likely to worke a setled worke upon his spirit to be still more and more for God and his soule Whereas those that are taken off from religious thoughts by worldly any thing soone doe apparantly in experience loose a great part not to say all sometimes of the benefit namely of the spirituall light of knowledge and heat of affection that they might have gotten in a longer Time or seemed to have gotten in that Time which they did bestow upon Religion in a Continuance Christians will confesse this and worldlings manifest it And particularly ignorants who live in a neglect of the Sabbath either through their owne fault or their superiours doe by their excuses of their ignorance beare strong witnesse to this Their language is We are dull headed and hard to learne any Catechisme being not booke learned and we have no Time to learne Their meaning is chiefely they have not leisure to allot a sufficient Continuance of Time at once being cald off by one businesse or other when they would as they pretend or doe set themselves to learne And there is much of truth in this if they acknowledge not and so improve not the Sabbaths Continuance which rightly used would much advance them even in one Day And so still all pleads the profit of a large Continuance determinated 5. XXVI It is very profitable to Religion to have Frequency of times Determined even single so it be as great a frequency as may be consistent with a mans worldly necessities as once or twice every day In as much as Religion and the Solemne worship of God for his honour and the good of mens souls is a businesse Permanently Necessary all a mans life long It appears also that it is profitable to Religion to have a Determination of the Frequency of returne to the Duties of it Even as great a Frequency as can be imagined compatible with the formerly mentioned Necessities of Naturall and worldly businesses Specially to secure a man that his Knowledge of God and Affections towards God in a word his acquaintance with God shall not be lost or diminisht As the intervention of Worldly businesses being so directly opposite to thoughts of God for the most part specially in spirits and hearts so corrupted as ours now are cannot but put in hazard The proper prevention whereof lyes mainly therefore in the Determination of as great a Frequency of returne as may be as suppose every day or every morning and every evening that is twice every Day viz. of those Dayes the maine of whose Continuance is taken up for worldly businesses according to the Ceremoniall Law of the Morning and Evening Sacrifice which carried along with the Duties the Frequency of the Time of tendring them together with a Remisse Determination that is within a Latitude of the Season also And such Determination of the Frequency even though there be nothing of the Continuance Determined at all or only Remisly if any is we say Remarkably Profitable to prevent strangenesse in the Soule toward God For while the not-Determining of any Continuance jointly with such Frequency of twice every Working-day will assure that it may be observed without any prejudice to a mans worldly businesses which ordinarily certainly cannot but admit a looking up to God even Solemnly every Day between morning and noone and again between noone and a mans lying down to sleep so that a man be Free to continue no longer then his occasions will then permit This very Frequency will yet keep the soule happily in breath and in dutifull respects toward God And withall will now and then afford him the Advantage of making some Remarkable Profit by Voluntary enlarging the Continuance of Time for Devotion when being at it he finds no particular businesse calling him of perhaps for an houre or more together However let the Continuance be never so short yet if a man do but Affectionately tender Solemne Worship in such Frequency Determined of Morning and Evening every Day It must needs preserve from a Totall Decay and strangenesse toward God which in a very seldome returne there would be very great danger if not certainty of and so proportionably according as such Determination of the Frequency single were more or lesse Frequent the prevention or danger of decay in Religion would without doubt be And so the Profitablenesse of the Determination of a very great Frequency even single is apparantly Evident And specially it may be and will be so if besides it there be for Religion a Determination made jointly of the Continuance with convenient largenesse and of the Revolution also with Convenient Frequency Of the profitablenesse of which joint-Determination XXVII A joint determination of both the Continuance and Frequency in a convenient largenesse is singularly profitable to Religion Even the most Profitable of all other making the proportion so determined the chiefest Time for Religion we are in the next place to speake 6. And upon the former Suppositions it can with no Reason be denied but such a joint Determination of the Continuance and Frequency in a convenient largenesse is not only Profitable to Religion but the most Profitable Determination of all other The Determination of the greatest importance to the maine businesse of Religion Gods honour and the good of mens soules as taking in the strength of the two Substantiall respects of Time the Continuance and Frequency joined And accordingly the Proportion of Time therein Determined is the chiefe Time for Religion of all other Therefore concerning this Time or this Determination it is a consideration of the greatest waight by what Rules it may be ordered wisely and made in a Convenient and just and Profitable Proportion or observed to be so if we speak of any already made as namely of that of One dayes Continuance in the Revolution of seven which we say was the Substance of the fourth Commandement Now here there may be a double consideration of the Wisdom and Conveniency of the Proportion of Time so determined between the Continuance and Frequency jointly One is in regard of the totall proportion Determined for Religion and so secluded from worldly businesse how so much in the whole as for instance the proportion of a Day in seven or the seventh part of time in the Revolution of seven dayes whether that be a wise and Convenient and Profitable Determination and not certainly too much or certainly too little for the chiefe Time for Religion And by what Rules to judge it either Way But this we leave the Discussion of to a following Chapter where we shall endeavour to beat it out clearly and at large The other is in regard of dividing and sharing such a proportion as a Day comes to in seven between the Continuance and Frequency On vvhich side the greatest Waight should be put whether on the Continuance to make that as large as may be and so put it all into one day as in the fourth Commandement Or on that side
inferiours will not be brought into order to joyne in Family Duties unlesse they conceive the Time determined to them for it at least by their Superiours That Family Worship then may be observed there must be Sufficient Time determined for it The Antecedent may be made good partly by what wee discoursed Chap. 6. about Family VVorship in Genenall the Necessity of it for Gods Honour and the Good of Soules and partly by the adding of a foure-fold Consideration briefely applyed to the case in hand 1. Experience shewes that in most Families their worldly businesses are so many and pressing that they have and can have but short and scanty Times of Continuance on the ordinary working Dayes for their joynt Family VVorship Many pretend they cannot have any at all for all their Families and specially not twice a Day according to what was discoursed before Though this is but a worldly pretence if it be meant ordinarily and will hardly we doubt serve for an excuse when God shall come to judge men for their worldly mindednesse as well as others sinnes and preferring the World getting goods and following pleasures and the like before conversing with Him and their own soules and the soules of their Families But however this confirmes that ordinarily such Times can be but scanty and short Therefore there is the more need that upon the chiefe solemne Time the extent of the Continuance be sufficient to afford a convenient space for Family VVorship over and above the Publike and to take away all excuse of want of leisure from every one 2. The need that all stand in to have their minds prepared and put into frame for the Publike VVorship calls for the same also If men come rawly and rudely from worldly thoughts and businesses into the Church and to the Publike Worship they will be in a great deale of danger to take Gods Name in vaine in it specially at the beginning and to lose a remarkable part of the benefit of it by the unpreparednesse of their minds specially such as are of lesse knowledge and lesse affection towards godlinesse And this cannot in reason be prevented any way so surely as by some Family Duties preparing every one for the Publike and taking them off from worldlinesse and secular cogitations and possessing them with an awe of the Duties they are going to performe more publikely 3. No lesse but rather much more the improvement of the Publike VVorship necessarily calls for consequent Family VVorship for memory and further affecting of every one by Repetitions and Prayers and Conferences Every one hath needs of this the best memories and the most zealous hearts how much more the weake in both respects and if any be able and zealous it is so much the more a necessary Duty in them to helpe others as much as may be This also we meane particularly repetitions will quicken the attentions of all sorts Neither the servants nor yet the Governours will afford themselves leisure to sleepe or gaze or muse of other matters during the Publike VVorship if the one must give account and the other must be able to require it and take it which he cannot if he himselfe have not given good attention 4. Finally the need that most have to labour with their Families to put more knowledge in them then they have particular helpe for in the Publike Services of the Day I meane the need of continuall catechising of them even beyond what is publikely done to those of their Family makes up yet further the necessity of having and observing sufficient Times for Family Duties of Worship besides the publike how long or how well soever continued And all this is so confirmed by the unhappy experience of those Families where this is not regarded not observed that consideration of it is more necessary then a prolixe discourse upon it He that lookes advisedly upon such Families shall see them come dropping in one after another late to the Publike Worship and when they are there sleepe oftentimes even in the morning or otherwise behave themselves so rudely as a man may be assured they neither honour God nor benefit their Soules by such services And after even though they seemed to be attentive and observant they have learned little or nothing at all oftentimes have forgotten the very Texts and the Chapters or Psalmes that were read and can tell nothing at all of what they might have learned and if they could remember somewhat for the present yet it is for want of whetting as the originall word is Deut. 6. in the charge given to Govenours of Families toward their children and so servants for want of giving or taking account of it for want of repetition and conference all is lost or most of it and specially all affection is dulled and abated which had a little edge perhaps by the Publike Ordinances And this most of all through the diversions of their minds as soone as the Publike Ordinances are ended to sports and play or to worldly worke and businesse which must needs succeed with the most if they be not determined to Family Duties afterward In a word looke upon such Families where the Lords Day is not observed by them within doores in such divine exercises of devotions before and specially after the Publike Worship and there will be found in the most very little sence of Religion of conscience toward God or their owne Soules So that we conclude this branch also That in as much as Religion cannot certainly stand among all men without Family VVorship the chiefe solemne sufficient Time must extend among all men to Family VVorship over and above the publike affording space for it and requiring that it be so imployed But this is not all yet XLVII 3. To solitary worship The third branch must be added which concernes Solitary Worship over and above both the other The sufficient Time we say must extend to that also besides the conjoyned worship publique domesticall To confirme this our former argument will once more stand in stead in this sort If Religion cannot certainly stand among all man without a convenient space of Continuance frequently observed for Solitary Worship by a mans self alone over and above conjoyned Worship with others then the chiefe solemne Time of Worship must necessarily be determined so largely for the Continuance as that it may extend to Solitary Worship besides conjoyned Worship But Religion cannot certainly stand among all men without a convenient space of Continuance frequently observed for Solitary Worship by a mans self alone over and above conjoyned Worship with others Ergo The chiefe Solemne Time of Worship must necessarily be determined so largely for the continuance as that it may extend to Solitary Worship besides conjoyned The Consequence of this argument hath strength afforded it from the former confirmations of like Consequences Yet may it admit this further descant upon the necessity of the Times being determined that it may be infallibly observed
