A Good Soldier Maintaining His Militia, Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII. The Sanctification of the Lords day, an excellent meanes to poſture a Kingdome.
The profanat…on of it muſt worke contrary effects; The Biſhops Doctrine and practice m…ſt notorious that way; The meanes by which they pre…led with the people and made them as brut…ſh as themſelves. The Par… …t doe worke now as all the Worthies of the Lord before them: but Then they w…rk… to purpoſ…, when the Biſhops are caſt-out and their book… into the ſ…e, whereby we have been taught, yea compelled to prophane the Lords d…y by a l…w; and when the ordinances and good lawes touching that ſole…e mat…r, are indeed and fully executed.
THere is one day in the weeke of ſpeciall obſervation ſet apart for ſpeciall ſervices, more ſpecially for the making knowne this good Word of God, the declaring, interpreting, giving the ſenſe thereof unto the people; This is the Lords day, the only Holy Day, deputed and ſet-apart for that Holy Holy ſervice, to be performed in publique and private: We muſt obſerve now in paſſage, the counter workings of the Adverſary, the Devill and his Angels; Theſe marred the beauty of this Day, more than of any day: they plotted as great a diſhonour to that Day as their fathers did to the Lord of that Day, when they platted a crowne of thornes for His head: the Adverſary and enemie did; what did they doe? All the Chriſtian world knowes what, and did they know no more of their witchcrafts, prophanations, impieties, iniquities, no more but what they did againſt the Lords Day in ſcorne of That Day, and the Lord of that Day, even that were enough to render them as they are, odious and abominable unto all the world to the worlds end.
A. The world knowes, and muſt not forget their vertues; the Biſhops did ſome good workes, and they wrote a few good books, that they did;
B. A few indeed; I have much to reply to that, and ſome replication is made. But I will ſay no more to that here but this, and this I will inſiſt upon, They did prophane the Lords Day by a law, that they did, and having ſaid that I have ſaid all; When the Lord complaines, ſayes Mr Calvin, [he is much quoted to juſtifie the taking liberty on the Lords Day: and a liberty to change that Day to any other day in the weeke, which every ſober man knowes now (for the light is cleare) that all the wiles, d…pths, policies of Satan could never effect, and never ſhall, for ſo the Righteous God decreed, that the Jewes Sabbath, a memoriall of the Creation: and the Chriſtians Sabbath of the Redemption, ſhould be both ſo obſerved to the worlds end, as that the ſix-dayes of the weeke ſhould be kept intire not broken: But though Calvin be quoted for this negligent conceit] yet thus he ſayes, when the LORD complaines, That His ſacred Majeſtie is contemned, His commands ſlighted;Ezek. 20. 21. that His people have provoked Him more than any people; then the Lord ſaies no more but this, They have polluted my Sabbaths; intimating this now, that, as the honour and height of Religion in thoſe dayes conſiſted ſpecially in the due obſervation of the Sabbath Day: ſo now in the obſervation of the Lords Day: And that the breach of that law, and the pollution of that ſacred Rest was the greateſt diſobedience then, and ſo the complement, the very filling-up of their iniquitie now. But ſo the Biſhops and their C… r…tes have done, they have ſo polluted that Holy Day, their Lords Day, ſo polluted it, as the heathen never did their dayes ſacred to their gods: for they thruſt forth thoſe Paſtours, that were not ſo brutiſh as themſelves, and ſet up a Minſtrill in his ſtead, and a May-pole, and gave free libertie to all that would, the Minſtrill to play, and the people to dance before it. This was the readieſt way that could be thought on (and that the Biſhops knew very well) to cut the ſinnewes of a nation; to weaken, to infeeble a people, to make them fit for war, ſaid that curſed paper, To make them fit to be devoured by war, as it is at this day.
