fire I will be with thee Water and fire both may referre to afflictions be they various and violent God will be with Yea in the waters of suffering and in the fire of service God is with us Or though we cannot say God is with us when we are in the water to wit when we be cold or lukewarme in his work Yet we may be sure God is with us when we are in the fire to wit fervent and zealous in the works of his worship Is God with us in the fire of heavy afflictions And is not God with us in the fire of holy devotions And let the Lord thus abroad in the Land be with his service and servants and with his servants in service O what great and good things will follow As the cleansing out of pollutions And the closing up of divisions Pollutions cleansed Were the holy Spirit thus up in the Nation the unclean spirit would be soon forced to passe out of the Land Zach. 13.2 This would not onely keep informing Ordinances that are but reforming Ordinances that are not would be also brought in In our English-house we might hope to have the Besome as well as the Candle Luk. 15.8 As the Candle of good Doctrine So the Besome of good Discipline The Besome of Discipline to sweepe out dust As well as the Candle of Doctrine to drive out darknesse 'T is lamentable to see how the Leprosie hath taken our house Levit. 14. And O what an infection hath broke out even in the new building Infliction of due censures would be a good means to remove the plague-stones out of the wall and so to heal the house and help its standing Could we but encrease our Sabbath-zeal sure Church-Keyes would not lie so rusty yea the civil sword would have a sharper edge When God came down upon Sinai in thunder and lightning fire and much smoak God commanded Moses to set bounds about the Mount that the people might not presumptuously break in Thus were there for the Sabbath that fire of zeal that is fits the Civil Power would set bounds that persons might not so profanely break out Those intolerable tolerations we now see would soon cease Those Anti-Congregations that are now Assembly against Assembly in the same place at the same time It is the cause of many sad evils Hence is it that if there be any that will not afford their presence at the publick preaching of the Word or if there be any that cannot abide the power of the Word publickly preached there be those by that will invite them from us and abet them against us Hence is it that the common sort account Sabbath dayes and duties but as indifferent things matters they may use or omit if they please Hence is it that the vilest of men have learned to vilifie and blaspheme the wayes which God hath blessed to speak evil of the Instruments and Ordinances God hath sanctified and by which God is glorified and which of God shall one day be justified c. Did but the spirit of the Lords day rule in the Land those that are opposite we should either reduce or restrain Those grosse abuses and great prophanenesse that is grown amongst us would be either redressed or suppressed Divisions closed If Christians on the Sabbath were higher raised by a spirit of fervency they would at other times be better ruled by a spirit of unity Were there in men more of the spirit of life upon the Lords day there would be more among men of the spirit of love all the week long Men are not spiritual but carnal which is the cause divisions are common There is among you envying and strife and divisions are ye not carnal and walk as men For while one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo are ye not carnal 1 Cor. 3.3 4. To heal the Land of divisions will be Both the beauty and The safetie of it Beauty Rents and divisions are to a Land as fits of convulsions to a child which draws the mouth awry and pulls parts out of their place and causes all to be uncomely cure the Convulsions and the beauty of the Babe returns Safety Rents and divisions are to a Nation as cracks and clifts in a building which yet Art may stop and the house may be strong and the dwellings therein may be safe and sweet Now that which will most powerfully repair our breaches is the Spirit of the Lord which is a Spirit of love and of a sound mind 2 Tim. 1.7 As it is a spirit of love it unites affections and As it is the spirit of a sound mind it unites opinions And so brings all into one Nothing can so cause union of spirits as the spirit of union Were we more carried out by a spirit of power we should be more carried on with a spirit of peace This spirit would be in us out of Sabbath-service were we in the spirit upon the service of the Sabbath yea O the abundant benefits that would abide our Nation upon this spiritual being and being in the Spirit Then would the works of the Divel be dissolved the darknesse of ignorance dispelled Errors outed blasphemies banished the Gospel cherished truth established iniquity would be lesse the love of many would wax warme formalities