The Anatomy of Abuses, Part 8
The Maner of sanctifiyng the Sabaoth in Ailgna.
Philo.
THE Sabaoth day, of some is well santified, namely in hearing the Word of GOD read, preached and interpreted, in priuat and publique Prayers, in singing of Godly Psalmes, in celebrating the sacramēts, & in collecting for y• poore & indigent, which are the true vses and ends wherto the Sabaoth was ordained. But other some spend the Sabaoth day (for the most part) in frequenting of baudie Stage-playes and enterludes, in maintaining Lords of mis-rule (for so they call a certaine kinde of play which they vse) May-games, Church-ales, feasts and wakeesses: in pyping, dauncing, dicing, carding, bowling, tennisse playing: in Beare-bayting, cock-fighting,Prophane exercises vponupon the Sabaoth day. hawking, hunting, and such like. In kéeping of Faires, and markets on the sabaoth. In kéeping Courts and Léets: In foot-ball playing, and such other deuilish pastimes: reading of laciuious and wanton bookes, and an infinit number of such like practises and prophane exercises vsed vppon that day, wherby the Lord God is dishonoured, his Sabaoth violated, his woord neglected, his sacraments contemned and his People meruelously corrupted, and caryed away from true vertue and godlynes. Lord remooue these exercises from thy Sabaoth.
Spud.
You wil be déemed too too Stoicall, if you should restrain men from these exercises vponupon the Sabaoth, for they suppose, that, that day was ordained and consecrate to that end and purpose, only to vse what kinde of exercises they think good thēselues, & was it not so?
Phi.
After that the Lord our God had created the world, and all things therin contained, in six dayes, in the seuenth day he rested from all his woorks, (that is from creating them, not from gouerning them) and therefore hée commaunded y• the seuenth day should be kept holy in all ages to the end of the world:When the Sabaoth wa… ordained. then after that in effect 2000. yéeres, he iterated this Commandement, when he gaue the law i… mount Horeb to Moyses, & in him to all the Children of Israel, saying, remember (forget it not) that thou kéep holy the seuenth day &c. If we must kéep it holy, then must we not spend it in such vain exercises, as please our selues, but in such godly exercises as he in his holy woord hath commaunded. And (in my iudgement) the Lord our God ordained the seuenth day to be kept holy, for foure causes especially. First to put vsus in minde of his wunderful woorkmanship, & creation of the world and creatures besides. Secondly, y• his woord (the Church assēbling togither) might be preached,Wherfore th… Sabaoth wa… instituted. interpreted & expounded, his sacraments ministred sincéerly according to the prescript of his woord, & that suffrages & praiers bothe priuat & publique might be offered to his excellent Maiestie. Thirdly, for that eueryevery christiā man might repose himself from corporall labour, to the end they might y• better sustain the trauailes of the wéek to ensue, and also to ye and, y• all beasts & cattel, which the Lord hath made for mans vse, as helps & adiuments vntounto him in …his daylie affaires & businesse, might rest and refresh them selues, the better to go thorow in their traueiles afterward. For, as the hethen Man knew very wel, sine alterna requie, non est durabile quicquàm. Without some rest or repose, there is not any thing durable, or able to cōtinue lōg. Fourthly, to th'end it might be a typical figure, or signitor to point (as it were) with the finger, and to cypher foorth and shadowe vntounto vsus that blessed rest & thryse happie ioye▪ which the faithfull shall possesse after the day of iudgement in the Kingdome of Heauen. Wherfor…, séeing the Sabaoth was instituted for these causes, it is manifest, that it was not appointed for the maintenance of wicked and vngodly pastymes and vaine pleasures of the flesh, which GOD abhorreth, and all good men from their hartes do loth and deteste.
The Man of whome we read in the law,Punishme…t for violating the sabaoth. for gathering of a few small stickes vpō the Sabaoth, was stoned to death, by the commaundement of God from the Theator of Heauen.
Than if he were stoned for gathering a few sticks vppon the Sabaoth day, which in some cases might be, for necessities sake, and did it, but once,Violaters of the saboth. what shall they be, who all the Sabaoth dayes of their lyfe giuegive them selues to nothing els, but to wallow in all kind of wickednesse and sinne▪ to the great contempt both of y• Lord, and his Sabaoth? And though they hauehave played the lazie lurdens al the weke before, yet that day of set purpose, they wil toile and labour, in contempt of the Lord and his Sabaoth. But let them be sure, as he that gathered stickes vponupon the Sabaoth, was stoned for his contempt of the same, so shall they be stoned, yea grinded to peeces for their contēpt of the Lord in his Sabaoth.
The Iewes, are verye strict in kéeping their Sabaoths,The Iewes very precise in keeping sabaoth. in so muche, as they will not dresse ther meats and drinks vppon the same day, but set it on the tables ye day befor. They go not aboue ij. miles vpō y• sabaoth day, they suffer not the body of any Malefactor to hang vppon the gallowes vppon the Sabaoth day, with legions of such like supersticiōs. Wherin, as I do acknowledge they are but too scrupelous, and ouershoot the marke, so we are therin plaine contempteous, and negligent, shooting short of the marke altogether.No work to be done vponupon the sabaoth, except necessite inforce it. Yet I am not so strait laced, that I would hauehave no kinde of worke done vppon that daye, if present necessitie of the thing require it (for Christe hath taught vsus, the Sabaoth was made for Man, not Man for the Sabaoth) but not for eueryevery light trifle which may as well be done other dayes as vponupon that day. And although ye day it self in respect of ye very nature and originall therof be no better thā another day, for there is no difference of dayes except we become temporizers, all béeing alike good… yet because the Lord our God hath commaunded it to be sanctified & kept holy to him self, let vsus (like obedient & obsequious Children) submit our selues to so loouing a Father, for els we spit against heauen, we striue against the stream, and we contemn him in his ordinances. But (perchance) you wil aske me, whither the true vse of the Sabaoth consist in outward abstaining from bodilye labour and trauaile? I answere no: the true vse of the Sabaoth (for Christians are not bound onelyonly to the Ceremonie of the day) consisteth as I hauehave said,Wherin the true vse of the Sabaoth consisteth. in hearing the woord of God truely preached, therby to learn and to doo his wil, in receiuing the sacraments (as seales of his grace towards vsus) rightly administred, in vsing publique and priuate prayer, in thanksgiuing to God for all his benefits, in singing of godly Psalmes and other spirituall exercises and meditations, in collecting for the poore, in dooing of good woorkes: and bréefly in the true obedience of the inward man. And yet notwithstanding, wée must abstain from the one, to attend vponupon the other: that is, wée must refrain all bodily labours, to the end that wée may the better be restant at these spirituall exercises vppon the Sabaoth day.
This is the true vse and end of the Lord his Saboth, who graūt that we may rest in him for euer.
Spud.
Hauing shewed the true vse of the Saboth, let vsus go forward to speke of those Abuses particularlye, wherby the Saboth of the Lord is prophaned. And first to begin with stage playes and enterluds: What is your opinion of them? Are they not good examples to youth to fray them from sinne?