Catechism for Children, Sermons on the ten commandments · Sermon 3
The thirde sermon.
YE hauehave herde, how the second commaundemēte is to be vnderstanded, in the which we learne howe we ought to ordre our selfes towarde God, both in herte and in wordes. Nowe foloweth the thirde precepte, whiche is this.
¶Remēbre that thou sāctifye the Sabboth daye.
Nume. xvTHis commaundemente good children teacheth how we should behaue our selfes toward God in workes. For whē we hauehave a mynde to serue God and to shew to him as to our Lord and maker the greatest pleasure that we can; then we muste not chose by thaduyse of oure owne imagination, nether this nor that worke, but we must sāctifie the sabboth day, yt is to say employe & bestow it vpō godly & holy workes & busines. And here note good chyldrē, that ye Iewes in the olde testamēt were commaunded to kepe the Sabboth daye, and they obserued it eueryevery seuenth day called the sabbot or satterday. But we Christen men in the newe testament are not bound to such cōmaundemētes of Moses law concernyng dyfferences of tymes, dayes and meates, but hauehave libertie & fredō to vse other daies for our sabboth dayes, therein to heare ye worde God and to kepe an holy rest. And therefore that this Christian lybertye maye be kepte and mainteyned, we nowe kepe no more the sabboth or saturday as ye Iewes do, but we obserue the Sondaye & certayne other daies, as ye magestrates do iudge it cōueniēt, whom in this thinge we ought to obey. And to thētent you maye the better perceyue such thinges as shall be spoken herin, considre I pray you howe wonderfull a commaundemente this is. When worldly lordes & masters receyue men into their seruyce, they byd theim not kepe holy daye, but they set thē on worke & appoynte theim diuerse labors to be done for their seruice and behofe. But our Lorde God doeth not so with vsus in this commaundement. He biddeth not vsus to doo neyther this nor that woorke, he commaundeth vsus not, to gadde hether and thither on pilgrimage, to paynt, gyl…e, or clothe sayntes ymages, to set vp candels before theim, nor to exercise anye suche fayned mannes workes and false honorynge of God, (as the deceiptefull Monkes and Friars wer wont to teche vsus) but he biddeth vsus to rest from labours, and commaūdeth vsus to kepe holy day. But yet note good children, that whē you heare say that God hath commaunded to reste from workes, you must not gather herof, that you shoulde cesse from suche good workes by the whiche your neyghbour is releued, as to gyue almes to the poore, to preache the worde of God, to instruct ye ignoraunt and suche like (for god hath commaunded suche workes to be donne, & he doth ernestly require them of vsus) but although we do these workes neuer so dilygently, yet by theym we onlye serue and healpe oure neyghbour for Goddes sake. But when we wyll serue God onelyonly with suche a kynde of worke that perteyneth not to our neyghbour but is propre and seuerall to God alone, than God commaūdeth you not to set before your eyes any outwarde worke, but to rest from such workes. For this God requireth of vsus in thys commaundement.
And now good children listen vntounto me and you shall know the cause why god doth thus. He is so riche a God and his maiestie is so mighty, yt he hath no nede of our outwarde workes nor wourshyppinges. Againe he is so gentle, lyberal and mercyfull, that of his awne accorde he desireth to do good to all men, wherby his name is praysed and honored. Therfore he yt wil do pure seruice & honor to God, let hym gyue himselfe to rest and quietnes, not workyng to be made holy by his owne outwarde workes, but let hym kepe holy day, let him suffer the benefites of God to be powred lyberally and frely vpō hym. For to beleue that we receaue all good thinges frely from God, & to acknowlege them with a trew fayth, and gladly to prayse & thanke God for thesame, is the most excellente and highest honor, that can be yelded to him in this life. But it is not sufficiēt for vsus to kepe ye Sabboth day. But the Lorde saith, Thou shalte sanctifie the Sabboth day, that is to saye, we shall bestowe that day about holy heuenly & godly thynges.
Now yf ye desier to knowe with what holye workes you shoulde passe away this day, you shal vnderstāde that we can do no geater holy workes thā to heare ye worde of god and to learne ye trew feare of God, & the right faith in him, & to prepare our selfes that we may worthely be partakers of the Lordes table, therby to receyue great comfort to the quiet of our consciences & confirmatiō of oure fayth. And moreouer on such dayes cheflye we ought in faythe and spirite feruently to praye to God, to gyue vsus all good thinges that we lacke and hauehave nede of, and to defende and deliuer vsus frō all yl thynges. And thus praing we shal not faile to be hearde.
These be ye chiefe holy daye workes, by the whiche God rather serueth and worketh for vsus then we for him. For when he by hys mynisters causeth his wourde to be preached vntounto vsus, when he distributeth to vsus ineffable gyftes of hys sacramentes, when he heareth our prayers, he is rather beneficial vntounto vsus thē we be to him. Therfore theffecte & sūme of this commaundement is as God shoulde say thus. Good childerne, wil you serue me, & do that thing that may please me, then truste not in your awne workes, nor put your confidence in theim. For I hauehave no nede of your labour and workes. Come hyther I wyll teache you what ye ought to beleue and to do, I wil comforte you wyth the meruelous giftes of my sacramē tes, I wil heare your praiers, you can not giuegive to me greater honor, thē to repayre to me, and to suffer me yt I maye powre my benefites vponupon you, that you may acknowlege me to be your father, that you may cast your hole affiance in me, and yt you maye louelove me as chyldren loueth their fathers and mothers. But of this matter you shal heare more in the Crede or articles of the faith.
