A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Title page – Dedication 1
A Defence Of that moſt Ancient, and Sacred ordinance of GODS, the SABBATH DAY.
Conſequently, and together with it. 2. A Defence of the iiijth Commandement. 3. A Defence of the integrity and perfection of the Decalogue, Morall Law, or X. Commandements. 4. A Defence alſo, of the whole and intire worſhip of God, in all the partes thereof, as it is preſcribed, in the firſt Table of the Decalogue. 5. A Diſcouery of the Superſtition, impurity and corruption of Gods worſhip; yea, and Idolatry, committed by multitudes, in ſanctifying the Lords Day, for a Sabbath Day, by the iiijth Commandement.
Vndertaken againſt all Anti-Sabbatharians, both of Proteſtants, Papists, Antinomians, and Anabaptiſts; and by name and eſpecially againſt theſe X Miniſters, M. Greenwod, M. Hutchinſon, M. Furnace, M. Benton, M. Gallard, M. Yates, M. Chappel, M. Stinnet, M. Iohnſon, and M. Warde.
The ſecond Edition, corrected and amended; with a ſupply of many things formerly omitted,
BY THEOPHILUS BRABOURNE.
Printed ANNO DOM. 1632.
Thus ſaieth the Lord, ſtand in the wayes, and behold, and aske for the old way, which is the good way, and walke therein; and yee ſhall finde Rest for your ſoules. Ierem. 6.16.
This is that old and that good way.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keepe it holy &c. The vijth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou ſhalt not doe any worke &c. for on the vijth day the Lord Rested; Therefore the Lord bleſſed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exod. xx. viij. x. xj.
Obſerue it, walke in it.
For verily I ſay vntounto you, vntill heauen & earth paſſe, one iote, or one title, ſhall in no wiſe paſſe from the Law, vntill all things be fulfilled. Mat. 5.18.
Whoſoeuer therefore, ſhall breake one of theſe leaſt Commandements, and teach men ſo; hee ſhall be called the leaſt in the Kingdome of heauen. Mat. 5.19.
Whatſoeuer thing I commaund you, take heede you doe it: Thou ſhalt put nothing thereto, nor take ought there from. Deut. 12.32.
Curſed is eueryevery one, that continueth not in all things, which are written in the booke of the Law, to doe them. Gal. 3.10.
To the Kings moſt excellent Maieſtie, CHARLES, by the grace of God, King of Great-Brittaine, Fraunce, and Ireland, Defender of the Chriſtian faith &c.
MOST dread and renowned Soueraigne, may it pleaſe your excellent Maieſtie: ſuch is the power of Trueth, and ſpecially in Religion, that they which hauehave once taſted it, cleaue vntounto it, more then vntounto all the hopes of this life beſides: The Law of thy mouth (ſaith Dauid) is better vntounto mee, then thowſands of gold & ſiluer, Pſal. 119.72. Yea, ſuch is the excellency of Gods bleſſed Trueth, as his meekeſt ſeruants, will ſtirr in the defence of it, & the mildeſt fight, before it ſhall be indamaged by their forbearance.
I durſt not petition your Highneſſe, nor aduenture theſe lines vntounto your Maieſties conſideration, vntill I had by diligent ſtudie firſt, ſo ſetled my conſcience in the certaine trueth of them, as my minde gaue me, that I am tied in conſcience, rather to departe with my life, then with this Trueth; ſo captiuated is my conſcience, & inthraled to the Law of my God. Here therefore I tender this Trueth, with my life, vntounto your Maieſtie; that, vntounto your Godly conſideration; this, vntounto your clemency & mercy; and both, to the pleaſure of the Almighty.
I remember, when the Booke of the Law had bene loſt, and was found againe by Hilkiah the Prieſt, in the Raigne of Ioſiah, 2. King. 22. that Hilkiah ſent it by Shaphan the Chaunteller vntounto the King: which giueth me to vnderſtand, that in matters of Gods worſhip, in caſe failings and corruptions be found out, the Supreme power, the King, is to hauehave knowledge of it. More particularly, when the Lords Sabbath was thought to be prophaned, by the Diſciples of Chriſt, by plucking eares of corne, Mat. 12. to whom did the Phariſes complaine, but vntounto Chriſt, the Lord and Maſter of the Diſciples? And when in Nehemiahs time the Sabbath was prophaned, by treading the Winepreſſe, & bearing of burdens, Nehem. 13. to whom did Nehemiah turne himſelfe, but vntounto the Rulers & Nobles of Iudah, for redreſſe?
