A Threefold Treatise of the Sabbath, Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII. Of the ſerious ponderation of theſe things.
CHriſtian Reader, that loveſt thine owne ſoule, lay aſide all prejudice in the cauſe, labour for ſelfedeniall, and be in love with the truth: Behold the Primitive times, weigh the records of our Church, the care of Emperours, and Kings, take notice of the Decrees of Councells, and Synods, the judgement of the learned in the Church, both the Ancient and Moderne, the many to the few of a contrary minde, and lay to heart theſe ſeverall kinds of Gods judgements, by all which we may ſee, what God, and all good men, would have us to doe, and what to avoid on this day without any Judaizing at all; For we doe not put, as the Jewes did, holineſſe in the day, as holy in it ſelfe, but as a day ſet apart by divine authority, for holy duties: Nor doe we make our reſt holy, but in the uſe of it requiſite to holy performances of the ſacred duties of the day: for without ceſſation from our own profits and pleaſures, we cannot apply our ſelves to Divine Services; and therefore it being both as a meanes to take us off, from the hinderances of holy duties, as alſo a furtherance to the exerciſes of holineſſe, which on this day are publickly and privately to be performed, we preſſe the keeping of a Reſt: If we be well underſtood, I ſuppoſe none would ſay, wee did Judaize, nor call us by the new reproachfull name of Sabbatarians: we hold no more for reſtraint, than holy men have done in former ages. Doctor Heylin doth tell us that the fifth and ſixth Centurie were fully bent to give the Lords day all fit honour, not only in prohibiting all unlawfull pleaſures, but in commanding a forbearance of ſome lawfull buſineſſes, ſuch as they found to be moſt hinderance to religious duties. S. Augustine long before, allowed on the Lords day no wandring about woods, and In Serm. de tempo. 251.fields, with noyſe and clamours, no telling of tales, no playing at dice, nor dancing on this day: yea, he findes fault, that whilſt they reſted from a good work, the work of their calling, they reſted not from vaine and trifling works, as if (ſaith he) one time of the day were ſet apart to the Service of God, and the reſt of the day and the night, to their owne pleaſures. Tertullian, before him telleth us, how holily the Sabbath was kept after the breaking up of the Congregation, as before hath beene delivered. And it is worthy to be marked out of Doctor Heylin, though he make mention of recreations, cap. 3. pag. 84. & cap. 4. pag. 123. in his Hiſtorie of the Sabbath; yet hath he not produced any one teſtimonie of any one Father for the now conceit of Chriſtian libertie concerning recreations, of which he ſaith, after dinner until Evening Prayer, and after Evening Prayer untill the time of Supper, there is no queſtion to be made, but all were practiſed, which were not prohibited: But had there beene proofes, hee ſurely would have produced one Father or other for them. But come we now to our Oppoſites, See before Mr. Brerewood.and ſee what they ſay for us without Judaizing, and inſteed of all the reſt, I take only here the learned, Biſhop White, who ſaith thus, ſo farreforth as ſecular labour, and Pag. 226. 227. 261.paſtime, or recreation, are impediments to ſacred and religious duties publick or private to bee performed upon holy dayes, they are to be avoided, and abſtinence from them muſt be uſed according to the equitie of divine law, and the precept of the Church, otherwiſe they are ſacrilegious (citing Cyrill for his purpoſe) becauſe they are meanes to robbe God of his honour, and to hinder the ſpirituall edification of Chriſtian people; and becauſe abſtinence from labour, and from recreation upon the holy day is ſubſervient to the exerciſe of religious duties; and on the contrary, ſecular labour, and paſtime, are impediments thereunto, and if they be acted at ſuch times, as the precept of God, and the Church prohibit, they are prophanations of Gods holy day: The ſame learned Father in another place in his book againſt Braborn, ſaith, that becauſe the Lords day, and other holy dayes are devoted to the Service of God, and appointed to the exerciſe of religious and ſpirituall duties; Chriſtian people are to perferre their religious offices of thoſe dayes before their wordly pleaſures, and profit, and the more obſervant they are hereof, the more they pleaſe God, if other actions of their life, be ſutable to their devotions: yea, he ſaith further (and ſo much as we may ſay, and no more) that devout Chriſtians, who are ſo piouſly affected, as that upon the Lords day, and other holy dayes, they doe reſolve to ſequeſter, and retire themſelves from ſecular buſineſſes, and ordinary pleaſures and delights, to the end they may more freely attend the ſervice of Chriſt, and apply their mindes to ſpirituall and heavenly meditations, are to be commended, and encourged: For the doing thereof, is a work of grace, and godlineſſe, pleaſing and acceptable to God: for which he quoteth, Col. 3. 2. Joh. 6. 27. Object. Let none ſay, that fleſh and blood cannot apply it ſelfe ſo holily, an whole day together: Anſw. For, firſt, fleſh and blood ſhall not inherit the kingdome of heaven, 1 Cor. 15. 50. Secondly, we muſt ſtrive to doe by grace, what wee cannot doe by nature, elſe we ſhall never doe at any time true ſervice to God, according to any of his Commandements. Thirdly, God muſt not looſe his right of ſervice from us, becauſe we have procured to our ſelves wretched natures, ſoone weary of all ſpirituall duties. Fourthly, lazie ſervants can hardly undergoe any labour, much leſſe to hold out a day, yet the awe they beare to their earthly Maſters maketh them to doe it: ſo ſhould Gods feare move us to this. Fifthly, Imperfections through corruption of nature are one thing, for they bee in the beſt: but to nouriſh them, and willingly to yeeld unto them, is another: I cannot doe what I ought by nature, will I therefore not endeavour to doe what I ſhould doe by grace? God forbid. Sixthly and laſtly, let me ask any pious heart, any conſcionable Chriſtian, why ſhould men be more indulgent to weak nature, yeelding to fleſh and blood, in and about the fourth Commandement, for keeping of a day wholly to him, than in and about our whole ſervice and obedience to any of the other nine? Seeing God hath made his diſpleaſure ſo remarkable in many judgements againſt Sabbath-breakers, both aforetime under the Law, and now ſince under the Goſpel.
Let me againe ask, is there any true Chriſtian and lover of Jeſus, but will out of conſcionable and mature deliberation approve of ſuch a pious and heavenly obſervation of the day, as the before mentioned reverend father ſpeaketh of, yea and count them moſt happy that could delight themſelves in ſo heavenly a manner, for the only honour and glory of Chriſt?
If ſo, then let me once more be bold here to ask: Firſt, why are any derided, mocked, and abuſed with the opprobrious name of Sabbatarians, who ſeek thus to extoll and magnifie the Lord of life without Jewiſh ſuperſtition? Secondly, why ſhould any bee offended with the endeavour in any to keep ſtrictly the day, though they cannot attaine to the perfection of it? ſeeing it is not reprehenſible; no Scripture againſt it, no Fathers reproving it, no Councell condemning it, nor any holy men cenſuring it, as Judaizing in any age, ſince the glorious Aſcenſion of Jeſus Chriſt? Thirdly, why may not men bee taught thus to doe? why may they not be exhorted to put to their beſt endeavoures to attaine unto it in the beſt manner they can, ſo it be without ſuperſtition and putting any holineſſe in the day it ſelfe? Fourthly, why ſhould wee not on this day, one day in the week, give Chriſt all the glor… we can poſſibly, in our love to him, and moſt ſolemnely ſhew it forth to the further gracing and magnifying of his name? If any be deſirous to anſwer theſe queſtions, let them firſt turne their thoughts to Chriſt, and hearken then what conſcience will ſay, and thereafter make their anſwer.