The Divine Appointment of the Lords Day, Part · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
Of what importance the due Observation of the Lords day is.
THese singular benefits of keeping the Lords day aright, should make all that Love God, or holiness or the Church, or their own or other mens souls, take heed how they grow into a neglect or abuse of it; much more that they plead not for such negligence or abuse.
I. The due observation of the Lords day is needful to keep up the solemn worship of God, and publick owning and honouring him in the world: If all men were left to themselves, what time they would bestow in the worshipping of God, the greatest part would cast off all, and grow into Atheisme or utter prophaneness; And the rest would grow into confusion. And if all Princes and Rulers or Churches in the world were left to their own wills to appoint the people on what dayes to meet, some Kingdoms and Churches would have one day, in eight, or nine, or ten, or twenty, and some only now and then an hour, and some one day, and some another, and some next to none at all. For there is no one universal Monareh on Earth to make Laws for them all (whatever the Pope or his nominal-General Councils may pretend to:) And they would never all come to any reasonable agreement voluntarily among themselves. Therefore the Light of Nature telleth us, that as a day is meet and needful to be stated, so it is meet that God himself the true Universal Monarch should determine of it; which accordingly he hath done. And this is the very hedge and defensative of Gods publick Worship. When he hath made a Law that one whole day in seven shall be spent in it, men are engaged to attend it.
O what a happy acknowledgement of God our Creatour and Redeemer is it, and an honouring of his blessed name, when all the Churches throughout all the World, are at once praising the same God, with the same praises, and hearing and learning the same Gospel, and professing the same faith, and thankfully commemorating the same benefits! The Church is then indeed, like an Army with Banners. And were it not for this dayes observation, alas, how different would the case be? And what greater thing can man be bound to, than thus, to keep up the solemn acknowledgement and worship of God and our Redeemer in the world?
II. The due Sanctification of the Lords day, doth tend to make Religion Vniversal, as to Countreys and individual persons, which else would be of narrower extent. When all the world are under a Divine obligation, to spend one day every week in the exercises of Religion, (and superiours see to the performance of their subjects obedience to this Law,) it will make men to be in some sort Religious whether they will or not: Though they cannot be truly Religious against their will, it will make them visibly religious. Yea Gods own Law, if mans did nothing, would lay arrawe on the Consciences of most, who believe that there is a God that made that Law. And the weekly Assemblies keep up the knowledge and profession of the Christian faith, and keep God and Heaven in the peoples remembrance, and keep sin under constant rebukes and disgrace: And were it not for this, Heathenisme, Infidelity and prophaneness would quickly overspread the world. The Lords day keepeth up the Christian Religion in the World.
III. The lamentable Ignorance of the generality in the world, doth require the strict and diligent observation of the whole Lords day. Children and Servants, and ordinary Countrey people, yea and too many of higher quality, are so exceeding Ignorant of the things of God and their Salvation, that all the constantest diligence that can be used with them, in Preaching, Exhorting, Catechizing, &c. will not overcome it with the most. The most diligent Masters of Families lament it, how Ignorant their Families are when they have done the best they can. Let those that plead for dancing and sporting away much of the day, but do like men that do not secretly scorn Christianity, nor despise their servants souls, and let them but try what measure of knowledge the bare hearing of Common Prayer, yea and a Sermon or two with it, will beget in their servants, if the rest of the day be spent in sports; and let them judge according to experience. If ever knowledge be propagated to such, and families made fit to live like Christians, it is likest to be by the holy improvement of this day, in the diligent teaching and Learning the substance of Religion, and in the Sacred exercises thereof.
IV. The great Carnality, Wordliness and Carelesness of the most, and their great averseness to the things of God, doth require that they be called and kept to a close and diligent improvement of the Lords day. Whatever unexperienced or carnal persons may pretend, that such constant duty so long together will make them worse and more averse, reason, experience and Scripture are all against them. If there be some backwardness at the first, it is not sports and idleness that will cure it, but resisting of the slothful humour, and keeping to the work. For there is that in Religion that tendeth to overcome mens averseness to Religion; And it must be overcome by Religion, and not by playing or idleness, if ever it be overcome. It is want of knowledge and experience of it, which maketh them loath it or be weary of it: when they have tryed it more and know it better, they will (if ever) be reconciled to it. Six dayes in a Week are a sufficient diversion. Apprentices, and Pupils and School-boyes will hold on in learning, though they be averse; And you think not all the six dayes too much to hold them to it. A School-boy must learn daily, eight or nine hours in a day; and yet some wretched men (yea Teachers) would perswade poor souls that must learn how to be saved or perish for ever, that less than eight hours one day in seven, is too much to be spent in the needfullest, excellentest and pleasantest matters in all the World.
If you say that the sublimity or difficulty maketh it wearisome, I answer, that Philosophers do much longer hold on in harder speculations.
