A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Dedication 2
To the moſt Reuerent Arch-Biſhops, and Biſhops of this Kingdome.
RIGHT Reuerent Fathers in God, & right graciouſe & honourable Lords; I preſume to offer this Treatiſe of the Sabbath day, vntounto your graue & iudicious conſiderations; as vntounto whom it doth more principally appertaine, to weigh & determine, of queſtions & controuercies, of ſuch great conſequence; and whoſe it is, in a moſt eminent manner, to ſee that all corruptions in Gods worſhip be reformed; all Truethes of God, foſtered & cheriſhed; and all the partes of Gods worſhip, duly & religiouſly obſerued.
Amongſt other things in this Treatiſe, I humbly deſire your Lordſhipes, to take theſe fiue, into your beſt & deepeſt conſiderations: 1. That that Sacred ordinance of Gods Sabbath (then the which, is not any in our Church more ancient; commanded by God in his Morall Law; ratified by Chriſt the Sonne of God; practiſed by the Apoſtles; & alſo by the primitiue Churches after them, for 300 or 400 yeeres together) is now ſinfully trampled vnderunder foote, & prophaned. 2. That the Decalogue, & 10 Commandements of Almighty God, are not wholly and fully taught and maintained in our Church, but onelyonly by partes & by peeces. 3. That God hath not his whole & intire worſhip & ſeruice, preſcribed in the firſt Table of the Decalogue, but is denied one fourth part thereof weekly. 4. That Gods 4th commandement, is by the commō doctrine in our Church, wholly fruſtrate and nullified, both roote and branch. 5. That by very many in our Church, there is groſſe ſuperſtition committed, Gods worſhip corrupted, yea plaine Idolatry wrought: and that by ſanctifying of the Lords day, for a Sabbath day, by the 4th Com. Theſe things (as I beleeue) you ſhall find cleerly proued in this Booke.
VntoUnto whoſe conſideration ſhould I commend theſe things, for redreſſe, if not vntounto your Lordſhipes? hath not his Maieſtie therefore deputed you, vntounto your ſeuerall charges, to ouerſee, & ſee to the well ordering of the Church, & worſhip of God? and hath not the Almightie, laied it vponupon you, To warne ſome, that they teach none other doctrine, 1. Tim. 1.3? And, To redreſse the things that are amiſse: Or, To ſet in order, the things that are wanting, Tit. 1.5? Downe then with that Idoll, the Lords day Sabbath: ſo dealt Hezekiah with the Brazen Serpent, when idolatrouſly abuſed: and bring into its roome, & into the Church of God againe, that ancient ordinance, Gods Sacred Saturday-Sabbath; let not an idoll of mans deuiſeing, ſtand in Gods Church, where an ordinance of Gods, inioyned by a Morall Law, ſhould ſtand.
Oh my honourable Lords, what a pitty it is, to ſee Antiquity, true and honourable Antiquity, I meane the Lords Sabbathes, troden vnderunder foote! why ſhould not our Church, become followers of thoſe Ancienteſt, and moſt pure Churches, of the primitiue times, that liued next after Chriſt, & his bleſſed Apoſtles, in obſeruation of the Lords Sabbath? Who, ſo long as they retained their greateſt purity, ſo long they religiouſly obſerued the Saturday-Sabbath. Why ſhould not your Lordſhipes, exhorte vntounto the obſeruation of the Sabbath day, as did that Godly Biſhop Ignatius in his time? Epiſt. ad Magneſi. And why ſhould not your Lordſhips, defend the Sabbath day, as did that famouſe Biſhop Athanaſius, in his time? Centur. iiij. cap. 6. pag. 410. This done, the Law of God ſhould be taught and maintained, in our Church, in its integrity and perfection; the 4th Commandement ſhould be in vſe, amongſt vsus againe; and be accounted as Morall, as any of the other nyne: and God ſhould hauehave his whole & intire worſhip, preſcribed in the firſt Table, as well amongſt vsus, as euer he had among the Iewes, when they were the onelyonly people of God. If it pleaſe not God, to inkindle your Lordſhipes hearts, with more zeale for his glory, in this behalfe, then is to be found among common Miniſters; Gods Sabbaths, are like ſtill (which God forbid) to lay waſte, his Lawes to be partially taught, and his intire worſhip, to be ſtill denied him.
Let none ſuggeſt vntounto your Lordſhips, that the obſeruation of the ancient Sabbath, is Iudaiſme: for Athanaſius, liuing in thoſe firſt ages of the Chriſtian Churches, taketh away this obiection, ſaying, Wee keepe the Sabbath day, and yet we are not tainted with Iudaiſme, Centur. iiij. In the Booke of Common Prayer, after the 4th Commandement (wherein the old Sabbath day, is by name ſpecified) is publikly rehearſed by the Miniſter, we are ordered to vſe this deuout prayer, Lord hauehave mercy vponupon vsus, & incline our hearts to keepe this Law. Which prayer, & which commandement, cannot (vnderunder your Lordſhips correction) be vnderſtood of the Lords day, nor of any other day, but the old Sabbath day onelyonly: Wherefore, the obſeruation of the old Sabbath, is no Iudaiſme; vnleſſe we be taught, to pray to God, to incline our hearts to Iudaiſme. It is not vnknowne vntounto your Lordſhips, that not many yeeres ſince, the Croſſe in Baptiſme, hath by ſome bene counted idolatrouſe, & the holy dayes, Romiſh, & yet hath our Church freed them from ſuch imputations; I truſt therefore, that in your graue & religiouſe conſultations, it will be iudged meete, that the Lords Sabbaths, ſhall be alſo freed from the ſlaunder of Iewiſh, Iudaiſme, and the like: If the Holy dayes of the Saints, may be defended, I truſt the Holie day of the Holie one of Iſrael, ſhall be protected.
