such like markes the Lords day is made famous And in another place he saith further Idem de temp serm 154. This is the day in which the children of Israel passed through the red sea drie foote in which the Lord Iesus was baptised in Iordan in which he turned water into wine in Cana of Galile in which he fedde 5000. men with fiue loaues in the desert in which he came into his Disciples when the doores were shut in which we hope that he shall come to iudgement Many other things are spoken of this day as that vpon it Christ was borne vpon this day the old Couenant and Testament was changed into the new especially of some of the Rabbins Wolph chronol lib. 2. cap. 1. as Wolphinus obserueth Vpon this day Aaron and his sonnes were consecrated to their office and the Princes did begin to offer to the Tabernacle So that as the Psalmist sayth of Ierusalem Glorious things are spoken of thee thou citie of God so we may say many excellent things are spoken of this day All which whether they be true or no we cannot tel and yet if they were they are all nothing to this The resurrection of Christ which alone hath made it famous and hath giuen it that honor which all the other besides are not able to doe So that in this respect it may bee truely sayd of this day as it is in the Psalme Psalm 118.15 This is the day which the Lord hath made let vs be glad and reioyce in it For this Psalm principally pertaineth vnto the Messiah of whom Dauid was a type and figure as Master Beza noteth Beza paraphr in hunc Psal So that here the day of the Lords resurrection is commended vnto vs wherein he being deliuered from death is made the head of the corner as Dauid being deliuered from his enemies was made the head of the people So that I say as for the memorie of the first Creation that seuenth day was sanctified by the Lord in which he rested from his work and thereby declared that al things were most perfect when hee wrought no more vpon which consideration the whole worlde was bound to keepe that day vntill the comming of Christ euen so he at his comming taking vpoÌ„ him the creating as it were of a new world I meane the renewing of it and redeeming of it from sin and from that bondage Rom. 8.21 corruption and vanitie as the Apostle speaketh wherein all the creatures were by reason of sinne and faithfully performing all things to the full not leauing of any iot or title thereof from the beginning of his life to the last moment of his death yea and in his death and buriall and Resurrection most of all after which time he suffered no more but entered into his rest and vpon that day he began and so continueth it for euer that the most famous and worthiâ— memorie of his second creation might not bee inferiour to the first but that the beautie and glorie of it might shine more excellently in the Church Therefore this day was appoynted and none but this could be ordained then that of the other as indeede it was greater therefore this day was ordained by speciall aduice and none but this day could be chosen to be the Sabbath and day of Rest which Christ Iesus the Creator of the new world rested from his work of the new creation for thus indeede the Prophets doe speake of the time of the Messiah that then all things should be made new Esay 65.17 I will create new heauens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde because the price of their renewing was then fully payed And againe for this cause when the sayd Prophets doe speake but of the time vnto Christs comming they expresse it in these words for euer as they are willed to keepe the holie feast of the Passâ—ouer vnto the Lorde throughout their generations by an ordinance for euer Exod. 12.12 and so likewise the other sacrament of Circumcision is called by the Lord an euerlasting couenant Gen. 17.14 because then the first world had an end that I might so speake and the new world began in which respect the time of the Gospell is called the world to come Heb. 2.5 And therefore as the Church by keeping the first seuenth day did testifie that they worshipped and depended vpon that God which rested himselfe vpon that day from the work of creation and therefore sanctified it so we by keeping this seuenth day doe witnesse not onely to all the Church but to all Turkes Infidels Panims and Atheists in the world that we serue and looke assuredly to be saued by that Lord Iesus Christ and by none other who by his resurrection vpoÌ„ this day did rest froÌ„ the worke of our Redemption which he had fully ended and brought to perfection Neither did the Church iudâ—e amisse P. Martir in Gen. 2. sayth P. Martir if in obseruing the Lords day it preferred the memorie of our present restoring that is the resurrection of Christ before the finishing of the workmanship of the world And againe For this cause saith a learned writer euen because of Christs resurrection when the day was changed the change was made Wolph Chronol lib. 2. cap. 1. A feria septima in primam From the seuenth day of the weeke into the first and the beginning of the Sabbath is not now from the euening but from the morning at what time the Lord did rise againe And lastly The cause of this change sayth Iunius is the resurrection of Christ Iunij praelect in Gen. 2.3 and the benefite of the restoring of the Church by Christ the remembrance of which benefite did succeede into the place of the memorie of the creation Non humana traditione sed Christi ipsius obseruatione instituto not by the tradition of man but by the obseruation appointment of Christ who both on the day of his resurrection and on euery eight day after vnto his ascension into heauen did appeare vnto his Disciples and come into their assemblie Like vnto the which This day must neuer be changed but continue vnto the ende of the world because nothing can euer fall out in the world comparable vnto it in glorie and power therefore this day must continue in his first honor of sanctification vnto the end of all things and no day bee set vp like to it or it changed into any other day least the wonderfull glorie of that thing bee darkened and the infinite power of it weakened I meane the glorious and mightie worke of our Redemption which by the sanctification of this Sabbath is commended vnto vs and we by keeping that holie still do commend it to our posteritie And this is it which is alleadged as a reason of the obseruation of this day in the Apostles constitutions Constit. Apostol lib. 7. c. 37. It is
braines wee may iudge to the contrarie So that if any man when he hath had the whole weeke before him to make his prouision will neglect the oportunitie and passe the time ouer and then goe vpon the Lords day to the butchers or such like places to buie victuals hoping to get a better penniworth or because he would not lette his busines before or for that he maketh no difference of dayes and all this while grosselie imagineth that hee committeth no sinne excusing his fact with this that meate must needes bee had and it cannot bee deferred daubing it vp as it were with the vntempered morter of necessitie hee must bee admonished that howsoeuer hee may set a fayre face on his before men and may bleare their eyes that cannot well see yet in Gods iudgement iâ— is lesse then nothing who must be iudge of all but will melt away as snowe before the sunne seeing that hee hath to cut off the head and tayle of those idle pretences spoken aloude and proclaymed long agoe that the sabbath is to bee obserued and remembred for these causes which we must doe so much the rather because he promiseth vnto vs that in sixe dayes we shall be able to doe all our worke for so is it in the wordes of the commandement Sixe dayes shalt thou labour and doe all thy worke Euery man in the sixe dayes may doe all his worke in which words because he vseth it as a reason to perswade vs to rest vpon the seuenth day there must needs bee secretly included as there is a promise of the blessing of God vpon our labours in the sixe dayes that in them we shal be able to do al our work euen al our work I say which properlie belongeth vnto vs and which the Lord would haue vs to doe and therefore calleth it our worke As Master Caluin noteth vpon these wordes Calu. in Exod. 20.8 Vniuersum opus All thy worke hereby saith he is signified that though the sabbath be taken away there will be time enough for all our busines otherwise this reason we see were insufficient to perswade men to rest vpon the seuenth day if in the sixe wee might truelie obiect they cannot doe all their worke But the Lord who knoweth what hee would haue vs to doe and therefore what is our worke better then wee our selues and what is our strength to doe it and what time we haue allotted out for it he saith in the sixe days we may doe all our worke and this he speaketh to the busiest bodie in the worlde and to the most couetous who knoweth no ende of working whereby any gayne is gotten and therefore when we take vpon vs so many things that we are ouerwhelmed with them cannot bring them to an ende with the end of the sixe dayes then haue we intermedled with that which belongs not vnto vs and haue entered as it were vpon other mens busines and it is not the Lord but the diuell that hath set vs on worke and he will one day pay vs our hyre Master Caluin doth lay forth this whole matter very plentifully in most significant wordes Caluin vpon Deut. 5. serm 35. and followes it with great power in his sermons vpon Deuteronomie When it is sayd Thou shalt labour sixe dayes our Lords would hereby signifie vnto vs that wee ought not to complaine of yeelding vnto him one certaine day when hee leaueth vnto vs sixe for one as if hee did say shall the cost and charge bee great vnto you to chuse one day which may bee wholly giuen to my seruice that you doe no other thing in it but reade and exercise your selues in my lawe or heare my doctrine which shall bee preached vnto you a day to come to the Temple to the end you may there be confirmed by the sacrifices which are there made a day to call vpon my name to declare and protest that you are of the number and companie of my people ought this to bee grieuous and troublesome vnto you seeing you haue sixe daies free to traffique and to doe your busines in when I vse such gentlenes towards you that I demand but one day of seuen is not this an ouer greâ—t vnthankefulnes on your part if you complaine of this time as being euill imployed If you bee such couetous and niggardly wretches as not to spare me one seuenth part of the time I haue giuen you your whole life wheresoeuer the sunne shineth vpon you you ought to acknowledge my goodnes and how that I am a liberall father towards you for this sunne which J make to shine is to giue you a meane to goe and walke by to the end that euery one may doe his busines and yet for all this why is it that I shall not haue one day among seuen in which euery one should withdrawe himselfe from his trauaile and labour that you bee not wrapped in the care of the worlde and so haue no care to thinke vpon me Now then we see that this sentence of trauailing the sixe dayes is not placed as a commandement but is rather a permission which God giueth and that to reproch the vnthankefulnes of men if they obserue not the Sabbath day and sanctifie it in such sort as we haue spoken So then when men shall haue well considered of this thing they shall be conuinced that God beareth with them as a father which should shew himselfe pitifull to his children and therefore let vs take diligent heede that we be not vngratefull but be prouoked and allured to serue our God so much the more seeing he commandeth vs not those things which might seem ouer bitter and painefull vnto vs but hath a due regard to our power and abilitie therefore when he beareth with vs after this manner and leaueth vnto vs our profits and commodities so much more dissolute wicked and inexcusable are wee if we be not inflamed to yeeld our selues wholly vnto him Thus farre Master Caluin See then what an impudency and rebellion this is that men are growen vnto the Lord sayth In sixe daies they may doe all their worke and therefore willeth them to rest vpon the seuenth and they most wickedly crie out as loud with more then a whorish face by their speeches and practises that in sixe daies they cannot doe all their worke and therefore they take vp also all our part of the seuenth what a crueltie then is this that they charge the Lord withall that he should bind them vnder the paine of eternall condemnation to rest vpon the seuenth day and yet should not giue them sufficient time vpon the other dayes to end their worke in which once but to imagine were horrible impietie But let vs iustifie the Lord in his mercie and confesse as the truth is that wee ought so much the more carefully to remember the Sabbath to rest vpon it because in the sixe daies wee may doe all our worke if wee will pray vnto God for
teach vs that these are the meanes to sanctifie it by and that they are proper vnto the day Now though prayer be not here named yet we are to presume that neither the word nor sacraments were ministred withouth it seeing the fruite of both dependeth vpon the blessing of God which is obtained by prayer and seeing that in other places they are ioyned together And that the ministrie of the word is so vnseparably ioyned to the Sabbath and hath alwaies beene further appeareth by that which is most plainely in many words set downe in the 13. Acts 13.14 chapter of the same storie where it is thus written When Paul and Barnabas departed from Perga they came to Antiochia a citie of Pisidia and went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day and sate downe 15. And after the lecture of the law and Prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent vnto them saying Ye men and brethren if yee haue any worde of exhortation for the people say on 16. Then Paul stood vp and beckened with the hande and sayd Men of Israell c. as followeth in that chapter to the 42. verse where againe it is written that when they were come out of the Synagogue of the Iewes the Gentiles besought that they would preach these wordes to them the next Sabbath day 44. And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole citie to heare the world of GOD which words doe sufficiently shew that it hath alwaies beene diligently obserued of the Church to sanctifie the Sabbath day in the publike reading and preaching of the word as in the most singular part of Gods seruice For Paul came and founde the Church alreadie met together vpon the Sabbath and reading the lawe and the Prophets and then was desired to preach and afterwards being desired to preach againe they came and heard him vpon the Sabbath And in the 15. chapter wee haue heard alreadie That Moses hath of old time Acts 15.21 in euery citie them that preach him seeing he is read euery Sabbath day in the Synagogues Besides that which is written of Paul in the 17. Chap 17.1.2.3 chapter that he comming to Thessalonica where was a Synagogue of the Iewes as his manner was went in vnto them and three Sabbath daies disputed with them by the scriptures opening and alledging that Christ must haue suffered and risen againe from the dead and this is Iesus Christ whom sayd he I preach vnto you But it were an endlesse labour though profitable in order to reckon vp all the seuerall places which shewe that these are the holy works of the Sabbath which the Lord requiteth all men to bee occupied in if they will sanctifie the day according to his commandement and as the practise of the Church giueth vs example And vpon these considerations it seemeth it was enacted in a councell held in Germanie vnder Charles the great for the maintaining of the publike preaching euery Lords day Concil Mogūt cap. 25. that Si forte Episcopus If the Bishop be not at home or be sicke or vpon any other vrgent cause be not able himselfe Nunquam tamen desit diebus Dominicis qui verbum Dei praedicet Yet let it bee so prouided that there neuer want one to preach the worde of God vnto the people on the Lords daies Phil. Melanct. in praecept 3. Master Melancthon reckoning vp many parts of sanctifying the Sabbath sayth Piè fungi ministerio where he makes this not onely one but the principall thing for a man well to discharge his ministerie in which answer he includeth the preaching of the word because a little before he sayth that the Prophets when they lament the desolation of the Sabbath they complaine Abolitum esse ministerium docendi That the ministerie of teaching was abolished and that the priests lips did not keepe knowledge But as themselues say they were dumme dogs and delighted in sleeping Bucer in Mat. 12.11 And Master Bucer in this argument writing of the practise of that Church wherein himselfe liued sayth Dominicis diebus in singulis Parochijs ad minimum duae si non tres habentur conciones Vpon the Lords dayes in euery parish there are two sermons at the least if not three Which also as it may be truely sayd of a great number of Churches in England for the space of these many yeares vnder the most happy raigne of her maiestie to the great glory of God her singular renowne and the saluation of many soules so in that respect we are to bow our knees vnto God day and night for the preseruation of her royal maiestie that it may be so by her meanes for euer as also that in those places where it is yet wanting it might be brought in in Gods most blessed time if our vnthankfulnes doe not hinder vs euen as that zealous and good King Iehosaphat could not doe all things in his time that he would for the reformation of the Church because the people then had not prepared their hearts to serue the GOD of their fathers 2. Chron. 20.33 Therefore to be short let vs looke vnto that which is in the chapter immediatly following Chap. 18.4 That Paul abiding at Corinth disputed in the Synagogue euery Sabbath day and exhorted the Iewes and the Grecians Here the holy Ghost witnesseth of him that hee did openly teach the scriptures euery Sabbath day and in the forenamed place that it was his manner so to doe then it must needs be the custome of the Church to come to the publike ministrie of the word vpon those dayes Al men ought to resort to those places where the word is preached and it must be a common manner with them which is spoken to this end that we might not be of that brutish mind that some are of that know no other thing to do vpon the Sabbath but to rest and take their ease and therfore lye many times at home sleeping most prophanely and so their oxe and their asse in ceasing from their worke keepe as good a Sabbath as they neither to be so ignorant as others are who content thēselues with their owne priuate readings at home or with the bare reading of the word in the Church neglecting the preaching of it not labouring to procure it to themselues nor repairing to those places in the meane season where it is though it be the chiefest part of Gods seruice and therefore the most especiall meanes whereby the Sabbath is sanctified and without the which all other things in the seruice of God are lesse accepted of God and more vnprofitable to our owne selues Therefore how many places of scripture haue wee seene before commanding vs so straightly to sanctifie the Sabbath so many are there binding all men of what estate and cōdition soeuer to listen after the preaching of the word and to be at it euery Sabbath if they haue any care to discharge themselues of that obedience vnto God which he
