so As being paralell in phrase with the LORDS Supper which beyond all peradventure had no other Institour but Christ The Spirit of God who directed the two Apostles Paul and John in these two titles which are neither of them used in Scripture but once a peece never vouchsafed the terme to any other thing in the New Testament but only to the Supper and the Day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He had his choyse of words and spake nothing but upon admirable reason And no other good reason can be imagined why he would match these two these only in this appellation If they both had not had the same Author and Institutour And if he had not intended to insinuate so much unto us and teach it us even by the phrase particularly giving first the terme to the Supper and when we could not mistake that matching the Day with it that we might not mistake that neither Then also once more All Times and Dayes are not equall in Religion under the Gospell The Lords day is above all other Dayes and Times in regard of its Author and Institutour No Day is equall to this in this highest dignity and prerogative whence its being His peculiar His possession wholly His sacred to Him infallibly flowes unlesse He had said the contrary having its authority and institution from the Lord himself and so being then unquestionably necessary to Religion and most properly Holy and beyond controll altogether unalterable by man None of which can be alledged with any the like pretence from Scripture for any other Day under the New Testament We are not ignorant that exceptions are made by our disputers against these things that we have represented concerning the Lords day But the speciall answer to them we reserve to its proper place where we shall by His assistance for whose Commandement Day and Honour we argue in all this take all that they say against it into consideration and give we hope a satisfactory discharge to all their objections In the meane Time upon so just an occasion in this place we thought it requisite to give our Readers a breefe of what we shall more at large then discourse of whereby we doubt not but even without the help of our solutions divers will be able by the innate light of these considerations here presented to discover the adverse exceptions to be but frivolous and no way enervating our assertions about it But we have one proofe more of the inequality of Times now XII Arg. 9. God retaines the determination of Times to himself Ergo. all not equall 9. If God himselfe retaine in His own hand even under the Gospell the determination of the Continuance and Frequency of the chiefe Time necessary and sufficient to Religion for all men for the chiefe Time and that it is not put over by Him to men the Church nor any other as hath been at large proved in the forgoing Chapter Then the fourth Commandement is unquestionably that determination expreslly for one whole Day in seven and the Lords day the first Day of the seven of the week is the particular Day and all that we have here now said of the Lords day is undeniably true unlesse our Antisabbatarians will turne Sabbatarians and pleade for the Saturday-Sabbath as still in force by the fourth Commandement from which Hold we yet doubt not but we shall beate them hereafter and all that argue for it But howsoever then still it followes most certainly that all Times and Dayes are not equall in Religion under the Gospell But that there is still as great an inequality of some Dayes though not of so many as ever there was under the Old Testament except the typicall use of the particular Dayes then appointed even upon the highest ground of Divine command which lifts up the Lords day for the whole Day in a constant weekely revolution above all other Times and Dayes now whatsoever as certainly and only necessary to Religion and sufficient for the chiefe Time unto all Christians and men all the world over and properly Holy and unalterable by man and honoured with the blessing mentioned in the fourth Commandement and needed by men as we have discoursed before XIII Objections answered And now from all this will follow a certaine and easie Answer to those places of the New Testament which seeme to favour the adverse opinion and to lay all Dayes and Times levell now As Gal. 4. Blaming the observation of Dayes and Moneths and Times or seasons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the word and Yeeres And Rom. 14. making stronger Christians to pronounce every Day alike Sol. These places we say must of necessity be interpreted of the Iewish Dayes and Seasons the particular Dayes which they observed for the Weekely Sabbath and the New Moones These texts and Collections are oft earnestly urged by our disputers therefore we shal in another place more fully sift and scan them and the objections raised from them But here it was necessary to touch them in briefe and the seasons for their Yeerely festivalls the Passeover feast of Weekes Trumpets Tabernacles and their Sabbaticall Yeeres every seventh Yeere and Yeares of Iubilee every 50. Yeares of these Seasons and Dayes speakes the Apostle which the false Apostles would still obtrude upon Christians and weake ones still made conscience of Of all these Dayes and Seasons it is most true that they are all alike under the Gospell and none higher then others none of them to be observed with any religious respect to the Day any more or as Holy-Times as being made voyde by Christ and laid levell with all ordinary Dayes and Times But these cannot be extended to all Dayes and Times universally If but any one of the former positions in this Chapter be true and much lesse can they be urged against us if all our reasons here exprest be good as we beleeve them to be And specially the third and the last For which without more adoe now we appeale to the consciences of all readers Whether they will admit of our interpretation of these places or make voide even any necessity of any sufficient Time at all for Religion and so hazard the loosing of all Religion for want of a sufficient Time so much as one Houre in a Yeare or any day at all to be certainly determined for Religion Gods Worship and soules good Which whatsoever it be or by whomsoever it be determined All Dayes and Times are not equall but the determined sufficient Time must be above all other Times and the Day for it above all other Dayes And if they grant such a determination necessary then whether
Religion 17. As all Time is Gods and none ours for worldly businesse XLII 17. All Time is Gods all Places are ours but by his indulgence And indulgence of his we have none that we can securely challenge sufficient for worldly occasions but the six Dayes in a weeke mentioned in the fourth Commandement which indulgence cannot be perpetuated without the perpetuating also and first of the command of one Day of seven for God and Religion So that without this Commandement and indulgence we trespasse upon God continually in following our worldly businesses But as for Place though the whole earth be Gods yet in expresse termes He hath given it to the children of men Psal 115. by a generall indulgence Neither calls for any of it back under the New Testament as he did a little spot for typicall use of old any place is convenient for so many bodyes serving all the necessary turnes for Religion And so there is no Trespasse upon God in point of Place if there be but an observation of his appointed Times in any Place Whence still the same conclusion rises Time and Place are not equall Circumstances in Religion 18. Mens soules need a singular blessing XLIII 18. There needs a blessing to make sufficient not so for place to make any Time lesse then all sufficient for their soules which have so manifold necessities and are so infinitely more worth then all bodily occasions Which blessing as none but God can bestow so is there no ground to expect it but to his own appointments and determinations And such blessing He annexed to His determinations of Time Gen. 2. and Exod. 20. But there being no influence of Place into the soul any Place is sufficient which is sufficient for the bodyes convenience And so no blessing is to be expected with relation to the Place But only to the meeting and to the observation of the Time so appointed by God neither did God ever blesse any Place for Religion but only typically In this then also Time and Place are not equall Circumstances in Religion XLIV 19. The necessary Time for Religion is properly holy so is not any Place 19. The Necessary Time for Religion is properly holy and the sufficient Time acceptable to God or else it could not be counted sufficient But no Place is or can be now properly holy or acceptable to God Nor was ever any Place so of old in a morall sense or with reference to Morall Worship But onely typicall The Synagogues are no where called holy Places in Scriptures No not the very court of the Temple where the people meet to pray and heare and the like Neither were they suffered to go at any Time into that holy Place but the Priests only and only the High Priest and but once a yeare into the Holy of Holies on the day of Attonement All to teach the people that all the holinesse and acceptation of service in the Temple was only typicall which when it should cease all holinesse of Places should withall cease and no more acceptation to be expected from the service presented in any Place with reference to the Place or any consecration of it to Religion So though we may now consecrate or set apart Places for Religion as the Centurian a Gentile of his own accord and in love to the Jewish nation as themselves say and not as an act of devotion built them a Synagogue Luke 7.5 Yet can we neither make them Necessary Holy nor Places of acceptation Place and Time therefore are not equall circumstances in Religion XLV 20. The New Testament honours a Time viz. the Lords Day no Place as the Lords house 20. Finally to wind up divers things in a few words The New Testament honours a Time with the glorious title of Gods possession the Lords day which Day for Continuance Frequency and Order may be observed all the world over with but a little difference according to the climates how many millions soever of Christians there be in the world Which joynt serving of God eminently redounds to his great honour and is the greatest exercise of the Communion of Saints upon earth from which no persecution imprisonment or the like can hinder them so long as they have but spirits enough to lift up their soules to God But the New Testament dignifies no Place now with the title of the Lords house His possession Neither can all Christians now because of the Churches amplitude meet in one Place And if any would say all their places of meeting might be of the same proportion all the world over We Answer It is indeed possible in nature but altogether improbable and next to impossible in practise that it should be so without a divine command For it were altogether ridiculous in reason as it would be to have all men weare cloathes of the same bignesse and length Besides this would only be publique Places not domesticke much lesse solitary And again persecution and imprisonment might hinder from using these Once more then Time and Place are not equall circumstances in Religion nor fit to be equally left to men to the Churches determination or any other And so we doubt not but we have sufficiently evinced this assertion as well as the former If any think XLVI The conclusion we have spent too many words about it let him thank our disputers confidence on the contrary side which hath in a sort forced us to it while withall we have given a kind of recapitulation of some principall heads in the foregoing Chapters which some Readers perhaps will not be sorry for We end with this advertisement That if we had listed to make our Selves or our Readers merry in so serious a subject as our generall matter is we would not have wisht for a handsomer subject then this paralelling of Time and Place as equall But we durst not be light in so waighty a cause And now we have a third Corollary to adde That the chiefe Time is a part of worship and not a meere circumstance which will be yet another proofe of its being above Place But this is for the next Chapter CHAP. XII The necessary sufficient chiefe Time for Religion together with the Particular Day for it is a Part of Worship and not a meere Adjunct or Circumstance only I. A third Corollarie The necessary sufficient Time is a part of Worship THis Assertion we conceive to be a necessary Corollarie from our foregoing Discourses Yet is usually denyed even by some who differ not from us in the maine grounds of it Therefore we judge it expedient to be subjoyned and cleared Because also we are perswaded it will not only adde a little more light to some things already laid down but likewise somewhat more awe the Consciences of every one in the point of strict observation of the whole Lords day in a weekly revolution For if men be once fully convinced that not only the performance of such particular
of Moses 1. In the Law or the five Books of Moses so called we have first as we doubt not to prove the Institution of it in Genesis 2. The solemne Promulgation of it in Exodus 3. The manner of Sanctification of it in Leviticus 4. The Profanation Vindicated in the Book of Numbers 5. Pressing arguments for the Observation of it in Deuteronomie 2. Then the Historicall parts of Scripture 2. In the Historicall parts have some Remembrances of it either as observed or profaned 3. There is in the Book of Psalmes 3. In the Psalmes Psalme 92.1 4. In the Prophets a speciall Psalme appointed for it 4. The Prophets are much and frequent in the complaining of the Violation and pressing on the Observation of it 5. 5. In the Gospels 6. In the Acts. The Gospels have often mention of it 6. The story of the Acts hath likewise touches both of the old and New Sabbath 7. 7. In the Epistles The Epistles do hint and insinuate an Institution of a Christian Sabbath 8. And lastly 8. In the Revelation the Revelation discovers Gods right unto it giving it the Title of The Lords Day All which shall be vindicated in due season from those objections and evasions which the Adversaries do put upon them 3. Besides all this the observation of the Sabbath 3. It is ranked amongst Substantials is ranked by the Prophets amongst the most substantiall and perpetuall Duties of Religion 4. 4. The great care of God I Dâ—…ing the commandement 1. In the Length 2. Affirmatively and Negatively The speciall Cost if we may so say and care of God in delivering the Commandement argues much worth and wa ght As 1. In the Length and largenesse of it to make it plain and evident 2. That whereas other Commandements are propounded either Affirmatively only or Negatively only this is both Affirmative and Negative 3. 3. Charged upon all sorts It is Charged upon all sorts of people particularly especially Superiours to look well to the observation of it 4. 4. Urged by many Reasons It is Urged by many Reasons As first Gods Interest in it It is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God Secondly Gods Example He wrought six dayes and rested the seventh Thirdly His Sanctification and blessing of the Sabbath Fourthly The equity of the proportions for Continuance 5. With a speciall Memento and Frequency but one whole Day of seven for six allowed unto men Lastly it is stamped with a speciall Memento in the very front of it Remember the Sabbath Day c. lest it should be forgotten and as a Watch-word of solemne preparation for it 5. It is called a Gift and Favour Exod. 16.29 Ezek. 20.12 Nehem. 9.14 5. The Sabbath is so far from being esteemed by the people of God to be a ceremoniall Yoke or burden that it is divers times called a Gift and sometimes acknowledged as a speciall Favour of God 6. The Observation hath speciall promises Nationall and Personall Temporall and Spirituall 6. The Observation of it hath as great Encouragements by many speciall promises as any one Duty in all the Book of God Both Nationall as Jer. 17.27 Isai 58.14 and Personall even to unlikely persons Isai 56.2 4. 6. Both Temporall and Spirituall in the same places which may serve as Comments upon the Blessing mentioned Gen. 2. and in the Commandement Exod. 20. Fulfilled on our Nation And here give us leave a little to demonstrate the exemplification and fulfilling of this Promise and Blessing to this Nation of ours above any other Nation round about us As we do not find any other Reformed Church hath either so clearly maintained the doctrine of the Sabbath as ours hath both in the Homily of the Time and place of Prayers and in so many Authorized Writers for more than sixty yeares or so solemnly observed it by Command of Lawes Injunctions and Canons and the Conscientiousnesse of Governours of families and private Christians So we find a speciall Ratification of the promised Blessing both in Spirituall and Temporall respects 1. For the Spirituall Travellers of all Countries 1. Spirituall Blessings that look toward Religion do testifie that no Country among the Reformed hath more visible Piety and Schollers that travell amongst Books find no where more exact Treatises of Sanctification than in England 2. For Temporall 2. Temporall the world is witnesse how fully Temporall Blessings have been made good to us of this Nation And which is singularly observable our prosperity began to be clear when the Doctrine of the Sabbath was owned as the Doctrine of our Church by the aforesaid Homily which that it was not in King Edwards time appears by an Act Anno regni 5 6. speaking of all Dayes as alike by Gods Word Whence we observe further that though all the Stories of the Time worthily do magnifie Edw. 6. in his own Person as one of the most excellent Princes that ever raigned yet they speak of his reigne but as a Sad and Dark Day to the State Temporall by reason of ill successe abroad and dissentions of the Nobles at home After which followed a black Night in Queen Maries time by the bloody persecutions of her best Subjects her Forraign-match and losse of all we held in France But when Queen Elizabeth succeeding had restored the Gospell and withall the Doctrine of the Sabbath was Resumed and Professed the Heavens cleared up so bright over our Heads as never had England a more Glorious Day even Temporally than all her reigne after 7. The Transgression of it is 1. Aggravated 7. The Transgression of that Law of the fourth Commandement and the Profanation of the Sabbath is 1. Aggravated by speciall circumstances and reckoned amongst the greatest Abominations Ezek. 20. 22. 2. Threatned 2. Threatned with severest vengeance both Personally with Death Exo. 31.14 and nationally with fearfull judgements as Fire in their habitations Jer. 17.27 3. Punished and Desolation to their Country Levit. 26.34 43. 3. And Punished accordingly with death Numb 15. and Desolation of their Nation 2 Chron. 36.21 and so acknowledged as the cause thereof Nehem 13.18 Exemplified also in our Nation And if we might not bâ— troublesome we might no lesse Exemplifie the remarkable Judgements upon this Nation of ours than we did the Blessings in former times since the time that people began to profane the Sabbath and the Doctrine of it not only disclaimed by some of our Writers but also the Profanation of the Lords Day authorised by the Book of Sports It is observed by others how many dreadfull examples there have been of Personall Profanations of that Day and we think one main Cause of these nationall Judgements under which this Land now grones was the publique Toleration of the Profanation of that Day To say nothing of the manifest decay of Piety and the Power of Godlinesse since that Edict came abroad we
think it is considerable that our Prosperity hath begun to wither and our miseries to grow upon us ever since But enough of that at this time 8. A chiefe part of Nehemiahs Reformation c. Nehem. 13.15 c. 8. Lastly Nehemiah that Good man and Good Governour makes this businesse of the Sabbath 1. A speciall Part of his Reformation as our present Reformers have Blessed of the Lord be they for it reproving threatning and setting watch against the Profanation of it by the Heathens 2. Worth contending for even with the Nobles as well as the common people 3. As a matter for which he expected to be Remembred of God Nehem. 13.15.22 And now we entreat thee Christian Reader sadly to consider whether the Sabbath which hath all these Elogies be not worth our best endevours to vindicate the observation of it as a principall part of our Religion But now it may peradventure seem strange 2. Why any mor Bookes of this subject why after so long silence in the Sabbaticall controversies and after so many books of this subject intended for the satisfaction of conscientious Christians we should now again revive that contestation and trouble the world with not only a new but a larger discourse of that kind We shall therefore briefly give an account of our aimes and intentions herein And our first answer is that this work was undertaken as soon as any many years ago and well nigh finished when nothing was written for but all against the Sabbath Secondly here thou shalt expect a larger undertaking and find we hope a farther performance than in any in all the tractates written for the Sabbath For they commonly deale but with our single Adversary but we with all And we being spectators of their combates perhaps might see better than themselves where their weaknes lay What satisfaction they have given to themselves or others we do not well know but for our selves we must with all modesty and due respect to the Authors professe our selves unsatisfied by either party Thirdly here thou shalt find fuller grounds laid for the clearing of this so much perplexed controversie than the brevity of others would well permit to say no more Lastly the professed non-satisfaction from those discourses by some not only opposites but friends also to the Cause In so much as not only the Adversaries to the Sabbath have been confident of their Cause as impossible to be disproved but also some well-willers to it have rather wished it might than hoped it could be strongly and convincingly maintained And if we may be so bold as to give our Reason which we more largely shew in the following parts of this Discourse we suppose that this is one of the chiefe because they grant their Adversary That the Saturday Sabbath was literally enjoyned in the 4. Commandement which we think whosoever grants he hath lost not only the Cause but the Commandement too Or if some do deny it yet they do not sufficiently confute it to ours or others satisfaction 3. Why this part without the rest But then a further Quaere may be why if we will needs be writing now this part comes forth alone without its fellowes For that be pleased to consider our Reasons 1. That we might not give the world some cause to nauseate at or surfet upon too great a volume on the sudden having been so long accustomed to lesser meales and lighter meats of Pamphlets Neither mens minds nor their leisure nor perhaps their purses many of them will permit to adventure upon larger Discourses 2. This part being the foundation of all the rest if it be strong will do much alone to prepare mens minds to admit of the following parts If it shall any way prove weak discovered to us by the censures of many Readers both friends and foes we shall endevour to strengthen it before we proceed to lay on the waight of the rest of the building 3. This though first in order was last in time in regard of the frame and composure as being a work of Time and many sad thoughts in a path little or not at all trodden by any Authors gone before us and so necessitating a review of the following parts for which as yet we have no leisure yet unwilling we are that this which we hope is able to subsist of it self should stay for the rest To adde but one thing more The world as it was not in former times so nor is it yet we feare well able to beare the following more practicall parts till they be throughly perswaded of the truth of this It is very well known that the Profanation of the Sabbaths amongst the Jewes was one of their chiefest desolating sins and they never began to be serious in observation of it till they had smarted seventy yeares in the Babylonian captivity And till the spirits of men be well broken the strict and but due observation of the Sabbath will be thought an intollerable burden Successe in the entertainment of other truths not long since thought impossible to be effected upon these fearful breaches now among us makes us conceive that this Doctrine of the Sabbath will be also ere long more easily digested And this part is on purpose premised as a preparatory to those more practicall parts If any man should further be inquisitive to know why we do so much assert and confirme our own Positions in this former part with so little Refutation of so much as hath been said by the other party Our answer is that most of these Assertions at least some are new and perhaps unexpected to our Adversaries and therefore nothing could be said by them against them But principally because the objections do fall upon the other parts more properly and methodically and there shall be considered to the full For a conclusion of all by way of Preface we have but one word or two more to say and that by way of earnest entreaty 1. That thou wilt do thy self this right and us this favour as to lay aside all prejudice in the disquisition of that truth which we all professe to seek so to suspend thy censure of any parcell of this part till thou hast seriously not only read but weighed it all in the ballance of a sound judgement 2. That thou wilt do the Truth that right as to yeeld to and practise what thou art convinced of Consider what we say and the Lord give thee and us understanding and grace in all things through Jesus Christ So pray Thine in Him DANIEL CAVVDREY HERBERT PALMER March 25. 1645. THE Christian Sabbath VINDICATED The first Part. CHAP. I. Of the Terme of a Morall Law and the Distinction of Laws into Ceremoniall Iudiciall and Morall THe Terme Morall I. Ambiguity of the word Morall being but a Scholasticall Expression and not properly signifying that which is usually understood by it by any side in this Question We would not by our good will have medled at