would fall and the power of Godlinesse rise Ministers would be vigorous and Magistrates valorous and Christians in Gods cause Couragious Inferiours well governed and Families well ordered so that Old England would become New and we should find New England in Old O happy day O let me beseech all that my weak words may reach for our souls sakes for the Sabbaths sake for the Lords sake and the Lands sake let us be spiritual spiritual in Sabbath-service O let us be like St. John in the text upon the Lords day in the Spirit I was in the Spirit on the Lods day Now that the Lords day may be thus spiritually spent there be duties of three sorts to be observed Anteceden t Concomitant Consequent Antecedent duties Before the Sabbath comes Christians that would well keep the day are required to be Both valiant in resisting temptations against it And diligent in making pâ—eparations for it Temptations that may turn soulâ— aside from this observing the Sabbath may proceed From some more remote or From some more immediate There be some remote that may suggest what may draw off from the Lords day and its spiritual duties There be evil spirits now abroad whose bent is to beat down the day of God and to beat off from the soul-benefitting duties thereof As the spirit of Atheisme And the spirit of Sectarisme The spirit of prophanenesse and The spirit of separation The former fight against the Sabbath day and its due observers in open field by professed battels The latter labour to cut off the Lords day and all its lovers by secret and subtill Stratagems Men that separate from our settled Congregations and run wilde in their opinions
Dies Dominicus Redivivus OR The Lords Day Enlivened OR A TREATISE As to discover the practical part of the Evangelical Sabbath So to recover the spiritual part of that Pious Practice to its primitive life Lamentably lost in these last Declining times By PHILIP GOODVVIN M. A. Preacher of the Gospel and Pastour of the publike Congregation at Watford in Hartford shire Mark 2 7. The Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath Luk. 4.16 And Jesus camt to Nazareth and went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day as his custome was Imprimatur Ed. Calamy LONDON Printed by J. L. for Andrew Keâ—be and are to be sold at his Shop over against St. Margarets-hill in Southwark 1654. TO THE VVorshipful the Justices of the Peace adjacent Gentlemen AS the most high God hath set you up to be supreame persons in the places of your aboade so he hath been pleased to put precious opportunities into your hands for the honouring of him as Christian Magistrates Now among the many things requisite for Religious Magistrates that they may honour the most high God mention I shall onely make Of Knowledge and Courage Knowledge to examine and state things right Courage to determine and act right things Knowledge as the eye seeing what is just to be done Courage as the hand doing what is seen to be just If courage be without knowledge the eye of justice is blind If knowledge be without courage the sword of justice is blunt Though your knowledge I do not question yet your courage I would quicken And therefore I humbly beseech you to consider In what cases And for what causes courage is comely in every Christian Magistrate The cases that require courage are either Civil or Religious Civil cases that tend to the good of the body Politick Religious cases â—hat tend to the good of the body Ecclesiastick These cases last are not the least Yea as the Church is more excellent then the Common-Wealth so a Christian Magistrate is more to mind the affairs of Gods Church then the concernments of any civil State Magis miror Davidem sallantem quam pugnâ—â—tem Hence Gregory professed he did more commend David dancing before the Ark then fighting with the Philistines All his courage in conquering enemies was not like his zeal for Religion and the holy worship of God Moses having brought Israel out of Egypt Romae quâ—tie scunque Senatus cogâ—baâ—ur nulla de re prius quâ—â—â— de religâ—one agebaâ—â—tâ— Varro lib. 14. cap. 17. before he settled the Common-Wealth he prescribed the way of Gods worship Our dear Lord little looked after Civil Judicature but much laboured the purging of the Temple T is Religion as Lactantius oft teacheth that maintains humane Societies civil Subordinations Lact. de vera sepient lib 4. cap. 4. which otherwise could not subsist but savage cruelties and sensual impieties would pull all in pieces Yea there is no State City or Town but it prospers in temporals according as Religion and things that relate to God are nourished and do flourish Dilexi virum qui cum corporâ— solveretur magis de statu Ecclesiarum quam de propriis periculis angâ—bâ—tur Ambros in vit Theodosii See Hag. 1. God bids some consider whether they did not thrive according as they promoted the building of the Temple How well went it with