I addreſſe my ſelfe therefore vntounto your Maieſtie, humblie beſeeching you, to take it into conſideration: 1. That that moſt ancient, & ſacred ordinance of Gods Sabbath, preſcribed in the Morall Law; (and religiouſly practiſed, by the moſt anciët & primitiue Churches, neere 400 yeeres after the Aſcention of Chriſt, euen ſo longe as they retained their brighteſt purity; and which ought religiouſly to be ſanctified, to the worlds end) it is now prophaned, & trampled vnderunder foote. 2. That the Decalogue & Law of God, is not taught & maintained in our Church, in its fulneſſe, integrity, and perfection; but onelyonly partially, & by peeces. 3. That God hath not his whole & intire worſhip & ſeruice, preſcribed in the firſt Table of the Decalogue; but is denied one quarter, or fowrth part thereof weekly. 4. That by the common doctrine in our Church, the 4th Commandement is wholly fruſtrate, & altogether nullified, both roote and branch. 5. That by moſt men in our Church, there is groſſe ſuperſtition committed, Gods worſhip is corrupted, and by many plain idolatry wrought, by keeping the Lords day for a Sabbath, by the 4th Com.
Amongſt other things, I hauehave (as I beleeue) made theſe fiue things, manifeſtly appeare in this Booke; and now I humbly preſent them vntounto your Highneſſe conſideration; truſting, the cauſe will ſpeake for it ſelfe; and its bare mention, will call for a Reformation.
It was the laudable and Godly care of your deere Father, to cauſe in his time, a new Tranſlation of the ſacred Bible, for the correction of but here and there a word; how much more (I truſt) will his ſuruiuing Sonne & Heire, be mindfull of ſuch weighty matters as theſe are? Almighty God, hath honoured this eternall Law of the 10 Commandements, with ſuch honour, as he vouchſafed not, to any one portion of Scripture beſids, in all the Sacred Bible; for hee deliuered it, in moſt Maieſticall and terrible manner; in flaming fyer, the earth trembling, Moſes & the people quaking; hee ſpake it & proclaimed it, with his owne voyce, and wrote it with his owne finger in Tables of ſtone. The Eternall Sonne of God, whilſt on earth bewraied ſuch care of this Law, as that hee ratified it, and eueryevery iote & title of it, to the worlds end, ſaying, Verily, I ſay vntounto you, that vntill heauen & earth paſse, one iote, or one title, ſhall in no wiſe paſſe from the Law, till all things be fulfilled, Mat. 5.18. The Church of God, in this Chriſtian Kingdome, honoureth at this day, this Law of God; for ſhee hath inrouled it, in hir Booke of Common Prayers; and ordered, that it be deuoutly reade, at the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, & at other times of holy Aſſemblies. I truſt therefore, your Maieſtie will afford this ſacred & honourable portion of Gods Word, your beſt protection.
The Law, it is the inheritance of the Church, as wee reade Deut. 33.4. and who ſhould defend the Churches right, if not your Maieſtie? King Dauid choſe this Law, for his inheritance, as we reade Pſal. 119.111. and I beleeue, ſo hath your ſacred Maieſtie; defend it therefore: Why ſhould the corrupt expoſitions thereof, which the ignorance of former ages hauehave hatched, be ſtill retained? Why ſhould one part of this ſacred Scripture, be retained, & an other part of the ſame, reiected? Why ſhould not God hauehave his whole and intire worſhip, preſcribed in this Law, as well as ſome partes of it? you will not indure it, that your Coyne be clypped or impaired, but count him for a traitour that doth it; how thē ſhould you thinke well of him, that will clippe & impaire, this current & golden Law of God? you cannot indure it, that any part, of your Royall inheritance of Crowne Lands, ſhould be detained from you; And how ſhould you indure it, that any part of your Spirituall inheritance, the Law of God, ſhould be withholden from you any longer? Why ſhould we ſerue God by halues any longer? The Lords Sabbathes, which are a portion of Gods Law; and a part of your Maieſties, & the Churches inheritance, now contemned as Iewiſh, and ceremoniall, and now prophaned & trampled vnderunder foote, I humblie beſeech your Highneſſe, to take a care of.