party and only or principally because of the fourth Commandment which they are unwilling to honour with the title and dignity of a Morall Law without some qualification or distinction The others indeed they yeeld Morall but not this as knowing they loose their whole cause unlesse they refuse the fourth Commandment We therefore who have undertaken the speciall defence of the fourth Commandment must take speciall paines to maintain the whole Decalogue together and so that Law as one of the tenne to be Morall and Perpetuall by arguments which are common to all those Lawes together Concerning which we thus proceed First for the stating of the Question II. The question stated we premise this consideration That by any of those Lawes being in force we mean that it is in force in the Words of it according to their Litterall and Gramaticall sence and not in any mysticall or Spirituall meaning or forsaking the words to fly only to a generall equity as some speak For both all Lawyers say and reason it self shewes That a Law is no longer in force then the Words of it are in force at least those that contain the substance of it And therefore to forsake the Words and fly only to a Spirituall meaning or generall equity is in true construction As well may we say that the whole ceremoniall or Iudiciall Law is still in force as any command of the Decalogue whose words are not in force but only a Spirituall meaning or generall equity to flye from the Law and forsake it altogether and pronounce it Void For the Spirituall meaning or Generall equity are precedent to a particular Law and have no need of such a particular Law to confirme or hold them up For they would have been in force though that particular Law had never been we mean though those Words which now are said to be voyd had never been given for a Law and are no lesse strong when that particular Law is made voyd altogether So that that particular Law is altogether made voyd when the Words of it are rejected as no longer obligatory Therefore we say by a Law in force we understand the Words of each Commandment in their substance and according to the Literall and Gramaticall sence of them which that we may evince to be true of all the Tenne Commandements we thus argue III. 1. Argument From the Testament of the Church in all ages First we Alledge the Testimony of the Church of God many wayes notified 1. In the Vniversall usage of the Name of the Decalogue or Tenne Commandements derived from God himself first who so denominates then Exod. 34. Deut. 4. and Deut. 10. Taken up by all Churches at this Day and continued through all Ages of the Church unto this day 2. In putting all of them in the Words and syllables into their Catechismes to be taught in the very Words of them unto all Children and ignorants only indeed the Idolatrous Church of Rome hath left the 2d wholly out of their Catechismes as too grossely contradicting their abhominations of Image making and Image-worshipping 3. Accordingly Expounding all of them in all Catechisticall Sermons and Treatises Though in them we confesse they do diverse of them Forsake the Words of some Commandements and particularly of the fourth too much 4. But further the Reformed Churches in many places if not in all have all the Tenne Commandements at large written upon the Walls of their Churches that he that runs may read them and learn even from thence that they hold them all perpetuall 5. They appoint them to be all publikely repeated in the Church every Lords day 6. Our Church of England hath gone beyond all in this This was penned while the book of Common Prayes was in use in the Church and highly magnified by those who are Adversaries in this Cause against whom it still remains a convincing Argument requiring besides all the former things 1. A promise of the observation of them by the childe that is to be baptized viz. from the Sureties in the childes name 2. The Sureties that present the childe to Baptisme by a particular charge after it is baptized That they see it be taught as a chiefe necessary thing the Ten Commandements in the English tongue 3. After the solemn publike rehearsall of them severally and distinctly all the Congregation to say Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this Law 4. And finally at the close of all to say Lord have mercy upon us and write all these thy Lawes in our hearts we beseech thee In all which it cannot be avoyded but it must be acknowledged IV. Otherwise guilty of a double sin 1. That All generally agree in avouching our Rule That all the Decalogue is perpetuated to this day and every one of the ten Commandements in the very words of it concerne us all as well at this day as any people or persons in any former age since it was first given Or else they are very unwise in all this to say the least that can be But indeed more must be said For hence it will follow also 2. That if the whole Decalogue be not now in force and that there be not ten Commandements now perpetual but nine or eight only and so if the words of any one of the ten be not now at all in force no more then the Law of the Passeover or those of the other Jewish Festivals as some private men have been bold to speak this kind of language then is the Church universally in all Ages and at this day in all parts of the World undeniably and grievously guilty of a double sinne 1. In laying a fearfull stumbling block before all her children 1. In laying a stumbling block before children in the very name of the Decalogue or Ten Commandements there being not so many now to us And specially in teaching all ignorant persons the words of them all and most of all the words of the 4 th Commandement which are so many and so plaine for but six dayes work together and then a seventh dayes rest to be kept holy which while they heare and must learne and repeat the words constantly they cannot but think but the very words bind them and not a meere generall equity only or we know not what spirituall meaning far remote from the words For that they believe that should only have been taught them now if that only had been in force and they not to be troubled to learn a great many words which doe not at all concerne them there being no such thing to be looked to as the words pretend commanded by God and which are only apt to ensnare their consciences in needlesse superstition and scrupulositie Therefore we must needs confesse that though the Church of Rome be Idolatrous in making and worshipping of Images yet are they wiser in their generation and more true to their Principles in leaving out the second Commandement wholly
and never teaching it at all to their children and common people than those Churches should be and are that hold any one of the Commandements not now in force according to the words of it and yet still teach them in their Catechismes and cause their children to learne them 2. In taking of Gods name in vaine But secondly hence must also needs be concluded That they are all also guilty of a fearfull taking GODS Name in vaine to teach those words for his Commandement which hath not been his Commandement these 1600 yeeres And our Church most of all in making all from day to day ask GOD forgivenesse for that which is no fault for where no Law is there is no Transgression and praying to him to incline our hearts to keep this or that Law and to write all these Lawes in our hearts as His Lawes if any of them be no longer a Law to us nor to be kept by any necessity of his Divine commandement What say we can this be judged to be lesse then an horrible taking of GODS Name in vain contrary to the expresse words of one of the ten Commandements the Third namely immediately foregoing the questioned quarrelled Fourth which also is undeniably perpetuall even by the Law of Nature These things we earnestly wish all Disputers and namely of the Reformed Churches and most specially of our Church seriously to weigh and to put it home to their Consciences in cold blood whether they will cast all those imputations upon the whole Christian Church and upon our own particularly or how they can avoyd it if a very Heathen were to be Judge in this particular unlesse they grant as we here argue that all the Commandements of the Decalogue are severally and joyntly in their words and plain sense universally and perpetually Morall V. Why this Argument is first And this Argument we have first propounded not as preferring the Testimony of the Church before the Scriptures or Scripture-reasons but a little to ballance the Prejudice of Disputers who charge us with Novelty and Singularity and Judaisme and Puritanisme any thing to make our Cause odious when yet we maintain nothing in this but what we have been trained up to by our Catechisme c. and necessitated unto by the forementioned considerations of the Churches recommendation of the whole Decalogue and all the words of it And for our part we must confesse that besides our Churches particular recommendation of the fourth Commandement in the Homily of the place and time of Prayer of which hereafter the perpetuitie of the whole Decalogue is so necessarily involved in all these Acknowledgements and Professions and Practises that we wonder where their Logick their Reason or their Divinitie and Conscience hath been all this while that could subscribe to the Book of Common Prayer and urge others so to it as they have done and yet not hold the words of the fourth Commandement perpetuall And if we were of their opinion we know not which way we should ever dare so much as to read the Ten Commandements publikely unlesse as a story in the 20. of Exod. or 5. of Deut. much lesse ever teach any childe or ignorant person any Cathechisme of any of the Reformed Churches which containes all the words of all the Commandements the Fourth and all thereby to teach them any words which are now wholly out of date And if the shifts our Disputers have made to evade from the force of this Argument doe satisfie their own Consciences we shall rather still admire then envy them To themselves we now leave it Mean time we forget not the usuall grand Objection That if this be so then we must still hold to the Jewish seventh day But that we deny for the present and there is a proper place reserved for the full scanning of that to which we referre it And so proceed to a second Argument VI. Arg. 2. From the eminent priviledges of this Law which we thus propound Those Lawes though but Positive which God in a most extraordinary and singular manner hath honoured and priviledged above all other Lawes namely by a most rare and admirable delivering recording reserving are Morall and Perpetuall But such are all the Lawes of the Decalogue Ergo. To strengthen this Argument we will first illustrate the Minor in the severall parts of it and then further presse and confirme the Major Accordingly we propound as we have named three things as most rare and singular priviledges wherewith God hath honoured these Lawes of the Decalogue and no other 1. In the delivery in respect First In the Delivery it was with the greatest Majesty that ever God shewed from the beginning of the World and that again in a threefold respect 1. Of the Auditory 2. Of the Terrour accompanying it 3. The Voice 1. Of the Auditorie 1. For the Auditory which was the whole multitude of the People of Israel then six hundred thousand men besides women and children to say nothing of the mixed multitude that came with them out of Egypt Exod. 12.38 and were still among them Num. 11.4 All these gathered together at once after a three dayes solemne preparation of them for that very purpose Exod. 19. to hear this Law of the ten Commandements and nothing else 2. The Majesty and terrour 2. For the immediate Antecedents and Concomitants of the Delivery most terrible Thunders and the voyce of a Trumpet exceeding loud which so affected their eares that the people trembled in the very Camp before they came to the Mount Exod. 19.16 and most frightfull lightenings and fire and the mountain of Sinai altogether on a smoke which so affected their eyes that they afterward cryed out This great fire will consume us Deut. 5. And the whole Mount quak'd and shak'd so as with the terrour of all together even Moses himself said I Exceedingly feare and quake Heb. 12.21 3. The voice of God himselfe 3. For the Voice delivering those Ten Commandements and no more most dreadfully great and said to be in a speciall manner the voice of GOD which they that heard it desired and prayed never to heare any more lest they should die Nor was there ever since the Worlds foundation till that day nor since that day to this nor ever shall be again till the last day the day of the Worlds dissolution when an account shall be taken of the transgressions of this very Law such a concurrence of wonders in so mighty an assembly so Majesticall a Preacher and so terrible a combustion and concussion of Heaven and Earth the while these Lawes were delivering VII 2. The writing of them by God himselfe Secondly These Laws being thus pronounced given out God in the next place takes a most singular order for the recording of them trusts not Moses himself with the writing of them but a first and second time Himself writes them and that upon two Tables of Stone and the second
the Passeover and all the Ceremoniall Sabbaths are not to this day dissolved nor did the Apostles teach men to break them The contrary whereunto is evident to all the world Now do not you your selfe and others of your side hold the fourth Commandement to be one of the least Commandements and even wholly Ceremoniall in the substance and letter of it and teach men expresly That it is no inconvenience to say Prim. p. 138. that of ten Commandements in the Decalogue there are but nine Morall that oblige us now Can you then in reason deny that you breake one of the least Commandements and teach men so If not then we desire you in the feare of God to consider well how you will escape our Saviours condemnation by your owne confession XV. Inst 1. pag. 179. Thus you goe about it Of necessitie the broachers of this argument must avow that Christ doth not in this place blame all inobservation of the Sabbath nor establish the observation thereof absolutely and for ever Therefore this limitation must bee added that Christs intention is to forbid the transgression and to command for ever the observation of the Commandement touching the Sabbath as far as it may and ought to oblige us according to the termes of the Gospel that is say you so farre only as it commandeth that Gods publike worship be practised for ever as it shal be established by him and that an ordinary day be appointed for that purpose Sol. To this we say 1. Wee doe not avow that Christ in this place doth blame all or any inobservation of the Seventh Day Sabbath much lesse establish it for ever For we hold even from this place and shall maintaine in time convenient that the Seventh Day Sabbath was not the substance of the fourth Commandement but the observation of one day in seven and this we say Christ doth in this place establish for ever 2. Wee adde to your limitation that the publike service is not commanded by the fourth Commandement that is another of your mistakes as shall in time be manifested but by other Commandements though the time of the fourth Commandement in part and chiefly if it may be is to be imployed in publique worship And therefore when you yield that Christ speaks of the Decalogue only it is in your interpretation to confesse that Christ hath made void and destroyed one whole Commandement of the Decalogue which yet Himselfe denies and threatens them that shall dare to doe it You cannot avoid this by saying He fulfilled in himself the truth of the thing figured by the outward Sabbath For if He destroyed the old Sabbath which you say was the substance of that Commandement and Ceremoniall still it will follow that He destroyed the Commandement although He did fulfill the Figure Think on it But it is further said XVI Inst 2. That our Lord Christ passeth most conveniently from the Ceremonies which the Scribes and Pharisees accused him falsly to destroy to the Moralities which they destroyed in effect Therefore I say unto you Except your righteousnesse exceed c. v. 20. But 1. This sense is very preposterous for the whole preceding Sol. 1 discourse was of Morall matters and therefore He must rather passe from Morals to Ceremonials then contra 2. True it is in the 20. verse He speaks of the Scribes and Pharisees Sol. 2 but not as accusing Him of the breach of Ceremonials but rather as accusing them of the breach of Morals with reference to the 19. verse Whosoever shall break one of the 〈◊〉 of these Commandements and teach men so q.d. The Scribes and Pharisees are instances of what I mean For they by their corrupt Glosses of the Decalogue doe both destroy and break the Commandements and teach men so however they were exact in Ceremonials and their own Traditions Except therefore your righteousnesse exceed theirs you cannot enter into the Kingdome of Heaven 3. It cannot be shewed that the Pharisees did accuse our Saviour Sol. 3 as yet for breaking any Ceremoniall Lawes except it was for breaking some Ceremonials belonging to the fourth Commandement in doing some miracles on the Sabbath day Chemnitius in his most learned and judicious Harmony upon the Gospels sheweth that the Contests John 5. and Mat. 12.1 c. and v. 9.10 c. were all before this Sermon upon the Mount which being granted then is the Argument more strong for the confirmation of the fourth Commandement Think not that I am come to destroy the Law I am come to fulfill it and confirme it Therefore whosoever shall break one of the least of these Commandements be it the Fourth or any other and teach men so shall be called the least in the Kingdome of Heaven XVII Excep 4. C. D. p. 12. There are yet some other Exceptions as this for one If we grant them that by the Law is meant only the Decalogue and that our Saviours fulfilling and not destroying the Law was the ratifying and perpetuating of it we shall condemne the Christian Church for altering the day from the seventh to the first day of the week which cannot stand with our Saviours speech who saith that not one jot or title shall passe from the Law Solut. To this we answer 1. They that make the substance of the Commandement to be the seventh day cannot justifie by any meanes the altering of it to the first but must needs make void the Commandement contrary to our Saviours asseveration That till heaven and earth passe one jot or title of the Law shall not passe For it is a certain Rule in Lawes When the substance of a Law is abolished the whole Law is quite abolished Let him consider it 2. But if we hold that the fourth Commandement commands only one day in seven to be our Sabbath not one jot or title of the Law is passed And the Church is justified in her altering of the day having sufficient Authority going before her in designing of the day Of which more hereafter XVIII Excep 5. B. of E. p. 64. But it is further excepted Our Sabbatizers must first of all make remonstrance that the fourth Commandement of the Decalogue is simply and formally Morall before they presume to affirme that the same is a part jot or title of the Eternall Law which Christ commanded to be observed to the worlds end Solut. This is easily answered 1. It is not necessary to prove it simply and formally that is Naturally Morall It is enough if we can prove it positively Morall for himselfe hath confessed that there are some Lawes positively Morall which are universall and bind all mankind p. 27. as that against Polygamie and wedlock in some degree And therefore he plainly contradicts himselfe when p. 63. he saith That Christ hath freed and delivered the Christian Church from the Eternall observation of all such Legall precepts as were not simply and formally Morall But those Positive Laws aforementioned he saith
