The Seven Days, Meditation 7
A MEDITATION VPONUPON THE SEAVENTH DAY, VponUpon the vvhichwhich the Lord reſted from all the Workes which Hee had made.Geneſ. 2.2.
WEe hauehave taken a view of the firſt ſixe dayes, wherin we hauehave ſeen the wonderful works of GOD in the creation of the whole World, and all things therein: And now wee come to the ſeuenth Day, which is the ſweete day of our Lordes reſt, wherein hee ceaſed from any new creation, but by his providence ſuſtained thoſe thinges which hee had made. By this his example he inſtituted one Day onelie to bee celebrated as a Sabbath to the ende of the world.
This Day ought to be had in an honourable regard, as Augustine obſerueth in his 154. Serm. de temp. Tom. 10. in theſe words, Venerabilis est hic dies qui Dominicus dicitur, &c. that is to ſay, This day which is called the Lordes day, is venerable: on the which the Light was firſt ſeene:Geneſ. 1.3. Exod. 14.22. Ibid. 16.15 Mat. 3.13 Iohn 2.1. Luke 9.17 Ioh. 20.1. and 20.26 2. The people of Iſrael paſſed thorow the redde Sea: 3. Manna rained in the Deſart: 4. The Lord was baptized in Iordane: 5. Chriſt turned Water into Wine in Canah of Galilee: 6. Chriſt fed fiue thouſand people with fiue Loaues: 7. Our Lord aroſe from death: 8. Entered thorow the cloſe Doores where the Diſciples were gathered for feare of the Iewes: Act. 2.1.9. The holy Ghoſt deſcended vponupon the Apoſtles, &c. and on which Day we look for the cōming of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt to judgement, when as the Church ſhall bee reformed to a Light ſeuenfolde greater than the Sunne and Moone, &c.
This is a Day, not an Houre: not of Ydleneſſe, but of Reſt:Nota. not vntounto our ſelues, but to the Lord: not for a time, but for euer.
God craueth a whole Day, which conſiſteth of all the partes, Morning, Noonetyde, and Euening.The whole Sabbath is to be ſanctified. So it is a verie groſſe abuſe to parte or diuide the Lordes Day at our owne pleaſure. Wee giuegive the beginning of this Day to ſleepe, and many (Crafteſmen without conſcience) to worke: the mid-time of the day (perhaps) to the ſeruice of the Church: and the afternoone to Drinke or Paſtime: euen as though God had not right and title to the whole Day, who commandeth it by his Preceptes, and commendeth it by his owne example, as wee hauehave ſhowne afore.
But ſeeing ignorant people, and (I am the more ſorie) euen thoſe who would hauehave ſome appearant ſhowe of knowledge, doe object, ſaying, How ſhall they ſpende the Sabbath? they hauehave kept Church-time: what ſhall they doe afternoone? it were better for them to play than to drinke: ſo that they thinke Playes to bee lawfull at afternoone, and that vponupon the Sabbath.
Firſt, I anſwere, that to vſe anie ſorte of playing, gaming, or paſtime vponupon the Lords day,An anſwere vntounto thoſe who aske how they ſhould beſtow the Sabbath. is altogether vnlawfull: for vponupon this day eſpeciallie wee hauehave to doe with God, in a ſerious and earneſt matter, which buſineſſe will chaſe away all follies and wantonneſſe, and bring vsus into a due conſideration how wee may attaine vntounto a reconciliation with our God, for our manifold ſinnes, wherewith wee hauehave ſo often and hainouſlie prouoked him vntounto wrath againſt vsus.
How the Sabbath ſhould bee ſpent.But I wil more peremptorily anſwere to their demaund, What they ſhould doe? Firſt, for the morning of the day, riſe earely, and pray, confeſſing the ſinnes of the weeke bygone, & prepare thy heart to receiue the word of God, as thou wouldeſt prepare the ground in breaking it vp,Simil. before thou wouldeſt caſt ſeede into it. In the midday heare the word, and ſing praiſe to the bleſſed Trinitie. Bleſſed is the man who delighteth in the law of the Lord.Pſaelm. 1.2 And laſt, at afternoone, meditate vponupon the word which thou haſt heard, & harow the ground by conference: and viſit the ſicke: breake thy Bread to the hungrie, & thou ſhalt find ſuch infinit occaſions of ſpirituall exerciſes vponupon the Sabbath, that thou haſt no neede to ſpende it ydlie for lacke of better exerciſe.