I will ſtir-in the Biſhops ſinke a little more, for it is fit that their ſtinke ſhould goe through the land, and come-up into the noſtrils of all the inhabitants there at this time: for now Gods Hand is ſore upon-us, it may be we will conſider what Biſhops we had, and what an Advouſion of libettie they gave us, and how we accepted of it, as men in covenant with Hell, and in love with death; The Lord is now warring with the land, He is powring downe His wrath upon us, and we complaine bitterly: O that we could underſtand what our Prieſts have done, and what we have done; They made voide the law of God, and we loved to have it ſo, and never conſidered what would be the end thereof; never thought of that. Let us thinke of it now, and then we ſhall ſay, The LORD is Righteous, we, our Princes, our Prieſts, and our people, we have all ſinned a great ſinne, they in giving, we in taking paſs-times, and ſports on the Lords Day, which were not lawfull on any Day: but on the Lords Day, how ſtupendious, how aſtoniſhing a profanation on that Day! They and we [but if our Prieſts have no conſideration, how ſhould we conſider, and yet we had a naturall light, which we ſhould not have put-out] we ſhould have thought upon ſome other Day, for now we have done juſt as the ſtrumpet did, I have Peace offerings with me this day, ſaid ſhe, I have paid my vowes, come let us take our fill of love; Her Adulterie had been hainous on any day, but this greatly aggravated her ſin, that the ſelfſame day ſhe had been at the ſacrifice and Altar, the very ſame day ſhe went to the Adulterers bed [ſome Popiſh votaries are reported to be very foul this way, riſing from the harlots ſides to conſecrate the Sacrament, and then from the Sacrament to the harlots bed] our Prieſts have committed as great a ſacriledge in this point, touching the Lords Day; and, which aggravates the ſame, they have commanded the ſame ſacriledge, that we ſhould riſe from our ſeats in the Church to drunkenneſſe, to a prophanation of Gods Name, to riot and wantonneſſe, for all this is in this granted libertie, as in a root of bitterneſſe, ſpringing-up, whereby many are defiled: and we muſt grant it to be as ſacrilegious and foul every whit, to riſe from our ſeats at Church, to goe to the Ale-bench, to tiple there, or to the May-pole to riot there, as it is to come from tipling and rioting unto our ſeats at Church, there to preſent our ſelves before God and His People, with them to partake of the Holy holy Word of God.
I pray you let us conſider this alſo, that this libertie does not only prophane the Day, which we, common people, are not ſenſible of, but it doth utterly deforme the Solemnity and Beautie of the Day, even to the eye and eare of the meaneſt Perſon and of the loweſt conceit; The Beautie of the world is but from that comely order, wherein every creature is placed, and thence the Beautie and comelineſſe of the body, Our little world, in the conformitie and comely proportion of the parts with the whole: ſo alſo the Beauty and comelineſſe of the Day conſiſteth in the ſutableneſſe and congruitie of ſervices upon the Day, that they be homogeniall, and conſiſtent one with another, and holding ſome conformitie with the holineſſe of Him whoſe Day it is. Experience tels us, That comely upper-parts and lower-parts uncomely ſute not well: Becauſe comelineſſe ſtands in …n one-neſſe, in a fit agreement of many parts to one: If one ſhould take away but the haire from off one of the eye-browes, it would diminiſh nothing (ſaith August.) from the D… Civit. lib. …. cap. …2.bulke of the body, but very much from the beauty of the body: ſo exactly and curiouſly hath the Lord framed it, ſo decently, and every part in ſuch order, giving comelineſſe to every part, and a fit agreement of all the parts with one. And certainly, He that hath made the body ſo comely, and ſtampt upon it ſuch beauty, doth require that we make an honourable account of our body, as of the Temple of God: and maintaine the