A Bright Star which Leadeth Wise Men to our Lord Jesus Christ, Commandment 4 · Part 2
To keepe it holy.
NOw the Lord ſhewes what is to bee done on the ſabboth day, namely wee muſt keepe it holy? it is not inough to forbeare our owne worke, and ſo to keepe it idly, but wee muſt bee as carefull to doe Gods worke, and ſo to keepe it holy. Hence then wee learne this doctrine, that the ſabboth muſt bee imployed in holy exerciſes, it muſt not bee a bare reſt, but a ſanctified reſt, ſo ceaſing from worldly things, as that we be taken vp in heauenly things, for idlenes is a ſin eueryevery day, but much more on the ſabboth. No man hath alowance in gods word to ſpend any time idly, but it is a damnable ſin in the weeke daies, much leſſe are we warranted to ſpend Gods time vnprofitablie and idly; of the twaine it were better leaue ones owne worke vndone, vponupon ones owne daies permitted for his labour, then Gods worke on Gods daie appointed for his ſeruice.
Now the reaſons why this muſt bee ſpent onelyonly in holie exerciſes, are taken from the ill effects that will follow if wee doe not ſpend it in theſe workes. Theſe ill effects wee ſhall ſee in Exod. 31. 12. Where God commands them that they ſhould abſtaine from all workes, and keepe it an holy, for if they doe worke euen in making garments and things for the temple, which ſeemed to pertaine to god, much more in things of their owne, theſe two euils will follow, firſt they ſhall die the death, their life ſhall bee taken away, they muſt die a naturall death, and then ſecondly they muſt bee cut off from their people, j. bee ſubject to the curſe of God, and bee caſt off from the people of God, by ſolemne excommunication. Theſe bee the puniſhments of polluting the Sabboth, no ſmall puniſhments; and theſe God doth execute daily euen among vsus, for though the law of the land takes not hold on ſuch perſons to put them to death, yet God giues them ouer to commit ſome ſinne which mans law puniſheth with death, and the firſt cauſe of all and that at which God ſtrikes, and which their owne ſoule feeles moſt heauie, as appeares by the daily complaints, when they bee brought to execution, is, that they neuer regarded the ſabboth, had no care to heare Gods word, & to ſpend the day in duties of religion, & in prayer, but followed after vanitie, and their owne luſt, and therfore God meets with them. And though the miniſter cannot by law excommunicate them and caſt them out of the congregation, yet God excommunicates them, that in the harts of Gods people they be as heathen men, their ſoules are cut of from the church, they hauehave no lyfe of grace, no fruit or working of the word and ſacraments, more then of any idle tale, and prophane ſtorie, no grace wrought by it, no death of ſinne, no hope nor deſire of heauen, but liue as beaſts; no recourſe to God in Chriſt Ieſus, nor no vertue that they draw from Chriſt, ſo that indeede they doe not liue in Chriſt, but are dead in their ſpirit, while they liue in their bodies. They may ſay indeed & ſay true, that they can ſee no good by the exerciſes of the ſabboth, they be vnpleaſant to them, and vnprofitable, ſo that they hauehave no benefit by it; and why is this, not becauſe Gods ordinances want their force & vertue, but becauſe they want reuerence of them, and being wicked, contemne them; therfore their ſouls be cut of, their harts hardened, they hauehave forfaited their ſaluation.
Then an other ill effect is, as in Ierem. 17. where he ſaith, If they pollute his ſabboth, hee will kindle a fire in their houſes, that ſhall not be quenched. For their outward eſtate they be no gayners that breake the ſabboth for God ſends a curſe, which like a violent flame deuoures more then they can get. So that if we would not be guiltie of death, and hauehave our ſoules cut of from communion with Chriſt and his church, and our goods alſo cōſumed & brought to nothing by the vengeance of God? Then let vsus keepe his holy ſabboth holy, and beſtow it vponupon holy exerciſes. But on the contrary ſide, to ſanctifie it and ſpend in thoſe duties that God commandeth, brings all comfortable bleſsing and happineſſe. As in Iſai. 56. 2. If the gentils that be conuerted will keepe the ſabboth of God holy, he promiſeth that they ſhal hauehave a better name & more reuerence then the Iewes that profeſſe the religion of God, but regard not his ſabboth, and at large there he ſhowes how he wil bleſſe them, and good reaſon to, for he that keeps the ſabboth aright, exerciſeth the whole bodie of religion, for this brings in practiſe the whole law, and teacheth one his dutie to God and to man, & builds him vp in euerie grace. And ſo in Iſ. 58. 13. If thou turne away &c. Where he ſhewes that if any man will on Gods day, forſake his owne work, and leaue of vaine words, and delight in the work of God, and his ſeruice, then God will giuegive them, God will ſet them on high, and giuegive them the inheritance of Iacob, for indeed then they be Gods ſheepe, and the flock of Chriſt, when they delight to follow him, and to heare his voice, for then they ſhall hauehave acceſſe to him, and he ſhall hauehave opportunitie to bleſſe them, and dwell in them by his ſpirit. So that if we would auoid the curſe of God on our ſoule and bodie, and gaine the bleſsing of God vponupon both. Let vsus yeld to this his commandement, and with as great joye ſerue God in the duties of religion, & his worſhip on that day, as we doe our ſelues in our owne affaires on the ſixe dayes; yea with a greater delight to, becauſe we hauehave a promiſe, and may looke for a greater bleſsing.