of Ariminum erred about the dinivity of Christ much more may a generall Councell erre about this necessary and sufficient Time Having specially no certaine Rule to goe by as cannot well be denyed and shall be proved fully anon when the fourth Commandement for one Day in seven is made to be out of date And now what certainty have Christians or can they have that there will be no errour Or that there is none in their determination when it is made 4. XL. 4. Whether their votes were free Suppose the determination of the Major part of a generall Councell freely voting be infallible Yet how uncertaine is it whether the votes have beene free Whether the Major part were that way that is delivered for the determination Whether there were no forcing of mens voices by instructions from Princes and States and threatnings and the like We reade of such things in the Acts of Councells And we read also of Canons pretended to be made by the great Councell of Nice for the Popes Supremacy which yet were proved to be foysted and supposititions And what then can or shall secure remote Nations and specially succeeding generations that the proceedings were regular the votes rightly given And this the certaine and infallible decision and determination of the Councell What can doe this latter but a most exact and complete expression in writing authentically sealed and so preserved and after multiplied by copies most carefully examined But for the former we know no security sutable to the stresse that consciences must be put upon often for the observation of the Time as necessary and the satisfaction requisite to make it be acknowledged sufficient 5. Suppose the determination XLI 5. Whether the determination be too strict or too remisse undoubtedly made by the Councell and clearly and fully exprest Yet what uncertainty were Christians yet left unto If by the strictnesse of the determination requiring a large Continuance and often any shall judge that the Major part of the Councell were too precise and carried away with an excesse of zeale and so have made a determination too burdensome to Christians prejudiciall to their Christian liberty and to their worldly businesses and so that they have layd as necessary upon them a proportion unnecessary set aside their authority we would faine know of our Adversaries what such who so judge are likely to doe in point of observation Specially when they are out of sight of those who would censure them for omission Or even what a Nation were bound to doe when their deputies were returned from the Councell with so unnecessary and burdensome a determination of Time to be observed as necessary Againe on the other side If by the slendernesse of the determination requiring but a short Continuance and seldome revolution any shall judge that the Major part of the Councell were too Worldly and carried away with principles of libertinisme and so have made a determination prejudiciall to Religion and unsufficient for Gods Honour and the good of mens soules in reference to the chiefe solemne Time we would faine know againe what is like to be done upon this Or what a Nation were after the Councell bound to doâ— Shall they or will they or even any particular Churches or persons hold to such an unnecessary or unsufficient determination Or if they should or may make another how was the authority in the generall Councell And againe by what rule shall they make another And if the Nationall Church shall make another are not they liable to the other extream Nay if they may wave the authority of the generall Councell is it not possible themselves may be the mistakers and the generall Councell was in the right And then who shall or who may or must judge of that What may or must particular Churches do in this case And even particular persons who are so immediately concerned in it as we have shewed in the beginning of the Chapter Will it not finally result into the authority of particular Churches Which most of our Adversaries will we dare say not yeeld to and we shall bring an Argument also against by and by Are not then all things upon uncertainties in this greatest matter of importance to Religion How can it then be imagined that God hath so left it under the New Testament who so fully prevented all under the Old Testament as cannot be denied at least in reference to His people of Israel XLII Argu. 9. It makes the Church to this Day guilty of sin in not â—etermining it We proceed to a ninth Argument which we thus deliver against the authority of the Church universall in this matter That which makes the Church universall and all generall Councells to this Day to be guilty of grievous sinne is not to be beleeved or admitted But to ascribe this authority to the Church to determine the necessary and sufficient Time for Religion unto all its Members makes the Church universall and all Generall Councells to this day to be guilty of grievous sin Ergo The ascribing this authority to the Church is not to be credited or admitted The Proposition needs little proofe He should be very audatious that should offer to condemne not onely some Generall Councells but all and not only in one age but ever since the Apostles Times and the universall Church withall as not endevouring the amendment of a notorious fault as we shall see The assumption may be verified by declaring 1. That if the Church universall have not by some Generall Councell made a cleare and expresse determination of this necessary sufficient Time It cannot be excused of grievous sin upon this supposition of this authority belonging to the Church 2. That the Church universall hath not to this day in any Generall Councell made any cleare and sufficient determination in this kind The first of these cannot well be denyed For this were to be wanting to a duty most mainly concerning Religion and the Worship of God and His honour throughout the Church and the good of all Christians soules and to a law Morall Naturall as appeares by what our adversaries confesse of the morality of a sufficient Time to be determined even suppose but for the Publique Worship and as we have proved the necessity of such a determination to Religion to be made by some or other and so by the Church the Church universall if the authority belongs to them And to omit it though upon mistake and not thinking it to belong to them were to be guilty of sin though a lesse sin namely only of Ignorance then if through negligence or any other respect so many Generall Councells have forborne to make it For that were to slight Religion the honour of God the soules of Christians exceedingly which doubtlesse the Christian Church and the first Generall Councells were not guilty of But yet the second is evident enough that no Generall Councell hath made this determination Not onely because no such Canon is
Duties of worship But under the New Testament there is no such thing there is no Duty of Religion no particular Duty of worship that Morally and Theologically must necessarily be performed on the Lords-day and on no other Day Neither is there any particular Duty of worship Prayer only excepted which can never be wholly excluded when we have to doe with Religious Times or Duties of worship necessary to the observation of the Lords-day absolutely or infallibly So that in a Theologicall or Morall sense it is not proper nor true to say that either the continuance of a whole Day or the revolution of that whole Day once in seven Dayes or the particular Day the Lords-Day is a necessary circumstance to any particular act of worship But only to worship to Religion in general in the manner forenoted as commanded by God for the chiefe Time according to the Law of nature and Scripture and for the particular Day according to both Old and New Testament And in such a sense being Morally and Theologically necessary this Time in all the respects of it call it a circumstance or adjunct or what you will cannot be avoyded but it will have the nature of a part of worship according to any right description of it XIII Obj. 2. Answered But he still goes on striving rather to explaine then to deliver himself from his former Argument by instances As courser fare or meaner apparell in time of mourning hath no more holinesse in it then any other but only is subservient to worship and holinesse And as a Day of Fasting is no more holy then another but serves to holinesse c. Lastly as the houres of the morning and evening sacrifices every Day were not more holy then other houres of the Day but as circumstances only to be observed So for so he would inferre as we conceive the Dayes of the New Testament are but circumstances of worship not any parts of worship To this we answer First the difference between the things compared Sol. 1 at least as he seemes to understand them is very great as much as the Divine institution and the want thereof For he confesses that one Day in seven is morall and commanded by God in the fourth Commandement But as he seemes to take the other things we have no command for them Otherwise when God ever did as of old command the abstinence from some kind of meates from some kind of apparell and commanded sackcloth c. Those observations were a part of the legall worship And when God ordained an annuall Fast that very Day in its observation was a part of worship as well as the Sabbath But when men voluntarily set apart Dayes to Fasting and Prayer the particular Dayes are no parts of worship but only meanes subservient to the worship of God because they have no Divine command concerning those particular Dayes So when men appoint Holy-dayes as they are called they are no parts of worship but only circumstances subservient to it But if God have appointed any Time as even according to this Author He hath one Day in seven by the fourth Commandement that Time must needs be a part of worship as well as a necessary circumstance to Holinesse and Religion And this his third instance doth help to manifest For though the precise point or minute of Time was not commanded for the Morning or Evening sacrifice yet the Time was within a latitude It might not be before such an houre nor after such an houre as the Jewish Authors expressely name the bounds understood by them So that we may also well say that the observation of them within that latitude not sooner nor later was a part of Worship part of the Jewes speciall homage part of the immediate honour they owed to God and whereunto they were infallibly bound by Religion and conscience of Gods command namely to observe such seasons of Time strictly in such revolutions And to have performed the same services sacrifices which neglect of those speciall respects of Time had made them guilty of violation of Gods worship Also from hence they had intimations at least of promises of blessing and acceptation speciall even with relation to the very Times observed besides the particular services presented on them And the services then presented according to those times were more acceptable than others presented at their own voluntary times Therefore Elijah waits for the Time of the offering the evening-sacrifice 1 King 18. Even when he was to present his extraordinary sacrifice