beauty of the Day alſo in keeping unto ſuch Duties as are comely, holding a congruitie, a correſpondencie, a conſiſtencie with the holineſſe of the Day, and with the Lord of the Day. If we ſhould ſee a body whoſe upper-parts were like a man, and whoſe lower-parts were like a beaſt, we could not well tell what to call it, but a monſter it is in nature. And is it not as monſtrous to ſee one part of the Day dedicated to God, in ſervices ſutable unto Him, and beſeeming His M…jeſtie! [for if we are to entreat the ſervants of Chriſt in a Godly ſort foreign, in a comely fitting manner, as is worthy of God, and as we may expect acceptance at His hands: much more ſhould we ſo obſerve, and uſe the Lords day, foreign, as becometh the Lord of the 3 Joh. 6. Qui ingreditur ad placandum non de…et egredi ad exacerb…ndum, neque enim … officij eſt indulgentiam poſcere & iracundiam provocare. Sed aliud ora hominum aliud corda agunt, & dum verbis praeterita mal… plangunt ſenſ… futura meditantur, &c. Denique ſi … quiſp…am ſcire quid in templo …ujuſmodi homines cogitaverint videat quid ſequatur, Salv. de gub. l. 3. p. 89, 190. Ingyrum acti, poteſtatem …undi quò vellent, &c. Buxh…mj Queſt. Rom. 4… p 128.day.] And is it not I ſay, as monſtrous to ſee one part of the day dedicated to God, and another part of the day devoted to the Devill, in ſuch ſports and paſſe-times as are ſutable to, and advantagious for the enlargement of his kingdomes; let me contribute hither, Salvians words, which are to this purpoſe; Now I come into Gods houſe to partake of the ordinances there, that I may obtaine grace, and be edified, or built up therein: Then I goe-out to trample upon grace, and to throw away what before I had received: Nay I come-into Gods houſe, to appeaſe Gods wrath, then I goe-out to provoke His anger, as if it were not ſo much as the anger of a man: Now I come-in ſetting my face towards God, then I goe-out turning my back upon Him. This is to provoke the HIGH And LOFTY ONE; To make Him (in the day of our trouble and out-cry,) to turne to us the back alſo and not the face: It is to make our ſelves, and our ſacrifice an abomi…ation.
Hitherto I have been opening the Biſhops Charter, the height, bredth and extent of it, which thoſe Princes have indulged, extended and enlarged (for they muſt beare the odium of it) to us ward. They made us a free-people after the manner the Romanes uſed to make their ſervants free; They turned them round, bid them looke what way pleaſed them beſt, and take it: So the Biſhops ſaid to us; When you have ſa…e out your houre at Divine-ſervice, then take your own way, as is beſt pleaſing in your own eyes; If to the Alehouſe, then thither; If to the May-pole, then thither. And that we may not doubt of the validity of this Charter, it was ratified and confirmed to us by great Divines, Engliſh, French, Dutch, but all ſpake Engliſh to us, in ſeverall Treatiſes and Sermons; The firſt aDr White Pi…hop of Ely, now gone to his own place.Treatiſe enveighed againſt the Sabbatarians [Thoſe indeed, who, in the ſtrength of God, and His command, did and now doe, ſanctifie a reſt unto the LORD.] A ſecond bDr Hey…n a notable,, writes an Hiſtory of the Sabbath; A third cD… D…, a ca…e not hal…e baked; he is …alled Dove, a ſilly man without an heart.appeares by his ſcribble to be one of the Tribe, and faction: but carried the diſpute warily, ſhewed his ſpirit againſt God and good men, and now has declared himſelfe a very malignant.—A fourth dDr …, a notori…es blaſphemer.preached againſt the Day, told us it was no Sabbath. A eDr Turner a notorious Divine.…ift grants it to be a Sabbath, but intended only for maſter and ſervant, to riot all that day, re…erving; duplicate page duplicate page only two houres for Divine ſervice: and he thanks the holy Fathers of the Church for granting that liberty. A ſixt fDr Prideaux then; now Biſhop would be., whom I ſhould have named firſt, becauſe he was Chaire-man in Oxford, did reade a Lecture upon the Sabbath.