The vſe of this is to reproue thoſe that thinke if they abſtaine from worke of their calling, that they take no paines in outward toyling about affaires of this world, then they keepe the ſabboth verie well, and if no man can accuſe them of going to plow or cart or ſuch workes, then they thinke they hauehave not broken the fourth commandement. But idleneſſe is a ſin of Adam, naught euerie day, as we ſaid before, but much more naught vponupon that day that ſhould bee ſpent in Gods exerciſes: But much more wicked are they, that bee euill occupied, in dauncing and dallying, in ſwilling and brawling, and ſo make it the diuels day inſteede of Gods, and doe more diſhonour to God, and hurt to their owne ſoules, then any day in the weeke elſe. Many alſo are to bee reprooued that will come to the church, & for the time of the day will bee content to heare the word and doe ſuch exerciſes, but at euen when darkeneſſe comes, then comes the works of darkeneſſe, and when they be in their bed, then they bee plodding and caſting about for worldly affaires, and their heads be as buſie, & as full of earthly matters, as any night in the weeke elſe. But wee are to know that the ſabboth containes foure and twentie houres, as well as any other day, and therefore the night muſt bee ſpent in an holy reſt to, elſe one ſhall hurt himſelfe more and diſpleaſe God more by theſe vaine thoughts in the night, then he could pleaſe God and benefit himſelfe by keeping himſelfe in good companie and good actions in the day; and therefore they want the bleſsing becauſe they performe not all the dutie, and that which they did was in hipocriſie, becauſe they doe not care to remember that which they heard, nor examine with what hart and with what profit they hauehave performed the duties of the day; not but that a man may hauehave ſleepe, but his ſleepe is to bee ſeaſoned with the ſweetneſſe of the former exerciſes, & his dreames hauehave ſome taſt of religion, more then at other times, and when they wake their thoughts & meditations muſt bee carried after holy things, becauſe Gods eies are as faſt fixed on them in their bed, as in the church, and hee ſees and knowes their thoughts in the darke, as well as their behauiour and carriage in the midſt of the congregation.
Now God bids vsus keepe the whole ſeauenth daye, for he would hauehave vsus giuegive as long a day to him as hee hath giuen vntounto vsus; and if day containe day and night, when he ſaith, ſixe dayes ſhalt thou labour, and we vponupon that permiſsion and allowance of Gods, take it for graunted, that in the night we may doe what buſineſſe we hauehave to doe, & when we be in bed may ſpend the time in ordering our priuate affaires, and pondering how to deale in ſuch things as we hauehave to deale in, by reaſon of our calling. I ſay, if we doe this, and think as indeede it is true that he giues vsus the night and day both for our callings, why is it not ſo in the ſabboth then, that he takes the ſeauenth day & night to himſelfe as well as he giues ſixe to vsus. Therefore we muſt know that the Lords day muſt containe xxiiij. houres, and for want of this, we depriue our ſelues of thoſe bleſsings which elſe we might hauehave, becauſe we vndoe that in the night that we did in the day, we did Gods work one part of his day, and that was well, but we take the remainder to our ſelues, & that is a fault.