As the 5th Commandement, is directed vntounto inferiours; ſo is the obſeruation of the Sabbath, in the 4th Cōmandement, directed vntounto Superiours, as M. Brerewood in his Treatiſe on the Sabbath, hath well obſerued; the care therefore of Gods Sabbathes, pertaineth vntounto Kings; and the 4th Comm. doth in a moſt eminent ſorte, oblige Kings: Hence no doubt it was, that Nehemiah that Godly Gouerner, tooke the reformation of the prophaned Sabbath, into his care & charge: Whoſe ſteppes, may it pleaſe you to treade, hauing finiſhed the great worke, you may to your eternall comfort, with him, petition Almighty God, to be mindfull of this your care & zeale for him, ſaying, Remember mee, O my God, concerning this &c. Nehem. 13.22. How famouſe vntounto all ages, are thoſe Godly Kings, Hezekiah, Ioſiah, & the reſt, for Reformers of Religion, & for Reſtorers of the worſhip of God! Oh that your zeale, might equall theirs; that it might be left as a monument, vntounto all poſterity, that you Reſtored the worſhip of God in his Sacred Sabbaths.
If I be able to compare them, none of your Progenitours, did euer leaue the like honourable fact, to this, vponupon recorde; vnleſſe it were they, that made the Reformation from Popiſh Idolatry: and that indeed, may be compared with this: for that, concerned the 2th Com. and this, concernes the 4th Com. that, was a Morall Law; and ſo is this: that was touching a parte of Gods worſhip, in the firſt Table, and ſo is this. Two Morall Laws, to wit, the 2th Com. and the 4th Com. hauehave bene corrupted, for many hundreth yeers together; the one, by Image worſhiping the other by Sabbath breaking: as for the former, that hath (by the Mercy of God) bene reformed, this hundreth yeers, and vpwards, euer ſince we departed from Rome; and Gods bleſſing, hath abundantly followed our Church, euer ſince. As for the latter, we ſtill ſticke faſt in the myre; and remaine ſtill in ignorance & blindneſſe, togeather with Rome, to this day; and this, waiteth for the Reformation of our Engliſh Nehemiah, Hezekiah, or Joſiah.
As it was with the good Kings of Iſrael and Iudah, in reſtauration of Religion, ſtill they left ſomething vndone; So our Anceſtours, though they reformed the corruptions about the 2th Com. yet they left the high places, I meane the prophanatiō of the Lords Sabbaths, ſtill vntouched. No doubt, God foreſaw it, that the reformation of one of his Commandements, was worke enough, for thoſe his ſeruants, in thoſe gaine-ſaying times; the reformation of the other, he hath reſerued for theſe later times: oh that theſe times, might be ſo happie, as to take the Time! Let not poſterity, take this Crowne & glory: The reſtauration, of the integrity of Gods worſhip, and the raiſing vp againe, of Gods Sabbathes, call for your Maieſties helpe: Helpe O King.
Tis true, innovations are dangerouſe, yet in ſome caſe neceſſary; as we ſee by new lawes daily inacted: But this is no innovation, it is but the reuiuing of an old Law, a long time laine dead; and the putting into execution, Gods 4th Comm. now, and of long time out of vſe. Neither can it be thought a thing impoſſible, to be done, or diſaduantageouſe vntounto your Realme: for the change of the Sabbath, from the Sunday, backe againe to the Saturday, that holy Day Gen. 2.3. will not proue (I ſuppoſe) one farthing loſſe, vntounto your Subiectes: and for your Maieſtie, it is but your pleaſure; ſay the word onelyonly, & it is done; your Maieſties proclamation or the like, workes a preſent Reformation: Let me ſay vntounto your Highneſſe therefore, as once thoſe ſeruants of Naaman ſaid vntounto their Lord, when the Prophet bad him, but this ſmale & eaſy thing, Goe waſh, and be cleane: If it were a great thing, which the Lord requireth of thee, wouldeſt thou not hauehave done it? how much rather when he ſaith vntounto thee, waſh & be cleane? 2. King. 5.13. I leaue the application. To conclude, the counſaile of the Lord is, to inquire for the old way, Ier. 6.16. be pleaſed therefore, to ſerch the Scriptures; and to inquire of your reuerend Biſhops, and lerned Clergy; as they will anſwer it before God, if this be not the old way, and the way wherein we muſt walke, to the Worlds end.
Your Maieſties moſt humble Subiect THEOPHILUS BRABOURNE.