If you say Divinity being unsuitable to carnal minds, their sick Stomachs must take no more than they can digest, I answer, 1. Cannot a Carnal Preacher for his gain, and honour, and fancy, hold on all the year in the study even of Divinity, perhaps eight or ten hours every day in the week? And may not ignorant people be brought one day to endure to be taught as long? 2. That which you call Digesting, is but Vnderstanding, and believing, and receiving it: And one truth tendeth to introduce another; And he that cannot learn with an hours labour may learn more in two. 3. And it is hearing and exercise that must cure their want of appetite. Experience telleth us, that when people take the liberty of playes, and sports, and idleness for a recreation, they come back with much more want of Love to holy exercises, than they that continue longer at them. Gratifying sloth and sensuality, increaseth it, and increaseth an averseness to all that is good; For who are more averse than they that are most voluptuous? If ever people be made seriously holy, it is a due observation of the whole Lords day, that is like to bring them to it (I mean observing it in such Learning and seeking duties as they are capable of, till they can do better) For when the mind long dwelleth on the truth, it will sink in and work; And many strokes will drive the nail to the head.
Let the Adversaries of this day and diligence but observe, And if true experience tell not the World that more souls are Converted on the Lords dayes than on all other dayes besides, and that Religion best prospereth both as to the Number and the knowledge and serious Holiness of the professours of it, where the Lords day is carefully sanctified, rather than where Idleness and playing do make intermission, than I will confess that I am uncapable of knowing any thing of this nature by experiences. But if it be so, fight not against the common light.
V. The Poverty, Servitude and worldly necessities of the most, do require a strict observation of the whole Lords day. Tenants, and Labourers, Carters and Carryers, and abundance of Tradesmen are so poor, that they can hardly spare any other considerable proportion of time: much less all their Children and Servants, whose subjection, with their Parents and Masters poverty, restraineth them. Alas, they are fain to rise early and hasten to their work, and scarce have leisure to eat and sleep as nature requireth: And they are so toiled and wearied with hard labour, that if they have at night a quarter of an hour to read a Chapter and Pray, they can scarce hold open their eyes from sleeping. What time hath the Minister then to come and teach them (if we had such Ministers again as would be at the pains to do it?) And what time have they to hear or learn? You must teach them on the Lords day, or scarcely at all. Almost all that they must learn, must be then learnt.
I deny not but in those former years, when the Law forbad me not to Preach the Gospel, the people came to me on the week day, house by house, and also that they Learned much in their shops while they were working. But, 1. It came to each Families turn but one hour, or little more in a whole Year (For about fourteen families a week so Catechized and instructed, did no sooner bring their course about.) 2. And our people were mostly Weavers, whose labour was not like the Plowmans, Masons, Carpenters, Carryers, &c. to take up their thoughts; but they could lay a Book before them and read, or meditate, or Discourse to Edification whilest they were working. But this is not the case of the Multitude.
And let any sober man but consider, whether with people so ignorant and averse as the most are, should he be never so diligent on the Lords day, the six dayes intermission be not a great cooling of affection, and a great delayer of their growth in knowledge; when they are like by the weeks end to forget all that they had learned on the Lords day. What then would these poor people come to, if the Lords day it self must be alsoloitered or played away?
VI. The tyranny of many Masters maketh the Lords day a great mercy to the world: For if God had not made a Law for their Rest and Liberty, abundance of worldly impious persons, would have allowed them little Rest for their bodies, and less opportunity for the good of their souls. Therefore they have cause with great thankfulness to improve the holy liberty which God hath given them, and not cast it away on play or idleness.
VII. The full improvement of the Lords dayes doth tend to breed and keep up an able faithful Ministry in the Churches (on which the preservation and glory of Religion much dependeth.) When there is a necessity of full Ecclesiastical performances imposed on Ministers, they are also necessitated to prepare themselves with answerable abilities and fitness. But when no more is required of them, but to read the Liturgie, or to say a short and dry Discourse, they that know no more is necessary (to their ends) are so strongly tempted to get ability and preparations for no more, that few will overcome the temptation. And therefore the World knoweth that in Moscovy, Abassia, and for the most part of the Greek and Armenian Churches, as nothing or little more than Reading is required, so little more ability than to Read is laboured after, And the Ministers are ordinarily so ignorant and weak, as is the scorn and decay of the Christian Religion.
VIII. Yea it will strongly encline Masters of Families to labour more for abilities, to instruct and Catechise their Families, and pray with them, and guide them in the fear of God, when they know that the whole day must be improved to the spiritual good of their Families. And so knowledge, abilities, and family-holiness will increase: Whereas those that think themselves under no such obligations, what ignorant, profane and ungodly families have they? because for the most part, they are such themselves.
IX. A multitude of gross sins will be prevented by the due observation of the Lords day. Nothing more usual than for the sports, riots, idleness and sensuality of that day, to be nurseries of Oathes, Curses, Ribaldry, Fornication, Gluttony, Drunkenness, Frayes and Bloodshed. And is not Gods Service better work than these?
X. Lastly, This holy order and prosperity of the Churches, and this knowledge and piety in individual Subjects, will become the safety, beauty, order and felicity, of Kingdomes, and all Civil societies of men. For when the people are fit but duly to use and sanctifie the Lords day, they are fit to use all things in a sanctified manner, and to be an honour to their Countrey, and an ease, and comfort to their Governours, and a common blessing to all about them.