and worship And David mentioning acceptation saith not barely as a sacrifice but as an evening-sacrifice Psal 141. There came a speciall blessing to the three Kings distressed for water at the Time of the offering the meat-offering 1 King 3. And even in Daniels Day of solemne Humiliation and Fasting the Angel comes to him with a gracious and comfortable message at the Time of the evening sacrifice Dan. 9. All these intimations shew that there was a peculiar respect had to those Times those Houres both by men and even by God himself They were then specially acceptable and parts of worship The chiefe Time then the Sabbath much more Sol. 2 2. Let it be considered whether by this kind of arguing this Author do not make all Dayes under the Gospel equall and so in the issue contradict himself For if Times and Dayes now be not parts of worship but only necessary circumstances of worship in his sense then the LORDS Dayes are no holier no better then other Dayes on which any worship is performed For they are also necessary circumstances of that worship performed on them But to say and hold that one Day in seven is morall by the fourth Commandement is to say that all Dayes are not equall and if now this be not a contradiction let the Readers judge XIV Obj. 3. Answered He hath only one thing more to object That in the New Testament no such promises are made to the observation of our Day as were to the seventh Day of old but only to the exercises of piety and publique worship And hence he would it seemes infer that it is no part of worship Sol. 1 But to this we answer 1. We find no expresse promises made to the seventh Day in the beginning when it was as he holds given to Adam Yet no doubt were implyed in Gods blessing and sanctifying the Day and so it may be now Sol. 2 The promises were not made to speake properly to the seventh Day but to the Sabbath or rather to the observation in duties of piety and Religion which is the imployment of the Sabbath And if one Day in seven be required now as he holds the promises do in like manner belong to it What command of God or Ordinance of Religion is there Sol. 3 which is not attended in the very nature of the thing with promises As godlinesse in generall hath all the promises So every duty of godlinesse hath its share This Day then being commanded being Gods ordinance a duty of godlinesse in its observation is not without promises It was lesse needfull to make new promises to this Day in particular Sol. 4 since they are made already Gen. 2. Exod. 20. Esa 58. as we have seen unto Gods Day His Sabbath the Day of His appointment for the sufficient chiefe Time of His Worship Look therefore as the duties of the Day a holy rest fall on our Day by vertue of the fourth Commandement So by the same equity and analogie the Blessings annexed to that Day fall on our Day on the right observers of it And so all his Objections are satisfied And our Conclusion good The chiefe Time and the particular Day for it is a Part of VVorship not a meere Circumstance We will now close this Chapter XV. The testimonies and confessions of the adverse party Hooker Eccles Pol. lib. 5. p. 378. with some Testimonies and Confessions 1. The judicious Hooker holding one Day of seven to be morall and of perpetuall obligation by the fourth Commandement as we shall heare hereafter thus delivers his Judgement concerning the nature of this Time It cannot 〈◊〉 denied but the very Law of Nature it selfe requires the sanctifâ—â—ation of Times For which cause it hath pleased God heretofore 〈◊〉 exact some part of Time by way of perpetuall Homage Where by Homage he meanes a piece of part of service which we owe to God the Lord of time and us by the fourth Commandement 2. Heare our Adversaries G. Irons p. 88. Chalenging a tribute of our Time p. 70. G.D. p. 21. There ought to be a certaine part of our Time given to God p. 59. B. of E. p. 121. That God should have a Tribute of our Time for Publike VVorship was never by any man denyed to be Morall and Naturall By Tribute he meanes we suppose a Part of VVorship as Tribute paid to Kings is a Part of the Homage and Honour due to them 3. Another thus The Heathens had their Feasts and set Dayes consecrated to the worship of their gods That is as we thinke he cannot but mean Not only they did worship their gods on those Dayes but did observe those Dayes as a part of worship in honour of their gods 4. This followes also upon that of the learned Bishop The Religious observation of holy times is reduced to the fourth Commandement as a speciall to a generall But say we The Religious observation of holy times by the fourth Commandement is a part of worship 5. For this was preached at Court and not long since printed by Command D. Turners Sermon at Whitehall March 10. 1635. p. 19. Statut. 1 Carol. The Religious observation of the Lords-day who doubts but it is a part of Gods immediate worship 6. Finally The King and State have proclaimed as much Forasmuch as there is nothing more acceptable to God than the true and sincere worship of Him according to His holy will And that the holy keeping of the Lords-day is a principall part of the true service of God We have what we have argued for And with this we rest and end our first Part. FINIS
windowes open toward Jerusalem Also his setting himselfe to seek the Lord by fasting though alone c. 9. Can it be reckoned lesse then Solemn VVorship We adde if many Christians all a Country or Kingdom over should agree to fast and pray upon one particular day every one in their Chamber apart alone this were without doubt a very Solemne service and worship yet Solitary and private We conclude then that as there is such a Duty required of every one apart at least sometimes which we call Solemne Worship so such a Duty being performed with the whole man is worthy to be called and counted Solemne And if Solitary Worship may deserve to be called Solemne then surely Family-Worship also is justly to be counted Solemne Such was the eating of the Passeover which was ever in private houses and Esthers Fast with her maids Est 4. three dayes one after another and the Humiliation mentioned Zach. 12. every family apart and their wives apart which seemes to be a Solitary VVorship yet Solemne undoubtedly So that all Solemn VVorship is not Publike But if any one would yet list to wrangle about the word Solemne let him but give us another fit word to describe such Solitary or Private VVorship of the whole man tendred unto God so seriously and it shall serve our turne sufficiently for the end we intend it for as we shall see hereafter Mean time we say that conjoyned VVorship XIV Family Worship proved a duty where it is possible to to be performed is also a necessary duty even so far forth Morall-Naturall and that in both the kindes of it Domesticall and Congregationall For in the second place The Honour of GOD and Good of Soules doe also require Family-VVorship from all such joyntly as live in Families where they have any to joyn with This appeares 1. Because it being God that hath placed men in a Community setting the solitary in families as the Psalmists phrase is Psal 68. it cannot be justly conceived that He should doe this meerly for their worldly conveniencies but rather chiefly that they should improve their society one with another to His Glory who is the Lord of them all together as well as of every one of them single and so that they should worship Him joyntly together as well as each of them solitarily and apart To which tends undeniably the forenoted charge given Deut. 6.6 7. These words that I command thee this day shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently to thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in the house Deut. 11.18 and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up For though it comprehend plainly Ejaculatory Worship in part as we have noted before yet it reaches further specially being added immediately unto the great Commandement ver 4. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soule and with all thy might And indeed how can any man love God with all his heart and soule and not be willing to joyne others to himselfe and himselfe to others as much as may be in the worship of God And how doth the Master of a Family love God with all his strength that imployes not his authority over all his Family to call them to worship God even in the Family with himselfe at least some times I say at least some times for we yet are but upon the Duty the consideration of the Time is to come afterward Therefore also we finde it a part of the unhappy character of Pagans Jer. 10.25 Whereas some to elude the strength of this Text for Family-Prayers alleadge that Psal 79.6 the words are the Kingdomes that call not upon thy name and so by Family here is meant no more then there by Kingdoms I answer The parallelling the two plates proves the thing more clearly for as the Kingdome is not said to call upon Gods name unlesse the King command publike meetings to that end and that is counted a Heathenish and ungodly Kingdome so is it with a Family where by the authority of the Governour there are no joynt meetings to pray to God devoted to the wrath of God The Heathen that know Thee not and the Families that call not on Thy Name And indeed how hath the Family that knowledge of God to be 1. Their great Lord and Master 2. The Author of their Peace among themselves that the Governour is gentle to the inferiours and the inferiours dutifull to the Governour and Superiour 3. The Author of all Blessings to them all Of health and strength to follow their businesse of successe and comfort in them How I say have they the knowledge of God if they agree not together to joyne in Worship of Him their Lord and in tendring Prayers and Praises for such things as they expect and receive from Him 2. The Good of soules calls for this also Every one needing helpe from others and all being helped by the Solemne services joyntly presented to God in the Family 1. In minding one another by mutuall testification of the common Allegeance and Homage they all owe to Him their great Soveraigne and so preventing the forgetting of Him 2. Withall affecting one another by example of reverence and devotion 3. They being also infallibly taught and minded of and provoked to some particulars of Duty and furnisht with some matter of comfort by every such service performed joyntly supposing that every ones heart joynes faithfully in it which before they were either ignorant or forgetfull of or backward to or should have missed if they had beene wholly and ever alone As reason cannot but insinuate and experience continually shewes It remains then that Domesticall and Family-Worship is a Necessary Duty and as farre as it is Possible even Morall-Naturall XV. Publike Worship proved a Duty 3. So is also Ecclesiasticall or Congregationall VVorship which is usually called Publike VVorship Even for the Reasons forenamed Gods Honour and Soules Good He is Lord of all societies and the Author of them as well as of Families And so is to have a tribute of VVorship and Glory from all joyntly The Lord having universall Dominion over all flesh should publikely be worshipped by societies of men G. Irons p. 261. as well as from any severally And Love to God cannot but promote this as much as is possible And the mutuall blessings expected and received by greater Communities as well as Families doe require the like according to just conveniences Which is so assuredly of the Law of Nature that all Nations that have ever been heard of have had their joynt Publike Solemne Worship And have had Persons set apart purposely for it Priests or Ministers for the more compleat performance of it Finally both Reason and Experience declare that the good of Soules both calls for publike Congregationall VVorship as also commends it as exceeding profitable and advantagious Not only in that
