Treatise Against the Profanation of the Lords Day, Chapter 4 – Chapter 5
CHAP. IV. The Apostles their obſervation of the LORD'S Day in lyke manner; and the lyke practiſe of all Chriſtian Churches, both in their tyme, and after.
AS wee hauehave ſeene, howe the LORD IESVS did honour this Day of His Reſurrection, ſo lykewyſe wee may ſee, how religiouſlie the holie Apoſtles did obſerue the ſame: Firſt, By the forenamed practiſe of Saynct Peter, Act. 2.41.the Apoſtle of the Iewes, who vponupon that day, immediatelie after the deſcending of the holie Ghoſt, began the publicke exerciſe of the holie Miniſterie; which was crowned with ſo happie and a plentifull ſucceſſe.
Lykewyſe, By the practiſe of ſaynct Paull, the Apoſtle of the Gentiles, as may bee clearlie ſeene in that Storie of the Acts, Act. 20, 6.7.where it is ſayde, that having ſtayed ſeaven dayes at Troas, hee is reported to hauehave aſſembled the Diſciples & Faythfull together, on the ſeaventh day onelie, which was the firſt day of the weeke, (and the LORD'S Day) for hearing the Word, and participating the Sacrament.
In lyke manner, By Apoſtolicall direction vntounto all Churches, (1. COR. 16.) wee may ſee, that the Apoſtle ordayned, everie firſt day of the weeke, That there bee a Collection for the Saynctes. The reaſon whereof that hee appoynted this Collection to bee on the LORD'S Day, ſaynct Chryſoſtome giveth; to wit, That the memorie of the benefits which on that day they obtayned by CHRIST'S Reſurrection, Chryſost. in 1. Cor. 16.might make them the more liberallie to contribute to the neceſsities of their Brethren. To which Sedulius joyneth this,Sedul. in 1. Cor. 16. Quia non eſt opus ſervile (ſayeth hee) elemoſynam congregare: that is, It is not a ſervile worke to collect Almes on that day. And which alſo implyeth, That no ſervile worke for gayne is to bee vſed thereon.
That this Collection was vſuall alſo to be ever amongſt all Chriſtians thereafter vponupon the LORDS day, when His religious worſhip, and publicke meetinges were, Iuſtine Martyr (who lived ſhortlie after the Apoſtles) ſhoweth, ſaying, That vponupon Sundaye, Iuſtin. Martyr. Apol. 2. pro Chriſtianis, in ſine.when Chriſtians, both in the Town & Country, do aſſemble together, after the reading of the word, publicke exhortation by the Pastor, & after Prayer, and celebration of the Sacrament of Chriſt's Bodie and Blood; then thoſe who are able, pro ſua quiſque voluntate conferunt, (ſayeth hee) & collecta deponuntur apud praepoſitum, iſque ſubvenit pupillis, viduis & propter morbum aliamve neceſsitatem egentibus: that is, Then everie one, as he pleaſeth, contributeth: and what is collected, is layd down beſide him who hath the charge thereof, who helpeth the Orphanes, and Widowes, and others, who by ſickneſſe, or anie other neceſsitie, are poore and indigent. And hee ſubjoyneth, ſaying, Conventus autem bos die Solis facimus, quoniam hac die primum DEVS depulſis tenebris, formataque materia mundum creavit, IESVS CHRISTVS quoque noſter Servator, eadem die reſurrexit à mortuis: that is, Theſe Aſſemblies we make them on Sunday, becauſe on that day the Lord driving away darkneſſe, & having formed a matter, He created the world; as alſo our Saviour IESVS CHRIST on that ſame daye aroſe from the dead. So that wee ſee our Chriſtian, or Lord's Day, abrogateth not the memorie of the Creation▪ but beeing the firſt of the Creation, and the day of CHRIST'S Reſurrection, it putteth vsus in mynde, both of the making of the Worlde, and the redeeming of the ſame;Iuſtin. Martyr. Apol. 2. Aug. de tempor. ſerm. 251. or of a viſible olde creation, and an inviſible newe one; as witneſſeth both Iuſtine Martyr, as alſo holie Auguſtine.