I hauehave done myne errand, I hauehave diſcharged my duety; the cauſe is no longer myne, then in my breaſt; I now commend it vntounto your Lordſhips, for protection: the cauſe is Gods; and therefore youres, and the Churches; it deſerueth the patronag of the greateſt, & of the lernedeſt.
Tis true, my perſon is meane; I care not though it be fleited, ſo the cauſe be honoured: Iudges, regard not perſones; but Cauſes.
In Courtes of Iuſtice, if any ſewe or informe for the King, if the Kings Title, be in queſtion, though the Informer be meane & neglected, yet the Cauſe is much regarded; for it hath all the honour & furtherance, that the Iudges & Courte, can afford it: in ſpeciall ſorte, the Iudges, they take in with it, & mannage it, as if it were their owne: Counſaile ſhall be aſſigned to pleade for it; other cauſes ſhall ſtand by, whilſt it be tried; informer & witneſſes, ſhall be countenanced, & incouraged to ſpeake, & the like; ſo as if poſſible, the Kings Title ſhall get the day. Let me petition your Lordſhips therfore, in your Triall of this Controuercy, to hauehave regard whoſe the Title is, that is in queſtion: it being the Lords Sabbath; a branch of the Morall Law; a parte of Gods worſhip; and one of the moſt ancient ordinances, that euer God eſtabliſhed in his Church; the Title is plainly Gods therfore: yea, it is called the Sabbath of the Lord, or the Lords Sabbath, and, myne Holy Day. The Title being Gods then, let it hauehave that fauourable and honourable triall, in your Synods, Conſiſtories, & Conſciences, the which earthly Kings Titles obtaine, in their Courtes. Who euer make ſquemiſh of it, your Lordſhips, as Iudges wil take in with it I truſt; knowing, the Title of him is now in queſtion; of whom you hold all you inioy for the preſent, and hope to inioy hereafter: let the day be Gods; let iudgement paſſe on his ſide, if poſſible; let the Informer, hauehave incouragment & countenance; all helpes & furtherances; if not for his owne ſake, yet for his Cauſe ſake; and for Gods ſake; hee, pleads the Kings broad Seale, an expreſſe precept; the 4th Com. one of the 10 Morales; and one of the Firſt Table too; what better, or higher Euidence can be demanded?
Let no argument, or Text of Scripture be vrged, to the aboliſhing of this ordinance of Gods Sabbath; to the impairing, & ecclipſing of the Morall Law, & 10 Commandements; and to the ouerturning of any parte of Gods worſhip, once eſtabliſhed in his Church, if poſſible they may be ſalued and anſwered, by any warrantable diſtinctiō, or expoſition: Nor let any anſwer paſſe for orthodox, wherby any iote or title of the Decalogue, or any parte of Gods worſhip, ſhould be denied: This, I humbly begg and craue of our Lordſhips, and that in the name of God, whoſe Title I informe for; and whoſe Title you are to iudge for, and defend; and that by virtue of your places, & high offices. For I hold it as an vndoubted Maxime, that it is not godly, nor Lawfull, to aboliſh an ordinance of Gods, being a parte of Gods worſhip, once eſtabliſhed in his Church, & preſcribed in his Morall Law; vnleſſe ſome moſt pregnant Text, can be brought againſt it, which doth neceſſarily & moſt cleerly aboliſh it, ſo as it can be no wayes anſwered; of which kind (vnderunder your Lordſhips correction be it ſpoken) I know there is not any one Text that can be ſhowne, in all the New Teſtament: Now God forbid, that any of his ordinances, ſhould be throwne downe, when they may (if we pleaſed) be ſtill retained.
It may eaſily be thought, that in ſo large a Treatiſe as this is, wherein is handled ſo many arguments, & anſwers, paſſages, & particles, & that in a new Argument, not formerly wrote of by any, that ſome or others of them may ſauour of humane frailty; & ſtand in neede of further ſtudy; I craue of your Lordſhips, that ſuch a thing may not be racked & dwelt vponupon, but that the body of the Treatiſe, & maine Argument, arguments & anſwers may be attended; the which are ſo cleere & ſound (to my vnderſtanding) as I am good Confident, the cauſe ſhall obtaine your Lordſhips Patronage.
So demeane your ſelues, in deciding, iudging, and defending Gods Title, here on earth; that when the Lord Ieſus, that chiefe Shepheard & Byſhop of our ſoules ſhall appeare, then you may receiue, an Incorruptible Crowne of glory.
Your Lordſhips to Commande THEOPHILUS BRABOURNE.