Great differance betwixt Reſt and YdlenesBut it is to be vnderſtoode, that there is a great difference betwixt Reſt and Ydleneſſe: for ydleneſſe is euer taken in an euill part, and is the foſter-mother of all ſinne, and there is no day in the weeke, wherein God hath permitted it: Sixe dayes ſhalt thou labour, ſayeth the Lod.Exod. 20.9 2. Theſſ. 3.10. And the Apoſtle Paul diſchargeth to giuegive foode to thoſe who worke not. But Reſt is euer taken in a good ſenſe, when we are commanded to ceaſe from one ſort of exerciſe, that we may be occupied in a better: for the thornie cares of this world wil impede deuotion: therefore God willl that we lay them aſide for a while, to the ende we may the better waite and attende vponupon Gods diuine Seruice. Wherevpon vponupon it followeth neceſſarilie, that the Sabbath is not only abuſed by ſuch as worke their earthly buſineſſe thereon, but alſo by ſuch as ceaſe in bodie, and their mindes and mouthes are filled with worldly affaires. Then this Reſt conſiſteth in two things, ceaſing, and working, & muſt be the moſt diligent day in the whole weeke,Spirituall rest. both in regard of the ſoule that hath her principall operation that day, and the ende of her labour, which is God, & his kingdome, which only wee ſhould ſeeke that day.
This Reſt muſt be totall, and not partlie;The Sabbath dayes rest must bee totall, and not parted. for the ſo…le, & all the faculties thereof, and the bodie with her members, muſt bee put to worke for Gods glorie. Wee muſt not employ our cogitations to think vponupon theſe earthly thinges: HaueHave not our mindes beene worne as Milſtones, grinding gaine to the world theſe dayes bygone? The Beaſt careth but for things preſent,Simil. but thy care hath bene for things to come: thou wilt ſerue God this day with thy mouth, and thy god Mammon with thy mind. God eſteemeth and judgeth thy ſeruice from the inwarde diſpoſition of thine heart, as he doeth all things: for he looketh not as man doth.God judgeth of mā by his heart 1. Sam. 16.7. If with thy heart thou draweſt neare vntounto him, then thou haſt obſerued his Sabbath: for the heart will carrie thy body, which the bodie cannot: for thy ſoule will goe where ſhe pleaſeth, albeit the bodie be in the Temple of God.
Next, vponupon the Sabbath it is required that our hearts and affections be ſpirituallie diſpoſed, with a delight and pleaſure in the Lord. Heerefore the Lord craueth by his Prophet that his Sabbath ſhould be a day of delight:Iſa. 58.13 for there is none action which a man intēdeth with hope of gaine or pleaſure, albeit it bee painfull, that hee hath not delight into; but ſpecially in the works of ſinne, which Sathan baiteth with wonderfull delights. If we hauehave taken ſuch pleaſure in the ſeruice of ſinne, whoſe ende is death, ſhall we not rejoyce when we goe to the houſe of our God? ſeeing only that ſeruice which is done with joy of the heart on the Sabbath is acceptable to God, and profitable to thy ſoule?
What ſhall we thinke of ſuch Recuſants who will not heare the voyce of their Bridegroome,Recuſants damned, & ſuch as for feare come to the Church. Simil. neither will come to the Sanctuarie of God? or of ſuch who for feare of lawes, for ſhame, or cuſtome doe come? I will compare them to a ſhrewde wife, married to an Husband, who refuſeth to him cohabitation, and if ſometime ſhe be enforced to come to his ſocietie, ſhe ſignifieth by her countenance and outward behauiour, that her heart is not with him, and therefore is not worthie that he ſhould delight in her.
As alſo thoſe Chriſtians, of whatſoeuer eſtate they bee, which vſe their games and paſtymes on the Sabbath,Gameſters rebuked. whether in the houſe or in open, albeit the one is more offēſiue thā the other, yet in themſelues they are both ſinful: for in ſo doing they declare howe little delight they hauehave in things which are better.1. King. 3.24. Simil. Then yee would cut the child in twaine, as the whoore would hauehave done: but the Lord, to whome the Sabbath belongeth, ſayeth, Either giuegive me the whole day, or take it all to thy ſelfe. The Lord, is the Lord of the Sabbath: it is his owne day, the reſt he hath giuen to thee: take of thy ſixe dayes, and robbe not him of his one. As the Rod of Aaron ſwallowed vp the Rod of the inchanters of Egypt, Simil. Exod. 7.12ſo let the delight of God deuoure all other pleaſures.