the Common-Wealth of Israel when Josiah and Jehoshaphat bestirred them in a Religious reformation And how was Solomons and Rehoboams Kingdome shaken when they did not regard Religion but corrupted the worship of God leaving the things of God to lie naked and open to enemies and evils The Gold blue silk and purple would never have been so safe or shined so well within the Tabernacle had not the outside been covered with red skins and Goats hair Such a shelter ought Magistracy to be to Gods Church and all the things of Religion therein whereby they may the better and the brighter shine And as the care and courage of Magistrates ought to be most in the matters of God So among them their zeal ought to be most earnest in the matter of the Sabbath The Sabbath observed is the Compendium and Epitome of the whole practice of Piety As the transgression of the Sabbath is the violation of the whole Law of God When the people of Israel went to gather Manna on the day of the Sabbath God makes his complaint to Moses their Magistrate saying Exod. 16.18 How long will they refuse to keep my Commandements and to obey my Lawes Lawes and Commandements in the plural In that they broke the Command of the Sabbath God accounts it as a breach of all his Commandements and a sin against all his concernments This Moses is to be affected with And therefore all that are in office under God ought to be most burning in zeal against Sabbath-sins sinners and for due observing the day of the Sabbath Such was the zeal of the first and best reformers as we find in Scripture Euseb lib. 3. cap. 10. Socrat. lib. 5. Russin Ecc. bi lib. 2. Gen. 3.24 The Magistrates duty in this point See Pag. 132 133 134. and in the Histories of all ages In this case therefore of the Lords day in the Lords Name let me call upon you who about us bear the civil sword to be towards this Gospel Sabbath as the Cherubims with their flaming sword towards that tree in Paradise preserving the way thereof and observing the work therein c. SIRS so far as possibly you can draw out your care and lift up your courage so as to be a wall of fire for this dayes defence that on this day the visible parts of Gods worship be performed and therefore that the places of Gods worship be diligently frequented As I would beseech your zeal against the principal places of Satans service I mean Rotten Alehouses the Suburbs Seminaries of Hell the Nurceries of sin and Synagogues of sinners so for the places within your precincts of Gods publick worship The worship of God in publick upon the Lords day by your personal presence and by your Magisteriall power expresse how much you prize No marvel David had such a desire to build a house to God when he cryes out Psal 84. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord Blessed are they that dwell in thy house c. How you highly esteeme the publick Ordinances of God declared by your close endeavours to support both the DAY and the place of their publick use The causes that may encourage zeal in these cases mount your minds and raise your spirits for God and all that is Gods His Sabbaths and service I beseech you observe How hereto you are bound and How herein you are backed You are bound that about these things above all you burn in zeal Hath not God bound you And have not you bound your selves God hath bound you not onely as men but as Magistrates by his holy commands to mind the matters
Spirit on the Lords Day p. 293 4. The properties of Gods Spirit towards good men p. 294 5. The properties of good mens spirits towards the Lord. p. 300 6. Unsanctified men cannot be on the Lords Day in the Spirit why p. 309 7. A false spirit moves mightily in them how that is discovered p. 325 8. How far some such men may be moved by the Spirit of God p. 343 9. Objections by and about some in this regard answered p. 357 10. Some of Gods Saints on the Lords Day are not in the Spirit why p. 354 11. Spiritually to spend the Lords Day what it contains p. 380 12. Motives that incite spiritually to spend the Lords Day of two sorts p. 389 13. Duties requisite to a spiritual spending the Lords Day of three sorts p. 433 14. Preparation for the Lords Day wherefore and wherein it is p. 437 15. How the Lords Day is to be begun carried on and ended p. 452 16. What is required after the Lords Day is over p. 468. A short Epistle to the Reader touching the Errata's Courteous Reader THough thou art no fault-finder yet thou mayest find many faults in a few sheets both through the Defects of the Authour and through the Mistakes of the Printer These latter are either lesser or greater Very many words false-spelled * As centre for center survile for servile and such like and mis-printed yet the sense of the place preserved These and such errours being lesse I let passe But many words are printed so much amisse as destroy the very sense of the place And among such errours more grosse