Now he that can reade and hath examined what he reades, has ſeen clearely, that theſe Treatiſers, and Sermoniſts have given no more honour to their LORDS DAY, than the Romanes gave to their Gooſes holy-day, (ſuch a day they had in their Calender.)Aug. de Civit. 2. 2…. But we common-people reade nothing, nor regard what is written: We hearken only to what others ſay, make uſe of their readings and obſervations, ſpecially upon ſuch a ſubject as this is, of liberty: And thus we have heard thoſe ſay that have read our Prieſts books, and obſerve unto us, That our Prieſts in the firſt place,
1. Put-in this Caution: we muſt not call the Day, Sabbath (a ſanctified reſt) that was Jewiſh [they might call it Sunday, for that is no more heatheniſh than Moonday is.]
2. They aſſured us. That the fourth Commandement had no binding power with a Chriſtian, [That pleaſed the people well, we might riot as aforeſaid, for we had the leave, yea the command of the Magiſtrate, and no law againſt it; for a Law, without a binding Lex ſine coertione null….power, is like a b…ll without a clapper.] Thus we were made free-men, turned round, and at liberty to take what way they pleaſed.
3. They told us moreover, That they who would not run with us into the ſame exceſſe of riot, were too ſuperstitious, as the Sabbatarians were of old, and the Jewes before them. Theſe words did eate like a Gangreene, It is neceſſary, I tell the Reader what theſe Sabbatarians were, and how the Jewes ſome of them of old were charged. The Sabbatarians in the enemies account, and as they told us, were almoſt as ſuperſtitious, as the Jewes were, who, in obedience to Gods command [Abide you every man in his place: Exod. 16. 29.let no man goe out of his place on the ſeventh day] but miſtaking it quite, kept themſelves to their place, and to the ſame poſture of body, (kneeling or holding up the hands) all day long, wherein they had ſet themſelves in the morning. Ile reply a word to this in paſſage; That, though the Adverſary quotes his Authour for this, yet this is an horrible lye, impoſſible to be true: For chooſe the eaſieſt poſture of body that is conceiveable, ſitting, or lying, or ſtanding, or kneeling, and you cannot keepe to it all day long. But ſuppoſe, that there were ſome of them ſo ſuperſtitious, ſo to doe; yet this cannot prove that the Sabbatarians ancient or moderne, were as ſuperſtitious as theſe Jewes are ſaid to be.
Yes ſayes the enemy to all goodneſſe; The Sabbitarians were, and now are, almoſt, as ſuperſtitious as the Jewes were; For though they did not abide and keepe to one place, yet they doe keepe-to one worke all day-long: They heare at Church, and they repeate at home, and in ſo doing they croſſe the practiſe of the This fellow conſidered not, That where the Lord Himſelfe is, there is a Sermon: And the place where the Lord Chriſt came, He made it a Synagogue to His ſervants. In Deo hoc speciale eſt, quod quem…un que locum ſu… dignatur preſentiâ ſanctificat. Cat. Eccleſ. 39.Lord Chriſt Himſelfe, who ſtatim a Synagogâ, preſently from the Synagogue went unto Simons houſe to dinner: for now He had ended His Sabbath dayes worke. O horrible! what a blaſphemy is this! This is Pocklington, a notoriou…—and blaſphemer. I paſſe over this blaſphemy, noting this by the way, That the enemy could not ſpeake more peſtilent and corrupting words, than theſe are to our eares; Alas! our manner is not to repeate Sermons; No, no ſooner are we out of the Church, but our talking is of Oxen, and making of furroughes. As for the word of God, if we are not aſleepe, we let it-in, never ruminate or chooe upon it; it will nouriſh as our meate does we think, though we never thinke of it afterward: A damnable conceit! yet we are ſtrongly conceited, that ſo careleſſe we may be, for the enemy ſets before us the example of the LORD JESƲS, ſo blaſpheming the ſtepps of the LORDS ANOYNTED: I forbeare now, that I may proceed a little farther: And ile grant,