The ſame obſervation of the day of the Lord's Reſurrection, wee may ſee alſo to hauehave beene the conſtant and catholicke practiſe of all Chriſtian Churches, after the Apoſtolicke tymes, by the witneſſing of other ancient Fathers: Therefore ſayeth Clemens Romanus, Clem. Rom. Co…ſtit. Ap. l. 2. c. 63.Wee Christians aſſemble our ſelues together, with great diligence, vponupon the LORD'S Day, to prayſe Him, &c. And Tertullian; Tertull. apol. c. 39. & 16. &c. 14. de Idolo…atr…a.VponUpon that day (ſayeth hee) wee who are Christians, meete together, carefullie, in the holie Aſſemblies. And agayne, in his Apologeticke, hee ſhoweth, That the honouring of this day, (beeing called after the Heathniſh denomination, Dies Solis) and aſſembling together for publicke worſhip thereon, was the occaſion why the Paganes gaue it out, That Chriſtians did worſhip the Sunne. So lykewyſe ſayeth Baſil and Iſichius, Baſil. de Sp. Sancto. c. 27 Et Iſichius, in Levit. cap. 9. See Aug. de tempore, ſerm. 151.That following the doctrine and direction of the Apostles, the Christians everie, where did ſequester the LORD'S Day, for their holie Aſſemblies.
Thoſe, therefore, who contrarie to Apoſtolicall obſervation, and direction, and contrarie alſo to the conſtant practiſe of the whole Chriſtian Church, ever there-after, will ſo boldlie & irreligiouſlie contemne ſuch Authoritie, and holie examples, and prophane the Lord's day, for their filthie lucre; as they depart heerein from ſo holie a practiſe heere, ſo they may juſtlie feare (except they repent, and amende) a dreadfull departure from Him who is Lord of that day, and a ſeparation from the ſocietie of thoſe Saynctes heere-after.
CHAP. V. The holie ſpeaches, and religious exhortations, of the ancient Fathers, both Greeke and Latine; or, of the Easterne & Weſterne Church, for the due keeping holie of the LORD'S Day.
FIrſt, then, to begin with the Grecian Fathers; and intending, for brevities cauſe, to bring but a few: Ignatius Martyr, who lived in the Apoſtles owne tyme, adjureth everie one,Ignatius, … Magneſ. by the louelove of CHRIST, to halow that day, ſaying; Let everie one who loveth CHRIST, keepe holie the LORD'S Day, renowned by His Reſurrection, which is the Queene of dayes. So that the prophanation of this daye, and the louelove of CHRIST, can not conſiſt together, and are alwayes incompatible.
Next, Saynct Chryſoſtome, a moſt famous and holie Biſhop,Chryſost. hom. 10. in Geneſ. 2. ſhoweth, That from the verie beginning the LORD hath requyred, that one day in everie weeke, conſtantlie and whollie, ſhould bee ſet a-part, by His Church, to bee entierlie appropriated & applyed for Spirituall exercyſes, tending to the good of the ſoules; as the rest of the dayes of the weeke are applyed by vsus, for corporall and ſervile labour, tending to the good of the bodie, and mayntaynance of the naturall lyfe.
Saynct AUGUSTINE alſo, that great Light of the Weſterne Church,Aug. ſerm. 215. vrgeth the religious and entiere obſervation of the Chriſtian Sabbath, by comparing the ſame with the obſervation of the Jewiſh Sabbath, ſaying; If the vnhappie Iewes doe with ſo great devotion celebrate their Sabbath, ſo that vponupon the ſame they will doe no earthlie worke; how much more ſhould Chriſtians vponupon the LORD'S Daye much more attende His Worſhip, and for the ſalvation of their ſoules, aſſemble themſelues together in the Church of GOD?
GREGORIE the Great alſo, wryting to the Citizens of ROME,Greg. l. 11. epist. 3. ſhoweth both where-from wee ſhould reſt, and howe wee ſhould whollie employ our ſelues on the Lord's day, laying; VponUpon the LORD'S Day a ceſſation ſhould bee altogether from earthlie labour, and men ſhould whollie giuegive themſelues to inſist in Prayer; that what by negligence the ſixe dayes of the weeke hath beene committed, by Prayer vponupon the LORD'S Day the ſame may hee expiated.
Seeing, therefore, this day ſo manie wayes hath beene honoured by Chriſt, ſtamped with His Name, celebrated by His Apoſtles, obſerved by the Church, and recommended vntounto vsus by the Fathers, whoſoever with an high hand of rebellion agaynſt God, and His Church, will wilfullie prophane the ſame, hee ſinneth grievouſlie agaynſt his own ſoule, and the ſoules of others: and, as learned Hooker ſayeth, The voluntarie ſcandalous contempt of reſting from labour on that Day whereon the LORD is publicklie ſerved, can not bee too ſeverelie brydled and corrected.