God But these are still but accidentall Considerations as we said before and not having that direct and substantiall influence into Religion that the Continuance and Frequencie of Time determined hath and namely that the Continuance of a whole Day in the frequent revolution of a Week of seven Dayes hath which we say was together in Time determined Gen. 2.3 with that seventh Day in order for the Quando or particular Day for that World But before it in Nature the particular Day that Seventh being in Nature after one of seven And undoubtedly one Day of seven was determined in the fourth Commandement And we say That and no more directly and substantially commanded and determined there and hope to prove it sufficiently in due place time as being of substantiall importance to Religion and the worship of God which God then gave out his CoÌ„mandements to settle the substantials of N. B. All other Commandements of the Decalogue are wholly substantiall and so perpetuall The Fourth then being substantiall for one day in seven for Religion This may conclude that to be the whole substance of the Commandement and not that particular seventh day which hath no substantiality in it And then that one day in seven is likewise perpetuall as appears by all the other CoÌ„mandements of the first Table by all the Commandements of the second Table being substantials of duty to Man And that the 7th day Sabbath though then in force was not at all directly commanded there nor as any part of the substance of it as being not of any substantiality toward Religion more then any other day of the seven Would then have been if then commanded by God as that was before that time Or then the Lords day is now supposing it commanded now as we doe by God or even commanded only by the Church as they suppose if it be but certain that the old Day is no longer in force In a word This is that we say think we have clearly proved from the nature of the respects of Time toward Religion as before toward study for Learning or any other Civill businesse That the Quando Season or Order of Beginnings viz. This or that particular Day first or last of seven or of any other number hath no Materiality or Substantiality in it toward Religion to make it be profitably determined rather then such another of such a number but only accidentally And so in this Consideration to be greatly inferiour to the Quamdiu or continuance as also to the Quoties or frequencie of revolution which are so mainly profitable as we shewed before 3. Whence it followes clearly as was also said before in relation to Learning That whereas a Determination of the Continuance and Frequencie of Time for Religion XXIII Therefore there may be an alteration of it without hurt to Religion whether of either of them singly or both of them joyntly cannot be altered in any remarkable degree without an answerable alteration in the Profit of it toward Religion namely the Profit must needs be greater if it be altered from a lesse proportion to a greater as from halfe a Day to a whole Dayes continuance and from the Frequencie of one Day in seven to one in six or five and so the profit will be lesse if altered from a greater proportion to a lesse as from a whole dayes continuance to 3 or 4 houres only of a day and from the frequencie of one day in seven to one in eight or ten only and consequently a determination of these respects of time remains in the nature of it constantly perpetually profitable to Religion It is quite otherwise with the Season or Order of Time for Religion For of that there may be a remarkable alteration as from the last Day of seven to the first of seven from Evening to Morning * It is ususually taken for granted that the Sabbath of old began in the Evening This we doe not affirme nor yet altogether deny but shall consider it hereafter But now we speak of it by way of supposition that it â—â—d so begin or the like and yet no alteration at all unlesse in some Accidentall Considerations forenoted in the Profit of it In as much as still God and the Soule may have the same proportion of Time both for Continuance and Frequencie singly or jointly and so as much substantiall advantage and no more be toward Religion in the alteration of the Season or Order of Beginning as was before this was altered We say again there is no substantiall convenience or inconvenience profit or disadvantage to Religion in the perpetuating or changing the Season or Order of Beginning from one Day of the Week to another or from Evening to Morning * Whereas we say It makes no substantiall change in the profit to alter the Beginning from Evening to Morning We yet conceive an accidentall profit by it in that by the meanes of the beginning in the Morning we are sure to have the Continuance if for a whole Day not to be ended while we are awake The profit of which we shall argue hereafter But that if no accidentall Consideration recommend a Change that Season or Order of Beginning may be perpetuated under the New Testament which was under the Old without prejudice to Religion And if any Accidentall Consideration doe recommend a Change that Season or Order of Beginning the Day or Time for beginning the Day may be changed and that fitly so it be done by sufficient authority Also in that change It is all one what Season or Order of Beginning be placed in the stead of the former unlesse there be some particular accidentall consideration that recommends one rather then another and then that for that cause is fittest to be chosen and determined accordingly And these things we affirme of the alteration of the Season or Order of Beginning under the Old Testament from the last Day of the Week to the first Day of the Week and from beginning in the Evening to beginning in the Morning This alteration is without any substantiall prejudice to Religion so long as the Determination of the Continuance and Frequencie joyntly that is of one whole Day in seven remaines unaltered Also it is without any substantiall profit For still there is just the same and no more nor lesse advantage toward Religion Gods honour and the Soules good that there was before And God altering it as we say He hath done the Authority is unquestionably sufficient And we have also sufficient ground recommending such an alteration and such a choice even supposing as our Anti-Sabbatarians doe that God hath put over this authority to the Church not only from the Type annexed to the old Day but from a greater benefit then that which the Old Day was a memoriall of namely the Redemption of the World being above the Creation and this Redemption completed in the morning of the Resurrection day while withall
occasionally and the Lords Supper seldome oftner then once a moneth in any Church which would so far forth prejudice the good that might have been gotten by that which is so omitted Or else very much scanty each of them and so weaken the good to be received by every one of them singly and jointly XXX 2. With respect to mens worldly businesses But withall on the other hand the considerations of mens worldly callings and necessary businesses would suffer no lesse if not more sensible prejudice by dividing the Time between more dayes then if it were all put into one It would hinder journies and day-labourers and all men of much businesse exceedingly For the publike worship being then to be waited on it could not be in most places of the country particularly and for the sake of weaker bodies till about nine a clocke in the morning or toward three in the afternoone if the beginning were not in the morning and this would marvelously disappoint travelling and indeed every worke which could noâ— at the clocke striking as one may say be laid downe and the â—â—r those that dwell a mile or two from Church as much Time would be spent in going to the publike worship and home againe if not more then in the worship it selfe and so it would be a most greivous interruption and hindrance to all their worldly businesses Neither doubt we but if the consent of men were asked one by one the most part by farre both of good and bad the willing and unwilling those that love the service of God and the businesse of their soules and those that love it not All would give their voyces to have the whole Time how much or how little soever the porportion were for houres upon one Day in such a revolution rather then upon more frequent Dayes with a shorter Continuance that so they that love Gods worship and their soules good might have more full scope for that And they that love the world better might have the lesse interruption in their worldly businesses and more freedome to follow them From which discourse before we passe to another Consideration XXXI A consequence from thence Let us make bold to put the reader in mind of a consequence that we suppose will undeniably follow if these premises stand good namely That unlesse fourteen or sixteen houres be too large a proportion to be determined for Gods Honour and the good of all mens soules within the revolution of seven Dayes then the dermination of one whole Dayes Continuance for so many houres in such a revolution will prove so substantially a profitable determination for all men in all ages As they will find it a very hard taske that will afterward goe about to prove either that this determination was not from the beginning considering what is said at least towards it Gen. 2. Or that it is not perpetuall since there is certainly no expresse repeale of such a proportion of Continuance within that revelution And whether now under the Gospell such a proportion be too large in the whole as we wish the readers conscience to bethinke it selfe seriously even now that he is upon this discourse So we shall give him a further occasion to resolve in a Chapter or two after Meane Time we have one Consideration more yet to adde about the kinds of determination of these respects of Time and which is the last of this sort 8. XXXII How the determination of the Quando or season is profitable As a joynt determination of the Continuance and Frequencie so largely as hath been said must needs be Profitable for all men alike because all men are a like concerned in the Worship of God and care of their soules good To which tend all the determinations of Time religiously so it cannot be denied but upon the supposition of such a determination there will be at last a Profitablenesse accidentall not only of some Quando season or order of beginning but of the same for all that live neere one another at least so farre as to secure the helping one of another in family or publike Worship and to prevent hindring one another even in solitary Worship or the admitting of hindrances one from another Only it is to be observed withall that as all accidents are in Nature after the substances to which they are accidents though they are oft together for Time And againe all separable accidents may be after in Time So this accidentall determination of the Season or order of Time for Religion is in Nature after the substantiall determination of the Continuance and Frequencie even though possibly it was in Time determined together as the Seventh Day from the Creation together with one Day of seven Gen. 2. Supposing we say the particular Day determined to Adam the same moment with the other yet was the determination of it after it in Nature as being but meerely accidentall to the businesse of Religion for which infallibly the determination of one Day in seven was made And if what we have discoursed of the alteration of the order without prejudice to Religion be good it might possibly be determined some while after in Time But however it must not be forgotten that the particular order or season of beginning this or that Day is only accidentally and in no sort substantially profitable to Religion as hath been proved before XXIII For the manner of Determinations And so we come to the third and last main Consideration about the Profitablenesse of determinations of Time for Religion namely about the manner of determination of any of the respects of Time or all of them 1. No Exclusive Determination is profitable 1. Here is specially to be noted That no Exclusive Determination for the generall businesse of Religion can be conceived to be Profitable That is It cannot be profitable to have a Determination of so much Continuance at once and never longer as well as not shorter and of so frequent a revolution and never oftener as well as no seldomer and at such a season or in such an order for beginning that is on such a particular Day or part of the Day Evening or Morning this or that Houre and never sooner as well as no later never at any other Houre or on any other Day This we say cannot be profitable to Religion because Religion in both the intendments of it Gods honour and the good of mens soules is every mans chiefest and most important businesse of all other all the time of his life The attendance therefore upon this must never be forbidden strictly which is in the nature of an Exclusive Determination in any respect But it is ever lawfull not now to say necessary to prosecute the businesse of Religion both voluntarily without determination of the Time beforehand as also to determine Time for it where the necessities of a mans worldly condition and worldly imployments can and doth admit it It is true that if
also the Determinations themselves in the residue of the Times will be a great deale more certain to be observed by this allowance of such really important necessities The taking away of an excuse saving sometimes the main of a Duty which else under the pretence of prejudicing a necessary present businesse would have been wholly neglected as an unreasonable command Accordingly therefore we find sufficient intimations in the Scripture and particularly by our Saviours pleading with the Pharisees on that occasion That works of mercy to any of Mankind and even to a Beast as the lifting them out of a pit or even leading them forth to water are Reservations made by God himselfe out of the strictest Determinations of Time for Religion namely out of the Sabbath And the same Equity is generally held by the strictest Divines to extend to all such businesses of Necessity which could neither have been done the Day before nor can be deferred to the next Day As the quenching of a fire breaking out in a Hay-stack though in a field and remote from any dwelling house and the like Further particulars of which Reservations to be gathered from the instances of our Saviour and His discourses about them and other generall expressions we shall have occasion again hereafter to examine As also that to us now under the Gospel there is some further allowance in this kinde then was to the Jewes of old We being more freed from all reall burdens then they were Only it must still be remembred that Gods indulgence herein must be so far from making us think the Determinations to be of no force as our Adversaries most absurdly argue against the whole Doctrine and Law of the Sabbath from those expressions of our Saviour about these Reservations as we shall see that we ought rather to esteem our selves the more obliged to them since God is so graciously pleased to condescend to us as to prefer our naturall and worldly necessities in such cases before His own immediate services But doubtlesse if we thinke His services and our Soules necessities any matters of regard at all we shall not see any just ground to think that God ever meant by such Reservations for particular cases and occasions to lay all Time levell and referre all to mens courtesies whether they will give Him any back again or how much or how little often or seldome And so we have done at length with this Discourse about the Profitablenesse of Determinations of Times for Religion generally XLIV The Conclusion together with some Intimations of Application more particular unto the Determination of one Dayes Continuance in the frequent revolution of seven Dayes according to the fourth Commandement But the full application cannot be made till we have added also the Considerations that concerne the Necessity of this or that kind of Determination and this or that Manner and likewise scanned whether the chiefe Determination for the necessary and ordinarily sufficient chiefe solemne Time can be profitably made by any other but God himselfe To which two Points we shall speak by His assistance in the two following Chapters And if in this already or in any that follow we shall seem to any too prolixe and tedious We must desire them to consider that the Argument is not only of great importance but also hath hitherto been handled very confusedly in this Point about the Nature of Time which yet is one of the main hinges upon which the whole Controversie depends even by all the Adversaries as well as the friends of our or rather of Gods cause for His Solemn Time and Day of Holy Rest We have therefore been desirous to beat things out so as that any attentive Reader may see clearly the way we goe and the strength of the Arguments on which we ground our Cause that so far as is possible and as God shall vouchsafe to blesse we may satisfie all Consciences even of ordinary Readers which we much misdoubt we should not have done if we had strived to contract our selves unto the quicker apprehensions of the more pregnant wits while withall we assure the one and other sort that we take no further delight in expatiating either in matter or words then we judge it necessary to the clearing of doubts which others or our own minds have made about the whole or any part of this undertaking CHAP. IX A Determine Solemne Time for Gods Worship is Morall Naturall and that in the first Commandement And what kinde and manner of Determination of Time for Religion may be proved necessary by the Law or Light of Nature and generall rules of Scripture I. Determinate Time is 1. Morall Naturall THE Generall nature of Time in Religion as well as in civill actions and the Profitablenesse of the Determination of it for Religion as well as for Learning or any other civil businesse hath been in the foregoing chapters at large considered and discoursed of Now we are to proceed to a higher step concerning it Namely the Necessity of its Determination for Religion Gods honour and the good of mens soules of which though we have also spoken somewhat in generall already Yet are there further considerations to be set down about it and particularly What kind of Determination of any one of the respects of Time single or of any two of them jointly or of all three of them together is necessary for Religion As also what manner of Determination Remisse Initiall or Conclusive according to what may be proved from Generall rules of the law and light of nature Applyable to all men in all ages all the world over and generall rules also of Scripture without allegation of the fourth Commandement or any such determination exprest in Scripture But onely to consider whether those generall rules will not necessitate us to have recourse to the fourth Commandement for the determination conclusive of the Continuance and Frequency joyntly for all mankind now that come to the knowledge of it as well as for the Jewes of old and to the first Day of the week the Lords-Day for the season or order of beginning to count and so for the particular day to be necessarily observed by all Christians to the worlds end As also to make us acknowledge that the same Continuance and Frequency of one Day in seven was given to Adam and all his Posterity according to Gen. 2. together with the last Day of seven from the beginning of the Creation for the season and order And this is the taske of this and the next Chapter chiefely for the laying down the Positive grounds of our tenents generally reserving the discussion of particular exceptions and objections to the following parts where we shal deale with the severalls in their order distinctly To begin then II. 1 Explained we propound two Positions in the forefront of this discourse about the necessity of Determinate Time for Religion according to the Title of this Chapter whereof the first is Some