Note these In the main Text. Page 33. line 12. for sports read spots p. 34 l. 24. for use r. cause p. 37. l. 25. for breach r. branch p. 54. l. 3. for meal r. wheale p. 96. li. 15. for renounced r. removed p. 107. l 4. for note r. find p. 108. l. 4 for frogs r. fogs p. 121 l 21. for conjunction r. conviction p. 135. l. 14. for Yea r. So. p. 142. l. 27. for in dayes past r. in dayes future p 145. l 6. for but r. yea pa. 153. â— 3. for cause r. case pa. 217. line 10. for Goats r. Groats p. 250. l. 2. for pre r. preserve p. 2â—2 line 12. for whole man r. whole of man p. 353. l. 16. for fixed r. fired p. 372 l. 18. for fixed r. fired p 389 l. 16. for spirituality read spiritual pag. 412. l. 23. for provoke r. promote p. 419. l. 16. for condile r. condole c. Errata in the Mergent Pag. 41. pro sâ—dendum lege ludendum pag. 24. pro ancle leg ante pa. 253. pro sancto leg sancta ibid. pro quiscâ—ns leg quiescens ibâ—d pro Exem leg Erem pag. 322. pro pessima lege pessimi pag. 328. pro August leg August These Good Reader and some other such Bruises the Body of this Book in the Birth hath suffered which yet thou mayest much heal by applying thereunto thy charitable Interpretations which he humbly entreats who heartily desires Gods honour herein and thy Benefit hereby Philip Goodwin THE LORDS DAY Enlivened Revel 1.10 I was in the Spirit on the Lords Day SAint John among the Apostles is compared to the Eagle among the birds and truly let him be observed but onely as the Text present reports therein he is found to fly exceeding high soaring upward with heavenly wings yea he did as it were pass out of the world into the Spirit to converse with God in sublime mysteries upon the day of the Lord. I was in the Spirit upon the Lords Day Indeed if we reflect upon the foregoing verse we may view him in a very low place and case I John who also am your Brother written to some afflicted Churches of Christ and companion in tribulation c. Other Histories also tell into what troublesome times he was turned how Souldiers having apprehended him in Asia Non multum ante temporis Apocalypsin vidit Joannes Sed pene nostro seculo ad finem Domitiani Imperii Irenaeus li. 5. cont Valent and hurried him to Rome where being brought before Domitian under whom was the second if not the saddest of the ten persecutions this cruell Emperour caused him for the cause of Christ to be cast into a Cauldron of boyling oyl out of which by a strange providence being escaped he was after carried to prison in the Isle Patmos which as Geographers write was a barren beggarly place a little desert Island lying in the Aegean Sea where sure this good man met with misery so much as might have sunk his Soul But though he was world-ward in a woe case all the week yet he was in a high rapture and Heavenly posture when the Lords day came I was in the Spirit upon the Lords Day In the words of the Apostle are observable Somewhat implyed And Somewhat expressed Or his Concession And his Assertion That which he silently grants and secretly yet certainly implyes is That there was then a Lords Day in use and which he himself in his sufferings observed That which he positively expresses and plainly affirms is That upon this Day of the Lord he was in the Spirit I was in the Spirit on the Lords Day As there were two brazen Pillars whereupon the burden of Solomons Porch was placed 1. Kin. 7. So the burthen of following discourse shall all be brought and layd through the Lords help upon two Principall Points 1. Point That even in the times of the Gospel there hath been and is continued a day which is the Lord Christs by a peculiar claim THE LORDS DAY 2. Point that some of the Servants of the Lord have been and others may be in the Spirit on this day of the Lord. The Apostle is plain from his own experience I was in the Spirit on the Lords Day Upon these two bottomes I shall endeavour to raise the Religious observance of the Christian Sabbath and to lift up the Lords Day unto its highest and holiest use And now enter the first That the Lord Christ our dear Saviour hath a day that is peculiarly His THE LORDS DAY All daies indeed are the Lords The Lord Christ in all daies hath an undoubted interest yea and a double power for their dispose Natural and Oeconomicall An originall power and property pertaines to him as he is God coessentiall and coeternall with his Faher A derivative property and power as he is Christ the Mediator For as God the Father hath put all things so all times into his Son Christs hands We find Genesis 1. the whole space of time divided into Dayes and Nights Now there is not a night or day but is the Lords Psalme 74.16 The day is thine the night also is thine Yet there is a day which is THE LORDS by an excellency and in a super-eminent and immediate manner As we see Psalme 50. the Lord sayes that all creatures are his Every beast of the Forrest is mine the