of our life testifie it let our workes proue it for who will beleeue that hee hath beene present at the assemblies of the Church and hath heard the worde of God with a syncere heart and a true faith who bestowes the rest not onely of that day as he sayth but of his life not onely more vainely but more wickedly Let vs therefore in the feare of God and as wee haue a care of our owne soules repent vs earnestly of that that is past and praye vnto him that in all time to come we might make more conscience of obseruing the Lords day in all the parts of his worship publikely and priuately and that wee may bring forth the fruite of them all more plentifully all the daies both of the weeke following and of our whole life to the glory and praise of his holy name the vnspeakable comfort and endlesse saluation of our owne soules the good example of his Church the stopping of the mouthes of the wicked and the leauing of them without excuse and that in and by our onely Lorde redeemer and mediatour Iesus Christ through the operation of his holy spirit to which blessed Trinitie in vnitie for his grace vpon me in finishing this work and for all other his mercies bee ascribed as most due all honour glorie and praise both now for euermore Amen FINIS A Table of the principall matter contained in the first Booke THis Commandement in foure things differs from al the rest pag. 1. 2. 3. 4 That there ought to be a Sabbath day continually kept of al men to the end of the world pag. 5 The Sabbath day was kept from the beginning of the world before it was pronounced vpon Mount Sinay pag. 6 The lawe of the Sabbath is naturall ibid. 7. 8 The Gospell hath not taken away the obseruation of the Sabbath pag. 9. 10 The Sabbath was ordained for 2. principall ends pag. 11. 12 It is necessarie that there should be one day of rest in the weeke ibid. 13 It is necessarie that one day in the weeke shoulde bee sanctified pag. 14. 15. 16 If there were no Sabbath Gods worship would bee altogether neglected pag. 17. 18. 19 Obiections to disproue the continuāce of the Sabbath vnder the Gospell answered p. 20. 21. c. The Sabbath ought to be vpō the seuenth day and vpon none other pag. 30. 31. 32 And vpon this seuenth day that we now keepe pag. 33. 35 This change of the day was made by the Apostles p. 36. 38 Why the Apostles chaunged the Iewish Sabbath into this day that we now keepe rather then into any other p. 42. 43. c. This day must neuer be changed but continue to the end of the world pag. 47 It is and must now bee called the Lords day pag. 48 The first thing commaunded is to rest vpon this day pag. 51 A very exact and precise rest must be kept pag. 53. 54 The causes of this rest p. 57. 58 From what things wee ought to rest pag 63. 64. c. All sorts of men high and low are commanded to rest p. 82 c. The cattell must rest pag. 85 Wee must not compell others to worke for vs. p. 89. c. They that be in authority must restraine other from working pag. 93. c. Obiect how shall men liue if they worke not Answered p 98. c. What bodily labour may bee vsed vpon this day p. 102. c. Euery man in the sixe dayes may doe all his worke pag. 119 Obiection If wee bee bound thus straightly to rest wee are in as great bondage vnder the Gospell as the Iewes Answered pag. 124. c. Sundry iudgements of God vpon the breakers of the Sabbath pag. 128. 129. c. Wee ought to rest also vpon this day from al honest recreations and lawfull delights p. 131. c. And from speaking and hearing of worldly matters p. 137. c And from hauing our mindes occupied about the same p. 140 Obiection Who is able then to keepe this Commandement Answered pag. 144. An application of all this to our selues pag. 146 FINIS The principall matters in the second Booke THe second thing in the Commandement is to sanctifie the day of rest pag. 149. 150 It is then sanctified c. ibid. Which is principally required in this Commandement 153. c. We must remember the Sabbath to this end especially p. 156. c. The sanctificatiō of the day is precisely vrged in many c. p. 158 Then the daylie seruice of God was doubled p. 161 Our Church assemblies ought to be vpon this day p. 162 At which time men ought to bee there present p. 164 Then ought Gods worde to bee preached p. 166. c. All men should goe where they may heare it p. 169 c. Where it is not preached heard the day cannot be hallowed as it should p. 172 They that cannot or will not preach are causes of vnhallowing this day p. 173 Wee must be present at the rest of diuine seruice frō the beginning to the end therof p. 174 175. c. God would haue vs to serue him publikely in the Church p. 177 Sundry reasons to perswade therunto p. 178 After what manner and to what end we ought c. p 183 Wee must repent for our vnprofitable comming to church 188 Publike collection for the poore ought to be made c. p. 191 How wee ought priuatly to spend the rest of the day 194 Wee must prepare our selues before we come to church c. 195 How we ought to prepare c. 198 We must reade the scriptures priuatly at home 200 Wee must vse priuate meditation vpon that we haue c. 203 What meditation is and the great fruits thereof 203. 205 How vnprofitable we are for want of meditation 207 Wee ought priuatly to talke and conferre c. 210 The profit of such cōferēces 219 What hinders men frō thē p. 216 With whō we ought to cōfer 220 Wee ought to meditate and conferre also of Gods works 222 Which will teach vs to profit by al things and in all estates 230 There ought to be singing c. 235 The fruit of singing Psalmes 239 Singing of Psalmes is greatly decayed 241 The cause of this decay 242 The praise and commendation of singing Psalmes 244 The workes of mercie ought to bee practised especially on this day 246 We ought then to visit them that be in miserie 252 The spiritual works of mercie are then especially to bee done to mens soules 255 All superiours ought to bee careful that their inferiours c 258 In our time this is greatly neglected c. 263 Lawes should bee made and well executed c. 274 The great good that redounds to the cōmon-wealth thereby 275 A Conclusion with an application of al to our selues others 281 FINIS
that he blessed the seuenth day and sanctified it and that in it God rested from all his worke which he made to teach vs assuredly that this Commandement of the Sabbath * P. Martir in Gen. 2. was no more then first giuen when it was pronounced from heauen by the Lord then any other the Morall precepts nay that it hath so much antiquitie as the seuenth day hath being for so soone as the day was so soone was it sanctified that wee might know Rulling in Rom. 4.5 that as it came in with the first man so it must not goe out but with the last man and as it was in the beginning of the world so it must continue to the ending of the same and as the first seuenth day was sanctified so must the last be and as God bestowed this blessing vpon it in the most perfecte estate of man so must it be reserued with it till he be restored to his perfection againe The Church of God did keepe the Sabbath from the beginning before it was pronounced vpon Mount Sinai And we shall be so much the rather perswaded of this if we consider how the Church of God vpon the consideration of the first institution of the Sabbath did retaine by tradition the true knowledge and practise of this Commandement as well as any other part of the word from Adam vnto the comming of the Israelites into the wildernesse passing ouer the red sea from out of Egypt before the giuing of the law as appeareth in Exodus when Moses exhorting them vpon this new occasion of gathering and preparing Manna to the sanctifying of the Sabbath still notwithstanding that as they had done before and therefore to rest now from both saying Bake that to day which you will bake Exod. 16.23 and seeth that which you will seeth and all that remaineth lay it vp to be kept till the morning for you first speaketh of the Sabbath immediatlie following as of a knowne thing vnto them in the former part of the verse to morowe is the rest of the holie Sabbath vnto the Lord vpon which bare notice of the Sabbath next ensuing hee could not haue so forcibly required the â—â—sting from worke if it had not been a thing that they â—ere long acquainted with Besides in this same place he perswadeth them vnto â—t with the same reason that the Lord vseth in promulgating of it and almost in the same wordes sauing that that which is there generally spokeÌ„ is here applyed to the particular occasion Sixe dayes shall you gather it verse 26. but in the seuenth day is the Sabbath to shew vs also that they knew the equitie of this commandement from the beginning Moreouer when some did breake this commandement so reasonable so well knowne in seeking for Manna Moses reprouing them at the worde of the Lord sayth in the words following verse 29. Behold how the Lord hath giuen you the Sabbath speaking of the time past therefore he giueth the sixt day bread for two daies tarrie therefore euery man in his place Last of all Moses testifieth of the people in the 30. verse Tremelius Iunius that afterward they rested euery Sabbath as some doe reade it and as yet the law was not giuen And therefore vnder correction I thinke it not true that is auouched by a learned man when hee saith Conuinci non potest Muscul loc com praecept 4. c. It cannot be proued that the Sabbath or rest of the seuenth day was kept before the giuing of the law either from Adam before the floud vnto Noah or after the floud vnto Moses or of Abraham and his posteritie For as a learned and ancient father and Bishop saith Iam hîc ab initio c. Here now euen from the beginning God hath insinuated this doctrine vnto vs teaceing vs In circulo hebdomadis dieÌ„ vnuÌ„ Chrysost in Gen. 2. Homil. 18. that in the â—oÌ„passe of a weeke one whole day is to be put apart for a â—pirituall rest vnto God Vnto all which may be added â—â—at for proofe that this commandement is naturall morall and perpetuall that I say may bee added which was practised among the Gentiles and all the heathen concerning the keeping holy of certaine dayes though altogether ignorant of the lawe of Moses The Gentiles by the light of nature kept some daies holy for though it was so that they knew not the institution of the seuenth day much lesse did they keepe it yet some daies by a common consent they seuered from their worldly affaires and dedicated them to the seruice of their Gods nay though they did altogether so hate the onely true holy day that neither would they obserue it themselues and also mocked the Iewes for obseruing it Iere. Lament 3.7 yet of themselues they erected other dayes which they appointed to a holy and religious vse which euidently declareth that the lawe of the Sabboth was so deeply grauen in the hart of man at the first by God himselfe that howsoeuer the print of it was by the fall of Adam and by sin growing in the posteritie was I say greatly mangled and defaced so that it could not be read yet it was not so wholly raced out but that some deformed scratches and is it were scarres of it did appeare And therefore though they could not attaine to the knowledge of the day much lesse the true maner of sanctifying it without the word yet that there should be a day differing from other in vse sequestred from the common affaires of the world and consecrated to the worship of God this was that which did shew it selfe to them whether they would or no. Herein therefore I agree with the Schooleman who sayth Thom. Aquin. 2 a. 2 ae quaest 122. art 4. That the commandement of sanctifiyng the Sabbath is partly morall morall in as much as a man doth appoint a certaine time of his life to attend vpon heauenly things for there is a naturall inclination in man to depute a certaine time for euery necessary thing as for the receiving of his meate for sleepe and for other such things and therefore he doth according to the direction of naturall reason appoint a certaine time for his spirituall refreshing wherby his soule is refreshed in God And as in the secoÌ„d commandement though they knew not the true seruice of God as being without his word yet that hee should some wayes outwardly beworshipped they were fully assured as apâ—eareth by their superstition and Idolatrie So the very â—ay that God had blessed to this ende they vnderstood not neither could doe without the lawe yet that there â—ought to be some day they held vndoubtedly as appeareth by their practise when they had sanctified so many daies to themselues And that this Sabbath day The Gospell hath not taken away the obseruation of the Sabbath which hath that commendation of antiquitie and consent which wee haue heard ought to
vpon the holy Sabbath we must not doe our owne will nor doe our owne waies nor seeke our owne will for thus many wordes there hee vseth but consecrate it as glorious vnto the Lord Esay 58.13 Loe say they he requireth this on the Sabbath that we should rest from doing our own will and this alone which ought to bee perpetuall not restrayned to any certaine day and therefore the Sabbath that he speaketh of is of this nature and of none other And of this iudgement there are too many in the world not onely those who vnder this colour doe abolish this day as the Familists and other prophane men but also those who retaining the day make this the principall thing in it to rest from sinne which I take to bee generall to the whole lawe and common to all dayes and therefore they doe restraine these words No worke Thy worke Any seruile worke vnto sinne and make it almost proper vnto that at leastwise principally to include it and therefore vnder that pretence take more libertie to themselues vpon this day then they should so that they rest from sinne And of this minde are not onely the Schoolemen but also so many newe and olde writers that I need not to name any from whom with all humilitie reseruing their due praise to themselues let mee a while with your fauours differ in iudgement without all suspition of singularitie till you heare what I can say to the contrarie Vnto this therefore wee doe first of all answere Answer that the Prophet Moses doth oftentimes speake of a set day and the seuenth day is oftentimes repeated and he standeth vpon a day and therefore if Esay bee otherwise taken he is against Moses one Prophet against another which cannot bee and thus by the authoritie of Moses in those daies his mouth might soone haue been stopped Secondarily To râ—st from sinne is the fruite of the true keeping holie of the Sabbath we say that the true meaning of the Prophet in that place is to teach the right manner of sanctifying the Sabbath indeede and therefore he correcteth that abuse which was among them by name that they straightly obseruing the outward rests had not that care of the fruitfull vse of Gods worship which they should haue had but either altogether neglected it or did it but in Ceremonie Therefore he telleth them that all their resting was to no purpose if they did not so spend that time in the holy seruice of God as that thereby they might be made afterward more fit to rest from sinne and to doe Gods will and so doth giue them to vnderstand that theÌ„ they had sanctified the Sabbath indeed when as thereby they were more furthered in the spirituall rest not altogether taking away the Sabbath day but shewing what fruit shuld come therof without the which the other was but an outward and bare and vnprofitable Ceremonie Whereunto agreeth Master Caluin Cal. in Exod. 20.8 Legitimus Sabbati vsus The right vse of the Sabbath must be referred to our sanctification and the deniall of our selues He doth not say that this is all in all but that we must make this good vse of the day to profite thereby in mortification and that must the fruite of the worship of God therein And that this is the proper meaning and naturall sense of the place further appeareth by that which goeth before in the same chapter Esay 58.5.6 Is it such a fast that I haue choâ—â—â—n that a man should afflict his soule for a day As also it is of keeping the day of fast and to bowe downe his head as a bulrush and to lye downe in sacke cloth and ashes wilt thou call this a fasting or an acceptable day vnto the Lord Is not this the fast that I haue chosen to loose the bands of wickednesse to take off the heauie burdens and to let the oppressed goe free and that ye breake euery yoake Is it not to deale thy bread to the hungry that thou bring the poore that wander into thy house When thou seest the naked that thou couer him and hide not thy selfe from thine owne flesh In all which words it cannot be the meaning of the Prophet to take away the outward abstinence froÌ„ the creatures of God in the day of fasting which was commanded in the law and the Prophets and warranted by our Sauiour Christ afterward in the Gospel according to the nature of it but to shew that though they did fast neuer so much so that their bodies were brought lowe thereby and made weake like a bulrush yet that their hearts were haughtie and proude stil hard and cruell to their brethren and were not thereby humbled in their soules before God and men and did not shewe their humiliation according as they did outwardly professe it by the ceremonie of fasting did not shewe it I say by the deedes of loue vnto men that all their fasting was not regarded of the Lord neither was it acceptable vnto him So that in both the places he speaketh incomparison as in many other places of the scriptures giuing vs to vnderstand assuredly that neither the ceremonie of fasting was allowed of God though commanded by him vnles that afterwards by the fruites of true humilitie they did shew that they had vsed it in trueth neither the precise obseruing of the Rest vpon the Sabbath was pleasing in his eyes though necessarilie required by him vnles by the power that they got therby against sinne to rest from it they did declare that by the religious vse of Gods holie seruice they had sanctified it aright so that he doth not forbid the one to establish the other but sheweth that it is in vaine and to no purpose when it is secured from that end for which it was ordained and bringeth not foorth that fruite which it would doe if it were rightly vsed As we may see the spirit of God speaking thus And it must be the fruit of all true religioÌ„ Iam. 1.27 Pure religioÌ„ and vndefiled euen before God the father is this to visite the fatherlesse and widows in their aduersitie and to keep himselfe vnspotted of the world Where his purpose is not to exclude all the parts of Gods seruice as though no religion consisted in the hearing of Gods word receiuing the Sacraments and praying and as though if a man did â—eade an outward ciuill life so that he could not be openly charged with any sinne among men but were pitifull to the poore then it made no matter of what religion hee were for this was all in all but he speaketh against the hypocrisie of such as making a great shewe of religion and carrying the name of professors there appeared no fruites of true religion in their liues and conuersations assuring them that all their religion was in vaine more in shewe then in trueth vnlesse these fruites did followe vpon it as appeared by the verse immediatly going before If
