The Observation and Keeping of the Sabbath Day, Title page – Dedication
A VERIE PROFITABLE AND NECESSARIE DISCOVRSE CONCERNING THE obſeruation and keeping of the Sabboth day, ſeruing as well to confute the ſuperſtition of the Iewes, which obſtinately vrge the ſtrict keeping of the ſeuenth day, as alſo to ouerthrowe the vaine and godleſſe reaſons of others, that ſtiffely at this day maintaine, that Chriſtians ought to keepe no ſet or appoynted time to worſhip and ſerue the Lord in, in his Church and faithfull Congregation.
WRITTEN IN LATINE BY ZAcharias Vrſinus, ſometimes Reader of the Diuinitie lecture in the Vniuerſitie of Heidelberg in Germanie, and very nevvly turned into Engliſh, by Iohn Stockvvood Schoolemaſter of Tunbridge.
AT LONDON Imprinted for Iohn Harriſon the yonger 1584.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVL AND VERtuous Ladie, the Ladie Pellam of Laughton in the Countie of Suſſex, Iohn Stockwood Schoolemaſter of Tunbridge, vviſheth a plentifull increaſe of all ſpirituall and heauenly graces, and in the life to come, the perfect and ful fruition of ioyes euerlaſting.
BEing not ignorant (right worſhipful and vertuous Ladie) of the manifolde diſputations not onelyonly among the learned, but alſo of the great varietie & diuerſitie of opinions among the vulgar people and ſimple ſorte, concerning the Sabboth day, & the right vſe of the ſame: ſome with the wayward and ſuperſtitious Iewes obſtinately and ſtifly maintaining the ceremonial obſeruation of the ſeuenth day,Sundry opinions concerning the Sabboth daye. the which they hold in no wiſe to be mutable, or to be altered and changed: others with the Atheiſts and godleſſe Epicures vtterly denying, that there ought to be any obſeruation and keping of any day at all as wholly & dedicated vntounto the Lorde his ſeruice: and yet moreouer ſome others, who albeit they graunt it meete & requiſite that there ſhould be ſome certain & ſet day of the week ſeuered out frō the reſt for the vſe of the miniſterie & Church meetings, yea and the ſame alſo to bee that daye which we cōmonly call the Sunne-day, or Lords day, yet holding it lawfull as well on the ſame day, as any other day in the week, to exerciſe the cuſtomable & vſual works, eueryevery man of his ordinarie trade & vocation: I hauehave thought with my ſelfe that I could not do better thē to ſee: out a remedie for the ſtaying of the cōſciences of the weaker number in this great varietie and doubtfulnes of aſſertions, tending to the ouerthrow of religion and impeachment of gods ſeruice. Meeting therfore with a godly & learned Worke of one Vrſinus a German in the which are profoūdly & pithily handled many theologicall diſcourſes and points of religion, & among the reſt, this of the Sabboth, in his expoſitiō of the 4. cō mādement, finding the argumēt ſit for the circumſtance of the time, I hauehave turned the ſame into our mother tongue, for the further benefit of the godly & chriſtianly diſpoſed, that they may hauehave in this poynt wherwith to ſatisfie both thēſelues and others. For in this ſmal treatiſe is debated the right vſe of the Sabboth day,The Argument and contents of this treatiſe. what exerciſes on the ſame are allowable & what to be refrained, wherin it is kept, & wherin it is brokē: their argument cōfuted, that think it not lawfull for Chriſtians to keepe the the Lords day, & their reaſons alſo anſwered, which ſo ſtoutly cōtend for the Iewiſh obſeruatiō of the ſeuēth day: al theſe things being proued with moſt ſtrong & euident proues out of the word of God and holy ſcriptures, & that in ſuch ſort, that the lyke is hardly to be met withall in ſo briefe & ſhort a Pāphlet or treatiſe. The neceſsitie heerof is apparant in regard of the time, wherein is ſo diuerſly diſputed concerning this queſtiō: the profit likewiſe ſhall eaſily (I doubt not) be reaped of all ſuch as with ſingle harts & vpright mindes ſhal diligētly and without parcialitie peruſe the ſame.
This my ſmall labour, ſuch as it is (ſimple & ſlender I confeſſe, in regard of my pains in trāſlating, but much behoueful & auailable, in regard of the matter, for the church & people of god) I make bold to offer vntounto to the gentle acceptation of your good Ladiſhip, for manie cauſes.
