Divinity Knots Unloosed, Chapter 12 – Chapter 14
CHAP. XII. Of Religious Worſhip, and of the sabbath-day.
51. Doubt. TO what purpoſe ſhould Chriſtians pray for any thing, ſeeing God hath promiſed they ſhall want nothing? Can God forget his promiſe? Or needs he any remembrancer?
Reſol. Prayer is a duty incumbent to all men, eſpecially Chriſtians, and the way wherein God is pleaſed to make out ſuch promiſesaMat. 7.7. ; and therefore you muſt not thinke that Gods abſolute promiſes tye him to give ſuch and ſuch things, whether they will aske or nobJam. 4.2., but that he will enable his people to pray, that they may receive the promiſed merciescIſa. 51.9.? He having reſolved he will be ſought unto for the accompliſhment of his promiſesdEzek. 36.37..
52. Doubt. Some ſcruple the ſinging of Davids Pſalmes, ſaying they were onelyonly penned for the preſent occaſion, and conceive that the Pſalmes mentioned in the New Teſtament were not Davids, but ſuch as men aſſiſted by the ſpirit of God, compoſed for the particular occaſion e1 Cor. 14.26.: But what thinke you of it?
Reſol. Though Davids Pſalmes were penned for the particular occaſion, yet the uſe of them ſtill remained, and ſome of them were ſung many Ages afterf2 Chron. 20.21. & 29.30., nor can it be proved that they ever ceaſed to be Gods Ordinance.
As for the New Teſtament, we often read the word [Pſalmes] therein, and for the moſt part in ſuch a ſenſe, that Davids Pſalmes muſt needs be thereby meantgLuke 20.42. Acts 1.20. & 13.33. Eph. 5.19. Col. 3.16. and elſewhere., but never (to my remembrance) in the ſenſe you ſpeake of; for ſuch occaſionall compoſures are rather called Hymnes, or Spirituall ſongs, and diſtinguiſhed from Pſalms hEph. 5.19. Col. 3.16.. To that place you cite, Viz. 1 Cor. 14.26. I anſwer:
Firſt, The Apoſtle there ſpeakes of abuſes and d ſorders, and therefore it is hard thence to prove a duty: It is rough Logick to ſay, the Apoſtle reproves them that they had each of them a Pſalm; therefore Chriſtians muſt (or may) have each of them a Pſalme.
Secondly, Admit that Paul reproves them not for any faultineſſe in the matter of their worſhip, but the manner of performance (which I confeſſe is likely to be his meaning) our opinion may well ſtand with it; for he might well meane Davids Pſalmes, and ſo the ſenſe will be this, Every one chooſeth what Pſalme himſelfe pleaſeth, &c.
Thirdly, Suppoſe he meant any other kind of Pſalmes then Davids, yet he excludes not them, neither in this place, nor elſewhere.
Fourthly, If thoſe which had the extraordinary gifts of the ſpirit, to compoſe ſuch ſpirituall Songs, as aboveſayd, made leſſe uſe of Davids Pſalmes, by reaſon of their owne extraordinary abilities, it were no warrant to us, which pretend to no ſuch gifts, to neglect, ſuch excellent helpes as Davids Pſalmes are.
53. Doubt. How doe you know that this day which we celebrate, is the firſt day of the weeke which the Apoſtles kept, and is called the Lords day?
Reſol. As well as the Jewes in Chriſts time, that they kept the ſeventh, or you that you are baptized: We muſt not think our Anceſtors were ſo ſilly, that they could not count ſeven.
54. Doubt. I, but that is not all, let them account as well as they can, the time will vary much in the revolution of one thouſand, ſix hundred, forty eight yeares; and therefore how can this be ſayd to be the ſame, conſidering with all, that in Countreys farre diſtant it may he night in one, when it is day in another?
Reſol, I confeſſe, I am neither Aſtronomer, nor Geographer, nor doe I thinke we ſtand in need of ſuch Calculations: Let yeares revolve whither they can, the dayes of the week will ſtill follow one another in the ſame order they doe. The Jewes Sabbath was above twice as old as ours is, when Chriſt was on the Earth, and the courſe of the Sunne twice interrupted in the meane timeiJoſ. 10.13 2 King. 20.11. : Yet Chriſt never reproved them for obſerving a wrong day, but he, and his, obſerved it, till it was changedkLuke 23.56., which they would not have done, had there been any errour in the Jewes account. The diſtance of place (I confeſſe) may alter the time much, yet I verily beleeve that hee, which in all his travells (or whereſoever GOD placeth him) ſhall obſerve a day weekly, beginning with the firſt, and ſo holding on, keepes it ſeaſonably: And if this be not allowed, I ſee not how the Patriarcks in their Pilgrimages, or Proſelytes, which dwelt in all parts of the WorldlActs 2.9. & 8.27. ; (to ſay nothing of the diſtance which ſome conceive, was between Canaan it ſelfe, and Paradiſe, where the Sabbath was inſtituted) could obſerve the ſeventh day Sabbath in its ſeaſon.