In the meane tyme you shall specially marke, that althoughe eueryevery man hath nede to labour daily for his dayly fode, yet God hath gyuen vsus Sabboth dayes or resting tymes, in the whiche he hath commaunded not onelye the maisters themselues but also their seruantes and cattel to cesse from bodily labores. And yet on those dayes he fedeth vsus aswel as on the workynge dayes. By the whiche, he signifieth vntounto vsus, that althoughe we toyle not continually vntil we be wery, yet he wil gyue vsus aboū dantly all thinges necessarie, when we obey his will, & first of all, seke the kyngdome of God, that all other thinges maye be gyuen vsus.
Hytherto good children you hauehave bene taughte in what holy workes you ought to spende the Sabboth day, now it shall be declared vntounto you, how great a sinne it is, not to sanctifye the same. The whiche synne is then committed when we vponupon the holye dayes do not heare with greate dilygence and reuerence, sermons & the most frutefull woorde of God, when we do not gyue our myndes to prayer, and other Godly workes, but to idlenes, eatinge, drynkynge, bankettynge, dauncynge, lechery, dicing, cardynge, backebytynge, slaunderyng and other vngodly workes. For the which abuse of holy daies God is grieuously prouoked and punisheth vsus greuouslye with dyuerse kyndes of plages, but specially with nede and pouertie. For so God threateneth in the .xxviii. chapter of Deuteronomie,deu. xxvi… that mē shall labour and toyle bothe daye and nyght, and yet shall not be able to worke themselues out of pouertie. And it is no meruell. For when God gyueth them restynge dayes, they doo not sanctifie the same, they do not heare the worde of God, nor pray to him, but wickedly dispise God and his honor, spendyng the sabboth daye in the aboue named synfull and vngodly lyfe. wherfore God iustly punisheth them with pouertie. But peraduenture you wyl say God doth not punishe all ye breakers of this commaundemente with nede and pouertie. Trueth it is in deede, some there be whiche God doeth not punishe in this lyfe, but defferreth theyr punishement vntill the houre of death, whē they be vtterlye forsaken of hym, (whiche is a payne most horrible) and euerlastyngly condemned if they amend not in due tyme. Therfore good children eschewe these synnes, that be so heynous in the sight of god, sanctifie youre Sabboth daye, be desirouse to heare the woorde of God, praye continually, and gyue thankes to God for all his benefites. In so doyng you shall surelye please hym, and he shall sende you his grace, fauour & blessynge that all thing maye prosper wyth you, that you maye with ioye and gladnes serue youre Lorde God, and enioy manye sabbothes or restyng dayes. For God is wel content that we hauehave many restynge dayes, so that we spende them wel in holy and godlye exercises, and cause not only oure bodyes to rest from labours, but also oure myndes from synne. For we must kepe the Sabbothe daye not onelye with our bodye but also with oure hartes and myndes, which we do, when we bridle our owne wil and fleshely lustes, and with all reuerence humble our selues to Goddes wyll, so that when we reherse the Lordes prayer, we maye saye trewly and hertely: Thy wyll be donne in earth as it is in heauen. For so God testifieth by the prophet Esaie in the .lviii. chapiter saying,Esa. lviii. yf thou wilt absteyne from doyng thy wyll on my holy daye, then thou shalt be called a pleasāt Sabboth day, that is to saie, whē we submit our wyl to the holy wil of God, and patiently suffre those thinges whiche he worketh in vsus and willeth vsus to suffre, then we shall trewlye kepe the Sabboth daye and therein laude and praise our Lorde God. For this is no true kepyng of ye Sabboth daye, when ye bodye cesseth from labors, and in the meane season a mans mynde is holly occupyed howe he maye deceaue his neighboure, how he maye obtayne hys pleasures, howe he maye reuenge him self on his enemyes. Or els when a mans herte boyleth with murmurynge, grudgynge and impatiencie, and doth not obediently bende himselfe to the wyll of God, nor pacientlye suffereth his workes, but tosseth and turmoyleth himselfe with hys awne cares, thoughtes and compassynges. For when shall suche an herte kepe a Sabboth or resting day, or earnestly prayse God? wherfore let vsus learne to kepe holy day not onelyonly from bodily labors, but also from all euell thoughtes and carnall desiers. But these maters (good chyldren) paraduenture doth passe your capacities. For men hauehave busynes ynough all their lyfe tyme, perfytely to learne and practyse this lesson, wherefore at this time I wil require no more of you good children, but onelyonly to beare away this plaine and shorte instruction, that the cheuest worshippyng of God standeth not in outwarde workes, but when we keape the Sabbothe daye aswell with mynde as with bodye, when we heare the worde of God, when by praier we call vponupon his name, and be partakers of his sacramē tes. By whiche thinges we be monished, instructed, strēgthened and defended to be the more constante in our faith. And this is the trewe sense & meanyng of this precepte. Wherfore good children marke it wel I praye you, and when it shall chaunce you to be demaūded, how vnderstande you the thirde commaundemente? Ye shal answer, we ought to feare and louelove our Lord God aboue al thinges to heare diligently and reuerentlye his holye worde & with al diligence to folow the same.