I shuld obstinately coÌ„tend with any where â—he Lord hath giuen any authoritie to his Church ordiâ—arily and perpetually to sanctifie any day except that â—hich he hath sanctified himselfe For I holde this with â—ther learned men as a principle in diuinitie that it belonâ—â—th onely to God to sanctifie the day as it belongeth to him to sanctifie any other thing to his owne worship Muscul loc com praecept 4. Deus est qui sanctificat sayth Musculus Jt is God that doth sanctifie that is who of common or prophane thinges makes holy it is duetie religiously to obserue according to his word the things that are sanctified of him nostrae potestatis non est sanctificare it is not in our power to make holy at our pleasure the things that God hath not sanctified if any man shall attempt it hee not onely therein is superstitions and not religious but also doth therein chalenge that to himselfe by a rashnes that cannot be excused which belongeth onely vnto God And as wee know not how to worship him but that we are sure by his worde that hee hath sanctified such and such things to that end namely hath appointed the preaching of his word the administration of the Sacraments and calling vpon his name for that purpose and therefore in vsing of these we promise our selues to be blessed of him for he hath himselfe established them by his owne mouth and therefore his blessing must needes accompany them So at what time we should neglect all other things and wholly apply our selues vnto these wee are wholly ignorant but that we know he hath sanctified the seuenth day and blessed it for this cause and it was as needfull for the Lord in respect of our selues to tell vs which was the day as to tell vs that there ought to be a day and so much the more by how much our nature is more corrupt in one then in the other For all they which either by the light of reason or knowledge of Gods worde haue attained to this trueth that there ought to be a day seuered from the rest to this ende yet haue not gone so farre with one consent to set downe this very seuenth day For that I might not speake of the Gentiles who kept so many holydaies as we know they did yet could not away with the Sabbath of the Iewes which was vpon the seuenth the very practise of the Papists doth declare how blinde wee are in this matter who vnto the seuenth day which the Lord hath sanctified haue adioyned so many other daies as the second third or fourth day of the weeke and all of them indifferently as they fall out and made them equal with the seuenth in sanctifying of them nay many times preferring them aboue it in that they haue appointed a more solemn kind of seruice vpon some of theÌ„ then vpoÌ„ the seuenth and iudging it a greater sinne to trauell or worke vpon some of them then vpon the seuenth wherin yea if their religion were good they could not ordinarily looke for such a blessing of God as vpon the other Besides there bee other who iustly condemning the Papists for this intrusion of dayes yet are persuaded not onely that the day which wee nowe keepe may bee changed by the Church without any offence but that the number of seuen may bee altered contrary to that which hath continued from the beginning Therefore we must needes acknowledge it to be the singular wisedome and mercy of God towardes his Church thus by sanctifiyng the seuenth day to ende the strife For as we see in Gods seruice when men goe away from his word there is no end of deuising that which hee alloweth not and they fall vpon euery thing sauing vpon that they should so in appointing the day if wee be not ruled by the worde wee shall find by experience that euery day will seeme more conuenient to vs then that at leastwise we shall seeme to haue as good reason to keepe any other as the seuenth Now seeing it appertaineth onely vnto God to blesse vs It belongeth onely to God to sanctifie any creature it caÌ„not belong to any but him to appoint the meanes whereby hee will conuey this blessing vnto vs and hee hath not onely sanctified the meanes but hath especially blessed the seuenth day for those purposes and dealing with it we deale with that which hath an especiall blessing vpon it for our sakes For this cause we vse in the sacraments the water the bread the wine rather then any other thing in the world we look assuredly to receiue that blessing from these creatures which we cannot from any other because GOD hath sanctified them for this purpose and hath put that rich blessing vpon them for our good which no other creature hath vnder the sunne In so much that if any one would minister or receiue the Sacraments in any other elements then these he should not finde that blessing of the forgiuenes of sinnes and newnes of life which the Lorde doth by these meanes conuey vnto his Church For as no man in the worlde can of himselfe make this promise vnto men that they shall bee washed and clensed from their sinnes by the bloud of Christ and that by his body and bloud they shall be nourished in soule and in body vnto euerlasting life so none in the worlde can appoint out the meanes whereby God will conuey these inestimable treasures vnto vs put vs into the possession of them and make vs assured of them which when himselfe hath done wee cheerefully looke for that good from them because hee is faithfull and true that hath sayd hee hath thus blessed them for vs. In regard of which as the Iewes did faithfully keepe that seueth day to the end which they knew by the word which onely God blessed and sanctified for their vse so it was vnlawfull for them to change it for any other because they had not that warrant that they should be specially blessed vnto them as they had for this which being that very day vpon which the Lorde himselfe rested from all his worke which hee made hee did therefore blesse this seuenth day and sanctified it Gen 2.2 because that in it hee had rested from all his worke that God had created and made to that ende that they obseruing that day rather then any other might therein bee made like to their creator and might shewe by their practise that they worshipped him whom they knew euen him that as he had made an especiall couenant with them to saue them so he was able to doe it for it was euen hee who when he had made the whole worlde in sixe daies rested vpon the seuenth and therefore sanctified it and none but that that this work of his might be had in an euerlasting remembrance And when all the Gentiles round about sayd that they worshipped euery one of them the true God and yet they did not thus knowe him
called the Lords day because it declareth vnto vs Christ crucified and raised vp againe and it is worthilie commanded to bee kept as the Lords day that wee might giue thankes vnto thee O Lord Christ for all these benefites for say they there is that grace bestowed vpon vs by thee Quae sua magnitudine omnia beneficia obscurat which by the greatnes and as it were brightnes of it doth obscure and darken all other So that though the day was once changed vpon these considerations nay they being such as they be it could not but be changed yet for so much as the like cause cā neuer be offered vnto men to moue them to enter into this consultation therefore the day must not onely not be changed any more but it must not so much as enter into mens thoughts to goe about to change it And therefore I doe so much the more maruaile at him who sayth That the keeping holie of the Lords day is not commanded by the authoritie of the Gospell Brētius in Leuit 23 2. but rather receiued into vse by the publike consent of the Church And a little after The obseruation of the Lords day is profitable not to be reiected but yet it is not to be accounted for a commandement of the Gospell but rather for a ciuill ordination And That the Church might haue appoynted but one day among ten or foreteene Idem in Leuit. 25.8 for the publike rest and Gods seruice And That herein consisteth part of our Christian libertie that it is lawfull if so be it be done by publike authoritie to keepe holie weekelie not onely not the Lords day but as they call them Munday Tuesday or any other day Wherein that we might be the rather established we must remember that not only that name of the day was changed together with it but it was changed into that very name it hath now vpon these speciall reasons that we haue alreadie heard The name of the Sabbath was changed into the name of the Lords day which also must be retained For it is called the Lords day euen of the Lord Iesus and it hath the honorable name of him who vpō that day did arise in greatest honor in so much that we ought not onely to keepe the day but to keepe it in his right name especially seeing part of the honour of it is in the name For as we doe breed reuerence of the Sacrament in mens hearts by speaking of it after his owne proper name the Lords Supper the cuppe of the Lord the Lords table 1. Cor. 11.20.27 and 10.21 so it maketh the day more highly to bee esteemed as it ought when we call it by his right name religiously the Lords day and doe not miscall it by a wrong name as the heathen haue done prophanely the Sunday who hauing ascribed the gouernment of the seuen daies in the weeke vnto the seuen Planets and hauing accordingly giuen them their names as appeareth more euidently in the Latin Dies solis Lunae Martis c then in our English names yet so it is that any of the daies might be called Sunday as well as that which is without any offence But it is not so in the name of the Lords day for as by it can bee ment no other day but that which wee keepe for our Sabbath so the name cannot be imparted to any other day without sacriledge Therefore as the Iewes did carefully retaine the name of the Sabath according to the first institution so ought we to acquaint our selues with the name of the Lords day Thus did the Christians vse to call it in former times as it is well obserued by that ancient writer Beda Mos Christianus appellat Beda in Luk. 24.1 It is the manner of the Christians to call it the Lords day because of the resurrection of our Lord where he sayth that not onely now and then they did so speake but that it was an vsuall maner among them And we had need to doe it so much the more because it behooueth vs to vse al good meanes to aduance the credite of this day in mens consciences in these prophane and irreligious times especially wherin as the contempt of all religion appeareth in many places so especially it bewrayeth it selfe in this that the Lords day is euery where so vnhallowed Nowe if the wisedome of the world hath taught the heathen to be so circumspect in their generations as by the false names of dayes to keepe the memorie and honour of their false gods should not the wisedome of Gods spirite teach vs to bee as carefull in our generations to take into our mouthes that holy name of the Lords day which as it is commended vnto vs in the word not deuised by man as the other so it doth greatly aduāce the dignity of the day as that which is deriued from the name of the most high And if a mortall man doth take himselfe to bee disgraced Therein consisteth part of the honor of this day not onely when hee is called by a wrong name but also when hee hath not his right name and iust titles giuen vnto him so no doubt the honour of the day appeareth not to be so great as it is when it wanteth that most excellent name by the which it is commended vnto vs in the scriptures I grant indeed it will seeme strange vnto vs at the first to change the name as all new things for a while bee strange but wee knowe that euery thing must haue a beginning and that which is at the first begun in a fewe particulars is afterwards in time receiued of multitude so by custome groweth into a law that hardly can bee changed Therefore as there was a time in which the names of the heathen were vnknowen and yet by the obstinatee endeuours of some when they were begun they were receiued and so continued euen so if any man would begin himselfe thus to ve the name of the Lords day though he were alone at the first I doubt not but in a fewe generations the true and holy name should be receiued among vs. But to returne to that which we spake of before wee haue plainly seene that the day and the name ought thus to bee changed whereby the Sabbath is made now so much the more excellent and renowmed vnder the Gospell then it was in the time of the law because that wheras the one caried vpon it indeed the badge of the creation of the world which made it famous vpon this is engrauen the liuely Image of the redemption of the world which maketh it so much the more famous by howe much the benefite of the one exceedeth the benefite of the other not onely that but it freshly representeth the memorie of the first creation also and so by a double marke is more highly commended that being the very day in which the creation of the first and olde world was begun and the
vs to doe all such things as doe not directly hinder the sanctification of the Sabbath or if they bee against it in their owne nature yet necessitie that could not bee foreseene nor deferred crauing them at our hands they are iudged to be farre vnlike vnto themselues and haue as it were a new qualitie put vpon them And here is the olde prouerbe of the heathen true Necessitas non habet ferias Necessitie as it is without lawes so without holie daies And though it bee so that we are giuen to take too much libertie to our selues and therefore had neede to bee restrained vnto the full and it were more profitable for vs to heare from what things wee should rest then wherein wee may labour yet there is a trueth in all things which must bee knowne and though some are readie to abuse it yet therefore it must not be kept from them who haue care rightly to vse it For though they that bee ignorant will be ignorant still yet wisedome shall be iustified of her children Which is to be considered of vs the rather least any through a grosse superstition should fall into the extremitie of the Iewes of whom it is written and namely of certaine heretikes called Essaei Cent. 1. lib. 1. cap. 5. that they are ouer precise in this rest so that they dresse all their meate the day before vpon that day they kindle no fire they remoue no vessell Aluum non purgant they doe not ease themselues And in this respect Mac. 2.3.4 Mattathias and the rest of the Iewes condemned iustly the fact of their brethren who for lack of defence suffered themselues their wiues and children to the number of 1000. soules to bee slaine of their enemies vpon the Sabbath day P. Ram. comment de rellig lib. 2 cap. 6. Concerning which fact of theirs also a learned man sayth Superstitio fuit ex ignorantia It was a superstition bred in them for want of the true knowledge of the law of God Hereunto also may bee referred that which the most famous Historiographer and Diuine Master Foxe reporteth in his worthie booke of the Acts and Monuments of the Church sayth hee Master Foxe Some English histories make mention of a Iew who about the yeare of our Lord 1257. fell into a priuie at Tâ—kesbury vpon a Sabbath day who for the great reuerence he had to his holy Sabbath would not suffer himselfe to be plucked out and so Lord Richard Earle of Glocester hearing of it would not suffer him to bee drawne out vpon the Sunday for reuerence of the holie day and thus the wretched superstitious Iew remaining there till munday was found dead in the dung Therefore let vs acknowledge the bountifulnes of God there where it might seeme vnto vs that we are most of all restrained and let vs not breake his hands and cast his cords from vs but vse his freedome well that he hath set vs in and seeing we haue libertie to doe things of necessitie let vs not venture vpon them too boldly but first of all be sure that they be necessarie and therefore lawfull And let vs not imagine a necessitie and dreame of it when there is none nor bee of the number of those whom Salomon of in the Prouerbes Prou. 20.25 Who deuoure the holie things and then inquire after the vowes that is first doe the thing and then inquire whether it be lawfull or no but let vs see in the wisedome of Gods spirit What workes are necessarie and therefore lawfull vpon this day and what are not whether it may not conueniently bee deferred vntill some other time and therefore not necessarie so no worke of the Sabbath and therefore abstaine from it For the wise men of this world make many things necessarie which indeede are not by doing many things then when the ought not to bee done to preuent a necessitie which they haue imagined may fall out in time But if they will say it is now necessarie they must bee sure that it cannot bee deferred For what maketh a thing necessarie in this time but that no other time will serue coÌ„ueniently for it To this agrees that which a learned writer sayth Si quis roger If any man demaund Wolph lib. 3. in Nehe. 9.14 what is lawfull or not lawfull to be done vpon the Sabbath sayth he Tenendum est respoÌ„sum Sceuolae he must answer as Sceuola did who being asked what was lawfull to be done vpon the holie daies it is reported that hee made answere Euen that which would haue hurt if it had not been done Which is true Exod. 54.21 if it be rightly vnderstood Therefore they which in the time of haruest and hayfield worke vpon the Sabbath contrarie to the expresse words of God as we haue seene heretofore for feare of the change of weather and least that happily some thing might be lost vnlesse they can say certainly that to morowe there will be such weather and therefore it will be lost how can they tell that onely this present time is necessarie for it and that no other time in the world can serue for it and therfore it must needes then be done For how if it fall out otherwise on the morow Shall not both other men condemne them of follie and themselues also bee iudges against themselues that the things might haue been deferred and therefore that there was no such necessitie as they presumed vpon Obiection But say they vnto vs how if it had fallen out so and so Was it not good to prouide for the best We answer them as it is in the coÌ„mon prouerbe Answere How if the skie had fallen As no man that hath any religion and care of his dutie to God will voluntarilie absent himselfe froÌ„ church for feare of that which might come to passe he knowes not when as that if theeues come he may call for helpe or if he spye his neighbours house on fire hee may giue warning of it or will wander vp and downe in his pastures fearing least a sheepe should be fallen into a ditch that he might helpe it out so ought we not in any other time of an imagined necessitie and without iust cause suspected doe that vpon the sabbath which otherwise wee will confesse ought to haue been done neither would we haue taken it in hand at all but taking the occasion of that which present necessitie doth offer vnto vs in deed we must committe the successe of those things vnto the Lord which we could by no wisedome foresee though he hath giuen vs libertie to iudge of the time present yet he hath reserued this preeminence to himselfe alone to be iudge of the time to come and he would haue vs for the dispensation of that to depend vpon his prouidence in obedience to his commandement who hath promised to giue vs fit times for the accomplishment of all things here below so farre forth as he knoweth it to be
