Treatise Against the Profanation of the Lords Day, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Of the ſtate of the Question; and firſt, That the LORDS publick worſhip is Morall, oblieging all men; and, That a certayne day hath beene obſerved holy for the ſame in all Ages.
FIrſt, then, for ſtating the Queſtion aright, it is to bee obſerved, that wee vrge not vponupon anie ſuch a ſtrict obſervation of the Lords Day, as the rigid tenets of ſome would exact, nor as was the obſervation formerlie of the Iewiſh Sabboth,Exod. 35.3.16.27. whereon they might not kindle fire throughout their Generations,Luke 23.56. neyther bake nor ſeethe, nor burie or imbalme their dead: but onelie thus farre wee affirme, (according to the generall equitie of Gods Commandement, Apoſtolicall obſervetion, practiſe of the Church in all Ages, and the vnanimious conſent of all judicious Divines) that all ſervile labour, intended meerlie for Gayne, whereby Gods People are hindered, and with-drawne from His publicke worſhip, & ſuch religious exerciſes, which ought to bee performed by them vponupon the Lords Day, for the ſpirituall edification and ſalvation of their ſoules, is altogether vnlawfull, and damnable. And whoſoever inforceth & imployeth the irſervantes ſo to tranſgreſſe, they deſpyſe God, contemne His Church, rob Chriſt of His honour, poore ſoules of inſtruction, the word of attendance, the Miniſterie of reverence, giuegive ſcandall and offence, and make themſelues guiltie of the greateſt blood-guiltineſſe that can bee, which is the blood of ſoules; ſo that as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh of ſome, that their glorie, was their ſhame: ſo I may ſay juſtlie of theſe, that their Gayne, is their detriment.
Now, to proue the trueth of our former Aſſertion, and to remoue all weake ſhifts that might bee pretended for helpleſſe evaſion, theſe enſuing Poſitions are to bee conſidered.
Firſt, by the conſent of all, this is a maxime in Religion, that the publick worſhip of GOD, is a thing Morall, & eternae veritatis, perpetuallie hitherto obſerved, and to bee obſerved to the worlds ende: ſo that whoſoever would denye this, were to proclayme himſelfe a prophane Atheſt, vnworthie of the name or ſocietie of Chriſtians; as alſo an over-thrower of the publick Miniſtrie & orders of the Church, which for the edification of His bodie Chriſt hath appoynted, and an enemie to that ſolemne homage, which is the Lords due in the aſſemblie of His Saincts.
Next, this beeing granted, it will follow, then, that a certaine day, or ſet time, ſhould be ordinarilie obſerved, whereon the exerciſes of the ſaid publick worſhip ought to bee performed; and therefore the verie law of nature requyreth the ſanctification of times no leſſe than of perſons and places. For which cauſe, as of the reſt, ſo alſo of times the Lord hath ever exacted ſome part, by way of perpetuall homage: therefore alſo ſayeth AQUINAS,Aquinas in …cunda ſeūdae quast. 21. art. 4. that as there is a naturall inclination in man to depute a time for everie neceſſarie thing, as meat and ſleepe, or the lyke which concerneth his bodie; even ſo, ſeeing hee hath a ſoule alſo, naturall reaſon would dyte, that hee ſhould alſo depute a time for the refreſhment of his ſoule. And therefore the deputing a time for attending divyne Worſhip, and holie exerciſes onlie, falleth vnderunder the Precept of the Morall Law.
In lyke manner, (ſayth AUREOLUS) it is the law of nature, Aureolus, in 3. Dist. 37. artic.that ſometyme wee ſhould rest from ſervile worke, that we may ſerue GOD; and this is evident heereby, becauſe I am as much obliedged to GOD, as to my ſelfe: but the law of nature and reaſon alſo dytes, that I ſhould take a certaine time to procure my owne welfare, and thoſe things that are neceſſarie for mee. Therefore I ought alſo take a time to attend GODS Worſhip, and to remember His benefites which Hee hath beſtowed on mee.
Now, as for the proportion of this tyme which ſhould bee ſo beſtowed, none (I thinke) can doubt, but that proportion is fitteſt that can bee imagined, which the Lord made choyſe of for His owne people; to wit, the ſeaventh day. And nature informed by God, can not but acknowledge His goodneſſe and wiſedome in this His choyſe and appoyntment, that Hee hath ſo tempered it, that neyther the long ſpace betweene, ſhould ſuffer vsus to forget our duetie to Him, nor the too quicke returne thereof ſhould hinder vsus in our provyding the neceſſities of Nature for our ſelues. Therefore ſayeth learned HOOKER, that wee are bound to to account the ſanctification of one day in the ſeaven, Hooker. Eccleſ. Pol. P. 379.a duetie which GODS immutable law doeth exact for ever. And this wee ſee to hauehave beene practiſed, before the Law, vnderunder the Law, and vnderunder the Goſpell.