answer must be Either because the thing will require some remarkable Continuance Or that a man is not forward to begin to set about it or the like To remedy which such command is given bidding a man determine some Time to himselfe for such an action And specially their whole aime in their discourses is to have the Continuance to be wholly left to the Churches determination as a meere appendix to the Publike Worship III. Yet this seemes all our Adversaries grant Morall in the fourth Commandement 3. All this notwithstanding it may perhaps be questioned by him that shall advisedly read our adversaries books Whether they setledly grant any more then such indeterminate or common Time to be the Morality of the fourth Commandement Namely That it being Morall-Naturall as they speake to have a Publike Worship It is also consequently to have a Time for it But they admit not that the Law of Nature or the fourth Commandement Morally doth command any determinate Time in any respect any determinate Continuance or determinate revolution or determinate beginning of Time but leaves all they say to the Church to determine what it pleases Now this so farre as we can understand is to command nothing of Time at all having before proved that such Time indeterminate and common falls not at all under a Law properly IV. Though they call it solemne Time We confesse they also talke oft of a solemne Time for Worship of a set regulated stinted sufficient Time And much further too they seeme to goe now and then as we shall see hereafter But then againe it other Times they seeme quite to fall off from all while they speake only of a necessary sequell of a Morality and make Place altogether equall in Religion with Time and Time to be a meere adjunct and circumstance A Time is due to Gods Worship as to all other things C. D. pag. 22. wholly left to the Church and to be no otherwise due to the Worship of God then to all other Things And what can this be more then indeterminate and common Time meerely Which belongs no more to the fourth Commandement or even to the first Table then it doth to the fifth Commandement or the whole second Table for the affirmative part of it For God to instance only in the fifth Commandement enjoyning to Honour Father and Mother and one part of Honouring them being to give attendance upon them and to doe that which they set us about which cannot be done but in Time as all know this of necessity carries Time along with it viz. Indeterminate and common Time which is only a necessary that is a naturall sequell of a Morality as they speake of their Time in Religion and to be determined only by their command and so for all other Superiours Such Time then is the Morality of the fifth Commandement as much as of the fourth But indeed of neither being only a Physically necessary attendant of every Dutie to God or Man And the obeying of Superiours determining any such Time for such Dutie comes under that Commandement which requires obedience unto Superiours which is the fifth Commandement Though the Duty it selfe to be performed belong to the first Table as being a Worship of God But of this more hereafter only we hold it necessary here to give a touch to this which is perhaps one of the fundamentall mistakes in this question Into which errour besides their misdevotion to the Quamdiu specially of the fourth Commandement for a whole day to be sanctifyed the great schooleman seemes to have led them the way who thus resolves It is Morall saith he that man should depute some Time of his life for the service of God Aquin 2.2 q. 122. a. 4. ad 4. for there is in man a kind of naturall inclination that to every thing necessary there be a Time appointed as to our bodily refection sleepe and the like But this is both improperly and impertinently spoken under favour Improperly to say It is Morall to depute or appoint a Time for every action which whether it be deputed or not by an absolute necessity of Nature must and will attend upon every action as an inseparable adjunct thereof Impertinently to make that the Morality of the fourth Commandement which may be as well said in his sence to be the Morality of the fifth or any else of the ten in the affirmative part as we shewed before and as well of deputing some place for the service of God which he that should say were the Morality of the fourth Commandement should speake both impertinently and falsly For Place so considered belongs not no more then Time to any one particular Commandement of the Decalogue fourth or fifth or any to none properly in a Morall sence as we here take it but to all one as well as another in a Physicall sence necessarily that is unavoidably whether it be appointed or not 4. Before we passe from Time indeterminate V. Great efficacie in Time indeterminate applyed to Religion we must by no means forget the efficacie that there is in the quantity or proportion even of such Time as it may be voluntarily applyed by a mans affections towards Religion and the businesses thereof which is Gods Glory and the Soules Good together which conjunction of those two Gods glory and the souls good it is necessary often to remember throughout this whole Controversie the rather because our Adversaries seem much to forget it in their books making very little and seldome mention of the Souls good in all this Question Now we say both these businesses together may be are exceedingly forwarded or kept back according to a mans voluntary lengthning out or shortning the Continuance of his attendance upon God where it is left free and his spirits are able to hold out so by the frequent Reiteration or seldomenes where there is no just impediment He who so gives God longest and oftenest Time unquestionably honours Him most in his heart encreases in it And he lesse that bestowes a scantier seldomer Time upon Gods worship of his own accord meerly And this is yet more evident with Relation to the soules good which consisting 1. In knowledge of matters of Religion 2. In Memory of them 3. In Affection for God and against sin 4. In Comfort And all these Tending to and Ending in Eternall Salvation All this is most remarkably and Infallibly Advanced or kept backe by the Continuance of Time longer or shorter and the Reiterations oftner or seldomer even Indeterminately and meerly voluntarily of attendance upon Religion and the Duties of Gods Worship And accordingly a mans love and affections to God his Religion and Worship and his own souls good may be and are exceedingly tried and demonstrated to his own conscience or to any other that knowes it by the enlargement or straightning of his Time Voluntarily and the Repetition of his attendances on Religious performances usually or
rarely He that bestowes much and often Time upon such Duties even Voluntarily and not being Determined to them before hand doth Infallibly love the Duties and he loves them not that having no just hindrance doth not bestow much and often Time upon them even of his own voluntary accord without any Antecedent necessary Determination Also supposing an Equality of Ability and Blessing a man may judge who bestowes most and oftnest Time upon Religion by the increase in knowledge and Piety And who is wisest for his soule and will make best progresse in Piety by observing the Continuance and Frequency of Time Voluntarily bestowed upon God and his Worship So that these two respects of Time the Quamdiu or Continuance and the Quoties or Frequencie are in themselves and in their nature even Indeterminately and Voluntarily applied very Materiall and as we may say Substantiall circumstances to Religion as we said before for learning and such like Civill businesses And much more then if wisely strongly Determined as we shal see afterward But so is not the Quando or season of beginning VI. Not of the Quando unlesse by accident indeterminately and voluntarily For so it is of no efficay nor value toward Religion in its nature Although by accident it may sometimes prove considerable as 1. by hastning or delaying when a mans bodily spirits are in Temper or Distemper Or 2. He may have more or lesse help toward any duty of worship Or 3. The Continuance or Frequent Reiteration of any Duty or Duties may be thereby furthered or hindred Or 4. That he shall gaine or lose altogether an opportunity of performing some particular Duty of Solemne worship to God Such like accidents may commend or discommend possibly the hast or delay of beginning to Worship God at any Season voluntarily but else in it selfe the Quando or Season of beginning indeterminately is of no importance to the glory of God or the good of Soules Neither yet is it any proofe of a mans affection or disaffection to Religion or any Duty of Gods Worship For a man may begin it at this or that Season either out of willingnesse to take in hand the Duty or out of willingnesse to be soon rid of the Duty And he may defer it out of fear of interruption and that he may be freer and fitter for it after a while Or out of unwillingnesse to performe the Duty at all Of which our unhappy Experience affords every man too many instances even in his own heart So that this difference formerly noted in Civill actions between the Quando the Season of beginning and the other two respects the Quamdin or Continuance and the Quoties or Frequency is also clear in Religion That these even Indeterminate are of maine importance and very materiall Circumstances in their Application and the other is of no Validity in it selfe toward Religion and Gods Worship which Notion we shall anon make just use of more then once in convenient place And now we come to our second Consideration of Time in Relation to Religion and the Worship of God VII Solemne Time which we call Solemne Time The nature of which we describe to be That it requires Duties of Worship to attend it that is That whosoever be the Determiner of any of the respects of Time 〈◊〉 doth by his determination oblige and necessitate as far as his Authority reaches to Duties of Religion and Solemne Worship according to the respects of time determined As namely 1. For continuance 1. The Quamdiu or Continuance being Determined and made Solemne as for instance an Houre together it requires or the Determiner by it and for it requires Duties of Worship and of Religion to fill it up viz. wholly And so either 1. Some One duty to be extended to it to all the Time as to pray or read the whole hour long Or 2. Divers Duties to be multiplied for it as Praying Reading Singing or the like which together may be drawne out to the whole length of the Continuance the hour determined 2. For Frequencie 2. So the Quoties or Frequency being Determined and made Solemne as for instance three times a day it requires or the Determiner thereby requires a Reiteration of Duties of Religion and Solemne Worship either 1. The same that were formerly practised as Prayer or Reading Or 2. Others of like Religious Nature Hearing or Teaching others or singing to God as often as the Determined Revolution comes about 3. For the Quando or Season 3. Also the Quando or Season of beginning being Determined and made Solemne as for instance Such a day of the weeke the first day or the last or such an hour it requires or the Determiner accordingly requires at that Season a present performance of some duty of Religion either 1. Any one if there were no expresse mention of this or that particular Duty together with the Determination of the Season Or 2. That particular Duty which was then mentioned if any were so as At such an hour pray On the 14. day of the first Moneth keep the Passeover VIII It is more or lesse Solemne as more or lesse strictly determined This we say is clearly the nature of all Solemne Time that is of all Time Determinate if Antecedently determined either by God or man And all such Determinate Time is properly Solemne and more then Common Time Even though the Determination be but Remisse and but in any one Respect But according as the Determination is more or lesse compleat either in regard of the respects combined or of the Exactnesse of the Determination So the time may be counted more or lesse Solemne And so a Determination of any two of the respects of Time jointly makes it more Solemne then of any one alone and a Determination of all three together more Solemne then of any two Also a strict and punctuall Determination makes it more Solemne in any of the respects or in all then a Remisse Determination doth And a Conclusive Determination yet more Solemne then an Initiall Determination And lastly an Exclusive Determination as much as it may be found or admitted upon any consideration generall or particular of which we shall see somewhat anon makes it most Solemne of all But still it must be remembred in each respect IX It requires Religious duties to attend it That as according to our former discourse Time Indeterminate and Common Time attends naturally upon duties of Religion in as much as it is not possible in nature to performe them at all without such attendance of Time So Duties at least Indeterminate attend Religiously upon Solemne Time in as much as it is not possible in Religion to observe it aright without such attendance of some Duties or other And Duties of Worship are as Necessary Theologically to the observation of Solemne Religious Time as Indeterminate or Common Time is Physically Necessary to the performance of any Duty So that unlesse