an holy day or of the new moone or of the Sabbath daies For he speaketh of many euen of all those which vnto the Iewes were commanded vpon the same condition that the Sabbath day was and were of like nature to it and therefore he findeth fault with the Galathians for obseruing them Galat. 4.10 vers 9. saying Ye obserue daies and moneths and times which he calleth weake and beggerly rudiments because now there was no vse of them but all of them being taken away onely the Sabbath is reserued for vs. Therefore who is so blind that will not see and so obstinate that will not confesse that though we be bound to the keeping of the Sabbath as the Iewes were yet neither the libertie of the Gospell is taken from vs nor the bondage of the law cast vpon vs. Nay who is so vnthankfull for this great libertie in these daies aboue that which the first people of God had that vnder the pretence of it he will breake out to the doing of whatsoeuer liketh himselfe vpon the day of rest and set open a doore of all licentiousnes vnto others Matth. 18.6.7 but woe be vnto the world because of offences it is necessarie that offences should come but woe bee vnto them by whom they doe come it were better for them that a milstone were hanged about their neckes and they were drowned in the bottome of the sea Therefore let vs be otherwise minded and take it to be our bounden duetie most carefully to rest from the ordinarie workes of our calling vpon the Sabbath whatsoeuer may be spoken or imagined to the contrarie And the rather that wee might doe it Gods punishments vpon the breakers of the Sabbath let vs consider of the iudgements of God that haue come vpon men for breaking the Sabbath By which sensible kind of perswasion euen experience the mistresse of fooles they in the Councell at Paris laboured to perswade vnto a more religious keeping of the day Concil Paris lib. 1. cap. 50. when after they had iustly complained that as many other things so also the obseruation of the Sabbath was greatly decayed through the abuse of Christian libertie in that men too much followed the delights of the world and their owne worldly pleasures both wicked and dangerous they further adde Multi nanque nostrum visu multi etiam quorundam relatu didicimus c. For many of vs haue beene eye-witnesses many haue intelligence of it by the relation of others that some men vpon this day being about their husbandrie haue been striken with thunder some haue been maimed and made lame some haue had their bodies euen bones and all burnt in a moment with visible fire and haue consumed to ashes and many other iudgements of God haue been and are daily whereby it is declared that God is offended with the dishonour of so great a day And the Centuriators of Magdeburge Cent. 12. cap. 6. intreating of the manners of Christians made report out of another historie that a certaine husbandman in Parochia Gemilacensi grinding corne vpon the Lords day the meale began to burne Anno Dom. 1126. Which though it might seeme to bee a thing meere casuall yet they set it downe as a iudgement of God vpon him for breaking the Sabbath As also that which they speake in the same place of one of the Kings of Denmarke Ecclesiast hist Centur. 12. ibid. who when as he contrarie to the admonition of the Priests who desired him to deferre it would needes vpon the day of Pentecost make warre with his enemie dyed in the battell But that may be better knowne vnto vs all which is written in the 2. booke of Macchabees of Nicanor the Iewes enemie who would needes set vpon them on the Sabbath from which when other the Iewes that were compelled to be with him could by no meanes disswade him hee was slaine in the battell and himselfe most miserably but deseruedly handled euen the parts of his bodie shamefully dismembred as in that historie you may reade more at large And I am sure our time hath not wanted examples in this kinde whosoeuer hath obserued them when sometimes in the Faires vpon this day by sudden floods the wares haue swumme in the streetes sometime the scaffolds at playes haue fallen downe to the hurting and endangering of many sometime one thing some time another hath fallen out of which we must say as Christ saith of the Galileans they were not the greatest sinnes in England Luk. 13.2.3 but vnlesse wee repent and amend we must all likewise perish He punishes some to shew the rest what they must looke for if they continue hee punisheth not all here in this world to teach vs there is a day of iudgement reserued for the rest And therefore it was well alleaged in a prouinciall councell to perswade vnto the better obseruation of the Sabbath Matisconens concil 2. cap. 1. Haec omnia By dooing of these things wee shall both pacifie the wrath of God towards vs and also turne away and remoue his heauie plagues as sicknesses and scarsitie And here I may remember vnto you if it be not altogether out of place the historie of him Numb 15.32 who in the time of the law gathering stickes was stoned to death for it by the iudgement of Moses from the mouth of God of which M. Caluin saith That this is the summe of the historie Cal. in hunc locum that by the death of this one man was ratified the religious obseruation of the sabbath day that afterwardes it might haue more reuerence by which seuere punishment it is apparant that he did not so much offend of ignorance as of a grosse contempt of the law whereby it came to passe that he made none account to subuert and corrupt all holie orders As it appeareth also by the circumstance of the text going immediatlie before where is set down the difference of punishments vpon malefactors who sinne of ignorance and of contempt or as it is saide there with an high hand which latter should be punished with death and then followes immediatlie this historie as an example or proofe of it whereby it appeareth that though not euery breach of this commandement is to bee punished with death yet the open and contemptuous breaking of it doth deserue it as all other sinnes of the like nature in other the Commandements of the first and second table as an Atheist he that offereth vnto other Gods that blasphemeth the name of the liuing God that curseth father and mother that committeth murther c. which iudgements when the magistrates doe fayle to execute then the Lord doth it himselfe vpon some few to shewe what should bee done to all the rest and what they may looke for if they doe not repent But to proceede in this matter according to my purpose Vpon the Lords daye we ought to rest from al honest recreations and lawfull delightes it
honour of his name and dedicated vnto his seruice And as he giueth vs libertie to worke our owne worke vpon the sixe dayes so he commaundeth vs straightly to cease from them vpon the seuenth that we might worke for the Lord seeing it is appointed to bee a day of resting from all other affaires for the Lords busines sake And last of all hee addeth that whereas the Lorde did create the worlde in sixe daies hee himselfe entered into a new worke distinct from the former vpon the seuenth and therefore bestowed an especiall blessing vpon that day which all the rest haue not euen the blessing of sanctification that it might be kept holy to himselfe For as Master Caluin sayth Benedixit sanctificauit Caluin in Gen. 2.3 secundum verbum est exegeticum prioris Of these two words the Lord blessed and sanctified the latter doth expound the former Pet. Mart. in Gen. 2. Whereunto agreeeth Peter Martyr To blesse is to giue and bestow something this did he chiefly giue vnto it that therein wee should rest and apply our selues to the seruice of God which so many words aboundantly testifie that the waightiest thing in this commandement is that the day of rest should bee bestowed vpon Gods seruice in so much that if we had attained vnto the perfect obseruing of the rest yet we are not come to the end and goale as it were of this commandement no not vnto the midde way of it which is so much the more diligently to be taken heed vnto because many through a grosse and palpable ignorance and want of religion as they cannot be persuaded of that precise rest which we haue seene here commanded so more prophanely dreame that though not all yet the greatest part of obedience vnto this commandement consisteth in abstaining from al worldly busines and therefore they that haue some care of this yet neuer or very seldome thinke of the other and making some conscience of working that day thinke it to bee a veniall or no sinne at all to neglecte the seruice of God which is most especially required or at least wise not to be throughly occupied about it Cal in Exod. 20.12 as the Lord on that day doth require For as Master Caluin sayth God was not delighted with the idlenes of his people but when hee bad them rest vpon the seuenth day there was relation to an other end For as the same man saith in another place This were a very bare and naked thing Idem vpon Deut. 5. ser 34. that our hands onely and our feete should rest and that nothing else should bee done What must we doe then wee ought to apply this rest vnto a more high and excellent thing And a little after he shewes it more particularly saying When our shop windowes are shut in on the sunday when wee trauaile not after the common order and fashion of men this is to the ende wee should haue more liberty and leasure to attend on that which God commandeth that is to wit to be taught by his word to assemble our selues together to make confession of our faith to call on his name to exercise our selues in the vse of his sacraments Therefore the seruant of God Moses to meete with this grosse corruption in the 5. of Deuteronomie doth not onely vse the forenamed word of sanctifying the day but further addeth in the same place As the Lord thy God hath commanded thee Deut. 5.12 making the greatest part of the commandement to consist in hallowing of the day For when God sanctified the day Iunij praelect in Gen. 2.3 he commanded man to sanctifie it that is to bestowe it in holy exercises So then looke howe many reasons there were before for the establishing of the day of rest so many more are there for the keeping it holy seeing this is the principall end of resting that it might be hallowed which because it cannot be in that manner that it should vnlesse we doe rest for we cannot wholly bestow it vpon Gods seruice if wee bestowe it vpon our busines in whole or in part therefore that this principall might haue his due roome al other things must giue place vnto it And though there were many other causes of ordaining the day of rest as we haue alreadie seene yet none so chiefe and principall as this For Adam being in paradise whiles he had not yet sinned though he was therefore exempted from many causes of resting which his posteritie did stande in need of yet for this cause was bound vnto it as much as any that resting from the works of the garden he might sanctifie it according to the commandement which otherwise he could not doe And therefore in the wordes of the commandement we are willed to remember the Sabbath day to keepe it holy Therefore we ought to remember the Sabbath to this end especially not so much remembring that we rest vpon it as that we sanctifie the time of our rest and therfore remember to rest before hand that nothing might hinder vs from the worship of God vpon the day of rest but therfore rest and therefore remember to rest that the seruice of God might bee taken in hand And as it is a sin not to be carefull of the Sabbath that we might rest vpon it so it is a greater sinne not to obserue it that it might be a Sabbath vnto the Lorde by sanctifying of it and if for want of heedfulnes any thing do compell vs to worke vpon the day of rest it is our sinne in not marking the Sabbath day so if by our negligence we cannot sanctifie the day of rest vnto the Lorde it is a greater sinne of not remēbring to keepe it holy which is the first greatest thing in this commandement Master Musculus sayth Polluitur Sabbathum cum cuius gratia instituitur Muscul in Math. 12.11 à plerisque plane non curatur The Sabbath is broken of many when they consider not to what end it was ordained How many in the world can and do remember well enough the Sabbath day to rest vpon it but how fewe doe remember to imploy that time about the Lords busines and so to keepe it holy One maketh account of the Sabbath day for this ende another reckoneth of it for that and euery one remembreth it for some purpose but the Lord would haue vs to remember it that wee might altogether bestowe it vpon his worship yet none almost looketh vnto that Therefore it was the wisdome of God to meet with this blockishnes of our who remember euery thing sauing that that we should and those good things which we doe remember wee thinke of them to farre other ends then wee ought to doe and to tell vs plainly that this is the chiefest ende of marking the Sabbath that we might keepe it holy which if we doe not as we cannot so well marke it as we should so wee doe marke it to a wrong ende and doe
worke altogether impertinent to that daye he doth iustifie it and sheweth that it is most proper vnto it because it is the day of shewing mercy and therefore if men do nay ought to loose the oxe to the water much more might he loose the daughter of God from her infirmitie of soule and bodie And hee doth not so much dispute what he might do as shew what euery one ought to doe For if it were a breach of the Sabbath to neglect any duty to the other creatures then much more to withdraw our hand from our brethren when they doe stande in neede of our helpe And in the Chapter immediatlie following when hee had healed a man of the dropsie vpon the Sabbath daye he proueth the lawfulnes of the fact by the like reason It came to passe that when Iesus was entered into the house of one of the chiefe Pharisies vpon the Sabbath day to eate bread Luke 14.1 they watched him 2. And behold there was a certaine man before him which had the dropsie 3. Then Iesus answering spake vnto the expounders of the law and Pharisies saying is it lawfull to heale vppon the Sabbath daye 4. And they held their peace Then he tooke him and healed him and let him goe 5. And answered them saying which of you shall haue an oxe or an asse fallen into a pitte and will not straight way pull him out on the Sabbath daye 6. And they could not answer him againe to these things But the time would not serue to stand vpon all the places which shew that this is a peculiar work of the Sabbath to helpe the helpelesse to strengthen the weake succour them that are in necessitie thereby to shew that wee are well perswaded of the loue of our heauenly father when wee are so readie to shew our loue to the rest of his children our brethren I will therefore conclude with that which is set downe by Mathew That Iesus went into a synagogue 10. Matth. 12.10 And beholde there was a man which had his hand dryed vp and they asked him saying Is it lawful to heale vpon the Sabbath day That they might accuse him 11. And he answered them and sayd what man shall there be among you that shall haue a sheepe and if it fall on the Sabbath daye into a pitte will not he take it and lift it out 12. How much more then is a man better then a sheepe Therefore it is lawfull to doe wel on the Sabbath day 13. Then said he to the man stretch forth thy hand and hee stretched it forth and it was made whole as the other In all which places we may note that it is alwaies precisely noted that Christ Iesus did all these mercifull deeds vpon the Sabbath thereby to declare how parte of sanctifying the day consisteth in them and also how the men of this worlde did finde faulte with them which sheweth how farre they are from dooing any such things themselues and that the Lord Christ doth replie vpon them with such reasons as generally concerne all men to the ende that they might knowe that they were not things properlie belonging to himselfe but generally to be followed of all men Vnto this may bee referred the making of peace betweene man and man especiallie that wee should seeke peace our selues and take it when it is offered Whereunto it seemeth the lawes of the Emperours had respect when they commande not onlie that the courtes should be shut vp but also Respirent à controuersijs litigantes Le. finali C. de ferijs Let the parties leaue of all controuersies and haue a time of peace Ad sese simul veniant Let them come one to another let them be sorrie and repent one to another let them make peace and agreement and speake of compounding the matter among themselues And in thus doing they should shew great pitie to others and to themselues whereas otherwise by endlesse suites they many times most cruelly begger one another Therefore in fewe wordes this is the thing that we haue to remember in this place that we ought to be ready to helpe all that bee in need according to our habilitie and their necessitie and by our presence and other helpes to bee as comfortable to them as may bee inlarging the bowels of compassion towards them and putting the same affection vpon vs which is in them euen for the Lordes sake who hath shewed mercie vnto vs and whose creatures they be and so make it the Lord his work Which that we might do so much the rather We ought to visite them that be in miserie it is profitable for vs to goe vnto them which cannot come to vs to looke vpon them which cannot see vs and to heare them speake that many times crie haue none to heare them that the lamentable spectacle of their miserie might mooue our hard hearts to pittie them and in pittie to helpe them so much the more willinglie for though the things that wee heare may touch vs greatlie yet nothing in comparison of that which wee see that is the sense of mouing especially in so much that though we may partlie gesse of our selues what is the great extremitie of others and partlie vnderstand it by the true reporte of them that haue seene it and so bee moued to helpe yet nothing so much as when wee haue been at them our selues and seene the ruines of their houses and the nakednes of their bodies the hardnes of their lodging the thinnesse of their dyet and hard fare when wee haue beheld these with our eyes and touched the colde irons of the prisoners and marked the vneasie stockes that they are locked vnto and the lothsome dungeons that they lye in and haue been eyewitnesses of their extreame torments and grieuous diseases then if our hearts be not as hard as flint and if wee haue not put off all brotherlie kindnes and forgotten that we be men our bowels may begin to yearne vpon them and that which was in vs but a sparckle of loue before shal breake out into a great flame the heate whereof shall comfort them and that one droppe of compassion which was before in vs shall multiplie it selfe into a great riuer the streame whereof shall refresh the heauie heart and dryed soule of our brother M. Bucer speaking of the works of this day amongst other saith Visitare infirmos to visite the sicke Bucer in Matth. 12.11 For as beggers when they would haue men to pitie them lay open their sores because that though things be neuer so great in themselues yet til they bee seen we wil hardly beleeue them therefore we doe the poore wrong manie times in iudging their estate to bee better then it is so therby is shewed what is the nature of all that if we will shew mercy to others so cheerefullie as we should we must visite them in their necessitie and not turne our eyes away from beholding their neede And
as hauing the light of it shining more cleerely within vs for the preseruation of the societie of mankinde in Common-wealths as Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit adulterie Thou shalt not steale c. yet in the first table in which we are as blind as beetles euery Commandement hath some reason annexed vnto it As in the first The first Commandement hath one reâ—son ioyned to it I the Lord am thy God which brought thee out of c. Where because of that mercifull Couenant that he hath made with vs to blesse vs in all things eternally which as he first made it in Christ so he confirmed it in our miraculous Redemption wrought by him whereof the deliuerance out of Egypt was a type and figure therefore he requireth that wee should serue him with all that wee haue and none but him and so that we should take him only to be our God And the third Commandement one In the third Commandement there is one reason vsed namely that the Lord will most assuredly and seuerely punish all them that do dishonor his name and therefore we are charged not at any time to empaire his credit but rather most highly to aduance it as the very end wherefore we were first created Yet the second Commandement is more fortified The seconde CommandemeÌ„t hath two and hath as it were a double barre I meane tvvo reasons as against the which the vanitie of our reason and crookednes of our heart hath yet more appeared in so cunningly deuising and willingly embracing so many kinds of false religion neither conceiuing nor liking that true manner of Gods seruice which he hath prescribed in his holie word And therefore as he requireth that neither in an Image nor in any thing els deuised by vs we should serue him but according to his owne wisedome and wil made knowne vnto vs in his written word so he first wil plentifully reward in mercie euen to the thousand generation them that shall in loue thus serue him according to his Commandement and secondarily howsoeuer passing ouer many other sinnes yet as a louing and iealous husband will prosecute to the full the punishment of that spirituall adulterie whereby the hatred vnto God appeareth in that the heart is stolen away from him by a false worship But yet in this fourth Commandement the Lord goeth beyond all that hath been spoken The 4. Commandement hath three and bindeth vs vp with a threefold cord that can hardly be broken For he setteth downe three reasons not onely to commend vnto vs the excellencie and to shew the necessitie of keeping of it but also to giue vs to vnderstand how rebellious and corrupt our nature is here especially As it is indeed for many are not perswaded that there should be any day at all kept others doe not agree vpon the day which it should be some preferre other daies before it or make them equall with it they that are otherwise minded yet are not established in the precise resting and straight ceasing from so many things as God requireth much lesse doe men agree vpon the publike and priuate manner of sanctifying and keeping it holie Therefore the Lord doth not onely command it but also first sheweth vs the equitie of it in that he hath giuen vs sixe daies to be occupied in for our selues and therefore it is good reason that we should rest vpon the seuenth to attend vpon his busines as it were Secondarily we should doe it so much the rather because he hath gone before vs in his owne example who therefore rested vpon the seuenth day when he had created the whole world in sixe that wee thereby might the rather be allured vnto that order which he