A Modest Plea for the Lords Day, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. That for any to deprive themſelves of the liberty God hath indulged us to labour ſix dayes in each week, is not without guilt.
IT is the Apoſtles Precept that we ſhould ſtand faſt in the liberty with which Chriſt hath made us free; and doubtleſs we are no more to deprive our ſelves of that liberty which our great Creator hath indulged us, than to throw away the life, health or eſtate with which he hath bleſſed us. It is one thing for us as our free-will offering to ſet apart one of the dayes which God hath given us for our own occaſions, for the ſervice of God; another thing for us to think our ſelves obliged to do this, and to do it in a pretended Conſcience to a command, when we have no ſuch command. Since it hath pleaſed God to caſt my lot in the Countrey, I muſt profeſs I have moſt heartily pitied ſome of my Brethren baptized into this perſwaſion, to ſee them in the time of Harveſt, by their perſwaſion hindred of a third part of their time, from making uſe of thoſe ſeaſons which the gracious God hath indulged them for gathering in the fruits of the Earth. The ſeventh day of the week they reſt, (being perſwaded it is the Lords Sabbath) and the next day again, either out of conſcience to a command, or to avoid ſcandall, and danger of the Laws; and I have ſometimes thus ſaid with my ſelf: Alas for my Brethren! they are zealouſly affected (they would not elſe for a private opinion indanger the loſs of their Crops, which God hath given them) how good were this zeal if it were in a good cauſe? but hath God required ſuch things at their hands? hath not the Lord ſaid, Six dayes thou ſhalt labour, and do all thou haſt to do? Suppoſe theſe men by this devotion to loſe their crop, or a great part of it, or at leaſt to loſe much in it, &c. what ſatisfaction could they have other than from their own fancy? will it in the great day of account appear any ot…er than a ſelf-robbery? for a Will-worſhip? either it will prove ſo, or the whole Chriſtian World is miſtaken, and hath been ſo from the very time Chriſt aſcended up into Heaven. Can my Brethren think, That the Spirit that dwells in all Believers, and leadeth them into all truth, ſhould leave all the Churches of the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, and come and reveal himſelf in this ſingular notion unto them? Can our brethren think it is not poſſible that in this thing they ſhould be miſtaken? Surely they cannot think, but if whole Churches may err, and if they can think that all the Churches of God in this thing have for 1600 years been miſtaken, they may be miſtaken. Further yet, is it not …robable, that our Brethren ſhould be miſtaken? Our Brethren muſt confeſs, that the far greater number of Chriſtians are of another mind, yea and not only of thoſe who are Chriſtians at large, baptized, and owning Chriſt as the Saviour of the World, but …f thoſe who are Chriſtians indeed; I mean, who have not only imbraced the Doctrine …f Faith, but in whom is the work of Faith …ith power, purifying their hearts, and who … all their converſations exerciſe themſelves to …p a good conſcience both towards God and …owards men. Of theſe more than a thou…and for one are of a contrary mind to our …rethren in this point; ſo that I cannot …ut think that our brethren, muſt needs up…n mature thoughts conceive, that as it is poſſible they may be miſtaken, becauſe they are but men, ſo it is probable if not more than probable, that they are miſtaken, becauſe the very far greater number of Chriſtians, who are as inquiſitive after the will of God as our Brethren are, as much afraid of ſinning againſt God, as our brethren, and as able to finde out the will of God as our brethren are, yet are of another mind, and that not only upon a tradition, or cuſtom, running along with a multitude at adventures, but upon a moſt ſerious debating, and arguing the buſineſs, and candid hearing all that can be ſaid on the other ſide. I ſay, theſe things being conſidered, ſurely our brethren muſt judge it probable that they are miſtaken: It is not likely that their natural or acquired parts ſhould be more than thoſe of them who are againſt them; nay it is moſt certain they are ſhort of them: And what can our brethren have to incline them to think, that God hath left all his faithfull Miniſters, all his precious people, who ſtudy his will, and ſerve him, and beg his direction with prayers, and tears, night and day, and in ſo great a point as this left them to erre, and revealed himſelf only to theſe few of our brethren. Now if it be poſſible, that our brethren may be miſtaken, if it be probable that they are miſtaken, all our brethren can ſay is, That it is poſſible they may not be miſtaken, but that all Chriſtians (except themſelves) are in the error, and they are verily perſwaded that it is ſo. Truly conſidering the great numbers of the moſt learned, and ſtrictly godly perſons, who have all along been otherwiſe perſwaded, and for fifteen or ſixteen hundred years have been ſo, and lived in the contrary practice, it is hardly poſſible to imagine they ſhould, or that indeed they ſhould be miſtaken, becauſe they cannot be preſumed to have been without the preſence of Chriſt and the guidance of the infallible Spirit. If indeed what our Brethren ſometimes ſuggeſt, this practice were contrary to the fourth Commandement, if that had been ſo penned, as the ſenſe muſt neceſſarily be what they contend for, it had been ſomething. But when the Commandement is ſo penned, that unleſs they will be wonderfully partial to themſelves, they muſt con…eſs, that the fourth Commandement may remain an inviolable Law, and yet the ſame Sabbath may not be required by it to be obſerved by us, which at the giving of that Precept was in force amongſt the Jewes. Certainly our Brethren muſt labour under a great miſtake in this point, rather than all other Churches of Chriſt otherwiſe perſwaded. I muſt confeſs, it is our brethrens unhappineſs, that whiles they are thus perſwaded it were ſin for them to act againſt the perſwaſion, or ſtrong opinion of their conſcience, yet in not acting contrary, they alſo ſin againſt God. This is the miſery under which an erroneous Conſcience bringeth thoſe who are under the miſerable command of it; all therefore that I would do by this diſcourſe, is but to reform our brethrens underſtanding, and to offer ſuch things to them, as through Gods bleſſing may firſt bring them to another perſwaſion, and then to another practice. That while they agree with us in the ſame ſpecifical acts of Worſhip, they may alſo agree with us in the ſame numericall acts, and in the ſame ſolemn time alſo. And certainly, I have ſaid enough, if our brethren bring no more prejudice to the reading of this diſcourſe, than I have had in the writing of it, to induce thoſe of our brethren who have any candor, to think that they are in a miſtake. Indeed the whole ſtreſs lies upon a right underſtanding of the Fourth Commandement; and I ſhall now leave it to our brethren ſeriouſly to adviſe, whether they can judge that, the neceſſary ſenſe of that Precept, which they muſt make ſo, or it will ſerve them in no ſtead. I deſigned at firſt but a very ſhort and plain Diſcourſe, I ſhall therefore here break it off, and make up the reſt in Prayers, both for us and our Brethren, that God would clear up all our doubts, correct all our miſtakes, pardon all our failings, make us all of one heart, and one way, and lead us into all truth.