And as wee muſt make conſcience of our thoughts, and all actions, ſo wee muſt beware of ydle ſpeaches on his Sabbath:Ydle ſpeaches on the Sabbath. for if the tongue bee a moſt noble member, when ſhould it bee occupyed in his ſeruice, if not on the day of his reſt? will not thy tongue finde in that infinite God,Nota. infinite matter of ſpeach, of the proofes which thou haſt had of his power, fauour, wiſedome, juſtice, patience, &c? that thou needeſt not for lacke of ſpirituall purpoſe to talke ydlie. Beſides that, his word is an Ocean of matter, furniſhing thy tongue ſo well to ſing his prayſes. And ſo on the Lordes day let vsus ſpeak the language of Canaan. Further,Iſa. 19.18. we muſt not goe our owne wayes, or doe our will: the way which hee hath preſcribed vsus to goe, is to his Houſe, and to viſit the ſicke & indigent: and not to goe make our merchandiſe vponupon this day. The people of Iſrael went out to ſeeke Manna vpō the ſabbath,Exod. 16.27. but they found nothing: neither ſhal our Sabbath erra…ds find any benediction. So on the Lords Sabbath let our mindes, & our members,On the Sabbath let all our members bee occupied in Gods ſeruice. ceaſe from the world, and much more from ſinne, that wee may meditate vponupon the Lawe of God. Our eyes may beholde his works & glorifie him in them: our eares may heare his word: our tongue may proclaime his praiſe: our knees may bow downe, and worſhip him: we may lift vp our hands to heauen: our feete may goe to his houſe: ſo all may concurre in his majeſties Sabbath to his honour. The promiſe which God giueth, if we obſerue it, is, That we ſhall mount vp to the high places of the earth:Iſa. 58.14. (this is temporall:) and he will feede vsus with the heritage of Iacob our father: (this is ſpirituall.)
Godlineſſe then hath the promiſe of this life, and the life to come:Godlineſſe hath a twofolde promiſe. for there is no doubt, but the diligent ſeruice of God vponupon this day, ſhall procure a bleſſing vntounto all the reſt of the weeke: Seeke the kingdome of God, and the righteouſneſſe thereof,Mat. 6.33 and all other thinges ſhall bee caſten vntounto you: vvhere by the contrarie there are Curſes denounced aga nſt the profanators of the Sabbath;Ier. 17.27 that God ſhall curſe the workes of their handes, and the Land ſhall enjoye manie Sabbathes of yeeres, euen as it did in the Captiuitie of Babylon.
Now,Three kinds of Sabbaths. 1. Of Creation. 2. Of Redemption. Reuel. 1.10 there are three kindes of Sabbathes: the firſt of the Creation, as a memoriall that GOD ceaſed from his worke vponupon the ſeuenth day: this laſted till Chriſtes death and reſurrection. The ſecond Sabbath beganne vponupon the day of his reſurrectiō, which is called THE LORDES DAY, in rememberance of a newe Creation of the worlde:3. Of Perfection. Iſa. 66.23. and this will ende with the worlde. And the thirde Sabbath ſhall be eternall, when as the ſixe dayes of this miſerable life ſhall bee finiſhed, vvee ſhall reſt from all our earthlie buſineſſes and trauels, that our continuall exerciſe may bee to glorifie him, in minde, heart, and with all our ſtrength, in his Kingdome. Then let vsus occupie this Sabbath whollie in his prayſe, vvhichwhich ſhall bee a ſure pledge of that in the Heauens.
A Prayer vponupon the ſeuenth Day.
MOſt mightie Lord, and mercifull Father, diſtill, I beſeech thee, and powre downe into mine earthlie heart, thy diuine Dewes, vvhichwhich may moyſten it; together with ſuch heauēly meditations as may ſtirre vp mine heart vntounto thy prayſe and glory: that as vponupon theſe ſixe dayes I hauehave beene muſing and meditating vponupon all thy moſt glorious workes; ſo I may repoſe my ſelfe vponupon the day of Reſt, and finde quietneſſe to my ſoule in thee: for all the reſt of the creatures, albeit they be glorious, yet they be ſubject vntounto a curſe; not becauſe of themſelues, but for man, who hath defiled them. I hauehave truſted to the pleaſures which I ſaw in the creatures: and I ſee that it is true that Salomon ſaide, All is but vanitie, and vexation of the ſpirit:Eccleſ. 1.2 as Ritches increaſe, ſo Care groweth. But, O Lord, let me come to thine Arke, as the Doue did, which found no reſt till ſhee came backe to Noah. Geneſ. 8.9.Pull in thine owne doue, O my Lord, vntounto thee, for the floods of ſinne hauehave ouerflowed the face of the Earth, that I finde no reſt heere. I am wearie, and loadned, Lord, giuegive me reſt to my ſoule in thee.