was purposed to establish namely that wee should rest vpon the 7. day from our owne works as God did from his and so be like vnto our Creator Thirdly and most especially that we should doe thus because God hath bestowed an especiall blessing vpon this day distinct from the rest euen the blessing of sanctification and therefore it is not lawfull for vs to vse it to any other end but to this holie sanctified end for which God in the beginning created it The fourth difference of this commandement from all the rest Last of all whereas all the other Commandements are giuen forth in such manner of words as binde onely our selues Thou shalt not take the name of thy Lord thy God in vaine Thou shalt not steale c. though I grant that more is implyed and they not only binde vs thus to looke to our selues but to so many also as bee committed to our â—â—arge the Lord hauing giuen vs authoritie ouerthem â—â—at we might see them practise all the lawes of both Taâ—â—les so much as lyeth in vs yet I say much is not exâ—ressed in the deliuerie of them but in this Commandement in expresse words God speaketh to vs and chargeth vs with the care not onely of our selues but others â—lso saying Thou and thy son thy daughter thy manseruaÌ„t thy maidseruaÌ„t thy cattell the stranger that is within thy gates Thus we see how many waies this CoÌ„maÌ„demeÌ„t is charged vpon vs by the Lord how straightly he requireth it at our haÌ„ds how in the very giuing of it al things are ioyned vnto it by God himself that might commend â—â—t vnto vs with greatest credite and care of obedience It remaineth that wee should see That the Sabbath ought to be continued what are the speciall things contained in it but first of all it is needfull to proue vnto you that the Sabbath ought still to be continued with vs because without this perswasion all doctrine or exhortation tending to the true manner of sanctifying it falleth to the ground and is vnfruitfull First of all therefore it appeareth in the storie of Genesis that it was from the beginning Gen. 2.3 and that the seuenth day was sanctified at the first so soone as it was made in so much that Adam and his posteritie if they had continued in their first righteous estate should haue kept that day holie aboue the rest seeing the Lord sanctified it for their sakes and though it be so indeede that they should haue been occupied in some honest calling and work vpon the sixe daies according as it is sayd to Adam that the Lord put the man into the garden of Eden Gen. 2.16 that he might dresse it and â—eepe it yet notwithstanding vpon the seuenth day they â—hould haue ceased from all wordly labour and giuen â—hemselues to the meditation of Gods glorious workes and haue been occupied in some more immediate parts of his seruice according to the former Commandement And that we might vnderstand indeede that the law of sanctifying the Sabbath is so ancient the Prophet Moses in Genesis doth of purpose vse the same words which the Lord God himselfe doth in pronouncing it as it is set downe in Exodus namely
stande still in his proper force and that it appertaineth to vs Christians now most euidently appeaâ—eth by that authoritie and credite which it receiueth â—rom the Gospell and newe Testament also in which it is so highly commended vnto vs that I might not in this place speake of the manifold other testimonies that it hath in the old And by name we may see how our Sauiour Christ all his Apostles establisheth it by their â—ractise for they vpon the Sabbath ordinarily enter into â—he Synagogues of the Iewes and preach vnto the peoâ—le doing such things vpon those dayes as appertaine â—o sanctifying of them according to the commandement Obiect Against which lest we might except that our Redeemer Christ Iesus being made vnder the law as the Apostle sayth came to fulfill the whole law for vs Galath 4.4 and therefore he indeede submitted himselfe vnto the obseruation of the least ceremonie therof al his life long till at his death he cryed out It is finished Ioh. 19.30 Math. 27.51 when the vayle of the Temple rent in twaine from the top to the bottome to shew that all types and figures were abrogated and taken away and therefore that his obseruation of the Sabbath maketh no more for the certaintie of it then his obseruing of Circumcision keeping the Passeouer and offering vp of â—â—crifices doe make for their continuance now vnder the Gospell Answer Wee must further consider that the Apostles themselues long after Christs death and after they had receiued the holy Ghost Iohn 16.13 euen the spirite of truth that should leade them into all trueth doe by their practise and writings shewe that the Sabbath stoode vpon a surer ground then the whole ceremoniall lawe and therefore could not with it bee taken away Acts 13.14 Paul and Barnabas as it is in the Acts comming into Antiochia went into the Synagogue vpon the Sabbath day and sate downe and after the reading of the Lawe and the Prophets the rulers of the Synagogue sent vnto them saying Yee men and brethren if ye haue any worde of exhortation to the people say on then Paul stoode vp and beckened with the hand and sayd Men of Israell c. going on forward with that notable sermon that is set downe there and when hee had ended verse 42. as it is in the same chapter The Gentiles besought them that they would preach those words vnto them the next Sabbath day which also they did And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole citie together to heare the word of God verse 44. Moreouer the same Apostle at Thessalonica Acts 17 2. went into the Synagogue of the Iewes and three Sabbath daies disputed with them by the scriptures And thus hee did not once or twise but continually and ordinarily shewing the ordinary continuance of the Sabbath and the sanctifying of it as the Euangelist precisely noteth saying Paul as his manner was went in vnto them Now though we are to presume that Paul neither taught nor practised any thing contrarie to the rest of the Apostles but that they agreed in one vniforme order of doctrine and gouernement of the Church as who had receiued of one and the selfe same spirite and therefore this might bee sufficient to shew their consent herein Yet notwithstanding wee may reade how in the last booke of the Bible and by the last Apostle I meane who liued longest the same thing is confirmed where he is so farre from teaching that the Sabbath for the space of 97. yeares after Christ was taken away about what time it is thought that hee wrote that booke that â—â—e plainly auoucheth the coÌ„tinuance of it in the Church â—y this new and honourable name Reuel 1.10 The Lords day where â—â—ne of purpose noting the time that he receiued those Reuelations in calleth it by that name that was best known to the Church at that time otherwise he should not so fitly haue expressed his mind to those to whoÌ„ he wrote which day thus called all writers doe agree vpon it new and old yea the Papists themselues to bee this very Sabbath which wee obserue Thus it is sufficiently proued that the Sabbath was none of those Ceremonies which were iustly abrogated at the comming of Christ as being appoynted of God for no further time but that it coÌ„tinued in the practise of the Church when all other ceased yea was kept faithfully in the Church by al them who had with one consent shut out all the rest And that it is so commanded in the first booke of holy scriptures Genesis where is shewed what was from the beginning that it wanteth not his due praise in the last booke of the same Reuelation where is a prophesie of things to bee fulfilled vnto the ende and therefore wee must hearken vnto the trueth of this doctrine so much the rather least that fearefull iudgement doe fall vpon vs which the Lord Iesus himselfe threatned to bring vpon them that shall diminish any thing contained in this booke and therefore which shall in whole or in part take away this day which is so honored there when he sayth Reuel 22.19 If any man shall diminish of the words of the booke of this prophesie God shall take away his part out of the booke of life and out of the holy citie and from those things which are written in this booke But that I might not seeme tedious vnto you we shall further heare in one word that the Sabbath still bindeth vs and that it ought to stand in his greatest force That two ends of ordayning the Sabbath sheweth the continuance of it that euer it had and that we haue as great neede of it as euer any people had in the world and that our posteritie shall haue so likewise and therefore cannot be without it if we consider the principall ends of the first instituting and ordaining of it by God vnto Adam in Paradise A day of rest is necessarie Commanding him to rest vpon that day and to keepe holie the day of rest And first of all to rest because he was not of an infinite nature though perfect and therefore could not be occupied wholly about many I doe not say contrarie but sundrie and diuers things at once as about the busines of this world and the worship of God wherefore being bound by his calling to dresse and keepe the garden Gen. 2.15 verse 3. and yet charged to keepe holie the seuenth day meditating vpon the wisedome and mercie of God appearing as in all the creatures so especially in himselfe and thus beholding the inuisible things of God in them Rom. 1.20 giuing thankes to God for them praying for the continuance of them teaching them to his posteritie c. it was needfull that the seuenth day should bee vnto him as it was indeed a Sabbath day that is a day of rest resting from all his other necessarie businesse that so he might
with his whole heart and mind attend vpon these as the worship of God required which he could not doe so long as in any part he should be occupied about the other Now if the perfectest man that euer was could not do this and therefore stood in need of this liberalitie of God in giuing him a day of rest how shall not we bee too foolish in thinking that we we I say that haue not only lost all the excellent graces that Adam was furnished with but also in stead of them great corruptioÌ„ hath ouerwhelmed vs so that our mindes are dull in concerning the goodnes of God in his word and workes and our hearts voyd of the true sense and feeling of it yet we should bee able to haue all our worldly businesse still in our hands and in our heads not resting from them any day and therewithall to haue the same vnderstanding and wit of ours so conceiuing and desiring by prayer the mercie of God in the Worde in the Sacraments and in all other things of God requireth Luk. 10.27 with all our heart with all our soule with all our strength and with all our thought Or rather must we not needes confesse as the trueth is that beâ—ng more bound to the seruice of God then Adam was â—n respect of our sinne yet are lesse able to performe it â—hen he in any tollerable measure when wee haue done all that we can and therefore haue more neede of a day of rest then he that nothing might hinder vs. Muscul loc com praecept 4. For if the bird that she might flye must flutter with her wings and deliuer her selfe from all things that might stay her shall wee thinke that it makes no matter if wee come not to Gods seruice with minds and affections freed from all lets in which we must in our spirits bee lifted vp higher then it is possible for any bird by flying to attaine vnto And doth not wofull experience tel vs that when we haue freed our hands from worldly matters neuer so much yet wee cannot so soone free our mindes from them and being once free they will yet renew themselues within vs without any present occasion by reason of our corruption euen in the Church and will iustle out as it were the meditation of Gods seruice many times whereof Gods children doe complaine how vnruly then wrould they be if there were not a day to rest from the occasions of them and how should wee euer bee occupied in the word and in prayer and the other parts of Gods worship with any good acceptation to God and comfortable practise to our selues if we should neuer a day rest in bodie from the labours of this world that in mind and heart we might be free from the cogitations studies delights and desires of the same So that we are not onely not to thinke the Sabbath to be needlesse as many Atheists prophane and ignorant men doe but also we are to be perswaded that we our selues should alwaies haue been ignorant prophane and Atheists not seruing God at all but continually drowned in â—he things of this world by reason of the workes in the sixe daies or at the least dissembling counterfeit and hypocritical seruing God rather in ceremonie and in shew theÌ„ in that manner of sinceritie truth which he requireth if God had not in respect of our weaknes at first appoynted a day to rest in from all things that might any way stay and hinder vs in it and now in regarde of the same weaknes but much more because of the sin which is within vs had not commanded the same to bee continued for our further good Gualt in Act. 13. Homil. 88. And so I may say with Master Gualter Because we are distracted with diuers businesse Necesse fuit it was necessarie that some time should be appoynted free fromal cares and busines in which wee should employ our selues wholly in soule and bodie about those things which doe make for the seruice of God Muscul in praecept 4. because in it as it is truely sayd Animum requirit non dimidiatum sed integrum God requireth not halfe but the whole soule and minde And that I might remember my former promise of being short in so large a matter wee may briefly consider the necessitie of continuing the Sabbath vnto all ages It is necessarie that a daye should be sanctified if wee remember that the Lord would haue Adam to sanctifie and keepe holie one seuerall day in the weeke by it selfe that by those holie meanes of Gods seruice whereof his soule did stand in neede as his bodie did of corporal food he might keepe himselfe in that perfect estate which he was placed in which he had also power to doe For though he was so glorious and excellent as he was and shined in all vertues of soule and bodie farre aboue the Sunne which he might haue possessed for euer yet so it was by Gods woÌ„derfull dispensation that there were notable meanes ordained for both without which they could not be and therefore as in respect of his bodie there was aboundance of pleasant fruit in the garden to eate of Gen. 2.9 so in regard of his soule there was the word of God euen the Commandements the perfect knowledge whereof he had the sacrament of his life alreadie receiued of God Gen. 1.26 and Coloss 3.10 compared together Gen. 2.9 and to bee continued by him the tree that was in the middest of the garden he was commanded to pray and giue thankes and there was the wonderfull excellent frame of the world to stirre him vp to these things So that as his bodily life â—ould not be preserued God ordayning it so without â—â—e vse of his creatures and therefore hee willed him to â—â—dresse the garden and keepe it in the sixe dayes Gen. 2.15 that it might yeeld those things vnto him So the life of God which was in him could not continue without those hoâ—y and spirituall meanes appointed for that purpose and â—herefore hee was commaunded to keepe holy the seuenth day verse .3 that in the more plentifull vse of all the meanes vpon that day he might both make a supply of that which could not be done on the other dayes and also thereby be continued in all strength to doe all other dueties the dayes following Now if Adam because hee might fall did stand in need of this day to preserue him from falling how much more we being so horribly fallen alreadie as wee bee doe stand in neede of it againe againe to bring our selues backe into that estate from whence we are fallen and as it were to recouer our first footing if it was needfull for Adam I say being nowe most perfect to haue a day allotted out vnto him by true sanctifying of which he might still abide in his perfection can we bee so froward to imagine that now it is not most needfull for vs being so
vnperfect that thereby wee might be brought vnto our first perfection againe Yes surely vnlesse we be too much louers of our selues and ouerweaned with the pride of our nature must wee beleeue that if the perfect image of God in Adam not lightly shadowed but drawen out with most liuely and orient colours by the finger of God himselfe could not continue in his first beautie except by the pure meanes of Gods worship as â—t were by the first colours it were now and then refreâ—hed or at the least wise kept in the same freshnes then â—hen this goodly Image is so fowly defaced with sinne that not so much as the first draught thereof doth appeare nay all the colours of it are by Sathan sullied with iniquitie or rather cleane put out haue we much more neede to sanctifie many daies by the word Sacraments and prayer c. that so the Image of the first man might be renued in vs Coloss 3.10 Ephes 4.24 in knowledge in righteousnes and in true holines after the Image of him that created him euen as the Lorde God himselfe doth make this the vse of the Sabbath saying Keepe yee my Sabbaths for it is a signe betweene me and you in your generations Exod. 31.13 that yee may know that I am the Lorde which doe sanctifie you calling it a signe that is an instruction or that which teacheth because by the obseruing of it they should be taught that it was the Lorde that created them and would sanctifie them and therefore he saith that hee would haue them obserue and keepe the Sabbaths that therby they might know that the Lord which made them would also sanctify them by those meanes and so by a new birth shape them into that Image whereinto hee had created them at the first Vnto which agreeth that which the Prophet Isayah speaketh in the 56. chapter where hee promiseth vnto the barren in stead of sonnes and daughters that this shall bring them a better and more lasting name then they if they will in true knowledge of his will and holines of life serue him as hee requireth of them in his couenant and that they might doe so will diligently keepe the Sabbaths Esay 56.4 saying Thus saith the Lord vnto the Eunuches that keepe my Sabbath and chuse the thing that pleaseth me and take holde of my couenant euen vnto them will I giue within my house and within my walles a place and a name better then of the sonnes and of the daughters and I will giue them an euerlasting name that shall not be put out In which words we see he requireth this of them if they would enioy the promise that they should serue him in knowledg in holines according to his couenant and therfore that they would keepe the Sabbaths whereby the Lorde himselfe would giue vnto them that which he also promiseth in his couenant eueÌ„ that knowledge and holines which hee requireth and according 〈◊〉 which they were first created whereby they might â—nioy all other promised blessings Thus then we ought to bee so farre from the brutish minde of a great many who minding nothing but their backe and their belly know no vse of the Sabbath sauing â—hat they see it is thus commanded by authoritie and â—hus publikely obserued as that wee should acknowâ—edge it to be the singular mercy of God towards vs in Christ Iesus that hee hath giuen vs his Sabbaths giuen them to vs I say who when wee were plunged in the bottomlesse pit of all miserie and there pressed downe with the weight of our owne sins had no meanes to be raysed out of it againe as from the dead sauing his holy word and blessed Sacraments in which he offereth vnto vs assuredly Christ Iesus to bee our Sauiour and redeemer hath together with them giuen vs his Sabbaths that vpon them we being so fully and altogether occupied in â—hese meanes as we should be and as we can not bee in â—he other daies because of our callings might through the blessing of God be made partakers of him who was made of God the father for vs wisedome righteousnes 1. Cor. 1.30 holines and redemption and so be saued by him And indeede what would become of vs If there were no Sabbath Gods worship would be altogether neglected if wee had not the Sabbaths For that I might not speak of the wicked who vpon the sixe dayes seldome or neuer pray neuer reade the worde neuer giue themselues to any good meditation or conference of the Scriptures as the things not appertaining to those dayes but are wholly possessed and caried away with the profits and pleasures of this worlde as it were with a streame yet through Gods mercifull ordinance are driuen to heare vpon the â—abbath and doe that which otherwise they would not whereby happily some good is wrought in them or else are left more without excuse before Gods iudgement seate to their iust condemnation That I might not speak of these wee may pitifully behold the children of God themselues many times neglecting the publike and priuate exercises of religion euen of the word and prayer in the weeke dayes being partly distracted in their callings for want of heauenly wisedome to diuide out their times and partly hindered by that vntowardnes and vnaptnes that is in their nature to all goodnes and partly by a carelesse forgetfulnes the world thrusting it out of their minds the diuell stealing it away wherby they do not so grow in the graces of God as they might therefore they are to too vnthankfull if they doe not acknowledge with thankes this vnspeakable benefite of the Sabbath in which God hath commanded them for their good to supply their former wants to make vp the breaches as it were of the other dayes and to build vp the decayes of them and to doe that wholly which before they did but in part and to doe that an whole day which before they did but by peeces and to doe nothing but that which before they ioyned with other thinges that so they might come to that happines which GOD would haue them to the which otherwise they could not come For lamentable experience in themselues doth teach them that though they obserue the Sabbath neuer so diligently according to Gods good commandement yet by reason of sinnes which is so bred in the bones that it will not out in the flesh they finde themselues failing in many dueties to God and men very vnto ward many times to those that they doe and so corrupting them falling into many sinnes prone vnto a great many moe and so hardly with great striuing to keepe an eeuen course of life that in their consciences they doe assuredly subscribe vnto this truth that if there were no Sabbath at all they were most miserable and should become like vnto the rest of the world And so let vs conclude this matter confessing and acknowledging vpon the premisses with all the Church of