That the Sabbatarians, ancient and moderne, are not almoſt, but altogether as ſuperſtitious as were the Jewes of old, they will abide in one place all the Sabbath long: Be it ſo, ſo that place be not in an Ale-houſe, or before a May-pole. But indeed it was no better then ſuperſtition, to keepe to one place and one poſture all day long; And yet their ſuperſtition will riſe-up in judgement againſt the monſtrous prophaneneſſe of our Prieſts and people, one giving, and the other taking a liberty to riſe-up from their ſeat at Church, to play and riot on the Lords day. The Habbaſens, ſayes Brerewood, Enqui…ies, 25.thought it not lawful for them, after the receiving of the Sacrament, to ſpit that day till the ſetting of the Sun. This was ſuperſtition too; but yet this reproves our bruitiſh Prieſts and p…ople, the one giving the other taking an exceſſe in tipling and drinking that day, till they overcharge themſelves ſo, that they muſt ſpue that day. But thus charitable our Biſhops and Prieſts are, to us, they will not have us be ſuperſtitious, becauſe we are Chriſtians; thanke them for that; But let us remember, becauſe we are Chriſtians, we muſt not walke more looſe than did the Heathens; No, ſay they, nor ought we to be ſo ſtrict in obſerving our Lords day as the Jewes were in obſerving their Sabbath day: We are not bound-up ſo cloſe as were the Jewes; we have more liberty than they, for we are not under the Law, but under grace.
True; but take we heed of turning ſuch grace into wantonneſſe: Mr Jewell inſtructs us very well at this point, from his booke I take theſe words, Ʋnder the Law, then it was, Chriſt ſhall come; now it is, Chriſt is come: ſhall come, and is come, are ſundry words, but Chriſt is all one *Yune Chri…us ve…tur…s, … Chriſtus venit; ventur as & venit d…verſa verba ſunt … …dem Chriſt….: (So) The Jewes had their Sabbath then, we have our Sabbath now; Then, and now, are divers words, the Reſt is the ſame to both, and the Reaſons the ſame, binding both: but our band is the ſtronger. Stronger! Infinitly ſtronger. And let the Anti-nomian, he that is againſt the whole Law (if there be ſuch a madde fellow in the world, for …ure he is not ſober) let him heare this, as it referres only to the fourth Commandement. Tell me, why ſhould the Chriſtian take more liberty in the world, than the Jewes did? why ſhould the Chriſtian be more looſe on his Lords day, than the Jew was on his Sabbath-day? Good reaſon you will ſay, Becauſe the Jew was held under a yoake like Iſacher, crouching downe under that burden: But Chriſt has made the Chriſtian a free-man. That is true, and he is free indeed. But, as it is the greateſt honour in Heaven, ſo it is the greateſt engagement on earth, to ſerve before Him: Where there is a breaking of the yoake; there is a making that people goe upright aLev. 26. 1…. Qu…a pura eſt pupilla oru itum para eſſet … bo…inis vit…. Degu… Dei l. 3 p. …8, 84. Pl… ex… it Deus a Chriſtianis, &c. A…e… …a … rel …atio eſt, … M…o devoti…em no…um …et o …p. …avit Salv. ad E…cle. Ca…h l. 2. p. 38 4, 38., walking according to the truth of the Gospell. Salvians words are very remarkeable, The life of a Chriſtian ſhould be kept as pure as the apple of his eye: then he puts it downe poſitively, and proves it notably, That God doth require more of Chriſtians, then of the Jewes. Chriſtians have greater prerogatives than the Jews had, why then is not our bond of obedience, as ſtrong as the…s was? Yes, doubtleſſe, and the reaſon is plaine, which he gives forth with a full hand, and in full weight, and demonſtration of the Spirit: That the Chriſtians prerogatives are above the Jews; So he inferres, and concludes, Therefore we pay more, becauſe we owe more: therefore we muſt be more devout, becauſe the Lord hath purchaſed our devotion at a greater price. So Salvian. Ile now draw-up to this concluſion, which I find made to our hands, a thouſand yeares agoe aLege Oſiand. Epit. C…nt. 6. l. 4. c. 14. Art. 1.That we