the number of a seventh-day perpetuates also sufficiently the memoriall of the old Creation and so we have a memoriall of both benefits instead of one Unto which we adde that if the Church had that supposed authority of altering the Season or Order again which some still ascribe to her and that it could see any just consideration recommending the alteration of the Lords day the first day of the week to any other day of the seven or the beginning of it to any other part of the day We would not stick to grant them that there were no substantiall prejudice to Religion or the 4th Commandement Provided they medled not with the Continuance of a whole Day at which yet the Adversaries greatest spight is nor the Frequencie of one in seven which are as we have said and had need to say often and again and again most substantially profitable to Religion Provided also that they begin it as soon as men wake that so no part of the day may be out of the compasse of the determined Continuance Which how profitable it is we shall say somewhat by by and more in another Chapter But these things about the changes of the particular day and of the beginning of the day from evening to morning and by whose authority it is and must be done we shall discourse more hereafter in the proper order Mean time these being the generall grounds in Religious reason for the alteration or not alteration of any of the respects of Time once determined by God We thought it needfull to give this intimation of it here and so leave it to the Readers consideration while we proceed to our other considerations of these respects of Time in themselves XXIV It is very-fitable to Religion to have that Continuance of Time determined for it even single so it be with the largest that may be 4. We say then further that we may first take a view of the Profitablenesse of the two maine Respects of Time single and then afterward joyntly That in a determination of the Continuance for Religion even singly considered There appeares an undeniable Profitablenesse namely so farre forth as it is large even as large as it can possibly be made not laying an unsupportable burden upon the Naturall Spirits nor trenching upon any present or certaine Worldly Necessity that would call for a parcell of Time during that Continuance Yet in either case if a Reservation for a short interruption will suffice to satisfie those Necessities It may still be counted a determination of so long Continuance or Time for Religion as for instance a whole Dayes Continuance notwithstanding those Reservations We say then again that excepting those cases the largest determination of Continuance is Profitable and more Profitable unquestionably then a lesse Continuance would or could be The illustration of this will be of use and therefore we thus further expresse it by a Generall Argument That which doth best afford and most secure by being largely determined a full conveniency 1. For all kinds of Worship solitarily and conjoyned in families and the publike Congregation and. 2d. The full improvement of all Duties of Worship to Gods Honour and the Soules Good for knowledge and spirituall Affections is most Profitably determined with the largest that may be But the Continuance of Time doth all this by being largest determined Ergo It is most Profitably determined with the largest that may be The minor alone is that which requires clearing and that may be thus further done Suppose a whole Dayes Continuance be determined Here then is afforded and secured a full conveniency 1. For Solitary Worship every man or woman by themselves without danger of hindrance or interruption ordinarily as not lawfull to be admitted no not if other men would offer it 2. For Family Worship also 3. And the like for Publike Worship in the Church and in all these 4. For all varieties of Duties Solitary-prayer and Reading and Meditation Family-prayers Readings Instructions Publike-prayers Reading and Preachings of the Word Catecheticall-examinations Singing Sacraments 5 For a full roome to performe all these with seriousnesse and solemnity as we use to say Where note that even our ordinarie pharse commends the Continuance of Time as that which addes to the solemnity of any Dutie and so implyes it to be the chiefest Consideration of solemne Time 6. For a full Roome to prepare the Heart for all these Duties and. 7. To worke the good of them upon the Heart effectually to settle the knowledge of things taught and the Remembrance and Affection of all that one hath beene conversant in whether alone or with others Now all this is so much the more remarkable XXV For divers reasons if we consider 1. The extreame Ignorance that is in all men by Nature and remaines in very many that live within the visible Church 2. The number of things to be knowne for Faith and Practise to make a man able and willing to Worship and serve God a right and secure his soules salvation 3. The dulnesse and stupidity of many of most of the common sort specially who cannot read 4. The indisposednesse of mens minds Naturally besides their unwillingnesse being full of the world and thoughts of worldly profits pleasure and honours and these worldly thoughts not suddenly or in an instant chased away or made to give roome to thoughts of God As is too much found in sundry short tenders of devotions N. B. as before and after meales being too often nothing but outward formalities and inward prophanesse as even mens carriage the while doth sometime ploclaime and their language instantly after as much 5. The great intention of mind required in all the Worship of God and the most lively spirits and strength that should be in it according as God seekes Worshippers to Worship Him in Spirit and requires the love and so the service of all our Soules Hearts Minds Strengths 6. The soules pronesse to loose suddenly any knowledge or affection it hath gotten if it be not throughly setled and riveted upon the mind and spirit and particularly sometimes If objections and temptations be not soundly and throughly answered and resisted all that a man hath learned or thought of comes to nothing All this together greatly recommends the profitablenesse and advantage of a large Continuance determined for Religion And if we shall looke upon experience we shall find this confirmed in all sorts of men when a man that doth not meerly vex out the Time which he seemes to afford to God and his Soule attends divers houres upon religious performances his heart cannot but be heated and stirred according to the particular matters that have taken up those houres and some remarkable impression must needs remaine upon his heart for a while at least afterward What others then speake to him or what specially he speake to his owne heart is like striking when the iron is hot and that if any thing in reason is
of the Frequency and make it as Frequent as may be every day of the seven or even eveâ—â— Morning and Evening in each of the seven dayes and so make the Continuance shorter as it must needs be according to the greater Frequency Of which we thus propound our apprehensions in justification of the Wisdom of that Determination of God and so the Profitablenesse of it of One whole dayes Continuance only once in seven dayes rather then oftner for Frequency and with lesse Continuance We say then 7. That if we pitch upon an equall Proportion for the whole XXVIII The largest continuance with a lesser Frequency is better then the greatest Frequency with a lesse continuance as this for Instance it will appear more profitable by far to have the largest Continuance that may be with a Frequency somewhat remote as it is in the fourth Commandment then to have the greatest Frequency that may be with a Proportionably lesse Continuance And this may be evidenced both in Reference to Religion and also to worldly businesses In both Respects it will be found the most Profitable Determination to have it all upon one Day rather then divided into parcells upon every day of the seven or proportionably upon six or five or four or three or two dayes of seven We suppose the Proportion of a Day is about 14. or 16. hours namely the Ordinary waking Time of a Day which only can be applied solemnly to Religion as we shall see afterward Now this divided between two dayes is seven or eight hours a piece between three dayes is five hours a piece or little more between four Dayes about four hours a piece between five dayes about three hours a piece between six Dayes about two hours and a halfe a piece between all the seven Dayes about two hours a piece XXIX 1. With respect to Religion it selfe or little more Here now if we first consider the Businesses of Religion We have already shewed the great Profit of a whole dayes Continuance for the divers kinds of worship Solitary Domesticke and Publike and for variety of Duties in each kinde and compleat improvement of them all by full space for each and before the publike particuly to prepare for it and after it to make the utmost benefit of it But if we abate any of this Continuance by multiplying the Revolution more Frequently and specially the more we abate of it by the greater Frequency as of five or six or seven Dayes Some at least of this benefit must be prejudiced either the Publike or else the Domesticke or at least the Solitary worship must be neglected in some of those revolutions Or if all be still performed yet much more slightly because so scantiâ— and only some Duties in each kinde and not all that might well have been in a whole dayes Continuance or a very small pittance afforded to the severall Duties and so a very weake profit to redound particularly to mens souls by the observance of such Times The heart would often not be brought in frame till a great part of the Duty and perhaps of the whole Time for the various Duties were over-past and gone And another while that which was gotten of knowledge or Affection would straightway be lost again by Diverting the minde suddainly unto worldly Cogitations As is more then evident unto the consciences of Christians when after a Sermon heard on the weeke day at the Market they do whether Necessarily or Voluntarily immediately lay aside the thoughts of it and engage themselves in worldly businesses In such cases it is a very very little Profit that their souls make by such attendance upon God though for an hour or more together and with the best help of the publike Ministery unlesse the matter did very much sute with their present affections and so sinkes more then ordinarily deep into them Or that they specially call themselves to a serious account the next free hour they have to settle it upon their minds and consciences by meditation and Prayer And this they have often no leisure for on the week dayes till they have even forgotten the most of what they had heard But now in the Continuance of a whole Day they have not only leisure but in a manner a Necessity of laying to heart what specially they have learned in the publike Ministerie For all worldly businesses discourses or even cogitations being then unseasonable and unlawfull they have now no manner of excuse if they meditate not of what specially may and doth concerne their consciences and of which they have been that day instructed and put in minde And if they live among any that regard God at all they may have help from them for remembrance and affection both by conference of what they have heard even at meals besides other Times Neither can they have any discourse so proper as of that usually nothing of the world being then allowed ordinarily as was touched before A great deale more might be said to evidence the singular profit of having the Continuance with the largest that may be But we shall have occasion to speak of it again in the next Chapter and so we forbear to amplifie things now Only we must not forget to note that if we shall take our Adversaries proportion upon the Lords Day namely three or four hours which is about that proportion which the practise of our Church generally allots for the publike worship though we remember not that they any where vouchsafe to name such a Proportion diâ—…tly If we say we shall take this proportion to be solemnly observed in a weeks Revolution The matter in hand will be much more cleare that the whole proportion is more profitably determined together in one Continuance within such a Revolution then to have it broken into smaller Parcells by reason of the multiplication of the Frequency For this Proportion of three or four hours in a weeke is but about two hours of a Day if divided between two dayes and if between three dayes about an hour and a quarter If between four dayes about an hour in a day If between five dayes not an hour for each day If between six dayes not three quarters of an hour for each and if between 7. dayes about half an hour for every day Here now whereas the whole three or four hours would afford some discernable Profit if all upon one day and so make it one Continuance admitting them also a Reservation for going home to dinner because there would be some convenient roome for the varieties of publike duties though none at all according to their account for the private and so it might worke somewhat upon them yet if it came to be lessened by division into more dayes and so more Frequent Revolutions There would be either an exclusion of Prayer or Reading or Singing or Preaching or Catechising one or other of them not to name the Sacraments which are not usually every week but Baptisme only