Firſt, that beſides the manie other heauenlye graces of faith, knowledge of the will of God, louelove vntounto his euerlaſting truth and holy Scriptures, care to walk in life and conuerſation accordingly: with making much of the profeſſors, and chiefly the preachers of the ſame: it maye be a further ſpur vntounto you, to the ſtirring vp & increaſing of your godlye zeale for the Lord his ſeruice & carefull ſanctifying of his holy Sabboth, not onelyonly in your owne perſon, but alſo in your whole familye: ſo that it may be truly ſaid of you, to the glorie of God & comfort of his people, as we read of that good & vertuous captaine Iehoſchuahh: I & my houſhold wil ſerue the Lord. For albeit the nūber be ſmal, & the people few that hauehave a due regard of chriſtian ſpending the Lordes daye, in hearing the word preached, in receiuing the ſacraments, in praier, ſupplication, & thanks-giuing, & in priuate cōferring with their families at home, of the word publiky preached (the greateſt multitude both of men and women of all degrees and callinges, letting looſe the raynes, and giuing out the bridle vntounto all kinde of vanities & licentiouſneſſe) yet let this be your crowne and glorie (good madame) letting theſe go, to hauehave imitated and followed the example of thoſe vertuous gentlewomē of Theſſalonica, whoſe praiſe is in the Goſpel,Act. 17.2 3.4. for their great diligence in reuerent obſeruing the Sabboth day, & in vſual frequenting & reſortīg to heare the word, for the great cō fort of their ſoules. And further, in the ſame place is the example of the godlye womē of Beroea cōmended, who not of cuſtōe,Act. 17.10.11.12 but of zeale, not of conſtraint, but with all willingneſſe, not as ſad & heauie, but with all readyneſſe and ioyfulneſſe, not onelie heard the word preached by Paule and Silas, at the publike aſſemblies and meetings of the Church, but alſo vſed dailie and priuate conference in their houſes at home, in ſerching the Scriptures, whether the things were ſo or no. How comfortable is that alſo which we read in the 16. of the Acts,Act. 16.12.13.14.15. of the practiſe of the zealous women of Philippos, who in the coldneſſe and ſlackneſſe of men (as may appeare, & very probablie be gathered) cuſtomablie aſſembled to the riuer without the Citie, to heare Paule preach on the Sabboth, where by the opening of the heart of Lydia, it pleaſed the Lorde by the conuerſion of one poore woman to beginne his kingdome in Macedonia, which woman is praiſed not onelie for religiouſneſſe in her ſelfe, but alſo for her whole familie, beeing godlie and chriſtiālie diſpoſed. For the text doth mention, that ſhe was baptiſed, & all her houſe: which Sacramēt (no doubt) the holy Apoſtle would not hauehave adminiſtred vntounto thē, vnleſſe he had found in them the fruites & teſtimonies of true Chriſtianitie:Reade the Epiſtle of S. Iohn vntounto the elect lady And here at no hand may wee let paſſe the worthie cōmendation, which Iohn giueth vntounto the moſt vertuous & worſhipful Lady and her children, whoſe conuerſation before the world was agreeable vntounto their profeſsion, according as the truth of the Lord requireth that it ſhould be. Which ſingular and notable exāple, as it generallie concerneth al chriſtian and godly women, ſo dooth it moſt neerelie and properlie belong vntounto your good Ladiſhip, & all other gentle women of your place and calling.Ro. 15.4. For, if whatſoeuer examples of the olde fathers in the Scriptures are written for our learning, that by reading their examples, we ſhould expreſſe and followe their vertues, then doubtleſſe are all women of great worſhippe and dignitie of this godlie Ladie to learne, that it is not ſufficient that they be religious and godlie themſelues, but that they alſo labour to hauehave their whole families and houſeholds vnfainedlie to feare the Lord, which thing cannot bee performed without the diligent hearing of the word on the Lords day, & other meetings of the Church, and priuate labouring in inſtructing and dailie teaching of our charges at home, the which good exerciſe, as I can hope for at the handes of manie, ſo I can promiſe and aſſure my ſelfe, that it ſhall bee carefullie practiſed of your W. of whome I heare ſo well for zeale and louelove of the truth, nothing doubting but that beeing compaſſed about with ſo greate a cloude of witneſſes,He. 12.1.2 whoſe care hath beene ſo vehement and earneſt for the true ſpending of the Sabboth, and Chriſtian education of their famylies, with performance of other dueties of Godlyneſſe, all lets and ſtumbling blockes being remooued, you will dailie adde vntounto that great good forwardnes, which the lord hath wrought in you alredie a plentiful increaſe in all vertues, beautifying and garniſhing a Chriſtian Ladie, God by his holie ſpirite working in your heart a burning deſire euerie daie more and more to imitate the commendable examples of theſe holy matrones before alleadged.
Secondlie, hauing receiued many benefits at the hands of that worthie Knight, ſir Iohn Pellam, your late deceaſed husband, a Gentleman ſo well deſeruing of his common wealth and Countrie, that verie enuie her ſelfe, if neuer ſo faine ſhe woulde, ſhall yet neuer be able to burie in the dark lake of obliuion his due deſerued praiſes: I hauehave thought it meete and requiſite to giuegive out before the world ſome dutifull teſtimonie of a thankfull minde in regard of the ſame, leaſt I might worthilie be condempned of that vice which is both hated of God and deteſted of men, I meane the foule ſtaine of ingratitude, which the verie Heathen hauehave recorded to be the chiefe ring-leader vntounto all filthineſſe,Xenophō In his firſt …ooke of …he edu…ation of Cyrus. as being alwaies accompanied with bluſhles ſhameleſneſſe, which may eaſily perſwade vntounto al kind of wickednes.
Thirdlie, in regard of your owne W. omitting ſuch good graces, as are generally knowen by the working of God his ſpirite to be in you, to the comfort of the godlie, (becauſe that you of your modeſtie cannot abide to heare them, nor I without ſuſpition of flatterie may be thought to name them) the particular knowledge of vndeſerued gentlenes from your good L. meant vntounto me, moſt worthilie craueth ſome dutifull ſignification of my gratefull remembraunce of ſuch moſt curteous kindneſſe, the which, becauſe my poore abilitie wyll ſuffer no other waie to expreſſe, accept (I moſt humblie beſeech you) theſe paper thanks, vntil God ſhall offer ſome fitter occaſion to teſtifie that vnfained thankefulneſſe, which your ſingular courteſie moſt iuſtlie doth require, praying in the meane ſeaſon the Lord, moſt abundauntlie in this life to direct you in all your waies to his glorie, and ioy of his choſen, and in the life to come to make you partaker of thoſe vnſpeakable bleſsings, which in moſt rich mercy he hath prepared for all thoſe that in his Chriſt do trulie feare and ſerue him, to whome be all glorie both now and for euer Amē. Frō Tunbridge, the 20. of Oct. 1584.
Your W. moſt humble Iohn Stockwood, Schoolemaſter of Tunbridge.