are to ſet-apart and to ſanctifie a day to the Lord, and to ſanctifie it as the Lords day, in exerciſes well fitting the day, and enjoyned by Statute-Law, long ſince upon the day, and the fore-going evening of the day: And, which is yet more obſervable, enjoyned alſo, That the Prieſts, implacabiliter and in an holy indignation, ſhould very ſeverely puniſh ſuch as would violate this Statute-Law; I thought it fit to put downe this Statute in the laſt place, enacted a thouſand yeares agoe, that we might ſee, what a wide difference there is, betwixt the Prieſts now, and the Prieſts in thoſe dayes; The Prieſts then implacabiliter, they muſt have no peace with them, who wilfully broke the Law of their God; who would not apply themſelves to the duties of the day; and, on the evening before the day prepare themſelves for thoſe duties: So the Prieſts a 1000 yeares agoe in thoſe darke dayes; our Prieſts now in the Sun-ſhine of the Goſpell, implacabiliter, they were in a rage with thoſe, who would not teach the people, yea command them to riot, to dance, to drinke, to ſpue on that day: Ah Lord, what Prieſts have we in our dayes, how different from thoſe in thoſe dayes? Our Prieſts have committed a great ſacriledge, never the like; The Lord Chriſt reſerved to Himſelfe but one day, gave us ſix dayes; our Prieſts took from their Lord, that one day, and gave it to the people, that they alſo might plat a garland of May-flowers, and, in ſcorne of their Lord and His day, ſet that garland upon that day: We had ſix dayes, the Biſhops and Curates had exceeding many Holy-dayes (the Church can ſpare them every one) yet the Biſhops spared to take any one of our ſix dayes, or of their own holy-dayes, though (ſo many) and tooke that one day, ſet that ſcorne upon the Lords-day. An horrible ſacriledge.
We hope the Worthies of the Lord will obſerve all this; they will implacabiliter, they will be carried with an indignation againſt theſe vile Prieſts, who have walked ſo contrary againſt God, and good men. I know, what has been done againſt theſe Prieſts, and their bookes, and that many wholeſome Laws, and good ordinances are made, and iſſued forth; bleſſed be God. But yet God will have more done againſt them, who have done ſo preſumptuouſly againſt Him; more muſt be done againſt them than is a bare taking from them their office; They commanded the people of the Land to riot, to drinke, to be drunken, to ſpue on the Lords day; the Lord will have them spued-forth for this: And for theſe Infidels bookes, [I ſay Infidels, for when they doe beleeve unto ſalvation, they will confeſſe, and ſhew their deeds, and bring forth their books, Acts 19. 19.with their own hands, and burne them before all men, as we reade they dealt with their bookes, which yet had not bewitched the people, ſo as theſe Infidels bookes have done] theſe muſt be purged in the fire; That all the Chriſtian world may take knowledge, that the Church of England abhorres thoſe more than heatheniſh doctrines contained therein, which have laid the whole Land [I can take no good man off from communing with his own heart; and ſearching out his ſins alſo, added to the common heape, and as fuell to the common fire] under the wrath of the Lord: So as the wonder is, that the whole Land is not Hormah, utter deſolation: The Lord is gratious, He remembers he has a people in the Land, whoſe ſoules abhorred that prophanation; But becauſe of thoſe heatheniſh bookes, permitted in a Chriſtian Church, therefore a fire is kindled againſt Jacob, and anger is come up againſt Iſraell:Pſal. 78. 