inferiours will not be brought into order to joyne in Family Duties unlesse they conceive the Time determined to them for it at least by their Superiours That Family Worship then may be observed there must be Sufficient Time determined for it The Antecedent may be made good partly by what wee discoursed Chap. 6. about Family VVorship in Genenall the Necessity of it for Gods Honour and the Good of Soules and partly by the adding of a foure-fold Consideration briefely applyed to the case in hand 1. Experience shewes that in most Families their worldly businesses are so many and pressing that they have and can have but short and scanty Times of Continuance on the ordinary working Dayes for their joynt Family VVorship Many pretend they cannot have any at all for all their Families and specially not twice a Day according to what was discoursed before Though this is but a worldly pretence if it be meant ordinarily and will hardly we doubt serve for an excuse when God shall come to judge men for their worldly mindednesse as well as others sinnes and preferring the World getting goods and following pleasures and the like before conversing with Him and their own soules and the soules of their Families But however this confirmes that ordinarily such Times can be but scanty and short Therefore there is the more need that upon the chiefe solemne Time the extent of the Continuance be sufficient to afford a convenient space for Family VVorship over and above the Publike and to take away all excuse of want of leisure from every one 2. The need that all stand in to have their minds prepared and put into frame for the Publike VVorship calls for the same also If men come rawly and rudely from worldly thoughts and businesses into the Church and to the Publike Worship they will be in a great deale of danger to take Gods Name in vaine in it specially at the beginning and to lose a remarkable part of the benefit of it by the unpreparednesse of their minds specially such as are of lesse knowledge and lesse affection towards godlinesse And this cannot in reason be prevented any way so surely as by some Family Duties preparing every one for the Publike and taking them off from worldlinesse and secular cogitations and possessing them with an awe of the Duties they are going to performe more publikely 3. No lesse but rather much more the improvement of the Publike VVorship necessarily calls for consequent Family VVorship for memory and further affecting of every one by Repetitions and Prayers and Conferences Every one hath needs of this the best memories and the most zealous hearts how much more the weake in both respects and if any be able and zealous it is so much the more a necessary Duty in them to helpe others as much as may be This also we meane particularly repetitions will quicken the attentions of all sorts Neither the servants nor yet the Governours will afford themselves leisure to sleepe or gaze or muse of other matters during the Publike VVorship if the one must give account and the other must be able to require it and take it which he cannot if he himselfe have not given good attention 4. Finally the need that most have to labour with their Families to put more knowledge in them then they have particular helpe for in the Publike Services of the Day I meane the need of continuall catechising of them even beyond what is publikely done to those of their Family makes up yet further the necessity of having and observing sufficient Times for Family Duties of Worship besides the publike how long or how well soever continued And all this is so confirmed by the unhappy experience of those Families where this is not regarded not observed that consideration of it is more necessary then a prolixe discourse upon it He that lookes advisedly upon such Families shall see them come dropping in one after another late to the Publike Worship and when they are there sleepe oftentimes even in the morning or otherwise behave themselves so rudely as a man may be assured they neither honour God nor benefit their Soules by such services And after even though they seemed to be attentive and observant they have learned little or nothing at all oftentimes have forgotten the very Texts and the Chapters or Psalmes that were read and can tell nothing at all of what they might have learned and if they could remember somewhat for the present yet it is for want of whetting as the originall word is Deut. 6. in the charge given to Govenours of Families toward their children and so servants for want of giving or taking account of it for want of repetition and conference all is lost or most of it and specially all affection is dulled and abated which had a little edge perhaps by the Publike Ordinances And this most of all through the diversions of their minds as soone as the Publike Ordinances are ended to sports and play or to worldly worke and businesse which must needs succeed with the most if they be not determined to Family Duties afterward In a word looke upon such Families where the Lords Day is not observed by them within doores in such divine exercises of devotions before and specially after the Publike Worship and there will be found in the most very little sence of Religion of conscience toward God or their owne Soules So that we conclude this branch also That in as much as Religion cannot certainly stand among all men without Family VVorship the chiefe solemne sufficient Time must extend among all men to Family VVorship over and above the publike affording space for it and requiring that it be so imployed But this is not all yet XLVII 3. To solitary worship The third branch must be added which concernes Solitary Worship over and above both the other The sufficient Time we say must extend to that also besides the conjoyned worship publique domesticall To confirme this our former argument will once more stand in stead in this sort If Religion cannot certainly stand among all man without a convenient space of Continuance frequently observed for Solitary Worship by a mans self alone over and above conjoyned Worship with others then the chiefe solemne Time of Worship must necessarily be determined so largely for the Continuance as that it may extend to Solitary Worship besides conjoyned Worship But Religion cannot certainly stand among all men without a convenient space of Continuance frequently observed for Solitary Worship by a mans self alone over and above conjoyned Worship with others Ergo The chiefe Solemne Time of Worship must necessarily be determined so largely for the continuance as that it may extend to Solitary Worship besides conjoyned The Consequence of this argument hath strength afforded it from the former confirmations of like Consequences Yet may it admit this further descant upon the necessity of the Times being determined that it may be infallibly observed
be hindred from time to time Therefore the sufficient chiefe Time doth first and originally respect the solitary worship from which no man can be at any time hindred being awake and not in extremity of sicknesse or paine which almost takes away all spirits and senses unlesse by particular pressing necessities which are the reservations often mentioned before and which are many times short and divers of them admit a great deale of freedome to renew such solitary worship as tending a sick body or a child at home And but secondarily takes in family-worship as far as it is possible and it is possible to many to whom publike conjoyned worship is not possible and then in the third place publike worship also as far as it is likewise possible And so all the three together are included and to be included within the extent of the Continuance of this chiefe solemne Time necessarily and ordinarily sufficient for all men And so we hope we have sufficiently and fully asserted the first Qualification and Condition formerly laid down concerning the Determination of this chiefe solemne Time we have in hand From which before we passe to the next let us but in a word remember the Reader to be thinke himselfe whether the Continuance that must be extended to all these various kinds of Worship Solitary Domestick and Publike for all the purposes mentioned in the grounds laid down about them can be lesse then a whole Day how seldome or how often soever the Revolution be concluded to be And if so then we beleeve we shall find an easier work then hath been imagined to prove the perpetuall sanctity of one whole Day in seven according to what we say is the substance of the fourth Commandement But of that more hereafter XLVIII The second Qualification We proceed now to the second Condition or Qualification that we have delivered about this necessary sufficient chiefe Time to be determined for all men and that is That the proportion in the whole of Continuance and Frequencie joyned is to be no longer then is certainly necessary for Gods honour and the good of soules and compatible with the necessary worldly callings of every one of mankinde that so it may be undoubtedly called the Necessary Time for all men admitting still even within it Reservations for present Necessities interrupting and that no sober Conscience however unwilling otherwise to spend such a proportion of Time constantly in Religion or to allow it to others can reasonably deny it to be necessary for Religion or challenge it as injurious to necessary worldly affaires In this Point we shall not have our Adversaries gainsaying us earnestly though some of them have spoken sometimes 1. Confessed as though the greater part of all our Times were to be given to God in duties of Solemn and Religious worship Witnesse one whole words our margent refers to VVhat he meant by it we cannot Primt part 2. c. 7. S. 4. There should be more justice to bestow more daies upon God yea all c. N. B. for our parts tell But we mean to assert no such thing absolutely as the state of man is in this world but the contrary by reason of Gods indulgence of sixe Dayes that is the greatest part of them ordinarily with reservations for some Solitary and Family-Worship at least twice a Day as we argued before and reason good if God allow reservation for some worldly matters constantly out of His one Day as for meat and sleep and for extraordinary occasions also that there should be reservations for Religion and His Honour and the Good of Souls in the six working Dayes both ordinarily and extraordinarily But now we are but in the way to prove that Indulgence of six Dayes for worldly matters and Determination of one in seven for Religion we say then that the whole proportion within the revolution of a VVeek of seven Dayes or any other number of Dayes is not to be so large but by just proofe it may be demonstrated that so large a proportion and no lesse is certainly necessary for all men And the proofe of this in a word is this 2. Proved that hereby mens consciences will be awed with the Determination as altogether uncontrolable and their mouths will be stopped that for shame if they have any shame in them they will not dare to say that the commandement is a heavy yoke or a burden really grievous who ever be the Determiner immediately God or men superiours or ones own vow And this if any thing will help mainly to secure the observation of it by all and among all who else would be perpetually quarrelling and grumbling against it And so what ever became of the Publique Worship to which they might perhaps be ordinarily awed by the Magistrate and the Family-Worship also where the Governour were strict Yet to be sure they would never be tyed to the performance of Solitary Worship but reject it as an unreasonable and intolerable imposition and so much too of either or both the other as they durst for feare of men Superiours and Neighbours We know that how little so ever be required by the most undeniable Authority of God Himself yet every one of mankind will not regard it but this is yet greatly different to reject a commandement out of meere prophanesse as they do any of the rest and for which their consciences give them many nip now and will gnaw upon them eternally if they repent not and to reject it as an unsufferable burden which the Commandments of God now under the New Testament cannot justly be said to be And so what ever Time is pleaded for as Gods Commandement now we grant and assert that the proportion of it as we said must appeare to be undeniable necessary And accordingly though in another place we shall more fully argue it yet here we propound again to the Readers Conscience this Question VVhether out of the proportion of seven dayes which containe 168. Houres the waking Time of one day which is ordinarily with most men but fourteen or sixteen houres or suppose it eighten or twenty or even the whole twenty four is too large a proportion for the chiefe solemne Time for all men to attend the worship of God and the good eternall of their own soules and others And whether such a proportion at least is not necessary for all men to imploy and also compatible certainly with any worldly businesses We do not now argue how it should be distributed between the Continuance and Frequency whether all the Continuance to be in one day or two or more or every day to share alike that we have already done Chap. 8. and shewed the whole proportion to be best all on one day But we say Whether lesse then such a proportion in the whole can be sufficient for Gods Honour and the soules salvation or this can be justly excepted against as unnecessary and injurious If sober Consciences put but
universall or peremptory determination of this Continuance distributively betweene the Solitary Worship the Family Worship and the Publike Worship that is there is no need That all men should be bound to such an exact or strict Continuance in each of these single But so the whole Continuance be shared betweene all three and the Publike be not so short as to afford no remarkable space for an affecting prayer and preaching and the like and so no remarkable benefit to be gotten by it nor so long as to tyre out the spirits and disappoint those that dwell farre off of conveniency of returne to their family and solitary devotions besides the regard of bodily necessities It can hardly be blamed though some be longer and some shorter in publike and so in the rest For as much as God still hath and so also every ones soule hath the full Continuance determined and allotted which conscionably observed in the varieties of those Duties may be and will be ordinarily sufficient for their consciences and soules good and so acceptable to God though sometimes more of the Time be spent in publike and sometimes more in private And so at last we have done with the proofe of the necessity of such a chiefe solemne Time to be determined for the necessary and ordinarily sufficient Time for all men It remaines that now in the last place we come to argue By whom this determination must be or may be made But for that the next Chapter is purposely reserved this having been already drawne out to a more then ordinary length through the necessary dependance of so many matters contained in it And yet there is one thing behind for the close of this Chapter LII How farre the Law of Nature commands about the Quando or season And that is a briefe discourse about the Quando season or order of beginning when once the former determination is Conclusively setled for the Continuance and Frequency of the chiefe solemne Time How farre the Law or light of Nature will guide or command about this or any generall Rules of Scripture Leaving the question by whom it also is to be determined unto the following Chapter and here only touching in a few words for many will not need about it It having no such substantiall profit as the Continuance and Frequency toward Religion but only accidentall as is needfull to be againe and againe inculcated to our adversaries who would cast off all that was heretofore determined by God because this is taken away Touching we say how farre it is necessary that there be any determination strictly and conclusively of the Quando season or order of beginning that is for the particular Day of that number that is determined for the chiefe Time of Worship and even of the beginning of that Day sooner or later at evening or morning this or that houre Now this I shall dispatch in foure Propositions 1. There is a necessity that some particular Day of such a number determined be determined before that number can be constantly observed 2. There is a necessity that to all that live within the reach one of another and so may possibly be helpes one to another or hindrances one to another the same particular Day of such a number be determined and so farre at least the same season of beginning the Day that all may afford convenient helpe to each other and none prove hindrances one to the other 3. It seemes most consonant to the Law and light of Nature and Scripture-reason that unlesse God determine it otherwise Himselfe the beginning of the Day should be in the morning that is after midnight rather then in the evening before 4. It seemes greatly conducible to the honour of God from all mankind and to the generall Communion of Saints all the world over that the same particular Day of such a number should be determined to all men of the same age that is from Adam to Christ and the same from Christ to the Worlds end all the World over to observe it according as that Day begins with them in the Countries where they live and are LIII 1. It is necessary that some Day be determined For the first of these It may easily be made good even by this one Consideration That making the instance in any one number as suppose one Day in ten be determined it thence inevitably followes that the very neglect of determining another particular Day makes the Determination fall upon the last of the ten For when all the other nine are slipped over and none of them determined the last of the ten unavoidably must be observed the first revolution and withall remaines for ever after determined unlesse a new Day be afterward determined by as sufficient authority as was in the determiner of the number and then also without an alteration of the determination of the number the new determination can only be placed upon one particular Day namely the first of the ten And so if it be done by sufficient authority it may be done without any violation or alteration of the determination of the number at all For the strength of the determination of the number lies in these things 1. That there should be but one Day for Religion to nine for worldly businesse and againe but nine for worldly businesse to one for Religion and neither more nor lesse either way ordinarily 2. That those nine Dayes being the number of working Dayes should come all together and the Day for Religion not come between them for then sometimes there would be lesse then nine together and sometimes more Now this is observed plainly and undeniably in both respects in the instanced change from the tenth Day to the first Day For in those two Revolutions of twice ten Dayes there are but two Dayes for Religion the last of the first ten and the first of the latter ten and there is twice nine Dayes for worldly businesse and in each Revolution either number of nine worldly Dayes are entirely all together and the Dayes for Religion come not in to break the number as they would doe if the second Day were determined for then there would be one Day for work only and the next for Religion and so not nine work-dayes together and again if the ninth Day were determined then there would have been in that Revolution but eight Dayes together for work and a ninth not a tenth Objection according to the determination formerly setled for the number observed for Religion If any say that this would be how ever but for once and that were no great matter specially if Religion lose nothing by it as by bringing the Day sooner it would not We answer It is true if the authority be sufficient Answer to change the number the matter is not of importance But if the authority that would change the order of the particular Day from the tenth to the ninth or so and ever after keep a tenth from
to our fourth and last Proposition about the particular Day to be determined for the chiefe solemne Time namely That it seemes greatly conducible to the honour of God from all Mankinde and to the generall communion of Saints all the world over that the same particular day of such a number should be determined to all men of the same age that is from Adam to Christ and the same from Christ to the worlds end all the world over to observe it according as the Day begins with them sc from Midnight in the Countries where they are and live 1. To the honour of the one God That this is so in reference to the Honour of God may be shewed from Gods being One and so the greater unitie and uniformitie there is in His Worship among all His servants in all places of His Dominion the greater is His Glory Now all the whole earth is His Dominion Neither is there any other Lord in the whole World that hath supreme authority over any of mankind but Himselfe alone And therefore as much as is possible for all His Subjects to joyne together in worshipping of Him it cannot be denied but it is an advancement of His Honour Now this cannot be in regard of Place they are too many and dwell too farre asunder to joyne together in Place but in Time they may namely within the same 24 houres all the World over how farre distant so ever they be one from another and though Antipodes one to another or how many so ever they be in number yet they may at the same Time on the same Day Naturall be every one of them every where worshipping God in the most solemne manner publikely or privately with others as they can have others to joyne with them in Place or at least solitarily and alone And tender to Him not only the same proportions of Time for Continuance and Frequency the same number of Dayes one as well as another every where Namely their waking Times as was said before but also the same particular Day according as the Day falls out with them Then which of all things that are any way belonging to the outward Worship of God there is not any one thing as we conceive that can make His Worship more solemne and celebrious Nor redound more to His Honour striking all men that are yet but strangers to Him and much more His professed servants with a marvellous awe of His service and that none should dare to rob Him of His sacred Time which He so universally requires of all mankind not only for Continuance and Frequencie but also for the season and order of the Day and beginning of the Day An objection prevented And if any shall now object that this reason would enforce or inferre the same particular Day from the Worlds beginning to the Worlds end and that there should not be one particular Day or beginning of the Day from Adam to Christ and another particular Day or beginning of the Day from Christ to the Day of judgment To this we answer First that we never did nor never doe intend to dispute against God and therefore whatever we argue for this or that we meane it never no otherwise then so farre forth as He hath not revealed His will and pleasure to the contrary And therefore for the particular Day under the old Testament what ever may be said of the beginning of the Day it being clearly the will of God that it should then be the last of the Seven and now under the new Testament the first of the Seven it is unquestionally the fittest for His Honour and all things that it should so be besides the particular reasons for the change of the Day to be discoursed of fully in their proper Place hereafter But this being said we answer in the second place that Gods determining to all mankind one and the selfe same Day from Adam to Christ as some of our disputers grant and some of them deny and which wee doubt not but to prove sufficiently partly in the next Chapter and partly in a Chapter expresse for the antiquity of a Seventh Day Sabbath and so of that Seventh Day from the Creation confirmes very fairely that it is His pleasure it should be so under the new Testament also neither can we conceive any reason why it should be otherwise being as possible now to be observed every where when once it is made knowne to men by the preaching of the Gospell as it was of old for that Seventh Day there being such faire reason for it in reference to Gods Honour as we have said ◠To the Communion of Saints The like may be said also of the Communion of Saints all the World over which can no way be better no way so well exercised externally as by having not only the same number of Dayes determined to them for the chiefe Time of Worship but the same particular Day and beginning of the Day as neer as is possible by reason of the variety of the Climates That as often as that particular Day comes about every one of them where ever they are or with whomsoever doe either publikely in congregations if it may be It is certaine a day ordinary and frequent is necessary for maintenance of the true Religion and godlinesse of union and Christian societie among the fathfull c. prim p. 251. see also p. 59. C. G. Irons p. 8. or if not that then in families or at least in secret each one in solitary devotions send up their Prayers and Praises and Services together unto the Throne of Grace remembring one another in those Prayers and Praises There is no man will doubt or can question but if they all were so neer together and voyces and eares were proportionable that all could joyne together in one Place at one Time it were to be done That therefore which can be done in the exercise of the Communion of Saints seemes to be most requisite to be done Namely that they all have and observe the same particular Day even all the World over for their solemne Time of Worship And this the rather because this solemnity so determined and so observed will be a most lively visible representation of that great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Great Assembly of the Saints and Angels in Heaven spoken of Heb. 12.22 As if for that Time or Day the World were turned into Heaven Or Heaven come downe into the World As Saint Iohn sayes he saw the new Jerusalem descending thence It is true as hath been more then once toucht before all the World cannot beginne and end their solemne Worship even if they should count the Day to begin at one and the same instant as neer as they could and so some at one houre and some at another yet none could tender their solemne Worship but in their waking Times which by the diversity of the Meridians must needs be divers one from another according