This day is joyfull to me, becauſe that my Lord roſe this day from death. I beſeech thee, my God,Nota. raiſe vp my ſoule from the graue of ſinne, that I may be partaker of the firſt Reſurrection: and make my thoughts ſpirituall this thy Sabbath day: baniſh from my minde all earthlie cares this day: forgiue me in that I hauehave ſo many times abuſed theſe thine holie dayes. Oftentimes when I was praying to thee, or thou preaching vntounto me, Sathan did caſt into my mind carnall cogitations, which interrupted that communication betwixt my ſoule & thy majeſtie. O Lord, forgiue me, and fill my ſoule with thy reuerence and feare in all the dayes of my life to come; that all ſuch ydle purpoſes may be diſpatched by thine holie Spirit: ſhut the doore of my ſoule when thou art ſpeaking vntounto me, or when I pray to thee, that none get entrie to vnquiet me, and ſtay my joy: for alace, mine heart was caſten open vntounto many of thine enemies. I will cloſe the doore of mine eare to the voyce of all others, that thou mayeſt ſpeake to me. Alace, my God, I finde a great decay of that ſpirituall joy in me, that I hauehave not that ſparke of delight, and that inward & ſpirituall joy which I ſhould hauehave, or had ſometimes: I loath the exerciſe which I loued, mine hands are wearie, and fallen downe: I hauehave loſt my firſt louelove: it was ſweeter to me thā the honey,Reuel. 2.4. & now it is loathſome vntounto me, as the Manna was vntounto the Iſralites: therefore, I beſeech thee,Numb. 11.6. kindle vp an holie fire of thy louelove in my ſoule, as was in the Diſciples going to Emmaus, and that the zeale of thine Houſe may eate me vp.Luk 24.32 Pſal. 69.9. and 52.8. and 27.4. Let me flouriſh as a greene Oliue in the houſe of my God. O, would to God I could abide in thine houſe all the dayes of my life, that I might praye with good Anna, 1. Sam. 1.13.16.out of the bitterneſſe of my ſoule, making my ſupplications to thee.
O Lord, I craue thee pardon, for the earthly and ydle ſpeaches which I ſpake vponupon the Sabbath. I will holde mine hand vponupon my mouth, & ſpeake no more.Iob 39.37 Luk 24.15 The Diſciples which went to Emmaus were ſpeaking of Chriſt, & he came vntounto them: alace, when I ſpake of the world, he went from me, and my heart was colde. Lord, forgiue me, for it was a great ſin which I did: yea, I made no matter to deale in mine earthly buſineſſe on thy Sabbath. All mine excuſes are nowe accuſations againſt me: they burne me when I am trying mine heart. But, Lord, I found neuer any bleſſing in thoſe mine actions which I enterpryſed vponupon thy Day. I hauehave ſinned, I will doe it no more: let the world be crucified to me, and me to it, vponupon thy Sabbath. I hauehave reſolued in mine heart that I ſhall ſpende my dayes, while I liue, to thine honour. Helpe my reſolution by thine holie Spirit, that neither the corruption of my nature, my weakneſſe and forgetfulnes,Nota. neither the euil example of theſe wicked and profane people, among whom I liue, ſuffer me to break my promiſe which I doe make vntounto thee; but that thou mayſt be my ſpeach, my thought, and my delight vponupon the Sabbath dayes. Let me be feruent in prayer and ſupplications to thee vponupon the day of thy reſt: Let me heare what thou ſpeakeſt to me by the mouth of thy ſeruant: Let me gather thy Manna when it is rained downe from the clowdes of Heauen,Ex. 16.15 as the people gathered Manna in the Deſart, that I may heare it as thy word, I may gather it, and lay it in the ſtore-houſe of mine heart, againſt the yeere of famine:Gen. 41.48 and giuegive me thy grace, that vponupon thy holy day I may proclaime thy prayſes with the reſt of the Saincts. This day let me breake my bread to the hungrie, ſeeing thou ſatiſfieſt me with thy ſpirituall graces: let me cloathe them that are naked, viſit thoſe that are ſicke, and that I may ſo reſt from earthly vanities this day, that I may moſte diligently worke the workes of God, that I may gather out the flowrs of thy moſt holy Scriptures, that I may ſtudie to practiſe which I heare, in a godlie life and conuerſation, & ſo I may redeem the time which I hauehave ſpent in vain,Eph. 5.16. that I now getting merciemercy for the abuſing of thy former Sabbathes, may here beginne my ſpirituall Reſt in thy Sanctuarie, that after I may accompliſh it in thine holie Temple, throgh Ieſus Chriſt our Lord and only Sauiour.
AMEN.