of heaven hold off the sight of such a dismal day We read Gen. 21.15 16. of Hagar when the bread and water in the bottle was spent and her son ready to famish she went and sate her down at a distance saying O let me not see the death of my child And she looked toward him and left up her voyce and wept When Spiritual food shall faile will not a faithful Minister sit down sorrowfully saying O let me not see the death of my people Yea when holy Ordinances are gone how will other Christian Churches look over to England and lament saying VVe have a sister and she hath no breasts Can. 8.8 These are the deserved effects of our lamentable neglects of the Lords day when men cease from Sabbaths then God makes Sabbaths to cease Hosea 2 11. Men sinfully forget Gods Sabbaths and then God as a punishment causes Sabbaths to be forgotten Lam. 2.6 The Lord hath violently taken away his Tabernacle destroyed the places of assembly and caused the Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion 2. The principal of all precious things is hereby brought to depart even God himself When Gods Sabbaths service and servants leave a Land the Lord goes along with them I read of Nazianzene who being about to go from a place where he had Preached for some time a good man comes crying unto him O Nazianzene wilt thou go away and carry the holy Trinity with thee Father Son and holy Ghost all forsake such as are Sabbath-forsaken the Gospel of God and the God of the Gospel goes together In the departure of the Lords day the Lord of the day departs 2 The positive punishments for Sabbath-sins are considerable Both in their Diversity And in their Severity 1 God does execute divers judgements upon the neglect of the Lords day when God himself with his Sabbaths and service forsake a Land he lets in lamentable calamities and makes men suffer several wayes 2 Chron 15.5 6 7. For along season Israel was without the true God and without a teaching Priest and without Law And in those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of the Countries Nation was destroyed of Nation and City of City for God did vexe them with all adversity Gaulter in Act. 13. Homil. 88. A learned Expositor thus speaks In our dayes even among Christians the Sabbath is sinfully broken that blessed day abused which should be wholly consecrated to God and do we yet marvel what is the cause of our calamities I have heard that in Germany under their woful Wars there was at a time a very great convention sitting to consult what should be the cause of their calamities and the Major part pressed the not trimming of their Churches and adorning them with Images not considering how carelesse they were of the Lords day and the due worship of God The error with us is slighting of all publike places painful Preachings pure Administrations Gods holy Institutions of times and things yet we are not aware that these things work our wo. Let 's look into Levit. 26.2 Ye shall keep my Sabbaths and reverence my Sanctuary What if not I will make your Sabbaths to cease and bring your sanctuaries into desolation and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours vers 31. And is that all I will set my face against you they that hate you shall reign over you I will send wilde beasts among you and I will bring a sword upon you and several other sad miseries we meet in the Chapter The like Lamentations 2. The Lord hath violently taken away his Tabernacle caused his Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion and hath despised or suffered to be despised in the indignation of his anger the KING and the PRIEST contempt to be cast upon all that are appointed to rule and govern both in Church and State A great sin a grievous punishment and what further The wall of the Daughter of Zion is fallen her gates are sunk her bars are broaken the LAW is no more vers 7 8 9. Alas O the breaches God makes and bloodsheds God brings for breaking his Sabbaths The Christian world is filled with wars when the Lords day growes dimme When the Sun is darkned the Moon is turned into blood Joel 2.13 2. God does execute severe judgements for the Non-sanctifying of his Sabbaths In general upon people And also on particular persons Jer. 17.27 If you will not hearken to me to hallow the Sabbath day then will I kindle a fire in the gates of Jerusalem and it shall devour the Palaces thereof and it shall not be quenched Fire it holds forth the fierceness of anger evidenced in its most fearful effects The Lord by the mouth of the Prophet threatens fire fire Fire in the Palaces and Fire in the Gates Palaces Places of honour the beauty and ornaments of a City upon these shall be fire Gates Places of power where the strength of a City is laid and where justice is done here also fire Fire in the Palaces No keeping in and also Fire in the Gates No running out A devouring fire round about that all must feel and none can quench and all this comes for not keeping the Sabbath holy See how Nehemiah contends with transgressors against this holy time of the Sabbath What evil is this that ye do and profane the Sabbath day did not your fathers thus and did not our God bring all this evil upon them and upon this City yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath This sin heightens the wrath of God and causes great fires Nehem. 