to the distances of Places But yet they may be truly said to observe the solemne Time upon that same Day some beginning a little before others and so successively one after another to the end of the 24 houres of that Day one or other would be still imployed in the solemnity of Worship according to the Dayes determination And so an amends as we may say would be made for not beginning all at an instant in that hereby the Holy Time N. B. should be observed actually and continued in actuall services full 24 houres and so no part of it wholly shrunke up by sleepe or other interruptions For still in one part or other of the World whole Countries would be in their waking Time and so in the solemnity of their devotions For demonstration of this suppose at such a Place the Day begins an houre before at another as it is really so every Day in point of light and so of midnight and noone and evening c. and this other Place sees Day an houre before another yet more Westward and so of the rest as betweene Dover and the West of Ireland they say there is an houres difference Now by that Time the first Place hath begun and gone on in solemn Worship an houre the next begins and joyns with them and so the next till it be gone round So that by the twelft houre halfe the World are in their solemne Worship Publike or Private And then the other halfe takes the turne in their order till the twentifourth houre There cannot then we say be a better way to exercise the Communion of Saints upon earth Nor is there upon earth imaginable a fuller resemblance of the great and solemne Assembly which is constantly kept in Heaven And let that be further noted in a Word that the forementioned respects of Time Continuance Frequency and Season are not in Heaven distinguishable For they in Heaven doe keepe a constant and everlasting solemne Sabbatisme as it is cald Heb. 4. whereas we poore snakes on earth are forced to waite the returnes of solemne Times The reason is they above have no other worke to doe but to serve and Worship God they are spirits without bodies we on earth have bodies to care for as well as soules we have other callings commanded us to attend on as well as on Gods solemne Worship But yet it is fit we should as neer as we can conforme to them above which we say is chiefely by this joint observance of the same particular Day and number and length all the World over for our chiefe solemne Times Whereunto may be added for a conclusion that otherwise every sover all dominion as there are many in Germany and Italy and other Countries not subordinate to one Prince or State with their neighbours but small principalities and free States might vary the particular Day were it but to shew their liberty and so such as had occasion to travell among them would be very often either forced to breake the number determined to all or else keepe within doores upon their owne solemne Day and so want the help of others and be in danger to be interrupted by others And so every where upon the borders of Countries this hazard might be All which is prevented and only so by having all in all Countries of the World the same particular Day and beginning of it as we have said And so we have at length dispatched the whole of what we judge considerable about the profit and necessity of solemne Time generally and of the chiefe Time for Religion in speciall Except by whom the determination of this chiefe Time is to be made which now followes in the next Chapter CHAP. X. The Determination of the chiefe Solemne Time of Worship for all men necessary and ordinarily sufficient for the chiefe Time as also of the particular day for it belongs not to men but to God 1. The question explained HItherto in the former Chapters particularly about Time we have been laying foundations of fortifications where withall to defend the Perpetuity of the fourth Commandement for a seventh Day Sabbath and the Divine institution of the Lords Day the first day of the weeke for the particular day and to batter down the opposite Mounts of our adversaries both Sabbatarians and Antisabbatarians And as we have built upward we have planted some Peeces and discharged them against their workes in such fort as we are perswaded the judicious Reader already discernes them to shake and totter But now we are about to erect a Principall Tower which if we can firmely and strongly do All men will see that we have sufficiently secured our selves and our cause from any fear of future assaults from the Antisabbatarian party And as for the Jewish Sabbatarians we doubt not but we shall also quit our selves from them in the latter parts The matter we propound to be strengthned is the position exprest in the title of the Chapter That the Determination of the chiefe Solemne Time for all men necessary and ordinarily sufficient for the chiefe Time as also the particular day for it belongs not to men but to God To state this clearely we must needs repeate a little of our foregoing discourses and adde a few words more for full understanding of it 1. By the chiefe Solemne Time 1. What is meant by chiefe solemne Time we meane the Continuance and Frequency jointly that is so much at once so often and so often so much Time to be observed for Religion Gods honour and the soules good in Solemne Worship and that in a convenient large Proportion in the whole and a convenient large Continuance for the various kinds of worship publike domesticke and solitary and a convement space for serious performance of severall duties in each kind together with a convenient Frequency of Revolution of such continuance So as no other proportion of Time is or can be of Equall profit with this All other being lesse large for Continuance remarkably or remarkably lesse frequent and so cannot attaine to that substantiall profitablenesse to the generall of Religion that there is in the chiefe Solemne Time we speake of 2. By the Determination of this chiefe solemne Time 2. What by determination Necessary for all men we meane The appointing it so to all men by a law as that thenceforth all men that have this law given them and their posterity to the worlds end are bound in conscience to observe it and cause as much as lyes in them others also to observe it as necessary to Religion so as they sin that observe not the whole proportion or that observe it not according to the distribution of the Determination so much Continuance together in one day and no lesse and that dayes Frequency so often returning and no seldomer then is exprest in the Determination Only still admitting a reservation as we have oft touched before for necessary worldly occasions 3. What by
observation by their want of wisedome and want of a rule to determine the sufficient and necessary Time by They will thinke that if it were the will of God to have us determine for our selves any necessary and sufficient Times the observation of which will be so prejudiciall and hazardous to us He would have given us a rule to goe by and not put us to trouble and danger of sufferings in a businesse where we must grope in the darke and know not whether we goe too fast or too slow determine too much or too little at once too often or too seldome And this want of wisedome and want of a rule is a most convincing argument that God hath not left it at all to men as we shall shew expresly anon And what any of our Adversaries or any other could plead against such a mans allegations that this determination for these reasons was not nor is not left to him for himselfe but either there is to be none or some other have the authority or rather God himselfe still We know not what to imagine in such silence of the Scripture in it nor how they could urge his conscience and convince him of sinne upon their Tenets for not determining or even not observing such sufficient Times Let them consider it The same also would be the case with manifold Superiors unwilling to observe Times for Religion and being men of much worldly imployments and having no cleare rule to goe by what is necessary or what sufficient The issue would infallibly be that they would never determine any Time to themselves at all or never sufficient Times It cannot then be imagined that God should upon these termes leave the authority to determine the necessary and sufficient Times for His Worship and Religion to every man single Let us summe up this proofe of our Antecedent in this branch in the ensuing Syllogisme That which supposes God to leave a thing of exceeding importance in Religion to the consciences and judgements of every unconscionable man to determine is not to be credited or admitted But to say that God hath given the authority to every man single to determine for himselfe the necessary and sufficient Times of Worship is to leave a thing of exceeding importance in Religion to the consciences and judgements of every unconscionable man to determine Ergo That He hath given them any such authority is not to be credited nor admitted The Major is certaine as well because 1. No Instance can be given of any other matter of like nature so left to every mans conscience to determine 2. As also because it seemes a formall contradiction That any thing of exceeding importance in Religion should be left to the conscience and judgement of any man to determine much lesse of every man for himselfe specially when it were so certaine that nothing would be done by the most or nothing to any purpose It being the nature of Religion to be a binder of mens consciences The Minor cannot be denied by that which hath been often discoursed of the importance and necessity of such determination for Religion and by the undeniable unconscionablenesse of many even of the most of men The Conclusion then will follow That God hath not left it to every man single 2. We adde a second proofe hereof IX 2. Their manifold interruptions from the hindrances that the most willing and conscionable man that could be would inevitably meet with to the exceeding prejudice of his devotions even though he were not a servant or such a like inferior but much more if he were In that againe for want of expresse proofe of the authority given him to determine his own Time and for want of a cleare rule to measure his proportions of necessary and sufficient by he would infallibly unavoidably be so interrupted checked in and for his observations which he could not justifie by a particular rationall plea that he would often be even forced to intermit and omit his determined Times and even in those that he did observe be often unquiet in his mind and spirit sometimes doubting he observed not enough and sometimes perhaps too much and so too seldome or too often and even on unseasonable Dayes as they would often prove by mens interruptions and businesses And by all misse of much good and of much comfort which he might have had in despight of all men if these Times had been unquestionably determined by God himselfe to him A Syllogisme shall close this That which supposes God to leave a thing to His servants to determine of which their determination will be with lesse honour to Himselfe lesse good to their soules lesse comfort to their consciences then if Himselfe had determined it for them is not to be credited or admitted without expresse Scripture for it But to say God hath left to every man single the determination of his own necessary and sufficient Times for Religion is to suppose and that without expresse Scripture that He hath left to His servants to determine a thing of which their determination will be with lesse honour to Himselfe lesse good to their soules lesse comfort to their consciences then if Himselfe had determined it for them Ergo without expresse Scripture for it which is not to be found it is not to be credited or admitted That God hath left this determination to every man single There needs we conceive no further words of this proofe We have yet one more X. 3. The impossibility of agreement 3. Which is taken from what we have formerly proved That It is necessary for all that dwell neere one another and within the reach of helping or hindring one another That they be all bound by one and the same determination for Continuance and Frequencie jointly And even for the particular Day and beginning of the Day so far as to secure the helpe and prevent the hindrance of each other And withall that it is very conducible to the honour of God from all mankind and to the exercise of the Communion of Saints all the world over That all men should have the same determinations for Continuance and Frequencie and even for the same particular Day as neere as may be all the world over Whence we frame this Syllogisme That which supposes it extremely improbable if not altogether impossible That either God should be generally honoured by all mankind on the same dayes and in like proportions or the communion of Saints exercised so as it might be among all Gods people all the world over or even that the help of those that are neere one another should be secured and the hindrance prevented is not to be credited or admitted But to say that God hath left to every man single the determination of the necessary sufficient Time for Religion of even of the particular day for it is to suppose such an improbability or even impossibility Ergo. The Major hath been confirmed before The Minor
is easily cleared For how can it be imagined with any probability or even possibility That every man having these Determinations left to him all men every where will agree upon that same Continuance Frequency and particular day for Worship In what one thing do all men in all parts of the world agree that is any way contrary to corrupted nature as this determination of necessary and sufficient Time is that is contrary to the wills and carnall affections of men Nay we need not travell so far for this as all over the world Take but any one country city village house and let it be but once known that None hath authority over another to determine times to him but that it is left to every single man for himself And it cannot resonably be hoped that there would be a compleat agreement in the same Proportions Continuance and Frequency or the same particular dayes constantly Some out of frowardnesse because they would not joyne with such or such and would not have them joyne with themselves would have their dayes and times by themselves Others out of meere prophannesse would shift and shuffle the times and dayes that they might overslip as much as they could Others through covetousnesse and worldly mindednesse love of pleasures and the like would not think it fit to determine themselves long before hand or to a constant proportion or day as not knowing what worldly occasions they might have which they had rather attend upon though of no necessity then upon Religion And specially when by others being also left to their own determinations they could not be certaine whether they should be interrupted by their comming to visit them or trade or trafficke with them And so by the shift besides great neglect of Domesticke and Solitary Worship there would be in many places even where Christianity were professed no Publique Worship at all or at least many would never come to it at all or not in any constancy And so this together with the forenoted hindrances of the willing by the interruptions of the untoward would fill all places with nothing but confusion and irreligion And therefore cannot be supposed to be so left by God XI Except 1. answered If any man shall now object against all this kind of argumentation generally as unsufficient because even though it be granted that God Himself hath fully determined all the times in question yet the unwilling will still be untoward and neglectfull and men will still interrupt and hinder one another Sol. and so the same inconveniences will remaine that are alledged We answer That it is one thing to have irreligion be among men for want of a law by leaving them to themselves to make lawes in matter of greatest concernment in Religion and another thing to have irreligion be among them that will not be obedient to a law made for them The former we conceive altogether contrary to Gods honour His holinesse and justice and revelation of His will and law in His word The other we know to be permitted in His providence and out of which He will fetch Himself honour and vindicate His holinesse and justice even according to His truth the truth of His threatnings added to the transgressions forbidden by His law in His due and appoynted Time 2 Pet. 2.9 XII Except 2. and Except 3. answered If it be further objected that to many nations God hath certainly not declared any particular law concerning the Times of His Worship As also that whereas we speake so much and so often of the good of mens soules toward their eternall salvation requiring such a determination and observation of sufficient times for Religion This were to no purpose even were it revealed to many nations in the world who have not the knowledge of Jesus Christ without which there is no salvation We answer Sol. 1 He shewed His word unto Iacob His statutes and His Ordinances unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any nation and as for His judgements they have not known them Psal 147. God hath not revealed Jesus Christ to many Nations Yet that is unquestionably necessary to salvation and was revealed to Adam and Noah But their posterity generally lost it and God revived it not unto most of them And so though in a farre different degree and even kind of necessary was it with the Sabbath the chiefe Time of Worship Also many Nations whose Ancestours had the Gospell preached to them and all the Precepts of the New Testament now have them no more which yet are necessary to Gods Honour and the good and salvation of mens soules 1. To the first of these No more hath He many other particular lawes which yet were and are His Commandements undoubtedly both in the New Testament and in the Old and specially in the matters that concerne His Worship His Ordinances for His service 2. Yet these He undoubtedly declared to Adam after his fall to communicate to his posterity and afterwards to Noah for his posterity before and after the floud And when the succeeding generations growing wicked lost and forgot them or corrupted them He in justice left the greatest part of them without divers particular Lawes belonging to His Worship and even some belonging to the second Table in divers Countries and among the rest that of the chiefe solemne Times of His Worship For. 3. It may be fairely answered that to such as were corrupted so farre as to Worship plurality of gods against the first Commandement and make and Worship Images against the second and their whole Religion was superstition and wilworship in a manner There was no proper use of the particular expresse Law for the chiefe solemne Time of Gods appointment which being to be kept to Gods Honour and not to the Honour of Idols God did not vouchsafe to revive among them particularly that particular Law which they had prophaned if they had observed it to their Idols And this apprehension we have the Prophet Ezekiel for our instructer in who in the name of God complaines of the Jewes for prophaning His Sabbaths as well as defiling His Sanctuary in that the same Day that is on the Sabbath when they had slaine their children to their Idols they came the same Day into Gods Sanctuary into Gods House Ezekiell 23.38 39. See how God accounts worshipping of Idols a prophaning of His Sabbaths when done upon that Day N. B. Therefore we need no longer wonder that God also never reproves the Gentiles by His Prophets for not observing the Sabbath which some of our Adversaries thinke to be a demonstration that the Sabbath was not given to Adam neither concerned the Gentiles at all but was peculiar to the Jewes because they say the Gentiles are reproved for other sinnes but not for not observing the Sabbath They were not we say reproved for not observing it because to have observed it to their idols and the honour and worship of false gods had been