Determinate solemne Time for Gods Worship is Morall Naturall This we must first Explaine and then we shall set upon the proofe of it For explication we desire it may be observed 1. 1. Meant onely of the Continuance and Frequency That We affirme it onely in regard of the quantity or Proportion of time but yet of that in both the respects of it the Quamdiu or Continuance and the Quoties or Frequency That some Determinate solemne Continuance is Morall Naturall and again some Determinate solemne Frequency is commanded by the very Law of nature namely according to our former description of the law of nature c. 1. That every reasonable man notwithstanding the present corruption of his nature may be forced to acknowledge it necessary to be given to God in duties of His immediate and solemne worship in regard of the importance of those respects of time for Religion Gods Honour and the good of mens soules And that accordingly duties must attend those Determinations of Time to fill up the whole Continuance and answer the revolutions But we say no such thing of the Quando season III. Not of the season or order of beginning by it self considered as not being of it self any way materiall to Religion as hath been discoursed before Only when the other respects are discerned to be determined there will also appeare some kind of necessity of some Determination of this also at least to secure mens helping one another and prevent their hindring one another who live in a neernesse together as we shall see more hereafter IIII. 2. Of those both single and joyntly 2. We affirme this Determination of the law of nature not onely of each of those respects single of some Continuance and some Frequency but of both of them jointly that some Determination of such a Continuance so often V. 3. Not remisse only nor conclusive nor exclusive but only Initiall and of such a Frequency with such Continuance is Morall Naturall and made by the very law of nature 3. That by the Determinations which we maintaine in this position to be made by the law of nature of these respects of time As on the one hand we understand more then a remisse Determination to say as many disputers do onely a convenient Time or a sufficient Time leaving both the termes and limits for length or shortnesse of Continuance and for Frequency or seldomenesse of Revolution wholly undesigned So on the other hand we meane not a conclusive Determination assigning exactly the limits on both sides much lesse an exclusive determination of which sort we have before noted that we find none absolutely given out by God any where in reference to the generall businesse of Religion But onely such Determination as we have before termed Initiall wherein the Initiall terme of either of those respects of Time of the Continuance and of the Frequency is determined that is the Continuance to be so long together at least and no lesse while as also the revolution so often at least and no seldomer So requiring somewhat both for Continuance and Frequency strictly and implying withall somewhat more in each respect but leaving that somewhat to some other Determination of God or man More plainly we meane that the Law of nature determines the Continuance in regard of the shortest proportion That so much together at least cannot but be necessary to be presented to God at one time or other of every manslife and so again That so often at least in a revolution to waite upon God solemnely in duties of Religion and Divine Worship cannot but be necessary to every man during his life upon earth VI. 2 Proved of the Continuance single And now we come to prove our Position 1. For the Quamdiu or Continuance single If there may be sin against the law of nature in giving God too little time at once in waiting upon him in the dutyes of solemne worship then some Determined solemne Time is Morall Naturall in regard of the proportion of continuance in his worship But there may be sin even against the law of nature in giving God too little Time at once Ergo. The consequence of this argument is undeniably confirmed by those sentences of the Apostle that whosoever sins transgresses the law for sin is the transgression of the law and where no law is there is no transgression So that if to give God never above halfe a minute at once in waiting upon him in any solemne worship be a transgression and sinne even against the law of nature then the law of nature Determines a solemne Time at least somewhat above that Propotion of Continuance and so a whole minute or three quarters of a minute or the like is a Determinate solemne Time by the law of nature and morall naturall or any other proportion of continuance that can be named or imagined smaller then this will serve to illustrate and confirme this consequence The Antecedent is no lesse certaine and cleare what ever conscience of the most corrupted man be called to judge if he wholly deny not a God and a worship due to him for all men cannot but confesse that it were sin never throughout a mans whole life to give God above halfe a minute at once or a quarter of a minute or any lesse proportion of continuance if lesse can be mentioned or observed As for instance that of the Publican Luke 18. when he smote his breast and cried Lord be mercifull to me a sinner this was a solemne Worship and continued a little longer then an instant and so was measurable for Continuance but never to give God a larger Continuance cannot but be acknowledged a sinne Ergo our conclusion is firme that some Determinate solemne Time above that proportion of Continuance is Morall-Naturall and determined even by the law of nature The like argument will serve mutatis mutandis for some Determinate solemne Time in regard of the Quotie VII Of the frequency single or Frequency single If there may be sin against the law of nature in wayting upon God too seldome then some Determinate solemne Time is Morall Naturall in regard of the Frequency of revolution But there may be sin against the law of nature in waiting upon God too seldome Ergo. The consequence is proved as before That where no law is there is no transgression no sin c. So that if it be transgression and sinne even against natures law never through a mans life to waite upon God in his worship above once then the law of nature Determines a solemne Frequency above the proportion of once and so twice at least in a mans life is a Determinate Time by the law of nature and so Morall Naturall The Antecedent is also undeniable by any one that hath not altogether forsworne all conscience and renounced all Religion in regard of God For whether by waiting upon God we understand presenting unto him Eiaculatory Worship which may perhaps be dispatched
universall or peremptory determination of this Continuance distributively betweene the Solitary Worship the Family Worship and the Publike Worship that is there is no need That all men should be bound to such an exact or strict Continuance in each of these single But so the whole Continuance be shared betweene all three and the Publike be not so short as to afford no remarkable space for an affecting prayer and preaching and the like and so no remarkable benefit to be gotten by it nor so long as to tyre out the spirits and disappoint those that dwell farre off of conveniency of returne to their family and solitary devotions besides the regard of bodily necessities It can hardly be blamed though some be longer and some shorter in publike and so in the rest For as much as God still hath and so also every ones soule hath the full Continuance determined and allotted which conscionably observed in the varieties of those Duties may be and will be ordinarily sufficient for their consciences and soules good and so acceptable to God though sometimes more of the Time be spent in publike and sometimes more in private And so at last we have done with the proofe of the necessity of such a chiefe solemne Time to be determined for the necessary and ordinarily sufficient Time for all men It remaines that now in the last place we come to argue By whom this determination must be or may be made But for that the next Chapter is purposely reserved this having been already drawne out to a more then ordinary length through the necessary dependance of so many matters contained in it And yet there is one thing behind for the close of this Chapter LII How farre the Law of Nature commands about the Quando or season And that is a briefe discourse about the Quando season or order of beginning when once the former determination is Conclusively setled for the Continuance and Frequency of the chiefe solemne Time How farre the Law or light of Nature will guide or command about this or any generall Rules of Scripture Leaving the question by whom it also is to be determined unto the following Chapter and here only touching in a few words for many will not need about it It having no such substantiall profit as the Continuance and Frequency toward Religion but only accidentall as is needfull to be againe and againe inculcated to our adversaries who would cast off all that was heretofore determined by God because this is taken away Touching we say how farre it is necessary that there be any determination strictly and conclusively of the Quando season or order of beginning that is for the particular Day of that number that is determined for the chiefe Time of Worship and even of the beginning of that Day sooner or later at evening or morning this or that houre Now this I shall dispatch in foure Propositions 1. There is a necessity that some particular Day of such a number determined be determined before that number can be constantly observed 2. There is a necessity that to all that live within the reach one of another and so may possibly be helpes one to another or hindrances one to another the same particular Day of such a number be determined and so farre at least the same season of beginning the Day that all may afford convenient helpe to each other and none prove hindrances one to the other 3. It seemes most consonant to the Law and light of Nature and Scripture-reason that unlesse God determine it otherwise Himselfe the beginning of the Day should be in the morning that is after midnight rather then in the evening before 4. It seemes greatly conducible to the honour of God from all mankind and to the generall Communion of Saints all the world over that the same particular Day of such a number should be determined to all men of the same age that is from Adam to Christ and the same from Christ to the Worlds end all the World over to observe it according as that Day begins with them in the Countries where they live and are LIII 1. It is necessary that some Day be determined For the first of these It may easily be made good even by this one Consideration That making the instance in any one number as suppose one Day in ten be determined it thence inevitably followes that the very neglect of