reuerenced the Catholike custome of the Church which was from the Apostles time rather then that hee did euen thē first ordaine it Bucer in Mat. 12.11 For as Master Bucer sayth The Lords day was appointed by the common consent of the Christians for the publike assemblies of the Church ipso statim tempore Apostolorum euen at the first in the Apostles time Nowe seeing the alteration was made in the Apostles time And by the Aposles themselues Ioh. 16.13 they did yeeld vnto it by their practise by whom can we imagine that this shuld be done but by thē who had receiued the spirite that should leade them into all trueth then by them I say who for their excellent giftes were able to see further into things then all the Church besides who for their great and Apostolicall authoritie would preuayle more then any other who were appoynted by Christ to be the chiefe builders and planters of the Churches both in doctrine and discipline And therefore S. Augustine saith plainely August de temp serm 251 Dominicum diem Apostoli Apostolici viri c. The Apostles and men of Apostolicall authoritie did ordaine this day in the Church M. Fox in Apoc. 1.10 And M. Foxe concluding out of his words saith From hence it is manifest that the obseruation of this Lords sabbath Aucoritate niti Apostolicae institutionis doth leane vpon the authoritie of the Apostles institution If indeed they had resisted it as they did many other things that crept into the Church in their time we would haue suspected it or rather vtterly refused it but seeing they haue commended it vnto vs by their practises as appeareth in that Scripture which we know to be Canonicall and Authenticall wee doe acknowledge that the Lorde furnishing them with his holy spirite as he vsed them according to his good pleasure like worthie instruments to conuey vnto vs the holy scriptures which wee receiue from their hands without all gaine saying so we beleeue that they had his extraordinarie direction in abrogating the former day and placing this in the roome of it For as the learned Doctor Fulke sayth D. Fulke vpon Rhem. Test. Apoc. 1.10 Acts 1.2 Now for the prescription of this day before any other of the seuen the Apostles had without doubt either the expresse commaundement of Christ before his ascension when hee gaue them precepts concerning the Kingdome of God and the ordering and gouernment of Church or else the certain direction of his spirite that it was his will and pleasure that it should bee so and that also according to the Scriptures And as we doe not dispute of the authoritie and credite of their writings which wee know not to haue proceeded from the spirite of man so wee doe not call into question the lawfulnes of this change which wee see in their writings allowed and by themselues commended vnto vs in the same So that I may conclude with him that saith Wolph Chronol lib. 2. cap. 1. Fecerunt hoc Apostoli The Apostles did make this change as appeareth by their writings whose examples wee doe well to follow as of whom it is sayd Iunij praelect in Gen. 2.3 hee that heareth you heareth mee And so concludeth Iunius Quamobrem cum dies Dominicus c. Wherefore seeing the Lords day is both by the fact of Christ s his resurrection and often appearing to his Disciples vpon that day by the example and institution of the Apostles and by the continuall practise of the ancient Church and by the testimonie of the scripture obserued substituted into the place of the Iewish Sabbath Ineptè faciunt They do very foolishly who say that the obseruation of the Lords day is of tradition not from the scripture that by this meanes they might establish the traditions of men And that it might be fully known to the whole church in time that the day was changed indeed they gaue it a new name calling it the Lords day that the very name it selfe might proclayme with a loude voyce as it were with the sound of a Trumpet thus much vnto the whole world yea among them which had not yet submitted themselues to the obseruation of this day For thus Saint Iohn calleth it in the Reuelation Reuel 1.10 I was rauished in the spirite on the Lords day by which as it is agreed vpon of all sides that hee meaneth this very day which wee obserue so when he giueth it this name writing vnto the Church to whom he would commend this prophecie he sheweth that then it began at least to bee so called and was in his time known by that name to some he liuing longer then the rest of the Apostles And so as the bounds of the Gospell were enlarged and it was by little and little in more places intertained neither could so great a thing in all places be done at once so with it also was the obseruation of this new day together with the change of the name thereof in the same places intertayned also And therefore Ignatius Bishop of Antioche liuing in the time or this Apostle Ignat. ad Magnes saith of it Omnis qui Christum amat Let euery one that loueth Christ keepe holy the Lords day renowned by his resurrection which is the Queene of all dayes in which death is ouercome and life is sprong vp in Christ. And so after him in other places it was thus called and kept Euseb lib 4. cap. 22. For as Eusebius makes mention in his Ecclesiasticall historie Dionisius Bishop of Corinth who liued about the yeare of Christ 106. speaketh thus Hodie to day we haue celebrated the Lords holy day And Iustinus Martyr Iustin. apol 2. not long after him doth not onely name the Lordes day but sheweth how it was obserued then euen as it is of vs when he saith That they met in one place to heare the writings of the Prophets c. Tertul. lib. de Idololat And Tertullian after him among the solemne dayes of the Christians then obserued doth first of all name the Lords day Thus wee may see that this change was made and approued of the Church from the beginning and so hath continued vnto our time But least it shuld seeme strange vnto vs Then also was changed the Ministers and the ministerie of the lawe that any such change should be made in the day we must call into our remembrance how many things were changed at that time For first of all the Ministers were changed and in stead of Priests and Leuites there were giuen Apostles Ephes 4.11 Prophets Euangelists Pastors and Teachers Secondarily all the sacrifices were changed so that we doe not offer vp the dead bodies of Rams Calues goates and such like but we giue vp our selues a liuing sacrifice Rom. 12.1 holy and acceptable vnto God Thirdly the Sacraments were changed for in stead of Circumcision and the Passeouer wee haue Baptisme and the
Lords Supper Why then might not the day be changed nay 1. Cor. 10. was it not the great wisedome of God to change the day with all these to shewe that there was a thorowe change indeede in the whole gouernmeÌ„t of the Church of the Iewes wheÌ„ the day it selfe vpon which all the other things were practised was changed together with them And whereas all other things were so chaÌ„ged that they were cleane takeÌ„ away as the Priesthood the sacrifices and sacraments this day was so changed that it yet remaineth which sheweth that though all the other were ceremoniall and therfore had an ende this onely was morall and therefore abideth still So saith Master Gualter Gualt in Mal. 3. Homil. 23. The Primitiue Church thought it did abolish the Iewish Sabbath Olim illud sacruÌ„ non aboleuit yet it tooke not away the holy day of rest but did translate the obseruation of it vnto the day following therefore there is the same vse of it now which was of the Sabbath in times past among the true worshippers of God Why the Apostles changed the sabbath of the Iewes into this day that we now keep rather then any other When thus it seemed good to the Apostles vpon these waightie considerations being herein gouerned by the holy Ghost to change this day they were directed by the same spirite aduisedly to chuse this day which we now keepe and must keepe to the end of the world rather then any other vpon speciall groundes and most singular reasons laide open to the Church who seeing into them and being perswaded by theÌ„ gaue their free consent vnto it For seeing that our God and sauiour Iesus Christ taking vpon him the wonderfull worke of our Redemption did finish and make an ende of it vpon that day when he did most victoriously rise from the dead and so declare that he had conquered all and that he dying in the state of a condemned sinner for vs taking vpon him all the punishment that was due to vs euen to the ransaking and confounding of all the partes of his soule and bodie Luk. 22.41.44 with droppes of water and blood trickling down from him when hee kneeled vpon the colde grounde and to the powring forth of that lamentable crie with great anguish My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And being thus caried to the graue Math. 27.46 and put vnder the ground as a man forlorne and cast away death holding him fast and chayning him vp as it were for the space of three dayes and three nights hee did notwithstanding all this at the time appoynted Act. 2.24 euen vpon this very day loose the sorrowes of death because it was vnpossible that hee should be holden of it and rising vp with wonderfull great glorie dâ—d shew that all things were ended and that hee had redeemed mankinde and all the Creatures into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God Rom. 8.21 according as it is set downe in the Gospell When the first day of the weeke began to dawne Math. 28 1. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the sepulchre and behold there was a great earthquake for the Angell of the Lord descended from heauen and came and rolled backe the stone from the dore of the sepulchre and sate vpon it and sayd to the women feare ye not for I knowe that you seeke Iesus that was crucified he is not here for he is risen as he said Now that it might appeare that all the Ceremonies of the Iewes were at this time ended in him that was the fulfilling of them and that all those shadowes were taken away by his death who was the substance and bodie of them Because Christ did rise from the dead on that day they did make choyse of that day specially vpon which he rising againe from all things which he suffered did declare that he had ouercome and ended them indeede And besides that it might be an effectuall teaching to the Church that al the libertie and freedome from sinne from hell and death and from the eternall wrath of God is purchased vnto them by the accursed death shamefull sufferings of Christ Iesus vpon the Crosse by none other and that all glorie happines and life commeth vnto them from his righteousnes and glorious resurrection they did preferre this day aboue any other as most worthie in the which he hauing before suffered all these intolerable things for them and being pressed downe with them euen vnto death did afterwards recouering himselfe as it were and gathering new strength like vnto the most victorious lyon of the tribe of Iuda did I say Reuel 5.5 Rom. 1.4 mightilie raise vp himselfe in glorie for their sakes by the inuincible power of his Godhead Chrysostome among the sundrie names which he reckoneth vp that this day had in the Primitiue Church sayth it was therefore called the Lords day Chrysost serm 5. de resur Quia solemnis erat memoriae resurrectionis Christi because was solemnely appoynted for the memorie of the resurrection of Christ August epist ad Ianuar. 119 cap. 13 ad Casul 86. Whereunto agreeth S. Augustine The Lords day was declared vnto the Church by the resurrection of the Lord vpon that day And in another place The Apostles did appoynt the Lords day in stead of the Iewish Sabbath Idem de temp serm 251. Quia in eo redemptor noster à mortuis resurrexit because vpon that day our redeemer did rise from the dead which also therefore is called the Lords day So that not so much the Apostles as Christ himselfe brought in this chaunge and was the author of this day And this is that which one sayth Wolph chronol lib. 2. cap. 1. Nouum Christus Sabbathum substituit Christ did appoynt the new Sabbath when our last enemie death being ouercome he made an end of the labors of our redemption which in his humanitie were to be borne and the next day with the new man restored he brought out of the graue a new time the time of our redemption and of the new Couenant and did prepare an euerlasting Sabbath into the which himselfe then entered for vs also at the time appoynted by vertue of his resurrection to be entered into therefore as in the time of the Creation that day which was first of the Creation finished was made holiâ— for the worship of God so now in the time of the redemption that day which is first after the finishing of it is to bee accounted holie of vs. August de teÌ„p serm 251. It appeareth in the Scripture sayth S. Augustine that this day is of great account for it is the first day of the world in it were formed the Elements in it were created the Angels in it Christ rose from the dead in it the holie Ghost descended vpon the Apostles and God first rained Manna in the wildernesse so that by these and
day wherein the redemption and the second and the newe world was ended Euen as not only Iustine Martyr doth ioyne both these together when hee sheweth that in his time the Church did publikely meet vpon this day Iustin. Mart. Apolog. 2. doth because it was the first day wherin God beganne to make the world and also because vpon that day Iesus Christ our Sauiour did rise froÌ„ the dead but also Saint Augustine speaking many excellent things in the commendation of this day August de teÌ„p serm 251. ioyneth these together It is apparant that this day is famous in the scriptures seeing it was the first day of the world and the day of Christs resurrection And so the memory of the one doth not put out the glory of the other but being added vnto it as a further honour doth increase the dignitie of it so much the more euen as Iacob was more renowmed of God when he was also called Israell Gen. 32.28 Thus we doe conclude this matter in one word that this very day which the Church obserueth in all places is that which must endure to the end of the world as hauing his authoritie not from man but from God himselfe and is that very day which is now commended vnto vs in the commandement And now all these things being thus premised which of necessitie must first haue beene spoken of the order and time and my purpose requireth that I should according to your expectation proceede in the wordes of the coÌ„mandement it selfe as it was first pronounced by the Lord froÌ„ heaueÌ„ after written by Moses in the 20. chap. of Exodus ver 8. Diuision of the text into the commandement and the reasons of it Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy c. to the ende of the 11. verse In all which words we haue two principall things to consider of the first is the commandement it selfe in the 8. verse the other is the reasons which are vsed to persuade men vnto the obedience of it in the other three verses Concerning the commandement it selfe as it consisteth of two wordes as it were so in the true vnderstanding of them two consisteth the whole meaning of the commandment The first is the Sabbath day or day of rest which wee are willed to remember the second is the sanctification of the Sabbaâ—h or keeping holy the day of rest which we are willed to be carefull of The Sabbath day As by it is noted out one speciall day namely the seuenth as it is afterwards declared The seuenth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God yet because it hath the name of the nature of it for it is so called because of the rest that is proper vnto it it doth shew vnto vs The first thing in the commaÌ„dement is to rest vpon the seuenth day what is the first thing required in this commandement namely that vpon the seuenth day we should rest for the Sabbath day in the first tongue wherein it was pronounced and written signifieth as much as the day of rest yet so as that in the beginning it was the proper name of the seuenth day because there were no other dayes of rest appointed by God but onely that But afterwardes when the Lorde gaue vnto the Iewes the ceremoniall law hee appointed also vnto them certaine other daies in the yeare as appeareth in the bookes of Moses and is well knowne vnto men in which he commanded them to rest and to keepe them holy therefore they hauing the nature of the first and onely Sabbath are called in the scriptures Sabbath daies as the yearely day of purifiyng and clensing the people as it is set downe in Leuiticus Leuit. 13.31 is called a Sabbath because that in it they were commanded to doe as vpon the Sabbath according as it is written The tenth day of the seuenth month you shall humble your soules and doe no worke at all this shall bee a Sabbath of Rest vnto you And so the first and last day of euery other feast had the same name because it was of the same nature whereunto the Apostle hath respect Colos 2.16 Let no man therefore condenme you in meate and drink or in respect of an holyday or of the newe Moone of the Sabbaths speaking of many in the plural number where hee proueth that Christ hath set vs free from all the ceremonies of the Iewes and that they are in no wise to be a dioyned vnto the Gospell in so much that we are not bound to that distinction of meates and daies that they were no not of the Sabbath daies neither to keepe that one which we do in that manner and to that end that they did in euery point neither to keepe the other Sabbath dayes at all which they had Thus generally the name of Sabbath was giuen vnto euery day of rest but principall and in it owne nature it noted out that Sabbath day which was the seuenth and more improperly by a tropicall speech that was made common to all the other But yet so as that alwaies the name did declare the nature of it and doth shewe vnto as that the Lords requireth of vs that vpon that day wee should rest indeede For though it bee not alwaies true among men who may be deceiued that the things which they name haue those properties in them which their names doe import as when Dauid named his sonne Absalom he was nothing lesse then his fathers peace yet when the lord giueth names vnto things who fully knoweth what is the nature of euery thing and maketh it to bee that which hee calleth it it is alwaies true that the name is not frustrate and idle making a shewe of more then the thing can affoord and therefore as when he named the child that should be borne of the Virgin Mary Iesus he made him a Sauiour indeede according to his name so when he called the seuenth day a Sabbath day he willed and commanded that men shoul rest vpon it and that men can no more take away rest from it then they may alter and change the name of it And that there ought to be a most notable and singular rest vpon this day A very exact and precise rest must then be kept and that it should be nothing els but a day of rest and though men may rest vpon the other sixe daies for their benefite and good yet that the rest vpon this must be a most carefull exact and precise rest after an other manner then men for the most part doe performe it appeareth very plainly in the scripture where besides the manifold Commandements of keeping the Sabbath which is a day of rest this very thing is so particularly and so often and in such expresse words vrged and repeated that men should then rest As Exod. 16. Exod. 16.23 when he would perswade the people to rest vpon the seuenth day from gathering and preparing Manna he telleth them
