The Sabbath Vindicated, Title page – To the reader
VINDICIAE SABBATHI, OR, AN ANSWER TO TWO TREATISES OF MASTER BROADS.
The one, Concerning the Sabbath or seaventh Day.
The other, Concerning the Lords-day or first of the Weeke With a survey of all the rest which of late have written upon that subiect, by GEORGE ABBOT.
Psalme 36. 9. In thy Light shall wee see Light.
LONDON Printed by I. D. for Henry Overton and are to be sould at his shop entring into Popes-head-Alley out of Lumbard-street Anno 1641.
TO HIS MVCH HONORED FATHER IN LAW Mr. WILLIAM PUREFEY OF CALDEcoate in Warwickshire, Esquire.
SIR.
THe times favoring truth it becomes every one, now that God hath given oportunity, to bring out of his store both new and old as he is provided. This which I here present to you and the World is both, for it deals with our primitive English Antisabbatarians, Breerewood and Broad, but chiefely with the latter, because none else (that I know of) have undertaken him being not in print, and therefore knowne, but to a few as also with the whole cluster of our moderne Writers upon that subject, which are too many to name except with an &c. For the plot of the times ha…s beene against the power of Godlines, which could never been pulled downe whilest the Sabbath stood upright, and therefore our Patrons of impiety have rightly projected to take that out of the way which stood so much in theirs, and to remove that same holy interruption which God in his care and wisedome had put to our dayes and wayes of Worldly natures, that so they might bring all to a levell, by paring away Sabbath… and Sermons, which was the onelyonly way to mount them to the height of their designe of bringing Godlines to a forme, and all things (but Episcopacy) from ius Divinum to i…s Humanum, that they may bee all in all; but all this while they have kicked against the pricks for which they now smart, nor could they expect other then that they which opposed the rest of God should have their owne rest molested, for God will find a time to bring truth to light, though she wade through a long Eclipse, and to shut up errour in darknes, and her abetters in disgrace as now they are, for with the froward hee hath threatned to shew himselfe froward, and hee hath made it good, to the praise of the glory of his power.
Your ever obliged Son in Law GEORGE ABBOT.
Deare friend,
I Doubt not that God shall have honour by this Booke from others, let him have the honour of it from your selfe. When we come to give up our accounts, wee must acknowledge our receipts, first as from God,Matth. 25. 20. Master thou deliveredst mee five talents; then our gaine and improvement by and of them unto God, for wee trade for our Master and not for our selves. There is light in the Treatise, more then hath shewne in former times or Authors, as the declaration of Christ to the World was progressive, so is the illumination of the spirit, not only in particular Mens Soules, but in the whole Church, which must have her growth as well as particular Men, and what if somebody in after times may stand on your shoulders, and see further, let God yet be gloryfied, though he make the feete of posterity to stand as high as our heads, so wee (blessed be God) have shorter shadowes then our predecessours, and still the more light ariseth the lesse shall bee the shadowes, till they be none at all. It was Gods providence that brought Mr Broads Manu-script to your hands, and that thereupon stirred up your spirit to doe something against the fresh forces that should come in now of late, to fight against the Sabbath. God did not tell you his Errand when he sent the Booke to you, but the event is the finger that points to Gods providence, as Time is the Mid wife of Truth. God found out you who being vacant from other imployments might the better worke in this Vine yard, you, who being not ambitious of humane … named learning, should keepe close to the Scripture, the spirit, and reason, without doting upon names of Fathers &c. which wee in these times are mad upon, and so hinder our owne growth by putting their old spectacles on ou… Noses which dimme our Eyes, and thinke it not Scholler-like to go beyond Aristotle.
This I must needs say, the whole Booke savours of spirituall matter, and argues that it came from the Spirit, and promiseth to breed Spirit in the Reader, and truly all Scripture-knowledge should be written as the Scripture was, and that is by the carriage of the holy Ghost. Holy men wrote (saith hee) as they were carried by the holy spirit, so should, so are holy men carried now, not by selfe-humours and ends. Let the wilfull blind slight it,… 2. 15. barke and scorne it, yet the spirituall man is judged of no man though himselfe discerne all things. God will most probably reveale his Sabbath, to them that best keepe it here, and that shall enjoy his Sabbatisme hereafter, and they are his people. I verily beleeve thus much of the Booke that it overthrowes and confutes the Antagonists, and if they can produce no better reasons and records then they have, it will be Master of the field, for mee thinkes Mr Broad is very weake and loose when compared with yours. I could wish your Booke a speedy birth if any, that it might give pauze to others that intend any thing of that kind to the Presse. Commit it to Gods patronage, for he is the fittest Patron it can have. My Prayer shall be that your spirit may be such as may procure a blessing on the Booke, by giving it to God first, and then his Church, in a spirit of Humility and selfe-deniall; see Gods providence and his assistance, see your end in Writing, Printing; see what a seasonable time and opportunity of good; and be confident of this that in spirituall men it will breed spirituall knowledge and affection, whether it carry them in all points of judgment or no, Vale.
The Author of this answer desireth the Reader to take notice of these things:
THat herein you have first Mr Broad faithfully transcribed, and my answer following, saving that in some places you shall find some things passed by without answer, which I take to be not much materiall, and therefore to avoyd tediousnes I passe them, but I had not dealt faithfully, if I had not transcribed them being his.
That the chiefe of my ayme is to deale with his Arguments and not with his Authors, and therefore my paines is principally bestowed in the rationall part, so farre as Scripture and Reason (the sword of the Lord and Gideon) lead mee, which are the best satisfiers of godly and reasonable men, though where his Quotations come into my way, I have not utterly balked them.
That this Tractate was written long before these late Antisabbatarian Treatises of BP White, Dr Heylin and Mr Dow came forth, and therefore for their sakes I have in diverse places inlarged my Booke; wherein I have removed those stumbling blockes which seeme to lie in the way of this doctrine of the Sabbath, by answering their colourable arguments against it.
That whereas Mr Primerose hath put out another Booke against the Sabbath of later Edition, I have also perused it, and such things as I found any whit materially to clash (de novo) against some particulars in this Answer, I have particularly answered them, not naming him because they are so very few, the rest of his Treatise receiving answer herein, upon the occasion of other mens Arguments.
If perhaps you find not every collaterall Argument answered to your mind, yet let not that prejudice the maine cause, but weigh substances with substances, and pull not downe the whole House for the defect of … Tyle or two. Let Circumstances and by-matters have respect accordingly.