determining another particular Day makes the Determination fall upon the last of the ten For when all the other nine are slipped over and none of them determined the last of the ten unavoidably must be observed the first revolution and withall remaines for ever after determined unlesse a new Day be afterward determined by as sufficient authority as was in the determiner of the number and then also without an alteration of the determination of the number the new determination can only be placed upon one particular Day namely the first of the ten And so if it be done by sufficient authority it may be done without any violation or alteration of the determination of the number at all For the strength of the determination of the number lies in these things 1. That there should be but one Day for Religion to nine for worldly businesse and againe but nine for worldly businesse to one for Religion and neither more nor lesse either way ordinarily 2. That those nine Dayes being the number of working Dayes should come all together and the Day for Religion not come between them for then sometimes there would be lesse then nine together and sometimes more Now this is observed plainly and undeniably in both respects in the instanced change from the tenth Day to the first Day For in those two Revolutions of twice ten Dayes there are but two Dayes for Religion the last of the first ten and the first of the latter ten and there is twice nine Dayes for worldly businesse and in each Revolution either number of nine worldly Dayes are entirely all together and the Dayes for Religion come not in to break the number as they would doe if the second Day were determined for then there would be one Day for work only and the next for Religion and so not nine work-dayes together and again if the ninth Day were determined then there would have been in that Revolution but eight Dayes together for work and a ninth not a tenth Objection according to the determination formerly setled for the number observed for Religion If any say that this would be how ever but for once and that were no great matter specially if Religion lose nothing by it as by bringing the Day sooner it would not We answer It is true if the authority be sufficient Answer to change the number the matter is not of importance But if the authority that would change the order of the particular Day from the tenth to the ninth or so and ever after keep a tenth from
or too little Time for attending on God and their soules too often or too seldome or even perhaps whether the particular Dayes were or could be seasonably determined or observed conveniently A Conscience that must venture and suffer for a practice is in a miserable condition if it have no certainty that God requires what it doth and forbids what it forbeares And on the other side the necessities of the soule and its eternall state to be above all worldly things regarded and manifold sentences in the Scriptures to that effect and Gods honour and service to be preferred before mens and before any thing that can concerne ones selfe will never suffer any Conscience to be at peace that observes not sufficient Time for Religion constantly And both together shew there had need be another authority determining it then their own which we say can be no other but Gods How our Adversaries will or can satisfie themselves or others about this Case we doe not well conceive Somewhat it is that they offer to say towards it which we will here briefly touch because we shall be forced to consider their sentences againe elsewhere XVII Some Exceptions to this answered 1. One while they tell us that the fourth Commandement is Morall-Naturall only for Publike Worship 2. Another while some of them say that the Commandement is not given to servants and so by consequence not to any that are not Lords and Masters of their own Time in respect of men as children wives and any inferiors set to worke by superior authority of Governours 3. And some againe say that Christians in Pagan Countries ought to keep the Sunday as having been appointed by the Christian Church A little for present answer to each of these The two first directly pervert the state of the Question and affirme no determination no observation lying upon their consciences who are under others authority unlesse their superiors have determined Times for them and Times for publike worship But our Question supposes that sufficient Times are to be determined for all men by one or other and that for solitary worship where there is or can be no publike 2. For this also we have proved to be Morall-Naturall and necessary to Religion that there be such determinations of sufficient Time for all men 3. Even themselves at times and by fits make it Morall-Naturall in the fourth Commandement to have and observe sufficient Times determined 4. And is it now a manifest contradiction to say a Commandement is Morall-Naturall that is necessary to all men and yet that if there be no publike worship a man is free as one of them expresly speaks Can the neglect of others free me from a Morall Commandement totally We say totally for they make this publike worship the whole Morality of the fourth Commandement Againe is there any other Commandement of the Decalogue from which any man can at any time be said to be totally free Father or Mother may dye But there are other superiours still alive or even inferiours to whom the fifth Commandement continually binds to afford some honour and so of the rest Again Morall Naturall is by themselves described to be universall and perpetuall How is this so if the command extend to no more but that which is neither universall nor perpetuall Not universall because not to servants at all if their Masters order otherwise and will not let them forbeare work Not perpetuall when there may all the Time he is in such a Country a Captive be no publique worship with in his reach But such contradictions men must needs run into that leave the roade-way of the Scriptures the Kings high way the way of Gods Commandements the Royall Law as Saint Iames calls it Iam. 2.9 to follow the by-paths of their own or other mens devisings And as for that one of them sayes That because Sunday hath been established used in the Christian Church for aday of divine service Prim. a man namely in a pagan country ought to apply himself privately to religious exercises with greater assiduity then on other dayes We desire him to satisfy us whether by the words he ought he meanes that he ought in conscience as a necessary duty of Religion he ought in obedience to the Morall Naturall law of God for having and observing a determinate Time to do thus though his Pagan Governour Master or Prince forbid him and to keep him from it set him all day long to some hard bodily labour and that from weeke to weeke allowing him neither that day not any other for his devotions and private exercises of Religion If he say no this is not his meaning as not thinking it reasonable to put a poor captive to venture upon the rage of his prophane Master or Governour Then his answer is but a collusion and nothing at all to the purpose of our case If he say yes he ought to do so and venture to suffer for it though not the whole of the day but only some part of it we reply 1. Who shall determine how much of the day If he will take but our Churches Homily of the place and Time of Prayer he will find the whole day called for If the Canons of 1603. there is little lesse If he take but even the practise of any Christian Church in the World even during the Publike Worship Yet 2. this is more then he shall be allowed by his Pagan Superiours and so must resolve to endure sufferings even to extremity perhaps for it And in this case is not here a very goodly ground of encouragement to suffer upon The Churches establishment or usage of a day Whereas when we urge the Commandement of God it is usually by our disputers thought most unreasonable to lay such a yoke upon poor Christian captives And therefore we remember not that they ever durst any of them to put any conscience upon sufferings in their way for their sufficient Time or even their Publique Worship Morall Naturall and the Churches determination of either But we must needs professe for our parts that we dare do no other for a weekely Sabbath and the Lords day particularly as determined by God And whatever they think of this hazard or choise and that our Doctrine thrusts such poor captives into miserable straites That either they must sin against God in breaking the Sabbath or provoke their ungodly superiours desperately against them by keeping to it We cannot but say that we esteeme such captives happy rather that have the doctrine of the Sabbath in their hearts to warrant their sufferings much more then such who according to their opinion should think they were bound by their captivity and the Command of obeying their Governours though Pagans and profane to keep no fourth Commandement at all no Sabbath at all nor ordinarily sufficient Time for Gods Solemne Worship even solitarily and the takeing speciall care of their own soules good And if ever it should be our lot
prove it and then the fourth Commandement which they like not because it would tie them to a whole Daies continuance would be their only sufficient refuge Therefore also their Reasons are very doubtfully and waveringly propounded And so we esteeme that such an Answer is over ambiguous to be sufficient to satisfie either of our Arguments And if they will hereafter or any for them offer to make an answer definitely and clearely either to the necessitie or sufficiencie of the proportion Let them have but one Day of ten or twenty as necessary and two houres of that Day or nominate those or any other proportions of Frequencie and Continuance as sufficient Whatever they instance in and whether it be well or ill yet will it suffice for our Arguments to justifie them and confirm that the Church hath no absolute or legislative authoritie to determine this chiefe Time necessary and sufficient to Religion But that Nature and Reason or Scripture some or all of these doe before-hand determine the necessitie and sufficiencie of it And that the Churches office herein is no more but of a Cryer or Preacher as our Divines urge against the Papists in point of the Churches authority to determine what Bookes are the Word of God to declare and pronounce and then consequently to use her authority over her members to urge them to the observation of it as much as may be and not at all of a Lawgiver to determine it And thus much we verily beleeve these Arguments have evinced undeniably Which therefore we againe desire our Readers to observe that so the Churches absolute and unlimited authority may be no more urged in this controversie no not in generall and so deceivable termes And then we doubt not but many Readers will soone see a necessity to have recourse to the fourth Commandement as Gods own determination of this necessary and sufficient chiefe Time for Continuance a whole Day for Frequencie one in seven as the only sure ground for consciences to rest upon in so important a matter And that many more not to say all that are not swallowed up with prejudices will be of the same mind when we have expresly discussed whether the Churches wisdome will or can suffice to determine from Nature and Reason and any thing in Scripture besides the precise determination of one Day in seven according to that fourth Commandement the just proportion of necessarie and sufficient Time for Religion Which we shall take to taske ere we make an end of this question in this Chapter In the meane Time we goe on to a fourth Argument If the Church have Authority to determine the chiefe Time for all its Members XXVIII Argument 4. The Church cannot determine Time for family or solitary Worship then it hath Authority to determine the Continuance so laregly to extend beyond the Publike Worship even to take in both domestick Worship where it may be had and specially solitary Worship by every Christian apart before and after the Publike Worship But the Church hath no Authority to determine of Continuance so largely as to extend beyond the publike Worship even to take in both family Worship where it may be had and specially solitary Worship by every Christian apart before and after the publike Worship Ergo The Church hath no Authority to determine the chiefe Time for all its Members The consequence