Firſt, before the Law was givē on Sinai, and before the ſeaventh day was indicted by way of the fourth Precept of the firſt Table, as the Lords Sabbath, in memorie of the Creation, wee find that the ſame day was obſerved, as a day of holie reſt vntounto the LORD (EXOD. 16.22.26.) while the people were in the Wilderneſſe of SIN, which is between ELIM and SINAI; & ſo conſequently before they came to SINAI, where the Law was given, in that, they did gather vponupon the ſixt day, (by the LORDS command) twyſe as much MANNA, as they did vponupon anie former day; that ſo they might reſt vponupon the ſeaventh, as a Sabbtah conſecrate to the LORD, who alſo did reſt Himſelfe from the worke of Creation that day; & ſo from the beginning did ſanctifie and halow it. Therfore ſayth Saynct CHRYSOSTOME,Chryſoſt. in Gen. 2.3. vponupon theſe wordes in GENESIS, GOD bleſſed the ſeaventh day, and halowed it. From the beginning God intimateth vntounto vsus this doctrine, (ſayeth hee) inſtructing vsus to ſeparate and lay aſyde one whole day to Himſelfe, in the compaſſe of everie weeke, and to deſtinate it for ſpirituall and holie exerciſes.
Secondlie, vnderunder the Law, that the ſeaventh day after the creation was appointed to bee the Lord's Sabbath, none can deny,Deut. 5.14 who knoweth the ten Precepts of the morall Law,Levit. 23.3 which the LORD ordayned ſtraytlie to bee obſerved by all perſons: Firſt, Exod. 34.21.by a ceſſation from all ſervile work whatſoever, tho in Seed-time and Harveſt; to obviate thereby (as ſeemeth) a pretended neceſſitie at ſometymes, importing great prejudice, or danger, if they laboured not vponupon the Sabbath, as in Harveſt eſpeciallie, becauſe of an irrecoverable ſeaſon. Secondlie, the Lord appoynted it to bee halowed,*Aug. de temp. ſerm. 251. Athanaſ. in Math. 11.27. by a religious application of themſelues to the works of His publicke worſhip: and for the more peremptorie obſervation whereof, Hee prefixed a Note of ſpeciall rememberance, (beyonde all the reſt) fore-ſeeing as it were, that ſome irreligious perſons would eyther more careleſlie neglect, or audaciouſlie breake this Commandement.
Neyther can any but moſt clearlie ſee, a no leſſe neceſſarie duetie, incumbent vponupon Chriſtians, to obſerue a ſeaventh day holie to the Lord, than was on the IEWES of olde, of whom the LORD requyreth, 1. No leſſe proportion of ſervice and thankfulneſſe, for a farre greater benefite, than that of the Creation: 2. In reſpect of the Chriſtian Church, which requyreth no leſſe proportion of order and comelineſſe: 3. In regard of our ſoules, which neede no leſſe proportion of tyme, and meanes to bee inſtructed and ſanctified: and 4, In reſpect of the bodies of ſervants and cattell, (which beeing inferiour in ſtrength to thoſe of former ages) neede no leſſe proportion of reſt and refreſhment.
Therefore, vnderunder the Goſpell, from the verie Apoſtles dayes hitherto (according to VINCENTIUS rule of CATHOLICISME, ſemper, vbi que & ab omnibus) the whole Chriſtian Church everie where, and ever hitherto, hath keeped, as a Catholicke obſervation, a ſeaventh day holie to the LORD; to wit, the day of the Lords Reſurrection, which was the firſt day of the IEWISH weeke: that as the Sabbath vnderunder the Law, was a note of difference betweene the IEWES and the GENTILES; ſo the Lords day vnderunder the Goſpell, ſhould bee a note of difference betweene Chriſtians, who belieue the Reſurrection of Chriſt, and incredulou… IEWES, who denye the ſame. And tha… this obſervation of the Lords day, fo… the exerciſe of His publick worſhip, was Apoſtolicall, and Chriſtianly Catholicke, without controverſie, in all Ages, none (I hope) is ſo bold as once to denye. So that now (as AUGUSTINE ſayeth) Hoc quin ita faciendum ſit diſputare, Aug. Epist. 118. ad Iannar.inſolentiſsimae inſaniae eſt: that is, To diſpute now whether this were to bee obſerved or no, it were nothing elſe but moſt inſolent madneſſe.