21. ver. 49. Therefore the Lord has caſt upon us the fierceneſſe of His anger, wrath and indignation, and trouble: He has ſent evill angels among us. We cannot doubt but the conſideration hereof and of the premiſes, will kindle the zeale of our Worthies, and make it burne ſeven times hotter than ordinary. They will take for an enſample Nehemiah, who loved his Nation, and was zealous for it, and fervent in ſpirit, for the glory of his God, which he ſhewed in nothing more, than in vindicating the diſhonour put upon the Sabbath day, The ſame reaſon of zeale for the Lords day. We will obſerve with all obſervation, how zealous Nehemiah was, and what kindled his zeale, and ſet it all on a flame, made him ſo earneſt; what was it? The judgement of God, like a great mountaine, was ſtill before his eyes: The people did not hearken to hallow the Sabbath day, ſayes Nehe. 13. 17.he, and not to beare a burden entring-in at the gates: Therefore the LORD kindled a fire in the gates thereof, which is not quenched at this day: Nehe…iah remembers the people of that ſore bnrning, Jer. 17. 27.(hotter than was that at Taberah) the thoughts of that heated him ſo, that he contends with the Nobles and Merchants about it, and chargeth the Prieſts and Levites touching that matter. Numb. 11. 3.The zeale of the Nobles and Worthies now need riſe no higher, than as Nehemiahs zeale roſe then: and ſo high it ſhould riſe, for there is the ſame cauſe; The fier of Gods wrath is now burning amongſt us, which muſt put fire to their zeale: And as their zeale riſeth, ſo ſuperſtition, hereſie and prophaneneſſe will fall: for the readieſt way to ſtrengthen and fortifie a Nation, to make it fit for warre indeed, to make it the head of the Kingdomes, is to take the cleane contrary way, the Adverſary tooke to enfeeble and weaken a Nation, to make it the baſeſt of Kingdomes. To kindle our zeale, and to make it yet more fervent for the Lords day, the due ſanctification thereof, both in publike and private, I will adde this; If our Reformers ſhall ſhew their zeale in removing thoſe prophaners of the LORDS DAY; and in burning thoſe bookes which have given a liberty that way, and have ſpread over the Land other 1 King. 8. 58, 60.damnable doctrines, Then will the LORD remove farre-off His Northerne Army, thoſe locuſts; which have devoured every greene thing, where they came: The Lord will drive them, and their Prince, with His tempeſt, into a Land barren and deſolate: And He will reſtore unto us the …ares, which that Army has eaten: We ſhall eate in plenty and praiſe the Name of the Lord, that has dealt wondrouſly with us, Amen. So I conclude. The only way to quench the fire entred-in at our gates, is to ſhew our zeale of ſpirit, fervent and ſeething hot, for our LORDS DAY: for as the Lords day, and His worſhip, on that day, is maintained, ſo will the Lord of the day maintaine the cauſe of His ſervants at all times, as the matter ſhall require, that all the people of the earth may know, that the LORD is GOD, and that there is none elſe. I deſcend now to the good Souldier, to ſee how devout he is in his obſervation of this day.
§ IIII. The Lords day is a good mans delight.
THis is the day, which the Lord has made, this man will rejoyce and be glad in it: The day wherein He records with rejoycing, and meditates on the glorious wayes of ſalvation, particularly the Reſurrection of the Lord Chriſt, and that plenteous Redemption by Him. He calls this day, honourable, a day of obſervations; and ſo he engageth his ſoule to keepe it; and on this day to ſtock his ſoule with his gathering, for all the dayes following, maintaining his communion with the Father and the Sonne through His Spirit, in the meanes and exerciſes proper to and becomming the day: And ſo keeps-up on the mount all that day (as humane frailty can give leave, man is ſuppoſed in a Chriſtian:) for he lookes to keepe a day in Heaven, which ſhall never have night, whereof the firſt ſeventh day was a figure or type: for that day is not deſcribed by evening and morning, as were the other ſix, which conſiſted of light and darkneſſe; but that ſeventh was all day or light, figuring-out the Saints perpetuall joyes in Heaven, where he, with Gen. 23. M… A…ſ.the Saints of light, ſhall enjoy a perpetuall Sabbath, or reſt, even a long day, a perpetuall light, where is fulneſſe of joy for evermore.