55. Doubt. Might we not, as Maſter Calvin wiſhed, appoint a part of each day, or as others think, any other day (ſo it be one in ſeven) in ſtead of the firſt day of the weeke, ſeeing that day is not poſitively ſet downe to be kept?
Reſol. Though I reverence Maſter Calvin as highly as any man that was alive this hundred yeares; yet I cannot comply with him nor any men elſe, in judging another time ſo fit for Gods ſervice, as that which by the Apoſtles themſelves was ſet apartmAct. 20.7 1 Cor. 16.2, whoſe example (they being inſpired by the holy Ghoſt) may as well in this, as many other things ſupply the want of a preceptnPhil. 3.17.
56. Doubt. How ſhould I know when to begin and conclude the Lords day?
Reſol. It it a great queſtion among Divines: For mine owne part (with ſubmiſſion) I thinke it begins at the dawning of the day, when Chriſt aroſeoMat. 28.1 : I know it is ſayd (Gen. 1.) The evening and the morning; and not The morning and the evening; nor dare I ſay it is an Hiſtero proteron, for the often inculcating of it ſeemes to point at ſome Myſtery: But this I ſay, that though it be granted that the naturall day and particularly the Sabbath, containing foure and twenty houres, had its revolution from evening to evening; yet nothing hinders why the Chriſtian Sabbath may not be from morning to morning; for ſeeing the Lords day is kept in memory of Chriſts reſurrection, why ſhould it not as well begin at the houre and minuite, as be celebrated on the day that he roſe from the dead?
CHAP. XIII. Of Oathes.
57. Doubt. HOw can ſwearing by the Name of GOD be a ſinne, ſeeing it is not onelyonly allowed, but commanded aDeu. 6.13 & 10.20.?
Reſol. Swearing by the Name of GOD, ſo it be with reverence, and upon juſt ground, is not a ſin but a worſhip of God, tending to his honour, by making him the Judge of ſecrets, but ſwearing cuſtomarily, raſhly, and vainely, is a breach of the third Commandement; and the like may be ſayd of other worſhips: But the meaning of the places you cite, is this, When thou ſhalt be lawfully called to ſweare, thou ſhalt ſweare by none other but God alone; for to him that worſhip appertaineth.
58. Doubt. But how can theſe paſſages ſtand with flat prohibitions on the other ſide, SWEARE NOT AT ALL bMat. 5.34, and ABOVE ALL THINGS MY BRETHREN SWEARE NOT cJam. 5.12?
Reſol. Very well, for the ſenſe is, Sweare not at all by the Creature; Not by Heaven, Earth, Jeruſalem, or thine head, ſaith ChriſtdMat. 9.34 &c.. Not by Heaven, Earth, or any other Oath, ſaith the Apoſtle James cJam. 5.12: The generall expreſſion, Sweare not at all, muſt be expounded by the particulars enumerated: Others ſay, the Scribes and Phariſees taught, It was lawfull to ſweare in their ordinary Communication, ſo they were not perjured, and Chriſt heads himſelfe againſt their Doctrine, forbidding ſwearing in ordinary courſe, to which James ſubſcribeth in the place quoted. Both expoſitions are agreeable to ſound doctrine though they cannot both be ſenſe of the places. But that Chriſt ſhould forbid all ſwearing, cannot be the ſenſe of it, for God himſelfe appointed an Oath to decide controverſies,Exod. 22.7 &c. 1 Kin. 8.31 Ezra 10.5. Nehe. 5.12 & 13.25. Iſa. 65.16. 2 Cor. 1.23 Heb. 6.16. 2 Cor. 11.31. which being neither typicall nor grounded on ſpeciall reaſon, peculiar to thoſe times, but of common equity, concerning us as well in the dayes of the Goſpell cannot be abrogated. Compare the Scriptures in the Margent.
CHAP. XIV. Of the Church, and Communion of Saints.
59. Doubt. WHethr is there ſuch a thing as an univerſall viſible Church?
Reſol. The Church wherein God hath ſet Apoſtles (1 Cor. 12.28.) can be no other. Ʋniverſall it muſt needs be, becauſe comprehending univerſall Officers; and it can neither be the inviſible on Earth, nor the tryumphant; for Apoſtles (as ſuch) belong to neither of them (though as Saints they doe) for Judas was an ApoſtleaMat. 10.2, 3, 4., but appertained neither to the inviſible Church on Earth, nor the tryumphant in HeavenbJoh. 17.12. Acts 1.16..
60 Doubt. How is it poſſible that Beleevers through the World ſhould hold Communion, when they are of ſo many different opinions?
Reſol. Diverſity of opinion is a great enemy to Communion, and therefore it ſhould be our deſire and endeavour to be all of one heart and judgementc1 Cor. 1.10. : Yet it is poſſible, Communion may be held in the maine, amongſt thoſe which are not of one mind in all thingsdPhil. 3.15, 16..