13.17 18. Not onely Nations but Particular persons have also been severely punished upon the same account as ther have been sad instances in several ages men made as monuments of Gods dreadful anger in divers places Tacit. Histor lib 5. Josephus Antiq. lib. 12 cap. 13. lib. 16. cap. 11. Pompey that great Souldier is reported sorely to suffer for defiling of Gods Sabbath and Sanctuary 'T is written of Herod the King who appointing some to pull up the Sepulchres of Gods Saints and to search for supposed treasures therein God made fire to rise out of the earth whereby such as searched were devoured Ecclesiast Histor 12. centur Magdeb. cap. 6. Histories are found full of examples of Gods fearful judgements upon such who upon supposals of earthly pleasure and profit have presumed to pull down the Sahbath of his Son in the solemn service thereof Joh. Fincel lib. 3. de mirac Many make mention of that miserable Woman who upon the Lords day dressing her flax fire flamed out thereof and the third Sabbath it so burned in the house that her children and self was consumed therewith Discipul de de tempore Serm. 117. Another carrying in his Corn upon the Lords day fire kindled in his Barn and burnt it to the ground I have
he had seen very many yet he never saw the like Thus much may evidence that though now the Lord lets alone the most Sabbath-slighting-men yet he does evident execution on some To inform men of himself and To reform men in themselves 1. By this God brings out unto men more of the knowledge of himself Psal 9.16 The Lord is known by the judgement he executeth c. God executing judgement upon such as pollute his holy day is known to be a holy God Some such the Lord lets alone that his patience may be seen and some he proceeds against that his justice may be known August de civit Dei cap. 8. Austin is excellent in this God now punishes some sinners that the Attribute of his present justice may be observed but God he reserves others that the Doctrine of his future Judgement may be believed If God should punish none he would not be known to be just If God should for present punish all the need of a Judgement day to come might be questioned 2. By this God brings on more men to amendment of life at least 't is the Lords end in executing judgement upon some Law-breakers to stop others in the breaking of his Law when God bodily beats any sinner down his aime is to strike thereby upon the hearts Of all sorts of sinners but Especially upon sinners of that sort God in doing visible and terrible execution upon some Sabbath-breakers hereabouts expects that all who break his blessed Sabbath Interim plectuntur quidam quo caeteri corrigantur c. Cypr. de lapsis Serm. should heare and fear repent and amend Cyprian doth sweetly presse the recovery of some relapsed Christians from the dreadful examples of Gods judgements upon some Apostates And this use our Saviour makes of those eighteen whose brains were beaten out by the fall of the Tower of Siloam to provoke others unto speedy repentance Luk. 13.4 5. Except c. Alsted Chronol We read of one Waldus in France who seeing a man suddenly to fall down dead it so struck upon his heart that he went home reformed his family admonished his friends to repent and became famous being the founder of the Waldenses O that the hand of the great God would now reach all your hearts who have seen and heard of what God hath in justice done in the fearful falls of some who defiled his Sabbath For except ye repent Pereunt impii non ut pereant sed ut pereundo alios proficiant Seneca ye shall all likewise perish O repent repent That the Lord may have the praise of his justice And that you may have the profit of his judgements The exhortation followes And in prosecuting this present use attend Both the Matters men are to be exhorted to And the Motives men are to be exhorted by The most material things to which I would incite concerning the Christian Sabbath be To Assent in judgement and To Assist in practice Let all assent that this Sabbath ought to be observed and let each assist in the observation of the Sabbath and let 's seriously see that our Sabbath-assent be Full without doubting in it and Firme without swerving from it With some little varying let me presse in the words of the Apostle 2 Thess 2.1 2 3. Now we beseech you brethren by the comming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him that ye be not soon shaken in mind neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as if the Lords