to have prophaned it as Ezekiel hath told us Therefore also they are not reproved for not observing any times at all Yet doubtlesse many of them were so Atheisticall and irreligious as they observed not the times of their own Superstition Yet to observe some times our adversaries and all men confesse is absolutely Morall Naturall and bound all the Gentiles in all ages But because they observed not those they did observe unto the honour of the true God but of Idols therefore we say they are never reproved for any neglect or inobservation of Times at all But on the otherside when God mentions by His Prophet Esay Chap. 56. The sonne of the stranger joyning himselfe to the Lord He againe and againe calls such to the observation of the Sabbath with most ample promises as a most essentiall part of Religion and most necessary to every Servant of God A Law then from God Himselfe is most necessary for His Honour and for Religion concerning the chiefe Time for His Worship Though to those Nations that have cast off His true Worship He hath not particularly revived it not having given them His written Word Sol. 2 2. To the other objection concerning the good of mens soules 1. We say not that the observation of the Sabbath or any sufficient Times in Duties of Religion will save mens soules or benefit mens soules without the revelation and Faith of Christ 2. But we say that a Law from God Himselfe concerning a Sabbath or the necessary and sufficient chiefe Time for Religion is necessary unto every man as a Morall meanes towards the attainment of salvation and the good eternall of mens soules as well as towards the right honouring of God And therefore God hath not put over the making of such a Law unto men whether Christ be revealed to them or not revealed to them neither to every man for himselfe single or to any speciall men or number of men for all the rest XIII Nor 2. is this Authoritie given to some speciall men for the rest And now having proved this sufficiently enough concerning it s not being put over to every man single and we suppose not too prolixly considering how we argued withall that if it belong to men it must belong to every man single And our largenesse about this may stand us instead an on also We proceed to the second maine branch of our second Argument Namely That God hath not given Authority to any speciall men or number of men to determine the chiefe Time of His Worship for all men This question is disputable in three severall distinctions of Time or Ages of the World The first we make for this matter from Adam to the mention of the Sabbath to Israel Exod. 16. The second from thence to the making void of all the Jewish Dayes the particular Seventh Day Sabbath and all by the Resurrection of Christ and preaching of the Gospell by the Apostles The third from the making void of the old Seventh Day Sabbath to our Times and so to Christs second comming And in each of these Periods of Times Two sorts of Persons are generally considerable 1. Those that were out of the Church by the revolt of their Ancestours from Gods Covenant made with Adam after his fall intimated Gen. 3.15 Namely Cain and his posterity and those that fell off to them Gen. 6. and those of Noahs posterity that fell from the Covenant renewed with him and Sem according to the intimations of Gen. 9. Namely the race of Cham and even of Japhet and Sem also the most of them turning Idolaters as is said even of Abraham and his Progenitours before God called him Jos 24.2 and so the greatest part of the World remained and doth remaine out of the Church and Covenant of God to this Day 2. In all ages from Adam even untill now God hath had a Church some though at Times very few He renewed His Covenant with and made them His peculiar servants And so were outwardly the whole Nation of the Jewes the seed of Israel particularly from their comming out of Egypt till the destruction of Jerusalem after their rejection of Christ their promised Messiah And ever since and a while before He hath had a Church chiefly out of the Gentiles who have received His Gospell and the Faith of Christ Now we are to take a view of both these sorts of men the Pagans so lets us for distinction sake call the former sort and the Church in the three Periods of Time forenoted In all three of them it is controverted concerning the Pagans what sufficient Times they were obliged unto or are and by what Law by whose determination And for the Church or servants of God in the first and the last for in the middlemost it is beyond all peradventure that God determined the Time to the Jewes and left it not to them But yet even during that Time because there might be and doubtlesse were in some part or other of the World still some few servants of God among the Gentiles It will be justly questionable by whose Authority the determination of the necessary and sufficient Times was made even for them where ever they were and what proportion soever was determined though never so small a Continuance and seldome revolution These things thus premised we thus propound our Aurgument against any speciall men having this Authority for all the rest XIV If so then either to Pagans or to the Church If God have given it now or heretofore to some speciall men for all the rest of mankind Then either to some speciall men among the Pagans for all within their Countries and to the Church for all their knowne members Or to the Church generally for all mankind both the members of it and all others But neither hath God given this Authority to some speciall men among the Pagans for all within their Countries and to the Church for all their knowne members Nor yet to the Church generally for all mankind both its members and all others Ergo He hath not given it to some speciall men for all the rest of mankind The Consequence is undeniable the enumeration being sufficient The Antecedent hath three branches considerable In the scanning of which we will begin with the first and next take the third and leave the second to the last Place Which will appeare to be the convenientest method of proving them though the Argument could not so well be contrived in that order XV. 1. Not to Pagans This is proved absurd First then we reason against this Authority being left to any speciall men among the Pagans in any Age of the World whether Governours of Families of Townes or Countries or Kindomes That they should have in their hands the determination of the necessary and sufficient Times for Religion for themselves and all under their Authority And we say that God Himselfe did determine it to Adam and so to his posterity and that
or too little Time for attending on God and their soules too often or too seldome or even perhaps whether the particular Dayes were or could be seasonably determined or observed conveniently A Conscience that must venture and suffer for a practice is in a miserable condition if it have no certainty that God requires what it doth and forbids what it forbeares And on the other side the necessities of the soule and its eternall state to be above all worldly things regarded and manifold sentences in the Scriptures to that effect and Gods honour and service to be preferred before mens and before any thing that can concerne ones selfe will never suffer any Conscience to be at peace that observes not sufficient Time for Religion constantly And both together shew there had need be another authority determining it then their own which we say can be no other but Gods How our Adversaries will or can satisfie themselves or others about this Case we doe not well conceive Somewhat it is that they offer to say towards it which we will here briefly touch because we shall be forced to consider their sentences againe elsewhere XVII Some Exceptions to this answered 1. One while they tell us that the fourth Commandement is Morall-Naturall only for Publike Worship 2. Another while some of them say that the Commandement is not given to servants and so by consequence not to any that are not Lords and Masters of their own Time in respect of men as children wives and any inferiors set to worke by superior authority of Governours 3. And some againe say that Christians in Pagan Countries ought to keep the Sunday as having been appointed by the Christian Church A little for present answer to each of these The two first directly pervert the state of the Question and affirme no determination no observation lying upon their consciences who are under others authority unlesse their superiors have determined Times for them and Times for publike worship But our Question supposes that sufficient Times are to be determined for all men by one or other and that for solitary worship where there is or can be no publike 2. For this also we have proved to be Morall-Naturall and necessary to Religion that there be such determinations of sufficient Time for all men 3. Even themselves at times and by fits make it Morall-Naturall in the fourth Commandement to have and observe sufficient Times determined 4. And is it now a manifest contradiction to say a Commandement is Morall-Naturall that is necessary to all men and yet that if there be no publike worship a man is free as one of them expresly speaks Can the neglect of others free me from a Morall Commandement totally We say totally for they make this publike worship the whole Morality of the fourth Commandement Againe is there any other Commandement of the Decalogue from which any man can at any time be said to be totally free Father or Mother may dye But there are other superiours still alive or even inferiours to whom the fifth Commandement continually binds to afford some honour and so of the rest Again Morall Naturall is by themselves described to be universall and perpetuall How is this so if the command extend to no more but that which is neither universall nor perpetuall Not universall because not to servants at all if their Masters order otherwise and will not let them forbeare work Not perpetuall when there may all the Time he is in such a Country a Captive be no publique worship with in his reach But such contradictions men must needs run into that leave the roade-way of the Scriptures the Kings high way the way of Gods Commandements the Royall Law as Saint Iames calls it Iam. 2.9 to follow the by-paths of their own or other mens devisings And as for that one of them sayes That because Sunday hath been established used in the Christian Church for aday of divine service Prim. a man namely in a pagan country ought to apply himself privately to religious exercises with greater assiduity then on other dayes We desire him to satisfy us whether by the words he ought he meanes that he ought in conscience as a necessary duty of Religion he ought in obedience to the Morall Naturall law of God for having and observing a determinate Time to do thus though his Pagan Governour Master or Prince forbid him and to keep him from it set him all day long to some hard bodily labour and that from weeke to weeke allowing him neither that day not any other for his devotions and private exercises of Religion If he say no this is not his meaning as not thinking it reasonable to put a poor captive to venture upon the rage of his prophane Master or Governour Then his answer is but a collusion and nothing at all to the purpose of our case If he say yes he ought to do so and venture to suffer for it though not the whole of the day but only some part of it we reply 1. Who shall determine how much of the day If he will take but our Churches Homily of the place and Time of Prayer he will find the whole day called for If the Canons of 1603. there is little lesse If he take but even the practise of any Christian Church in the World even during the Publike Worship Yet 2. this is more then he shall be allowed by his Pagan Superiours and so must resolve to endure sufferings even to extremity perhaps for it And in this case is not here a very goodly ground of encouragement to suffer upon The Churches establishment or usage of a day Whereas when we urge the Commandement of God it is usually by our disputers thought most unreasonable to lay such a yoke upon poor Christian captives And therefore we remember not that they ever durst any of them to put any conscience upon sufferings in their way for their sufficient Time or even their Publique Worship Morall Naturall and the Churches determination of either But we must needs professe for our parts that we dare do no other for a weekely Sabbath and the Lords day particularly as determined by God And whatever they think of this hazard or choise and that our Doctrine thrusts such poor captives into miserable straites That either they must sin against God in breaking the Sabbath or provoke their ungodly superiours desperately against them by keeping to it We cannot but say that we esteeme such captives happy rather that have the doctrine of the Sabbath in their hearts to warrant their sufferings much more then such who according to their opinion should think they were bound by their captivity and the Command of obeying their Governours though Pagans and profane to keep no fourth Commandement at all no Sabbath at all nor ordinarily sufficient Time for Gods Solemne Worship even solitarily and the takeing speciall care of their own soules good And if ever it should be our lot
they shall say that this day of Mahomets invention is to be abhorred indeed in token of detestation of his impiety but some other day might be yeelded to We reply 1. That still then Christians must suffer for that nicety of a day 2. That it is scarcely imaginable that any Pagan Governour would allow any other day then what they observed themselves for the first would be double against their profit in that 1. they could not have their servants labour when they were at leisure to joyne with them and over look them and when they were absent they would feare their work would be done but untowardly 2. Besides that whosoever observe a day doth it in some reference to their own Religion and so would rather tye them to that then let them have another specially 3. When they might be able to tell them out of our adversaries suppositions that their Religion their Scriptures did not determine them to any particular day but left it to their Governours to determine And so still they must observe a day invented by wicked men 3. However what day soever they took up a sober conscience would we think shrinke to throw away the Lords day at a Pagans command Let this we say be considered We on the other side being perswaded that God hath not only determined us to one day in seven by the fourth Commandement but to the Lords day for the particular day by those designations of His word as also that in this day this only the number was exactly preserved of one Day a Sabbath six Dayes worke even at the very Time of the change of the Day as we shewed in the former Chapter and that by this meanes God may have the same Day all the World over des other Arguments of which in their due Place We we say upon this perswasion can answer the question readily that we must hold to this particular Day the first Day of the weeke the Lords day and no other whoever commands or forbids offers or threatens For that Gods will must stand and be obeyed before mens against mens and He must be trusted to maintaine us our soules at least which is enough and the most we can be assured of in a hundred other cases in maintaining His Ordinances and appointments XX. 3. They know of no such authoritie We have yet one Argument more to urge against this Authority of Infidell and Pagan-governours for the sufficient Time for Religion and the particular Dayes for it If Pagan-governours have this Authority put into their hands by God Then it is reasonable they should know that this Authority is committed to them But Pagan-governours so farre as we remember in any story never knew of any such Authority committed to them Ergo It is not probable that any such Authority is put over to them The consequence of this Argument may be confirmed by the necessity of a determination to be made proved and confessed to be Morall Naturall And that it cannot be imagined such Princes should take this upon them and exercise this Authority unlesse they have some knowledge or perswasion that this Authority belongs to them The Antecedent may also be fairely argued from the silence of all bookes in this point For though we know that Pagan Princes and states did appoint some dayes extraordinarily yet we find not that they did so ordinarily nor ever thought they might doe so But what was done in this kind was from Oracles or pretences of Oracles of their gods by their priests or otherwise And the greatest flatterers of Pagan Princes never did that we remember ascribe this Authority to them as given them by their gods It were wonderfull then that we Christians should find out this Authority given by God to Pagan Princes of which as we said before there is not the least word nor intimation nor shadow of any such thing in Scripture and the Law of Nature also is sufficiently cleare against it We conclude then here the Authority is not and yet upon divers suppositions of our Adversaries touched already and to be toucht hereafter here it must be or no where among men for those that live in Pagan Countries For to come to the other sort of men That is the Church of God Of which we say as before XXI 2. Not to the Church for all mankind God hath not given to it the Authority of determining the chiefe solemne Time necessary and ordinarily sufficient for the chiefe Time unto all mankind Mankind in referrence to the Church is againe distinguishable into Pagans and Members of the Church Of the latter fort we shall dispute more at large of the former a few words may suffice which yet added to the former discourses will carry the Cause clearly and undeniably That it being Morall Naturall to all men to have and observe a sufficient Time determined for Religion This determination doth not nor cannot belong to men but to God himselfe Thus we reason concerning Pagans If the Church universall hath no Authority but ever her owne Members Then the Authority of determining the necessary and sufficient Time for Religion unto all men belongs not to the Church But the Church universall hath no Authority but over her owne Members Ergo The Authority of determining this Time unto all men belongs not to the Church The Consequence of this Argument cannot be denied Unlesse any would offer to say that all mankind are Members of the Church universall which is most absurd The Antecedent is easily proved As well 1. The Apostle denies any such Authority to be in the Church of Iudging those that are without 1 Cor. 5. And if they cannot judge them then not determine any thing to them For this and that Authority goe together in things determinable by the Church Though the Church may judge in things wherein it may not determine in the sence we now take determination that is the Church may censure which is the judging there meant offenders against Gods Law as the incestuous Person spoken of But it may not determine that to be incest which God hath not made so nor determine any to be lawfull or dispence with it when God hath forbidden it however presumptuous the Church of Rome hath been in both It is lesse then to determine and make Lawes then to judge and censure offenders The Church therefore having no power of censure of those without those that are not her Members can have no power to determine any thing unto them They who are out of the Church are already in as bad a condition as the Churches censure can make them that can but deliver them to Satan and Satan undeniably hath them already The Churches Authority is apparantly but the Authority of a mother now a mother as a mother hath no Authority over children not her owne 2. As also because it is and would be extremly
so one Day in seven Now the perpetuating of this number of one Day in seven we say is by Gods determination of the fourth Commandement still in force They say only by the Churches Authority freely taking it up again after it was made void But against this we argue That the Church having in their opinion authority to chuse another number more Frequent one of 6. or 5. or more rare though sometimes they deny this as one of 8. or 10. It cannot by any just reason be justified or excused in determining again one Day of seven nor can any rule of wisedome plead for the observing of that number if cast by by God But rather all things are against it proclaiming that that number of all other was the most unfit to be taken up again by the Christian Church when as God had rejected it upon so great an occasion as the Death of Christ His Son and our Saviour And for this we have divers particular reasons 1. What is this but expresly to crosse the Wisdom of god LV. 1. It is crosse to the wisdom of God who by His abrogation of this number from being any more obligatory hath manifested His dislike of the number whether as too often or too seldom or as typicall or for what ever other reason can be imagined or surmised The Church having power and authority to chuse another number there being still to be a revolution of Dayes for Religion What could be more absurd then to chuse again this rejected disliked number 2. LVI 2. Thâ— particular seventh Day may as well be reassumed What can be alledged for the reassuming of the number of one Day in seven and rejecting the particular seventh Day if they were both alike Ceremoniall and Typicall so abrogated by Christs Death Or may not the particular Day be reassumed again or any of other Iewish Ceremonies Circumcision Sacrifices difference of meat as well as this number of one in seven If this number be included within the reach of Gal. 4. Rom. 14. Col. 2. which lay levell the Judaicall dayes How can it be retained without contradicting those Texts Or may not all the rest of the weak and beggerly elements and rudiments of the world be reassumed and maintained as well as this If this be one of them Is this the liberty Christs death hath purchased to give His Church leave to continue those Ordinances any one of them for so many hundred yeeres which He hath disanulled and to continue them to the same purpose for which they were of old as this to be the number for the chiefe Time necessary and sufficient for all Christians when they had choice enough besides To bind Christians to that number again by vertue of their Authority left them to settle the waight of the Law of Nature and continuing Morality of the fourth Commandement for a necessary and sufficient Time when God and Christ had set them loose and free from it For our parts we can thinke no otherwise but that this number is unlawfull to be observed for the chiefe Time if God have disanulled it and that the Christian Church had sinned in all Ages in determining or observing it Which because we cannot believe we doubt not but they believed themselves still bound to it by vertue of the fourth Commandement and not of any new determination of the Church at any time and so we believe our selves and all Christians still to be LVII 3. It hath been the cause of scandals to Christians 3. The retaining or reassuming of this number hath apparently done hurt by giving scandall to the Sabbatarians pleading for the particular Jewish day to be still to be observed as well as the number of one Day in seven Also by giving scandall to us whom our Adversaries also in courtesie nick-name Sabbatarians misleading us into superstition if we be mis-led as they say we are for urging the observation of this number and of the whole Day withall as a Sabbath by vertue of the fourth Commandement still in force and so as necessary to Religion by Gods command Which neither the Saturday-Sabbatarians nor we much lesse could ever have dreamed of or have pretended any thing for no more then for the Jewish new moones or other festivals if the number had been altered to one Day of sixe or of eight How easily had this great and multiplied scandall been prevented and how necessarily upon the foregoing Reasons specially Whereas grant the fourth Commandement perpetuall for one Day of seven upon just grounds and though the Saturday-Sabbatarians stumble then at the particular Day yet we doubt not but to remove that sufficiently and God hath done it in His Word as we shall shew though still some will stumble at most plaine truths But this the Church should prevent in her determinations and is most justly blamed for not doing upon the supposition that It might For further 4. If the Church had power to take one Day of sixe LVIII 4. It argues want of zeale in the Church not to determine so much or one Day of five and determine that number in a Revolution for the chiefe solemne Time Where hath been the â—eale of the Christian Church all this while ever since our Saviours time that they have never pitcht upon such a determination as might have been remarkably advantagious in a yeere and much more in a life for the good of Soules and so for the honour of God Which had also taken away and prevented quite all the forementioned inconveniencies Could never any Generall Councell or Nationall Church bethinke themselves of this But they must cling still to that most inconvenient and scandalous number 5. If it be said It was to comply somewhat with the Jewes LIX 5. It is also scandalous to the Jewes that this number of one Day in seven was still retained We answer 1. That somewhat was nothing since the particular Day was cast off which the Jews still hold to and blame as much the neglect of as they could or would for altering the number 2. Rather this is also a scandall to the Jewes that we Christians keep the number still and reject the particular Day which though it be not of importance unto those that know they have the will of God for keeping that and rejecting this 1 Cor. 10.32 yet it falls heavy upon those who unnecessarily scandalize even the Jewes by retaining this number of one Day in seven and rejecting that particular Day while yet they say they were both together in the fourth Commandement and are both now together abrogated as are all the words of the fourth Commandement and yet in the mean time It as well as any of the other ten is written upon Church-walls and read and taught to children and ignorants even the very words of it 3. If this number of one Day in seven had been a while retained for the Jewes sake yet it ought to have ceased long since The