worke but the seuenth daye is the sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not doe any worke that is any of that worke which thou vsest to doe vpon the sixe dayes which is also proued by the example and patterne of Gods Rest who in sixe dayes made the Heauen and the earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seuenth day from which time he hath not rested from doing euery thing for he preserueth and gouerneth the things that hee hath made but hee resteth from such workes as he did vpon those sixe dayes namely of making new kindes of creatures or framing any more worlds which example of his must be our imitation for he rested for our sakes to teach vs that though we haue our seuerall callings wherein we must be diligently occupyed in the sixe dayes yet we must rest vpon the seuenth and rest from those things which we vsually doe vpon the sixe dayes by vertue of our calling for so hee rested himselfe Therefore whereas one man is occupyed in this thing and another in that and euery man hath or ought to haue some speciall businesse to attend vpon in the sixe dayes and being in an honest calling hee should labour in it diligently that he might not eate the breade of idlenes he ought vpon the seuenth day to put himselfe apart from all those affayres and as though they did not appertaine vnto him to haue no dealing with them And this is that which TertulliaÌ„ saith speaking of the seuenth day Tertul. aduers Marcion lib. 3. In it thou shalt not doe any worke Quod vtÃque tuum What worke saith he thine owne worke Consequens n. est vt ea opera sabbatho auferret quae sex diebus suprà indixerat for it must needes follow that he should forbid those workes vpon the sabbath day which he had before appoynted for the sixe dayes and therefore hee further addeth Tua id est humana quotidiana I say thine owne workes are forbidden that is worldly and dayly businesse So that here wee neede not to descend further into particulars or to vse many words for the opening of this matter it doth so plainely offer it selfe vnto vs that it may bee both seen and felt of vs and here needeth no great capacitie for the conceiuing of this poynt For if we liue not altogether in idlenes vnprofitably spending away the time and our selues and be as it were an heauie and vnprofitable burthen vpon the earth whereof there be two many in the world and it is one of the greatest sinnes of our time if I say we can but tell what is our daylie businesse and wherein we are or should be occupyed euen these are the things that be ment in this commandement that we should rest from So that here we had neede rather of a good conscience that might moue vs in the feare of God in a carefull obedience to his commandements to enter into this rest which we haue seen so many waies commended vnto vs and that euery one must examine his owne proper workes and so hee shall easely discerne what be the very special things from which he must rest as though they did not belong vnto him at all Thus shall the labourer perceiue that vpon this day he must rest from his dayes labour whether it be digging or thrashing or hedging or any thing else and the artificer from his dayly crafte and trade of making such things as bee incident to his calling and the husbandmen from sowing and tilling and manuring the earth and gathering the fruites of it and such like yea euen in the time of haruest as we haue seene Exod. 34. To this end besides that that hath been alleaged heretofore for this purpose I may put you in minde of one of those worthie Lawes which Charles the Emperor deliuered vnto his visiters whom he sent with his authoritie to reforme the Church Item we decree Centur. 8. Eccles luster c. 6. that as God hath commanded no seruile worke be taken in hand on the Lords day as also the Prince my father of blessed memorie gaue charge by his Synodall edict to wit no kinde of husbandrie neither cutting of vines nor tilling the ground neither reaping nor mowing nor hedging neither rooting or felling of trees nor digging in rockes nor building nor gardening nor hunting The women likewise to forbeare al Manuall worke as weauing sowing embroydring kemming of woll dressing of flaxe shearing of sheep and washing of clothes c. The Marchant and chapman must rest from buying and selling of wares making of bargaines vpon this day yea euen from buying of victuals fish or flesh meate breade or drinke for the sixe dayes are giuen them to make their prouision in as it hath been alreadie declared vnto vs out of Nehemiah 13. And whereas this abuse was common among the Iewes in the time of their captiuitie by reason of the great ignorance and because they were mingled with the heathen after their returne vnder Nehemiah when things began to be reformed they bound themselues by couenant to redresse this fault also for this was one article in the couenant Nehem. 10.31 That if the peâ—ple of the land brought ware on the sabbath or any victuals to sell that they would not take it of them on the sabbath and on the holy dayes Wolph lib. 3. in Nehem. 10. And M. Wolphius very excellentlie vpon this place Ijs vtuntur verbis They vse such wordes as doe somewhat declare that this custome had been among them that if other forraine people who had no conscience of the sabbath had brought any corne or wares vpon the sabbaths they preferring their owne commoditie and lusts before the obseruation of the sabbath they did not sticke to buy all that of them whatsoeuer it was By what meanes both the religious obseruation of the sabbath and the number of them that offered sacrifices and heard the word of God was greatly decayed because they were occupied about other things And whereas they speake of the people of the land thereby meaning other nations they secretly preuent their obiection who might reply that the strangers in no case were to bee tyed vnto the Lawes of the Iewes and that this delay was to their hinderance if they might not be ridde of their wares before the day following and that many of them did offend of ignorance and that if they should be thus hindered it would come to passe in time that they would bring nothing and by that meanes the Citie should want victuals and things necessary all which did cary with it a very probable shew of reason Nehemias aliam rationem init Nehemias he taketh another course sheweth that the ancient lawes of our forefathers yea of God and for religion ought to be so esteemed of vs that we should not suffer them to be broken for any strangers sake And the same Wolphius doth further adde That this people doth promise
God except we cast from vs these worldly cares which presse vs downe ouermuch then I doe further adde that surelie here we haue neede of faith to beleeue That godlines hath the promises of this life as well as the life to come 1. Tim. 4.8 and that if wee will first seeke the kingdome of God and his righteousnes all needefull things shall be giuen vnto vs. Matth. 6.33 And therfore if we rest vpon the seuenth day because the Lord hath cōmanded it he will so blesse multiplie the things that we haue that we shal receiue from him our daily bread vpon that daye as well as vpon any other For if the seruant that hath trauailed al the dayes of the weeke in his masters seruice may looke for his ordinarie foode and wages vpon the Lordes daye though he rest thereon then may we much more looke for this iust and mercifull dealing from God And that we might beleeue it the rather let vs remember the promise which the Lord maketh to the Israelites in the like case when he commanded them to let their ground rest from plowing and tilling the seuenth yeare as it is plentifully recorded by Moses Sixe yeares thou shalt sowe thy fielde and sixe yeares thou shalt cut thy vineyard Leuit. 25.3 and gather the fruite thereof 4. But the seuenth yeare shall bee a sabbath of rest vnto the land it shall be the Lords sabbath thou shalt neither sowe thy fielde or cut thy vineyard 18. Wherfore ye shall obey mine ordinances and keepe my lawes and doe them and ye shal dwel in the land in safetie 19. And the land shall giue her fruite and yee shall eate your fill and dwell therein in safetie 20. And if ye shall say what shall we eate the seuenth yeare for we shall not sowe neither gather in our increase 21. I will send my blessings vpon you in the sixt yeare and it shall bring forth fruite for three yeares 22. And ye shall sowe the eight yeare and eate of the olde fruite vntill the ninth yeare vntill the fruites thereof come yee shall eate the olde Where wee see how the Lorde doth aboundantly promise to supplie the want that might haue seemed to come vpon them by resting the seuenth yeare with a treble blessing vpon the reuenewes of the sixt which thing also he did most plentifully performe so long as they obeyed euen so no doubt the Lord will increase the wages of a poore man earned by his faithfull labour in his calling vpon the sixe dayes that it shall suffice him for the seuenth also so that for want he shall not neede to worke vpon it Caluin in Leuit 25.20 And here I must say as Master Caluin doth Nunquam Dei praeceptis morigeri erunt homines Men will neuer be obedient vnto the commandements of God till their distrustfulnes bee corrected and men are alwaies wittie enough to pretend many things why they should not obey but here was a speciall promise that no lacke should come to the Iewes by resting vpon the Sabbath whereof he had giuen them a sure pledge long agoe in the desert when on the day before the Sabbath a double portion of Manna was giuen to all that gathered And wee haue not seene men that haue been painfull indeed driuen to that necessitie that for the supply of their want they haue been compelled to labour vpon the seuenth day But contrariwise wee may many times obserue how they that are so wordly vpon the seuenth day doe not so greatly prosper but though they gaine one way they lose another But bee it that it were not so and that they alwaies gained be it neuer so much yea the whole world if it were possible and in the mean season lose their owne soule through their disobedience what will they giue for the redemption of it This ought to serue vs as Master Caluin setteth it downe in his sermons very largely and very pithily whose words therefore though they be many I will recite as a principle Caluin vpon Deut. 5. Ser. 35 to stir vp vs to follow that which God hath cōmāded vs. For the chiefest thing which stayeth vs from ordering our life to the obedience of God is this that being too much wedded to our selues we thinke this shal be against our profite and wee will alwaies prouide howsoeuer the case stands for our commodities in those things which appertaine vnto the world Behold how men cannot followe God but rather forsake him draw cleane backward from his law for that they thinke if they serue God they shall neuer thriue Now this is so wicked an vnthankefulnes that it serueth to aggrauate an hundreth times more our rebellion what must we doe then Let vs note well that wee shall not bee able to serue God with a franke and free courage except we be resolued that he prouideth for our whole life and that he will not forget vs as it is spoken in the person of Ioshua Iosh 1.9 Heb. 13.5 For the Apostle to the Hebrewes applieth this doctrine to all the faithfull yea to draw them from ouermuch care and carking he sayth Thy God will not faile thee he will not forget thee So that if once we can bee perswaded that God watcheth ouer vs and that he will liberally prouide for our necessities it is certaine we shall not be so busied in our earthly affections and we shall not bee so easily turned from seruing of God we shall not be hindered to meditate and thinke on the heauenly life we shall so passe through this world as to vse the creatures thereof as if wee vsed them not because wee knowe alwaies that wee ought to make our race further Obiection Many also take great libertie to themselues vpon that text where there is mention of a Sabbaths daies iourney Answere Act. 1.12 concerning which first of all it is not agreed vpon how farre that was Master Caluin vpon it sayth it was but two miles and of that iudgement are most of the Latin interpreters Doctor Tremelius in his notes vpon this place sayth it is but one mile Test Syria that he proueth both by the Syrian paraphrast out of the Iewes Talmud other Rabbins So that by this rule mens iournyes must be shortened a great deale lesse then they be except they haue better proofe Besides Master Caluin sayth in the aboue named place that there was no such thing prescribed in the law Hierom. in resp ad Algas quast 10. And S. Hierome sayth plainly it was but a tradition of theirs and especially of two Rabbins Atriba and Simon Heli. Therefore let vs not shut our eyes against so plaine a trueth and to day when we heare the voyce of God let vs not harden our hearts but subscribe vnto the veritie of it by our practise and let vs be willing to rest from al earthly affayres vpon the seuenth day and not to entangle our selues with any thing according
in our Idlenes but hee hath therefore sundered the Sabbath from other dayes which hee hath appoynted for worke It is then sanctified when we bestowe it vpon Gods worship that we resting from our workes vpon this one daye might more freelie heare the law of God and worship him For by this meanes in deede all the things that euer haue been vsed in the sacred worship of God haue been hallowed in so much that of what kinde or nature soeuer they were before yet now the holie God whom onely they serued and his holie worship vnto which they are made proper hath sanctified them and made them so wholly to differ from all other as though they were not of the same nature and kinde and so from that they were before as though they were not the same any more Thus we doe reade that the tabernacle and the temple were holy with all the ministers of both Which also sanctifieth all other creatures vsed therein Exod. 29.44 Leuit. 27.30 whatsoeuer thing els serued in them euen vnto the very garmēts of the priests as it is in the 29. verse of the same chapter and the tithes of the land giuen vnto the maintenance of Gods worship and them that serued in it So then as all other things are called most holie vnto the Lord in the same chapter because they are separated from that common vse vers 28. wherein other of the same nature are imployed and may not bee vsed but to the Lords vse So the Sabbath day or day of rest is then sanctified of vs when wee doe not vse it in the affayres of this life from the which it must be seperate and from which vpon it we must rest and therefore it is called a day of rest as wee haue seene but vse it in the Lords seruice and make that day proper vnto it and to nothing principally but that So likewise in the 40. chapter of Exod. where mention is made of the rearing vp of the Tabernacle and how euery thing was sanctified by Moses and made holie that which the Lord speaketh of Aaron is true of all other things that serued in the Tabernacle Thou shalt put vpon Aaron the holie garments Exod. 40.13 and shalt annoint him sanctifie him that he may minister vnto me in the Priests office where in the latter words he expoundeth what is ment by making him holie euen to appoynt him to that holie office that hee might serue the Lord in his holie seruice For as the Lord himselfe did then sanctifie the day when he appoynted it to this holie end so when he commandeth vs to sanctifie it he requireth that wee should vse it onely to that holie ende for which it was ordained and so by the right vse of it to maintaine as it were that holines which at the first was put vpon it Euen as Moses did then sanctifie all the forenamed things when he dedicated them to Gods worship and the Priests by vsing them in that manner alone did keepe them holie still which they should haue vnhallowed whensoeuer they had abused them to any other end or not vsed them to this holie end As the water bread wine in the Sacraments Thus wee may easily vnderstand what is the true hallowing of the day euen to spend it in all the parts of Gods worship which maketh euery thing appoynted vnto it holie euen the very time that is spent about it Therefore as the common water being once brought into the Church and appoynted for Baptisme is no more common but holie water being seperated from the common vse of water which is to wash c. and now appoynted to assure vs of the forgiuenes of our sinnes by Christ and of our new birth in him at the commandement of God which is holie And as the common bread and wine set vpon the table of the Lord appoynted for the Sacrament of the Lords Supper which is holy and so put apart from the common vse of these creatures which is to feede our bodies and applyed to that vse which is not common but holie namely that we thereby might bee assured as by most certaine pledges that our soules and bodies shall be nourished vp by faith in Iesus Christ vnto euerlasting life are no more common bread but holie during this most holie vse and the Lord Iesus Christ at the first by appoynting them to these endes did sanctifie them the Ministers and the people by thus vsing of them doe hallow them or keepe them holie So what time soeuer is bestowed of any vpon the seruice of God he keepeth that holie and the Lord commanding vs to keepe holie the day of rest doth require that wee should spend it in the holie seruice of his maiestie vnto which he himselfe appointed it at the first and so sanctified it And this that wee might doe the better he commandeth vs to rest from all other things in the world that so the day might not bee taken vp with any thing els saue this which maketh it holie And thus we doe not onely see that it is further required in this Commandement that Gods holie worship should be practised vpon this day To worship God vpon this day is the most principal thing in the Commandement but also that this is the most especiall thing contained in it and vnto which all other things are to be referred therefore the Lord himselfe in pronouncing the lawe vseth as many words to commend vnto vs the sanctifying of the day as he did to establish resting from worldly affayres as namely when first of all he sayth Remember the Sabbath day to keepe it holie and afterwards calleth it the Sabbath of the Lord thy God that is a day of resting from all other things that it might be bestowed in seruing the Lord thy God for it is called the Sabbath of the Lord not so much because it was appoynted by the Lord as for the Lords vse therfore ought rather thus to be translated Tremel Ari. Mont. Vatabl. The Sabbath vnto the Lord or day of rest for the Lord. And amongst other great learned men which thus reade it so also writeth Tertullian Septima die Sabbatiza Domino Deo tuo Tertull aduersus Marcion lib. 3. Keepe the seuenth day an holie Sabbath vnto the Lord thy God And to this ende as the Lord himselfe doth oftentimes call them his Sabbaths so the ancient and learned father well obserueth it Hierom. in Ezec. 45. Obseruandum saith he it is to be marked that he doth not say absolutely and you shall sanctifie the Sabbath but with a note of difference Sabbatha mea my Sabbaths And so writeth Wolphius Wolph Chronol lib. 2. cap. 4. De Sabbathis plerunque God doth often so speake of the Sabbaths that hee calles them his not for difference sake because the people of God then had none other but that he might shewe that the Sabbath was appoynted for the