day should not be at hand and ever in your hearts Let no man deceive you by any means for that day is and must be and will be owned except there come a sad and fearful falling away through the subtilties of that man of sin O let us take and keep such a conjunction upon our consciences concerning this day and duty as may be strong and stable Indeed to be well settled in the point of the Sabbath we have exceeding good cause considering we have Not onely the help of Nature But also the help of Scripture There be some lessons the light of nature leads to viz. That there is a God That this God must be worshipped That there must be a time set to worship him in Than 't is meet for God to appoint his own way and time of worship 'T is true to determine the seventh part of time for the worship of God is above the dictate of Nature hence the Heathen in derision were wont to call a Jew the seventh man because he observed a seventh day wherein to worship God We have not onely principles of nature but expressions of Scripture nor onely consequentiall deductions but also positive assertions to settle our beliefe concerning a holy Sabbath yea we have Not onely the help of the Law But also the help of the Gospel The Gospel guides into most glorious truths viz. That there is a Christ That this Christ is God That therefore he must have Divine worship That for his worship he must have a set seventh day as God had That every first day in the week is the day set for the solemn worship of Christ yea help Not onely of the Gospel of Christ But also of all the Churches of Christ In ages past And present They all with an harmonious consent subcribe this truth and hand over to us this testimony That the Lords day Is the Lords due Yea Not onely the Churches of Christ without us But also the Spirit of Christ within us helps The Spirit of Christ though he savingly converts but few yet he does forcibly convince the most most men amongst us are hereby convinced of this fundamental in Religion viz. That the Lords day ought to be observed Let us not then dimme the light nor drown the voyce within us that cryes Sabbath Sabbath Let us not suffer our minds to be corrupted with any poysonous opinions in this point But Brethren stand fast and hold the institutions of God according as you have been taught Silence all doubts about and disputes against the Lords day and stick close to that truth herein which you have professed and imbraced O let not any of you let in the least thought ever to live Sabbath-free indeed 't is a day all men must alway be free for and free in but not any ever freed from Bulling in Rom 4 et 5. 'T was a good observation of a learned Writer The Sabbath as it came in with the first man so it most not go out but with the last man As it was from the beginning of the World so it must continue till the worlds end And therefore for the Lords sake and your own souls sake suffer none to seduce you as to conceive a Sabbath-cease but keep your Intellectuals sound in Sabbath-Tenents and while you live labour to keep pure your Sabbathp-rinciples And as for practices 2. Let all and every one assist unto the service of the Sabbath day Suitable to the
their estate to be sinful And towards both there 's a necessity of Sabbaths 1. For such men as are sinfull and do not know it but are utterly in the darke Gen. 1. we find that at the beginning there was darknesse as a black vaile drawn over the face of the deepe but God upon the first day in the week created light which was exceeding good God upon the first day of the week our Christian Sabbath creates that good light which scatters darknesse that before covered the face of the soul and causeth such discoveries of things never before seen 1 Cor. 14.23 24 25. If the whole Church be come together viz. on the Lords day there comes in one ignorant and he hearing the Word is convinced is judged the secrets of his heart are made manifest and so falling down he worships God c. And indeed this is one great end of Sabbaths and Sermons Act. 26.18 2 Cor. 4.4 5 6. 2. For such men as know themselves sinful Sabbath-service is necessary that they may consider how sad it is to persist in known sins Luk. 12.47 Joh. 15.22 24. Jam. 4.17 For some our Saviour sayes Father forgive them they know not what they do but of several we may say Father affright them they know what they do They transgresse Gods Lawes abuse his mercies they oppose his Servants and they know what they do The former need Sabbaths to convince them of the evil they know not And these latter need Sabbaths to convert them from the evil they know Yea to all sorts of sinners there 's such a necessity of these dayes and duties as that there is little likelyhood of any saving good to the souls of such as lay aside the Lords day but they who come not within Sabbath-compasse their case becomes incurable Though a man be never so diseased and sick yet as long