3. But we beleeve we shall put it past a reply specially by taking into consideration some generall sentences of Scripture which call for so much Time for Religion and so often and with such Arguments as seeme to leave then so little for worldly businesses as the wisest among men cannot tell which way to satisfie those sentences and his worldly occasions both unlesse he have the helpe of a particular indulgence from God for so much and so often Time ordinarily for His worldly businesses which expresly as we said involves Gods particular determination of the chiefe Time for Religion necessary and sufficient for the chiefe Time and so a division of every Time or the maine part of it distinctly betweene Himselfe and worldly matters Consider we say the great Commandement To Love God with all our hearts with all our soules with all our minds with all our strengths And how love commands the Time every one hath to imploy specially such a high love as this On the other side the charge of not loving the World nor the things that are in the World and that upon this ground If any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him Such an one hath not a jot of love to God so farre is he from loving him with all his heart and strength as before againe the precept of Christ is not to labour for the meat that perishes but for the meat that endures to eternall Life doth not this call for our Time for the Soule much beyond the Body and worldly matters Also lay not up for your selves treasures on earth but in heaven And set not your affections on things on the earth saith the Apostle They are enemies to the Crosse of Christ and their end is destruction who mind earthly things To be carnally minded is death And he that sowes to the flesh shall of the flesh reape corruption our Saviour seemes to go yet further when He allowes not to take thought so much as for the morrow even what we shall eate or drinke or wherewith we shall be clothed but to seeke first the Kingdome of God and speakes of praying alwayes and so doth His Apostle often even of praying without ceasing and continuing in prayer and watching thereunto with all perseverance And many more such like places All which though we abundantly acknowledge that they must not be interpreted strictly according to the expresse letter and phrase of them For then they would wholly shut out all worldly businesses and turne us altogether into an angelicall manner of devotion and to waite for miraculous sustentations as we toucht before which crosses divers other sentences of Scripture ordering about worldly businesses and particularly charging Servants to be diligent in their earthly Masters work Yet for all that they do undeniably preferre in dignity and commend to all mens care the honour of God and the respect to mens soules to be attended upon in Religious duties above the respect that men are allowed to have to the world or worldly matters or even their bodily lives And this would necessitate undeniably the greatest part of every man by far if there were no particular indulgence of such proportions to be ordinarily and for the maine of them allotted by God Himselfe to our worldly occasions For it would be nothing to say in generall LXX An Exception answered God hath allowed me Time for worldly businesses and appointed me by His providence to such a worldly imployment of a lawfull kind and profitable for men and it is not possible for the generality of mankind to subsist without miracle which God now allowes not to expect and it were to tempt him to expect any in a neglect of a worldly calling unlesse the greatest part of mens Time be imployed about worldly businesses and so it is necessary that the greatest part of Time be so allotted and determined For to all this Sol. from the sentences forecited an invincible reply might be made God hath commanded His own service and the good of mens soules to be looked after as matters of infinitely more absolutely necessity to look after them We say first and far above the other in a manner wholly rejecting and forbidding the other in comparison of these and the necessities of the soul as was in part urged before cannot according to reason be satisfied with lesse then the greatest part of our Time or even with lesse then all And in the comparison between the soul and the body earth and heaven this world and that to come for eternity These alledged Texts do incomparably prefer the soul heaven eternity the world to come as the things to be loved cared for pursued waited upon and so the greatest part of Time to be sure must be alloted to Religion for these ends unlesse we say a particular indulgence of God Himselfe and so a particular ditermination of a sufficient chiefe Time for Religion be to be found and acknowledged Here then we appeale again to the consciences of all that will consider God and mens soules in one ballance and mens worldly businesses in another How hath the Christian Church dared to take six Dayes ordinarily to themselves and leave God but one of seven how hath it dared to take six dayes ordinarily for the world and leave but one of seven for the soules of men We adde how dare our disputers quarrell with that one Day of seven and scarcely yeeld to the number but only from custome but specially quarrell with our challenge of the whole Day for God and mens soules as though it were too much and a heavy yoke which Christ must dye to free us from We aske them how can they or any conscience say so much so often is enough Sufficient for the chiefe Time but by Gods indulgence in the fourth Commandement of six Dayes ordinarily and for the maine for worldly businesses And what could Adam or any of the Patriarkes even according to the law and light of nature without such indulgence particularly exprest to them conclude lawfull for them to imploy in worldly businesses and count the residue sufficient for God and their soules For those sentences named though recorded in the New Testament yet cannot be denyed to be dictates of the very law of nature in Adams heart and all others that acknowledge a God to be worshipped and soules to be immortall Who then might dare of old or may now be so hardy to take six Dayes of seven for worldly occasions or five or foure or three or two or one of seven without out Gods expresse leave and where is there any such leave but in the fourth Commandement and the paralell places to it Gen. 2. and elsewhere Let our Disputers now turne themselves which way they will or can we cannot for our parts imagine how they can wind themselves out of the cords of this argument But that instead of one Day in seven for Religion and six of seven for the
unwise and unhappy as to forfeit by our forsaking the doctrine or practise of this Day of blessing as we there said And now the errour imputed by the Author Sol. 7. quoted in the objection will fall upon himselfe who can no way make good his owne assertions of the Holy observation of the Lords day the Sabbath unlesse he grant all actions words and even thoughts meerly humane which are not necessary for of necessities we have as all agree granted reservations to be sinnes so farre forth For that this were to take so much how little soever from God whose Day it altogether is and from the soule for whose good it is to bestow it and that we say unnecessarily upon the World and a mans selfe in earthly respects And then also how shall the magnificent promise be fulfilled to those that allow not God the whole of His owne twice called holy Day We would not have toucht this slip of so reverend an Authors pen but that we have met with it objected against us and his testimony against us might sway with others if we had wholly passed it over in silence But now we are perswaded we have made good this text also for the securing of happy blessing both personall and nationall to the observers of Gods determined chiefe solemne Time or Sabbath And so our whole Argument taken from His indulgence of the Time for our worldly businesses And so we passe on to some speciall Arguments LXXV God must determine the particular day Arg. 1. for Gods determination of the particular day all time and dayes are his none ours but by his indulgence vindicating the determination of the particular Day for the chiefe solemne Time as well as the chiefe Time it selfe But in a very few words in comparison of our former great length Thus we reason If all Time be Gods and none ours for worldly imployments but by His indulgence Then the particular Day or Dayes for the chiefe Time to Religion belongs to Gods peculiar determination and not to mens But all Time is Gods and none ours for worldly imployments but by His indulgence Ergo The particular Day or Dayes for the chiefe Time to Religion belongs to Gods peculiar determination and not to mens The Antecedent cannot be denyed and hath been sufficiently illustrated in the foregoing Parallel Argument The Consequence of this may also be cleared If we consider 1. That how ever this be no such matter of importance in Religion in the essentiall part of it as the former was yet even this concernes in some sort the Soveraignity of God so far as we can conceive of it Unlesse He had fully and clearely exprest himselfe which we no where find in His Word to have put over the determination of this Particularity to men 2. That an indulgence to men of so much Time so often for their worldly imployments as of sixe Dayes in seven doth not yet in the nature of it allow them to be their own Carvers in the particular Dayes But they must wait upon Gods particular allowance of the particular Dayes before they may presume to imploy any of them at all to their own worldly occasions The order as well as the proportion is in Gods hand originally and He puts not the disposition of that out of His hand without an expresse declaration of so much particularly or at least generally As Lawyers say of the King that He passes away none of his rights in any grant by doubtfull and ambiguous words If but a master say to his servant or scholar or a parent to his child I will allow you so many houres for your selfe your own businesse or sport c. and so much Time you shall attend your booke and my businesse this Day or any Day Will any conclude that such servant scholar or child may take those houres to himselfe when he lists himselfe though he should attend on this master or parent the rest of the Time For this would shew that himselfe rather then his superior were the Lord and commander of his Time and so be an act of presumption as if also his superior were rather beholden to him for affording to give such attendance upon him at all then he to his superior for his indulgence of so much Time when he could have challenged none at all all being his superiors none his own for his private occasions Let this be thought upon and it cannot well be denyed but it is a proper peece of soveraigntie even of all superioritie to retaine the appointment of the particular Times for the chiefe attendance of inferiors upon them in their own hands and a part of the naturall homage such owe to their superiors to depend upon their expresse pleasure for the particularities of the chiefe Times of such attendance as well as for the proportion of such Times A Lord even of a Manour uses to reserve this authority in his own hands That his Courts when all his homagers shall be bound to doe their suit and service to him shall be at his calling and not at the Tenants pleasure either extraordinarily or ordinarily How much more is this a Royaltie beseeming the LORD-Paramount of Heaven Earth We conclude then this Argument with this admonition That our Disputers would but root out that pernicious thought which we feare they are deeply tainted with That Time is now rather our own than Gods And then we make no doubt but they will readily yield both the chiefe Time for His Worship and the particular Dayes for it to belong eternally to His determination and all disputes between them and us will suddenly be at an end We confirme this Argument by a second LXXVI Arg. 2. Upon that determination depends Gods blessing neere of kin to the former sutable also to our foregoing discourses for the chiefe Time If we stand in need of a Blessing from God upon the proportion of Time which we observe for the sufficient chiefe Time for Religion Then the determination of the very particular Day belongs to God peculiarly and not to men But we stand in need of a Blessing from God upon the proportion of Time which we observe for the sufficient chiefe Time for Religion Ergo The determination of the very particular Day belongs to God peculiarly and not to men The Antecedent hath been sufficiently confirmed before The Consequence may be proved by considering 1. That the Proportion cannot be regularly observed but by the determination of a particular Day for it 2. That men have no power to annexe Gods blessing to any determination of theirs That comes freely from Gods own will and pleasure from His meere grace which men cannot so much as know without He reveale it himselfe by way of Promise or Covenant which He doth to His own ordinances but no where to mens ordinances that is to any such determinations of men as are intended obligatory to others N. B. or for any permanencie We adde this
explication because we find that God did for a single act allow His people even after His own Altar was made to build an Altar for sacrifice to Him upon a speciall occasion of earth or of whole stones But they were not to make a custome of using that Altar and therefore the materials of it were to be loose Also in the Passeover Exod. 12. God allowed particular persons according to their store to take a Lambe or a Kid but not that He allowed the Elders to enjoyne all to one sort nor was he that now used a Kid obliged to it the next turne But here the particular Day in question is to be determined for many indeed for all mankind as the next Argument will offer proofe of and so to be oligatorie and accordingly to be at least for some while permanent For it were both altogether ridiculous would bring forth manifold confusions to be every 2d. or 3d. turn or revolution changing the particular Day Therefore we say no such permanent and obligatorie determination hath any promise of Blessing unlesse it be the determination and ordinance of God himselfe Now upon the particular determination of the Day or the particular Day determined the Blessing doth fall though not properly for the particular Dayes sake but for the Proportions to make that sufficient to be observed for the chiefe Time as hath been said Accordingly then that particular Day to make it capable and susceptible of the Blessing that is that the observers of that particular Day may enjoy the Blessing promised to the observers of the chiefe Time that particular Day must not be determined by men but by God LXXVII Arg. 3. It is very fit all the world should have one and the same day as neere as may be A third Argument to like purpose of which also touches have been formerly given but we conceive it convenient to be here expresly handled is from the more then conveniencie neere to a necessitie if not altogether so that there should be one particular Day as neere as may be according to the variation of Climates even the selfe-same Day all the world over for the Honour of God generally from all His servants together at the same time and for the generall exercise of the Communion of Saints also all the world over Thus we propound it If all the world over there is to be as neere as may be one and the self-same particular day for the chief time to Religion Then the determination of this particular Day belongs to God peculiarly and not to men But there is to be all the world over as neere as may be one and the selfe-same particular Day for the chiefe Time for Religion Ergo The determination of this particular Day belongs to God peculiarly and not to men The Consequence of this Argument is evident 1. By the constant necessity of having a particular Day determined for the chiefe Time to Religion so as if any such particular Day which was once determined for it be abrogated upon any grounds whatsoever there must without delay be a new particular Day determined as without which the chiefe Time necessary to Religion cannot be observed by all those whom it concernes by all Christians 2. By the Impossibilitie that without a Divine determination or at least a divine revelation all Christians could so much as come to know what Day particularly were determined by all that know of the abrogation of the former particular Day before them As suppose the Apostles going into severall Countries and preaching the abrogation of the old seventh Day and that a new Day was to be determined by the Church and that Matthew goes first and Thomas after him and Bartholomew after him how can the Christians to whom Thomas or Bartholomew preach thus know without divine revelation what Day is determined by the Churches that made the first determination namely those to whom Matthew preached 3. By a like impossibilitie of their knowing what the Churches that should receive the Gospel after them would determine concerning the particular Day as namely to whom suppose Philip and Andrew and Simon should preach after the others 4. The impossibilitie that they would all agree upon the same Time though they did know one anothers minds unlesse some command from God did necessitate the latter converted Churches to consent to the determination of the first Churches and this supposed would to them be in the nature of a divine determination and would suppose an inspiration from God to have assisted the determination by those Churches 5. Of this the great and violent difference even presently after the Apostles times about the keeping of Easter day upon the particular Day of the Week or the particular Day of the Moneth between the Western and Easterne Churches shewes proofe sufficient namely how little hope or possibilitie there would have been even in the Primitive Times of the agreement about the particular Day for the chiefe Time to Religion and so much rather now if wholly left to the determination of men of the Church Particular or Nationall Churches or any 6. Finally if it may be imagined Except that an Vniversall Councell representing the whole Church might sufficiently have agreed upon the particular Day for all Churches and so for all Christians all the world over We desire it may be considered Sol. 1 1. that there was no such thing as any such universall or generall Councell representing the whole Church in the first Times when the Lords day Inst Sol. the first Day of the Weeke came first to be practised 2. If any shall say that of Act. 15. was such an one he must yet remember there was no such determination made For if it had the Holy Ghost would have recorded it being so necessary a thing Sol. 2 And againe the determinations there were the determinations of the Holy Ghost as is expresly said in the Synodicall Epistle v. 29. Sol. 1 3. Neither could there be any such so soone as this needed to be and was determined for the practise of particular Churches and Christians For we said before there could be no delay after the abrogation of the old seventh Day Sabbath preached And the conversion of Churches so late one after another made a generall Councell of all the Churches in severall Nations of the World impossible till the Gospel had beene planted in all Nations From all which it followes undeniably that if one and the selfe-same Day were or were to be determined in the Apostolike and first Times for the particular Day unto the chiefe Time for Religion unto all Christians all the World over it could be no otherwise then by a Divine determination either by Christ himselfe while He conversed with His Disciples after His resurrection or else by the Apostles divinely inspired and commanding in the Name of God and Christ which comes all to one passe for the point in hand The Antecedent That there is to be all the World