in that place where he hath the greatest blessing of being profitable to others that any can haue in the world and none so great as hee wee haue departed and that vpon the Sabbath without any profite at all wherein our sinne is so much the greater that for the most parte men doe not see it and so cannot be grieued for it And what is the cause of all this S. Augustine in his time complaineth of many great abuses in the Churche which hinder men from profiting all which and many more are true in our time when hauing spoken before of them that are ranging in the fieldes when they should be at Church addeth Adhuc quod detestabilius est August de tēp serm 251. Besides which is worste some comming to the Church doores enter not in or tarrie not there with silence to the ende but when there is diuine reading within then they abroade are talking either of other matters or quarelling one with another or playing To whom he saith afterwardes Do not giue your selues to playing abroade but to praying and singing within And afterwardes in the same place he speaketh to them that are in the Church saying Doe not talke one with another while you are at Church but bee quiet for there are many especially certaine women Quae ita in ecclesia garriunt who so chat in the Church and are so full of words that neither themselues heare that which is read nor suffer others to heare and then hee concludeth Should there bee such meetings in the house of God in such an order or should they so behaue themselues in the sight of God and of his holy Angels It is prouided by publike authoritie That no man woman Q. Iniunct articl 38. or childe should be otherwise occupyed in the time of seruice then in quiet attendance to heare marke and vnderstand that that is read preached and ministred but how pitifully the execution of this is neglected in many places it is too lamentable to consider And if this were all wee might holde our peace The Ministers in many places are the cause why the people doe not profit but this mischiefe stretcheth it selfe out further for alas many of Gods people liue vnder such vnprofitable Ministers that it is not so much as to be hope for ordinarily that any profit should come from them at all for besides that that many cannot so much as distinctly read so that they may profitably be vnderstood I would to God it were not so there are many that can but reade and what is the profit of that though I confesse it is great in it selfe vnto the endlesse profit that commeth by preaching And let them but one shew vs the spirit of God who must be the onely iudge in this matter euer speaking so magnificenlty of the one as of the other Others that doe preach had as good almost holde their peace for they cannot deuide the word of God aright 2. Tim. 2.5 neither are they the mise dispensers of Gods mysteries Matth. 24.45 and stewardes of his house who should giue to euery one of his people their owne meate in due season Zach. 11.15 but haue taken vnto themselues the instruments of a foolish shepheard whose right armes is dryed vp and their right eye is cleane put out that they haue no skill to discharge their dueties in any profitable measure neither doe they make it part of their care and studie to speake most profitably to their people but either care not what they saye or else seeke their credit and estimation in that which they doe say What shall wee saye then to these vnprofitable men which cause so many of Gods people to bee vnprofitable and euen in those things from whence greatest profite should redound vnto them and vpon that very day which is especially appoynted for their profit How will they wash their hands of so many vnprofitable assembles whereof they haue been the very cause themselues nay they haue brought vp a vile slander vpon the house of God which is the most beautifull and fruitfull place in the world because they haue shut out the profitable preaching of the word which maketh all other things more profitable In so much that many say what good shall I get by going to the Church what can I heare there which I may not heare or read at home Haue I not the Bible and booke of common preyer at home which saying of theirs though I doe not allow of yet you see whence it ensueth and woe bee to them by whom such offences come but this one thing will require a seuerall treatise and I must remember my purpose though I haue well remembred it all this time I meane I must bee as briefe in euery thing as the time doth require the waightines of the matter wit permit There are yet other holy dueties publikely to bee performed vpon the Sabbath day whereby it is sanctified but I haue stood the longer vpon these because they are most principall most common vnto all least regarded of all I will bee shorter in them which followe Vpon the Lords day the poore ought publikely to prouided for To make common prouision for such poore as be in euery congregation or if they bee able to haue a care of others adioyning vnto them is a worke most acceptable vnto God profitable to our brethren commanded to be done and practised of the Church most of all vpon the Sabbath For this is that order which the Apostle established in the Churches of Galatia and at Corinth for the relieuing of the poore saintes at Ierusalem much more then did they it for those that were amongst themselues Euerie first day of the weeke let euery one of you put aside and lay vp as God hath prospered him 1. Cor. 16.2 that then there bee no gatherring when I come When men haue beene prospered the whole weeke before and they come vpon the Lords day to acknowledge it and to giue tha thanks vnto God for the same the lord would haue thē declare their faith namely that they haue receiued all from him by bestowing vpon them who are in great neede the which that they might doe the rather they haue the worde that might prouoke them vnto it wherein are many goodly promises concerning the fatherly prouidence of God watching ouer them for good in this life that serue him and that he hath prouided for them a kingdome in heauen that he will requite it them double whatsoeuer they giue vnto the poore in his name and for his sake in so much that the giuing of a cup of cold water shall not be lost Math. 10.42 for he that hath pitie vpon the poore Prou. 19.17 lendeth vnto the Lord and looke whatsoeuer he layeth out it shall be repayed For the Lorde Iesus Christ will account Math. 25.40 whatsoeuer wee haue done vnto the least of his brethren as though we had done it vnto
man either can say do thing at all or that which hee doth shall bee very colde and vnprofitable and it may easily bee perceiued that it commeth but from the teeth outward as we say neither hath it that power of the spirite which ought to bee and no doubt is in the communication of many of Gods children And here is that common prouerbe verified that our Sauiour Christ alledgeth in the Gospell Math. 12 34. Out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh men are not most vsually speaking of that which they know best but vpon which their heart is most set and they take greatest pleasure in or are most afraid of c. Then if wee will by this most certaine rule of truth measure what is in the hearts of men and how they are there mooued at the hearing and reading of the worde either one way or other we shall find that the most part of men if they bee not voyde of the knowledge of it altogether yet they haue no sence or feeling of it in their hearts neither doth it affect them one whit but are benummed as it were that waye seeing that they are no more often in speaking of it And let vs cease maruailing why they are so prodigall of their tongue in all other matters and in these are more niggardly and sparing of it then they should seeing that they are so stuffed with the one but they like vnto vessels filled with new wine which will breake if they haue no vent and of the other they haue so little or rather nothing in them at all that you can scarsely wring out any thing from them Which as it is a great sinne in men an especial neglecting of a notable part of Gods worship vpon this holy day What fruit we might get by such conferences and what we lose by neglecting thē so it is most assuredly a cause why all that which they haue receiued in the publike ministerie is either so soone lost or remayneth so vprofitably with them For what if men heare and read neuer so diligently if he neuer speak of it afterwardes is it possible that he should remember it so fruitefully in time to come as otherwise he might Doth not experience teach all men that those schollers are like to proue best learned which will conferre one with another about that which the master hath read vnto them before And they that doe studie hard thēselues if they doe not conferre with others besides that they shal stick fast many times can goe no further whereas they might be holpen out by others euē that also which they haue gotten cannot bee so deepelie setled in them as otherwise it might So it must needes bee that if wee talke not of the Scriptures wee shall forget much of that which we haue learned neither shall we be so profitable vnto others as the Lord would haue vs. There bee many that complaine they haue ill memories and when they bee iustly founde faulte with for not profiting as they should say they cannot remember it and it is true but in the meane season they marke not how the fault is in themselues that they might amend it for they are not carefull to speak of that which they haue heard and so to remember it to themselues and others but as soone as they are out of the Church doores they fall into other matters and so put the other cleane out especiallie when they continue in the former the rest of the daye and will not giue that time vnto these that they should For presuppose they haue the best memories in the world yet hearing a strange thing if they will neuer tell it vnto others or make reporte of it any more how can they long remember it Nay must they not needes soone forget it On the contrarie we shall finde it to be most true by sufficient trial that they which haue but weake naturall giftes yet through age all are now more weakened and decayed shall notwithstanding be able to tell you along tale with all the circumstances of time place persons c. which they neuer heard but once in their liues and that it may be twentie or fortie yeares since but of the stories of the Bible which they haue that very day read and besides haue heard them twentie times before they shall bee able to say very little or nothing to the purpose And what can we iudge to be the cause of this but that they haue told the one so many times to their neighbours and haue gone it ouer and ouer againe which maketh them so cunning in it and of the other they haue scarce once opened their mouthes to speake and therfore all is so cleane forgotten Thus men may complaine as long as they wil make excuses to blinde the eyes of others and to deceiue their owne hearts but God is not deceiued who seeth the fruitelesse talking vnnecessarie iangling about al other matters euen vpon his own holy day when they haue said little or nothing of those which did most of all concerne them Therefore let vs vnfainedly sorrowfull that wee haue not heretofore so carefullie sanctified the Lords day in this part of his worship as he required of vs and let vs confesse that we haue been iustly punished therein that we haue lost a great part of that fruite which otherwise we might haue reaped our selues from Gods worship and bestowed vpon others let vs hereafter be more carefull to spend some part of the daye in such holy conferences as maybe profitable both to our selues and we discharged of our dueties to God thereby And whereas wee haue a thousand things within vs and without vs to hinder vs from it let vs cast them away and seeing the duetie is so necessarie the commoditie thereof so great also let vs endeauour our selues and call vpon others most earnestly to performe it Some are ashamed to talke of the Scriptures For why should wee bee ashamed of it And seeing that the shame of the worlde hath not kept vs heretofore from vngodly communications vnto which shame iustly belongth why should it hold vs back from all christian conferences of which we shal neuer haue cause to be ashamed Nay why should wee not haue our mouthes filled full of all good words out eares open to heare them from others that it might appeare wee are now ashamed that wee haue spent so much heretofore in speaking and hearing those things whereof there came nothing but hurt to our selues and others And that wee may not bee so ignorant as to imagine Others thinke that it belongs onely to the Minister and not to the common people that to conferre of the Scriptures is proper to the ministers and not belonging to the common people which once to dreame of is a thing more meete for the darke night of poperie wherein it was defended them of the midday of the Gospel which doth so manifestlie gainesay
admit no conference with their people at all whereupon many of Gods people are driuen to omit this part of Gods seruice whether they will or no to their owne great hinderance But to make an end of this matter we haue seene that it is the duetie of all men to conferre one with another and therefore no man can say I would faine doe it but I haue none that will conferre with me for hee may finde our some one or other that will ioyne with him in it and if not in that manner that hee desireth yet let him begin and it may bee that he may prouoke some that were vnwilling before and if not that if yet he shall finde that the very vttering of that which was taught before with his mouth vnto others shall be a singular helpe to confirme himselfe in it neither let any be so vntowarde Which they may doe though they can say but I or no or aske a question as altogether to drawe backe because they cannot speake so fruitfully of the word as they desire and it may bee they see some others before them doe For if they doe but listen diligently vnto that which is spoken in a desire to learne and will but giue their consent vnto it and seeme to like of it saying I or no they shall draw on the speaker and so continue that conference which may be profitable to them both which I knowe by experience the Lord hath so blessed in some that he hath nowe rewarded their obedience in the kingdome of heauen And we must remember that the Communion of Saints consisteth as well in receiuing as giuing euen in receiuing good from others as wel as in doing it vnto thē And therefore as wee must alwaies carrie about with vs these mindes that our desire is to further our selues or others in godlines so we may be assured wee haue spent the time well when wee haue attayned vnto either of both For as a Prophet must goe in the name of a Prophet to doe the dutie of a Prophet Math. 10.41 so the people that receiue him in the name of a Prophet that is to heare his doctrine to be made partakers of his prayer and to profit by both shall not lose their reward For this cause the Apostle writing to the Romaines sayth Rom. 1.11 He was desirous to come among them for the common good of both saying For I long to see you that I might bestowe among you some spirituall gift to strengthen you 11. that is that I might he comforted together with you through our mutuall faith both yours and mine Thus wee haue seene how we ought to meditate and conferre about the scriptures But wee must further know that though our meditations and conferences must alwaies be kept within the compasse of the worde least they bee wandring and so not onely friuolous and vaine but wicked and vngodly yet they are not so tyed vnto that but wee both may and ought fruitfully to meditate vpon and soberly to conferre about the workes of God that so wee might bee taught not onely by the worde but also by experience seeing that the inuisible things of God are seene by the creation and gouernement of the worlde Rom. 1.20 being considered in his workes We ought to meditate vpon and conferre about the works of God by which he manifesteth himselfe vnto vs. Which without the word I confesse is so litle because of our blindnes that it doth but leaue vs without excuse as the Apostle sayth in the same verse yet being holpen by the benefit of the worde as the dim sight of an olde man is holpen by the benefit of a paire of spectacles we are guided aright and see more cleerely into euery thing thereby especially when we are gouerned by Gods spirite herein For then we shall perceiue the infinite wisedome of God his great mercy and power his iustice and trueth c. which are so plentifully spoken of in the scripture not onely by his iudgements vpon the wicked and his benefites bestowed vpon his children in our owne times and in the dayes of our forefathers but also in all other the dumme and insensible creatures euen in the day and in the night winter and summer heate and cold c. whereby hee doth exercise his iudgements vpon the one or hee brings his blessings vpon the other Euen as the same Apostle testifieth vnto the mē of Lystra saying That God which made heauen and earth the sea Acts. 14.15 and all things that in them are in times past suffered all the Gentiles to walke in their owne waies neuerthelesse hee left not himselfe without witnesse in that he did good and gaue them raine from heauen and fruitfull seasons filling their hearts with food and gladnes For by those thinges they might haue seene how he in great wisedome and mercy gouerneth the world for their good so that thereby they shuld haue beene made more carefull to serue him which because they did not they were left without excuse and had nothing to say for themselues before Gods iudgement seate for the things should witnes against them and by the testimonie of their owne conscience they should confesse that the Lorde had by all his creatures sensibly allured and prouoked them to good And if the heathen were iustly condemned because they did not so profite by the view of the worlde as they should how much more shall we be without all shewe of excuse that we doe not labour to behold the inuisible things of God in his works euen his wisedome goodnes and truth and so forth which are so apparant in them and as it were written in great capitall letters to bee reade of the whole world seeing vnto them we haue the light of his word adioyned to helpe the blindnes of our eyes in this behalfe Psalm 92. That Psalme which was specially made to he sung vpon the Sabbath daye as appeareth by the title of it doth sufficiently declare how we ought then to be occupied in meditating vpon Gods goodnes and praysing him for it yea how wee ought to conferre and talke of the same And indeed this is the right vse of the creatures for which they were first made namely to set foorth the glorie of God and to serue man that hee thereby might bee made more fit to serue God therefore then doe wee vse them aright when they leade vs vnto God then are they abused when wee stay in them and so are thereby either turned away from God or at least wise kept from comming vnto him So then let vs account this one part of our duetie and seruice to Iesus Christ vpon his holie day to consider aduisedly of his workes who is now the heire of the whole world and gouerneth euery thing in it for the good of his people that he hath redeemed seeing all power is giuen vnto him in heauen and in earth that wee thereby might be more cōfirmed in