as he lyes at Physick keeps his purging dayes and uses good means for health there is hope he may do well but when he neglects his healing time lets his disease run will not come under the Physicians hands then his case growes desperate and dye he must Even so though a man be never so sinful yet as long as he keeps within Sabbath-compasse and comes under the means of soul-cure there is hope he may amend but if he neglects the Lords day leaves off holy duties damne he must 2. For men in a regenerate estate the Lords day is of necessary use Of whatsoever sort we consider them Of such Some are in sins relapsed and Others are in sorrowes distressed All need these Sabbath-helps 1. Relapsed Christians need Sabbath-relief Whether their spiritual decay be In opinion In affection Or practice The service of the Lords day is of necessary concernment to clear truth clouded to quicken love deaded and to introduce the duties of a holy life neglected 2. Distressed Christians need Sabbath-succours Sabbath-Cordials are required for the recovery of fainting spirits and the reviving of drooping dying hearts Again Gods Saints are to be considered either As more weak Or more strong And unto them all the Lords day is a day of deep concernment 1. For weak ones they need Sabbath-supplies Dayes wherein they may draw near and derive virtue from Christ into all their feeble parts Dayes wherein as babes from the breasts of the Lord they may suck in soul-nourishing milk of grace and mercy to breed them up 2. For strong ones they need Sabbath-supports that they may stand fast in their good estate and plight The highest and holiest of Gods Saints ought to be under Sabbath-observance 't is a reserve for heavens priviledge to be above Ordinances and present Administrations 'T is the City of the Heavenly Jerusalem that needs not the light of the Sun neither of the Moon Revel 21.22 While we live as we need the Moon viz. the world with its creatures and comforts for the bearing up of our bodies So we need the Sun viz. Christ with his holy times and things for the well-being of our souls Some say of the time that is spent upon the service of Christ as they said of the oyntment poured out upon the body of Christ What need this waste Matth. 26.8 But as St. Paul said A necessity is laid upon me and woe to me if I preach not the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.16 So may every one say A necessity is laid upon me and woe to me if I sanctifie not the Sabbath The sanctifying of the Sabbath is as the One thing needfull to Christians in religion and unto the religion of Christians 'T is said of Jacob that his life was bound up in the life of his son Benjamin So the life of a Christian and the life of his religion is bound up in the life of Sabbaths As Rachel said Give me children or else I dye so a Christian sayes Give me Sabbaths or else I dye Religion sayes Give me Sabbaths or else I die The Sabbath is as the soul of Christian-Religion if that departs all becomes as a Carcase upon which the Vermin of corrupt opinions prey 't is necessary then this continue 2. Of losing the Lords day there is danger And here we shall discover The grounds of the losse and The greatnesse of the losse The grounds on which we may see the Sabbath in hazard to be lost and the Lords day in our dayes likely to cease are The sinfulnesse of men and The righteousnesse of God 1. Men being monstrously sinful put upon us this present peril of being deprived of the Lords day to wit Wicked men against us more remote and Wicked men amongst us more immediate 1. Men of the Romish Religion in remote Nations are they not bigg with a design to make our Sabbaths cease As some of the Powder-Traitors 1605. Confessed the cause why they sought to blow up the Parliament-house was because that was a place wherein against the Romish Religion so many Lawes were made And do not Popish parties in all places plot against the Sabbath day because that is the time wherein against their Idolatrous worships so many truths are taught And are not now their hopes high by our present Wars to deprive us of our precious times and things to raise Rome in the ruines of poor Protestant Nations Does not Antichrist crow ovet these Christian Kingdomes as once Tyrus over Jerusalem Aha aha she is broken that was the gates of the people she is turned unto me I shall be replenished now she is laid waste 2. Among our selves how many seek to set us beside our Sabbath-mercies As Both Papists And Atheists Papists Who secretly consult in our chief Cities to lay us Sabhath-waste Jesuits who can cunningly comr like Countrey-men and be seen like Souldiers Citizens Lawyers Preachers in any posture to promote their projects Atheists These like Pharaoh's-frogs are found covering the land and croaking against the Lords day in every Pond in every Parish Men that would have no God for a Sabbath would have no Sabbath for