and from the Nature of God conclude His Worship and from the Nature of His Worship conclude a Time as to all other things to be due to it But to goe further and determine what part of our Time is due he means we cannot For it will not follow that because some Time is due Ergo. The seventh more then the eighth of every Moneth or any other Day above or under that number So he Whence we inferre our former conclusion If men cannot determine what is due some being due God must determine it Except If he say he only meanes men cannot determine it by the Light of Nature but by other Rules they may We reply 1. Then God Sol. 1 by this confession must determine it for all the Heathen for all that have no other Rules then the Light of Nature 2. Besides that we Sol. 2 have disproved all other Rules as unsufficient let him try if he can prescribe any sufficient Rules for it Till when we must say againe since man cannot determine it God must that is God hath But heare another To offer sacrifice Abel might learne of Adam Hist sab part 1. pag. 35. or of naturall reason which doth sufficiently instruct us that we ought to make some publike Testimony of our subjection to the Lord. But saith he neither did Adam observe the Sabbath See Prim. p. 8. sect 3. nor could Nature teach it Now marke what followes If Nature could not teach it then Adam could not determine it and if not Adam much lesse any man Except or men now Therefore againe God must and did If he say Adam might determine another Time but not this We Sol. 1 reply 1. If he might without a Rule he might stumble upon this number and day for any thing this Author knowes as well as any other and specially since we heare some notice taken of a Weeke or seven Dayes before Moses was borne of which more Sol. 2 hereafter 2. If he might not without a Rule and had no Rule nor could have any certaine as hath been proved then he might not determine any Yet some Time must be determined Therefore it was by God himselfe Prim. p. 3. adde but one more Adam neither had nor should have had any knowledge of keeping a seventh Day if God had not enjoyned it to him hy a particular Commandement And yet Pag. 127. None can institute a day as Morall but God alone Prim. p. 160. see p. 249. It is Gods prerogative exclusively to men and angels to sanctifie a thing to be an essentiall part and properly so called of Gods service saith he A stinted Day is necessary Ergo say we God must determine it For what could Adam have more for any other time or Day then for a seventh Day without Gods particular Commandement And consider but the Similitude between the second and the fourth Commandements the Matter and the Time of Worship Adam say they or naturall reason might teach Abel to Sacrifice But what Whether a Sheep rather then a Lion or a Swine and how much Whether one Sheep or two Lambs a quart or pecke of fine flower c Neither Adam knew nor could Nature teach either Abel or himselfe Therefore God must direct them So say we of the Time of Worship the chiefe solemne Time That some Time be so set apart for Gods Worship Adam knew and Nature might teach both him and us But how much at once or how often or when that is either the length number or order the Continuance Frequency or particular Day Neither Adam nor Nature nor all the men in the World could or can determine without Divine authority we say not any one of these unlesse they will yeeld the Continuance of a whole Day to be the determination of Nature as we discoursed before and much lesse all of them Therefore we say still it must necessarily belong to God Which things being thus evinced in reason and from their owne confessions in part We cannot but wonder they should so soone forget themselves as to resolve upon the contrary C. D. pag. 39. That however it be necessary that some Time be dedicated to Gods service Yet the determination to this or that particular Day is not necessary to be designed by Scripture And they say the like with more earnestnesse for the Continuance and Frequency of the Dayes which they will have now left to the Church The cleane contrary whereunto doth necessarily follow from their owne grants as we have shewed That some sufficient Time being necessary to be determined for Religion and some particular Dayes also that the sufficient Time determined may be constantly observed And that no man can determine what is that sufficient Time or what Day will please God all must necessarily be designed by Divine authority And that now in the Scripture Or else he must needs run upon the same absurdity that he would put upon us That the Scripture is deficient in things necessary and so forsake his colours of Reformation and passe over into the Campe of the Romanists If he be ashamed of this let him learne and confesse that it is necessary That God in Scripture doe define the chiefe Time of His owne Worship in all the respects of it and accordingly that He hath certainly so done for Christians now as well as for the Jewes of old LXXX The 6. generall Arg. from confession of the Romanists Al. Halens Sum. Theolog. p. 3. q. 32. n. 2. Aquin. 1.2 q. 91. a. 4. c. secundo c. And why should he or any of his fellowes be ashamed to confesse that which some of the Romanists themselves have ingenuously confessed Who yet are knowne to be men not apt to offend in over much modesty where the authority of the Church comes in competition One hath thus resolved plainly When we must rest to God it belongs not to man to determine And againe By the written Law it ought to be determined when men must rest to God And even Aquinas himselfe though he yeeld not the particular Thing in question Yet he layes downe a generall Truth which is justly applyable to the very case in hand He gives this for one reason why it was necessary that besides the Naturall and Humane Lawes we should have a Divine Law Because saith he of the uncertainty of mans judgement specially about things contingent and particular It happens that men are of divers judgements concerning humane acts Therefore that man might without any doubting know what he was to doe and what to avoyd It was necessary that in his proper acts he should be directed by a Law Divine which cannot erre Now seeing the observation of the chiefe Time for Religion is a thing of so great moment as hath been demonstrated and that the judgements of men are so different and so unable to determine what is necessary and what is sufficient for the chiefe Time and which particular Day is fittest It was
tenants to attend him such dayes in a yeare from such an houre to such an houre till he dismisse them this Time as a part of their homage to him their Landlord and as an immediate Honour to His Divine Majesty being so presented and accordingly it is certainly specially acceptable to Him Therefore it is most properly a part of worship and far beyond the nature of a meere adjunct or circumstance in that the description of a part of worship formerly given fully agrees to it 3. If Gods Ceremonially positive command can make a thing any thing Num. 19.2 c. Heb. 9.13 a part of worship as a bunch of Hysope a thread of Scarlet or Purple wooll dust of the Tabernacle the Ashes of a Red Heifer and the like as no man can deny but it was of old of which yet no Morall or Rationall cause can be given but only the Soveraigne will of God requiring such things as a part of His worship much more must it be acknowledged that a morall command of God whether naturall or positive for which a cleare and morall reason may be alledged that such a command is to Gods speciall Honour as also to our great good must needs make the obedience to and observation of any thing so commanded a part of His worship without controll unlesse any will say that a morall command hath lesse force in it then a ceremoniall 2. For the Minor 1. That the necessary sufficient chiefe Time for Religion is morall even morall naturall namely that the law and light of nature commands there should be such a Time observed A Frequent Time of convenient Continuance necessary and sufficient for the chiefe Time that is we all must observe no lesse so often and no seldomer so much But so much so oft is necessary Again we neede observe no more so often nor no oftener so much for the chiefe Time But so much so oft is sufficient All this we have proved at large Chap. 9. And this cannot but be within the compasse of one of the Commandements of the first Table which comprise among them all that concernes Religion as our adversaries confesse often and we have also proved Chap. 10. The observation then of this Time is certainly the obedience to and observation of a morall Commandement of the first Table 2. We have also proved Chap. 10. that this chiefe Time can be determined by none but by God himself and if that be so then unquestionably the words of the fourth Commandement containe that determination of God for the chiefe Time and one Day of seven is it and is morall in that Commandement And so the observation of it is both the observation of the chiefe Time for Religion and the obedience to and observation of the morality of the fourth Commandement And thus both our Propositions being confirmed the conclusion followes assuredly That the observation of this chiefe Time is properly a part of worship of Gods immediate and essentiall worship A third Argument proceeds concerning the particular Day for the chiefe Time that it also is a part of Worship X. Arg. 3. It is commanded by God for His worship Ergo. as our assertion holds forth Whatsoever is certainly commanded by God for his Worship is a part of his Worship But the particular Day for the chiefe Time is certainly commanded by God for his Worship Ergo. The particular Day for the chiefe Time is also a part of Divine Worship The Major cannot be denyed it being the command of God that makes any thing and every thing a part of Worship nothing is so without His command in nature or Scripture how important or necessary it else seeme to be And nothing but is so upon His command how flight soever it seeme to be as we shewed before of a bunch of Hyssop c. The Minor we had also proved in the tenth Chapter by divers arguments and in the ninth Chapter there was this which we think it not amisse breefly to repeate That the number or Frequency of Dayes being once commanded by God as namely a seventh Day in the fourth Commandement If the particular Day come to be changed or to cease and be out of date the immediate next Day doth by vertue of that Commandement of the number of one in seven infallibly and presently come in Place of it as heire at the Common Law and as the successour of a successive Kingdome immediately upon the death of the former King unlesse any new one should be expressely set up by the same authority that commanded the number of one Day in seven So that God having commanded the number of one Day in seven for the chiefe Time to Religion in a constant revolution which is to leave six Dayes still together for worke and a seventh Day to be a Sabbath Immediately upon the change of the particular Day for the chiefe Time which of old was the last of the seven Immediately we say upon the ceasing of that and its growing out of date the very next Day which is the first Day of the next weeke comes in the stead of it even in the silence of God as being already commanded by the fourth Commandement which determined the number and so remaines as commanded by God and is therefore a part of His Worship now as well as that former particular Day was which none denyes XI The objections answered Except Prim. p. 2. Now these Arguments a man may think were cleare enough to carry this cause Yet some thing is pretended against them at least against our assertion Let us therefore now consider it Thus one excepts The Time under the Old Testament made a part of Gods service not of the morall but of the Ceremoniall and Typicall service established then in the infancy of the Church which was not to continue but â—ring the Time To this we answer 1. That though this be true of the other Festivalls yet we deny it of the weekely Sabbath one Day of seven For as much as it cannot be denyed but it was then and we have proved and shall do yet further in that next part that it is still the chiefe Time determined by God for all men and so morally commanded to all men from Adam to the worlds end and as such it was as we have now argued and so is still a part of Gods worship of his morall worship and in no respect ceremoniall 2. As for the particular Day which then was commanded for that chiefe Time though we grant it was not Morall that is perpetuall but only Temporary for that world from Adam to Christ as also we deny not but God to the Jewes annexed some Ceremoniality to it which use made it more a part of worship for that Time viz. of the typicall worship Yet forasmuch as that which generally and properly made it a part of worship was not this or that particular use but the expresse command of God In like sort though the particular Day
make as it were nothing of His service and of solemne Times for it But of this more in another place LV. 3. It is most consonant to Nature to begin the day in the morning We proceed to the third Proposition about the beginning of the particular Day and that is It seemes most consonant to the Law and Light of Nature and Scripture reason that unlesse God otherwise determine it himselfe the beginning of the Day should be in the morning that is after midnight rather then the evening before We put in that Parenthesis unlesse God otherwise determine it himselfe As well that we may never neither by way of consequence nor so much as in appearance dispute against any appointment of God acknowledging everlastingly that all His determinations what ever we may surmise or argue are wisest and best so long and so much as He will have them stand As also for that it is commonly taken for an undoubted and undeniable truth That the old Jewish Sabbath did begin and so end at Evening Whether it did so certainly or no perhaps we shall consider more particularly hereafter But for the present we cannot forbeare to say that we are no way convinced that it ended in the Evening though we will not now neither dispute that in point of fact But all we will doe for the present about it is to shew our grounds why under favour of Gods not determining otherwise as we said we conceive it most sutable to Religious reason that the chiefe solemne Time should not end till our waking Time ends or till Midnight and so consequently if it must be a whole Dayes continuance as we suppose it must the beginning must be at Midnight The reason of that assertion and not the Evening before Our reason is That if we consider the Evening before or the Evening after there will be perpetuall danger of incroachment either upon the Religious Time or the Worldly Time to the prejudice of one of them but specially of Religion in most men 1. Consider the Evening before In winter time it is Evening with us at five a clock a good part of the Time and at foure for a week or two or more If now as soon as it growes dark the Time for Religion begins They must to observe it aright and have their minds in frame lay aside their worldly businesses a while at least before and this will at least seem to incroach too much upon their businesses and disappoint Markets on the Day before and Journies very much sometimes Or rather the hazard will be that worldly things will stick to mens fingers and businesses in their minds so long that what with Supper time and other Night-businesses before they goe to bed and many hasting to bed under pretence perhaps of earlier rising in the Morning though likely enough they mean nothing lesse nor do they rise the earlier for it God and the soule would have very little even of those houres after four or five a clock besides what conscientious men use to give Him every night and so scarce worth the while of reckoning the Religious Time or Day for it to begin at Evening specially considering the great losse that would in all likelihood be by the ending of it at Even which is the second Consideration For supposing the Day ended at foure or five or sixe a clock either men would still continue their Religious thoughts as to close fairly their waking Time with them and this would be againe thought too much because the former Evening was challenged as Gods due whether He had it or not Or else which would be infallibly with the most of men they would instantly when it grew darke or at Sun-set which I take it was the Jewes Evening ending those Dayes that did end at Even as the Day of Expiation Lev. 23.23 throw away all thoughts of Religion and fall to worke or buying and selling in shops or to sports and play which cannot possibly but be prejudiciall to Religion by weakning the good they had received before in the Day and even making them lose any godly affections they had gotten by a cold dampe deading any spirituall heat that might be put into them by the ordinances and services of God publike or domestick or solitary by one or all Hereunto we may adde that upon the knowledge of this ending at that houre there would be before-hand matches made of meeting to make bargaines to game and play and perhaps to drink and carowse the Day being now over and then even before it were over the minds of most worldly people would so run upon those things even while they were in the exercises of devotion that they will make very little benefit by them but they will as it were sit upon thornes in the publike Ordinances and rather then faile goe out in the midst of them if they misdoubt or discerne that they are like to trench upon their worldly times And for this we would but appeale even to sober consciences when they sometimes heare a Sermon on the Week-dayes after which immediately they have worldly businesses or even but a meeting of pleasure to attend upon Whether those things doe not much run in their heads and make them sit in paine and feare and long that it were done and even tempt them to goe out unlesse shame hold them and leave it before the end or specially before the end of Prayer Psalme and Blessing And then it would be undoubtedly much worse with ordinary people as appeares but too manifestly by their goings out both morning and afternoon as soon as they think the Sermon should end the glasse being run or that it is ended and they hasten to their dinner or to serve their cattell or the like But now by the beginning and ending at Midnight or the Morning which is ordinarily all one so as one wakes in the Religious Day and lies down to sleep in it All the inconvenience on both sides is prevented Men may follow their businesses the Night before that they may the lesse disturbe them on the Day for Religion and their Night-devotions may settle their minds against the next Day and then on that Day all the waking Time being determined for Religion it will plainly secure very much all the good gotten and keepe out all mischievous disappointments by worldly thoughts and discourses and to settle a mans spirit excellently by lying down with those thoughts of God and Religion and so sleeping as in Gods armes may make all singularly happy to him And if this be so they are surely not so well advised that have so ridgedly urged the beginning of the Lords day to be necessarily at Evening as they suppose it was with the Jewish Sabbath But we have somewhat further to say to them about that from our Saviours Resurrection in the Morning Of which we shall discourse hereafter LVI 4. The same day to all mankind is conducible And now we passe
world we must rather yeeld God and our soules six of seven or more even all then rest in such a scanty proportion and give the world so much but by vertue of the Indulgence in the fourth Commandement which without all question cannot be longer lived then the Commandement it selfe let them consider it and tell us their mindes when they are resolved of an answer Meane while LXXI 4. There is a blessing of God required to make any proportion of Time sufficient we intreate them to take a fourth consideration along with them or a further confirmation as we may call it of this last though it hath somewhat distinct as will appeare For 4. Besides the Commands requiring the mainest part of our Time for Religion and God as we have seen There is to be considered a Blessing necessary to make any proportion and distribution of Time lesse then all to be sufficient for mens soules And this we are put in mind of by the very first mention of Gods determining a particular Time Gen. 2. under the terme of Blessing which also the Commandement emphatically repeates and Esay particularly comments upon as we shall see We say whatsoever Time is taken out of the whole and allotted by Indulgence to worldly businesse doth not nor cannot leave the residue how great soever the proportion be sufficient for mens soules but by vertue of speciall blessing upon that proportion of Time which is determined for soules be it more or lesse And this Blessing comming only from God the determined proportion must be also from Him for Religion which of it selfe gives assurance of an answerable blessing according to the intendment of that Time even though there should be no distinct mention of a Blessing which yet as we said God hath annexed to His determination of a Weekly Sabbath for the chiefe Time for Religion even from the beginning But without such expresse and particular determination from God or an expresse promise of Blessing on the proportion which men or the Church shall determine whatever it be which is no where to be found in Scripture We have no manner of ground to conceit a Blessing on any proportion of Time that can be determined by men for Religion to make that sufficient for mens soules A Blessing we say beyond the proportion of that which might be expected from so long and so often attendance on Religion a multiplying Blessing in the nature of Christs blessing the five loaves and two fishes to feed more by many then the naturall proportion could possibly give hopes of So that the attendance on God one Day in seven which is the Time in question shall be blessed beyond an ordinary Dayes service if it were not specially appointed by God and have a stronger influence on all the other sixe Dayes of the Week following then could be expected from so much Time spent in Religion simply considered as so much Time And without such a Blessing upon the consecrated solemne Time the soule would still be leane hungry and even starve for want of a sufficient proportion of Time by reason of its manifold continuall necessities faintings decayes and temptations So that whatever our Adversaries dispute against the Commandement of God we conceive they dispute against their own participation of a Blessing upon whatsoever Time is determined and observed by men themselves or others And that a certainer Blessing may be rested on in the observation of one Day in seven as from Gods determination then in two Dayes in seven three Dayes nay sixe Dayes in seven at mans appointment For here still would be uncertainty whether this proportion were sufficient But Gods command which in all His Ordinances hath eternally a Blessing annexed to the right observers is sure and certaine to convey a Blessing and make a sufficiencie for the chiefe Time in which Consciences may abundantly rest and satisfie themselves And this we are fully perswaded God meant to signifie to us when Gen. 2. at the first mention of His consecrating a solemne Time He saith The Lord blessed the seventh Day and sanctified it A Day or any other such creature is capable of no other Blessing then to be made a meanes of Blessing to the right users of it according to Gods command And observe that because God saw that the encouragement of a Blessing was greatly necessary in this matter He saith not the Lord sanctified the seventh Day and blessed it But the Lord blessed and sanctified First blessed and then sanctified Though we cannot tell how to conceive the Blessing without the Sanctification going before or at least concurrent yet God to shew more abundantly his goodnesse and graciousnesse both in challenging this proportion to himselfe of one Day in seven and allowing by His indulgence sixe Dayes of seven for worldly occasions He puts the Blessing foremost and so He doth also remarkably in the fourth Commandement where having expresly allowed the indulgence of six Dayes for worldly work after He had challenged a seventh Day for a Sabbath for Himselfe He repeats His own example of sixe Dayes work and then His blessing a Sabbath a seventh Day and sanctifying it Why so but to assure us that a happy Blessing should attend the conscionable observation of this Sabbath of one Day in seven that though it were so little a proportion yet it should be ordinarily sufficient for the chiefe Time And all the sixe Dayes between the revolutions of this Sabbath one Day in seven should taste of the good gotten on that Day The strength of it lasting in mens soules from Sabbath to Sabbath with a little of each Day besides as was said formerly and they should by it principally grow in grace and spirituall comfort in God towards eternall life notwithstanding all their ordinary and great interruptions of worldly businesses on the Working Dayes And upon this we have as it seems to us LXXII The Text of Isa 56.2 expounded the Evangelical Prophet Isa a clear pertinent commentator interpreter as we toucht before and that in two Chapters of his Prophesie towards the latter end where he is much if not altogether upon the Times of the Gospel Let us see what he saith to our purpose c. 56. 58. In the former place calling all sorts to Gods Covenant and particularly to the observation of the Sabbath he begins with Blessed is the man that doth this and the son of man that layes hold on it that keeps the Sabbath from polluting it v. 2. Then encouraging the Eunuchs though persons under a kind of legall curse in those dayes to this observation he promiseth them from God an everlasting name better then of sons and of daughters a name which should not be cut off that is a spirituall blessing on their soules and an owning them for His true and faithfull servants v. 3 4 5. And againe encouraging the strangers the Heathen outwardly as yet without the Covenant of Grace to come in and sanctifie the