Thirdly, this teacheth vsus to doe the duties of the Lords day vponupon his day. Now this ſanctifying and keeping of it holy, conſiſts in doing things either priuate or publique. The priuate are theſe; After examination of our owne harts, and finding out of our ſinfull wayes, with repentance and ſorrow for the ſame, to beſeech God that he would prepare and fit our harts to profit by the publique exerciſes of religion on the ſabboth. And to entreat him that he would ſo direct the miniſters mouth, is that he may ſpeake to our harts, and ſay ſomething that ſerues to kill our ſinne, and to comfort and build vp our ſouls, that as he is appointed for a phiſition, ſo he would fit vsus with ſome medicine, as well as others, as ſaint Paul bids them pray for him that he may hauehave the dore of vtterance; And when one doth this in an humble hart, deſiring to repent and turne from his ſinnes in good earneſt, he ſhall neuer come to the ſermon but he ſhall heare ſome one leſſon or other that will make him better, and he ſhal hauehave cauſe to thank God for it. But if one come rudely into Gods houſe from brauling & chiding at home, or ſo ſoone as he is out of his bed to come to the church without preparing his hart or fitting himſelfe by any prayer to God, or confeſsion and ſorrow for his ſinne, then he ſhall feele, that to his vncleane hart all things are vncleane, the word ſhalbe but a tediouſneſſe, & ſerue to the further hardning of his hart. Alſo one muſt reade ſome part of the ſcripture priuately, that may ſeaſon his hart, and ſettle and quiet his minde & affections, that he may be more teachable. And that he may the better fit himſelfe after this ſort, he is to riſe betime in the morning, for there is none ſo good a maſter, no work ſo good in it ſelfe, nor none that will bring ſo great a reward, & therefore we ſhould riſe as earely to ſerue this maſter in this work, as any day elſe for any other work, and if we doe thus, we may hauehave ſufficient to prouide for the publique exerciſes, that we may come vntounto them with profit. Alſo an other priuate work of the ſabboth is, to rele…ue and viſit them that be ſick, or in any kinde of miſerie. And ſo alſo to reconcile thoſe that be at jarre and diſcord. Further, alſo to meditate vponupon the word, that we hauehave heard, and to ponder of it, to apply it to our ſelues, to marke what we hauehave remembred, what we hauehave layd vp in our harts, and purpoſe to follow; and how matters ſtand betwixt God and our ſelues in the things that hauehave bene deliuered, for till the word be thus made our own, it is but as chaffe lying looſe in the hart, that eueryevery puffe of winde will driue away, and eueryevery temptation will blow from vsus. It is not as a treaſure locked vp that will ſtand vsus in ſome ſteede in the time of neede. Likewiſe to confer with other chriſtians among whom we liue, & to talke of the things taught, calling them to minde, and how they were prooued vntounto vsus, and then further to enlarge them according to our owne perticuler neceſsitie, and as it were to ſpread the medicine vponupon one an others harts. Theſe be the priuate things, which as eueryevery one is more careful to performe, ſo ſhal he receiue a more large and abundant bleſſing vponupon the publique. Now the publique themſelues are; To ioyne with the reſt of the congregaſion, in praying and prayſing God with one hart and voice, in diligent attending to the word publikely read & preached; for there is a greater bleſsing promiſed to this miniſteriall reading, then to any mans reading at home. Then alſo the vſe of the ſacraments, as to be preſent at baptiſme, for the departing away, argues a great contempt of it, and with a publique diſgrace of Gods ordinance, for if one or two, hauehave libertie, the reſt hauehave the like, and then where were the reuerence. Therefore one muſt tarrie at ſuch exerciſes, as to ſhew his reuerence; ſo ſecondly, to help the congregation in prayſing God for ingrafting an other member into his viſible bodie of the church; & to pray, that God would giuegive the inward working & fruit of the ſame, by his holy ſpirit. And to edifie himſelfe alſo, by calling to minde, that he is alſo made pertaker of the new couenant, and joyned to Chriſt Ieſus. And to examine himſelfe what fruit he hath felt in himſelfe of the death of Chriſt in killing his ſinne, and of his reſurrection, in raiſing him vp to newneſſe of life, & ſo either to be humbled, if he feele not that profit, he would; or to be thankfull, feeling this work of baptiſme, and to comfort himſelfe in the remembrance of this that the merite and vertue of Chriſt Ieſus, his death is his, to ſatiſfie for his ſinnes, and to kill by little and little, the power of them, all which things we ſee now preſently ſealed vp to the partie baptiſed in the preſent action. For the baptiſing of the infant, is not onelyonly for his profit, but for the good of all the church, that eueryevery one may ſee his dutie, and what God hath promiſed, and what benefit himſelfe is to receaue and looke for.
Another dutie, but priuate, is praier after the ſermon and publike meeting, that thoſe good things which one hath remembred, may bee turned into a praier, which he muſt offer vntounto God, beſeeching him that hath ſhewed him what is to be auoided, to giuegive him power to auoide it, and to encline his hart to keepe the things commanded, as well as to tell him the dutie that belongs vntounto him, and as hee hath hard many ſweet promiſes, which will doe him no good ſo long as he hath an vnbeleeuing hart, & cannot bring himſelfe to giuegive credit vntounto them, therfore that God would alſo knit the promiſes vntounto his hart, and giuegive him grace to truſt vponupon them, and to remember them when hee ſhall hauehave neede. Thus much for one dutie required to ſanctifie the ſabboth. Now the next words follow.