hath beene proved before at large in the former Chapter that the Continuance of the chiefe Time must be so large as not only to allow but to necessitate before and after the publike Worship family Worship also where it may be had and however to necessitate as well as to afford liberty for solitary Worship by every one apart The Antecedent may be thus strengthned 1. It is usually said That the sword nor the keyes meddle not within doores that is Neither the Civill Magistrate nor the Church-governours take upon them to make affirmative Lawes for private families for negative they doe in reference to what they doe among themselves not directly concerning the service of the Church or State And least of all do they meddle with their Time of which every governour of a family is counted Lord and Master or Lady and Mistris for themselves and all under their authority Even when a man is bound by Indentures to teach his apprentise his trade yet not at this Time or that Time or so long together Therefore we find not that any Church or Christian Magistrate though forbidding worke to all even within doores upon such and such Dayes hath yet commanded Parents or Masters to catechise their children and servants within doores on those Dayes precisely or pray with them or examine them what they have learned in publike or any such like Duties of Religion 2. But specially in reference to solitary Worship secret prayers secret thanksgivings secret meditations of the word heard or of any other heavenly and divine matter concerning God and the soule The Church hath no authority to determine any Time which necessarily must be spent in any of these Duties or any other in secret Of which we conceive a double reason 1. Because no authority of man is supposed to reach to that which neither themselves nor any other man living can ever come to know whether it be observed or not Which is the case plainly here No man can know nor all the men in World when I retire my selfe any Day and shut my selfe up in my chamber whether I pray or meditate or performe any other solitary Worship to God or not Unlesse I tell them afterward or speake so loud as that they over-hear me which I am not bound to doe or rather am bound not to doe It is altogether vaine to say no more to determine and command that which no account can be taken of by those that command it or by any man else whether it be obeyed or not 2. But further secret Duties and so Time to be necessarily imployed in them are immediately Duties of conscience even the most inward and spirituall that can be Now no authority of man of the Church or any other reaches immediately to the conscience and the inward and spirituall part of Duties But only the Authority of God alone Here againe the Church or any superiour may give Counsell or declare the will of God about such Duties or such Time to be so imployed But cannot command or determine it Whereas we are speaking of a Time that must be determined of which therefore the Church hath no Authority If it be objected that the Christian Magistrate XXIX An Exception answered or the Church hath authority to appoint a publike Day of Fasting and Humiliation and this to be spent in Religious Duties as well private as publike till the end of the Day and if so why not for the ordinary chiefe solemne Time We Answer in a word Sol. that the Continuance of a publike Fast is before hand determined by God in Scripture
mans calling may be allowed to be the divider and the distributer of the chiefe Time of all men and so God and the soules of men have no other allowance for the chiefe Time to Religion then what those worldly considerations shall allot This thought about Gods indulgence is a most weighty and most necessary consideration in this dispute But it doth not seeme to be at all taken into consideration by our disputers in this question We shall therefore anon make a distinct argument of it that we may be sure they and all Readers that will take the paines to view those discourses shall not be able to misse it or passe it sleightly over But we must first make up this Argument and another in the meane Time We say then that by all this discourse of the Nature of God the Nature of the Soule the Nature of the Duties of Worship the Nature of the Body and worldly occasions Take any of them single and apart or joyne any of them or all of them together in the consultation and we are as farre as can be from any guesse how to proportion the Time betweene Religion and other matters except that we ought undoubtedly to say if we have nothing but these to direct us That to Gods honour and the souls benefit the farre greater proportion of Time is necessary and that it cannot be sufficient to let the world possesse the largest share And if this be true as we cannot see how it can possibly be denyed and we shall yet further confirme it in a following argument our Adversaries have made a goodly purchsse by disputing the abrogation of the fourth Commandement for one Day in seven In as much as in stead of their pretended Christian liberty not to be tyed to such a proportion all other rules call for twise thrise as much and rather for six Dayes of seven and leave but one for worldly businesses And if they shall object Excep that mens bodily lives could not be preserved with so little a proportion for worldly businesses and trades We Answer set aside the Wisdome of God Sol. and His allowance of six Dayes Worke in the fourth Commandement it is not possible for any man living or any number of men to assigne certainly how much Time is to be spent in worldly businesses for the preservation of mankind in a bodily life If there were that simplicity of Diet of Apparell of Buildings all other things that there was in the first Ages of the world and is yet in some Countries though our pride and curiosity call them Barbarous for it certainly a great deale lesse Time would serve then now doth for worldly matters And though as the constitution of the world now is we are far from blaming such Trades and Manufacturers or the using of them as sinnes because specially we beleeve God to have allowed six Dayes in a Week mainly for worldly businesse according to the fourth Commandement Yet we say still that if this allowance were not we see not any warrant to imploy mankind so much in these businesses which as we said have been spared of old and are spared in other places at this Day to so notorious prejudice and undervaluing of God and His honour and the good of soules And so still we are altogether at a lesse for a rule of wisdome how to determine our necessary and sufficient chiefe Solemne Time for Religion And therefore this determination could not be nor was ever left to man to Adam or the Partriarkes before Moses Much losse to the Gentiles and Heathen for themselves and theirs nor yet to the Church of the New Testament LII 5. Nor the old proportion of one Day in seven in the fou th Commandement But remained ever in Gods hand which is the thing to be proved But we must not forget our fifth Consideration mentioned in reference to the Christian Church That our Adversaries in their best moodes when they say The Church must not offend in excesse or defect not render the yoke of Christians too heavy by appointing too much nor slight or seeme to slight the service of God and render it contemptible by appointing too little They seeme to fancy that the proportion of one Day of seven though by no meanes necessary to be perpetuated may be a convenient direction that thereabouts it should be among Christians and accordingly in the Christian Church ever one Day in a week hath been observed which with the addition of Holy dayes more rarely appointed they count a sufficient Time for Religion equall if not superiour to the Time that God had from the Jewes under the Old Testament Now to this we have divers things to say though we will not offer to follow their extravagancies in and out step by step in this dispute but onely shew somewhat the insufficiency and absurdity of this pretence LIII This is proved absurd We say then 1. That for other Holy dayes besides the weekely Solemne day they come not properly into this dispute about the ordinary chiefe Time for Religion They are 1. Extraordinary Dayes of which kind the Jewes also had some of Gods appointing and some of their own more then many Christian Churches have though not so many as some others Also 2. These are taken up without any such rule as may either urge the conscience to judge them necessary or conclude them together to be sufficient Therefore 3. Also herein the Christian Churches greatly differ which as we have argued before must not be in the proportions of the chiefe solemne Time necessary and sufficient for all Christians Likewise 4. No Church Reformed that hath retained Holy dayes hath spoken fully and clearely about the Continuance of them and how necessarily they are to be observed to Religion and imployed wholly in Religious duties or not And so they come not properly into this dispute about the necessary chiefe Time for Religion 2. Leaving these out and considering the weekely solemne proportion it was of old determined to the Jewes in the fourth Commandement One whole Day of seven Both which as well as the particular seventh Day the Saturday Sabbath which they pin to the Commandement But we shal shew their errour in it hereafter our Adversaries make to be now abrogated by Christ that is both the number one Day of seven and the Continuance one whole Day Of both these we must now argue the case with them how upon the supposition of Gods making these void they can finde out a rule for the Christian Church to make a determination of the chiefe Time for Religion for Frequency and Continuance And first we must discourse of the Frequency LIV. 1. With respect to the Frequency For the number of one Day in seven which is from Christs Time to this Day observed and perpetuated among all Christians by all confession Some kept as is said more Dayes but all kept the Lords day the first Day of the Week and
Duties as that Day is usually spent in by these that are devout whether in publike or in the family or alone as Prayer for instance and reading the VVord are Parts of Divine Worship But even that the observation of this particular Day and that weekly all of it in varieties of Duties of Religion one or other all our waking time is also it selfe a Part of Divine Worship and beyond the nature of a meere Adjunct or Circumstance of VVorship VVe doubt not but they will be a great deale the more carefull and conscionable in the observation of the whole Day and every part and parcell of it II. The question explained To effect this we must first cleare what we meane by a part of worship and what by a meere adjunct or circumstance of worship and so state the question between us and those of the contrary opinion and then bring our arguments and vindicate them and our assertion from the contrary exceptions and objections VVe say then 1. What worship is and what a part of worship 1. Worship generally is the tender of our homage to God and giving Him immediate honour Accordingly a part of Worship is whatsoever is presented to God whether thing or action as a speciall homage and as an immediate honour to Him Or at least ought to be so if it be not 2. What an adjunct or circumstance of worship 2. An Adjunct or Circumstance of Worship which is meerly such is That which is not or ought not to be presented to God any speciall or immediate Honour to Him but only serves and is used as an accomodation to the performance of some thing or action which is properly Worship or perhaps is only an unthought of accident naturally or occasionally accompanying that thing or action which is Worship 3. Withall it is to be considered 3. The same thing may be both a circumstance and part of worship that the selfe same thing which in one case is but an Adjunct barely a meere Circumstance and â—o way a part of Worship may in another case be more then a Circumstance and a proper part of Worship being specially and immediately tending to Gods honour and tendred with that intention and to that end Some instances will cleare all this 1. The sacrificing of a Bullock or Sheep was a part of Gods worship under the Law 2. The Sexe that it was male or female The Age that it was so many moneths or weeks or yeers old The Colour that it was red or black or white Was in many cases a meere Circumstance not regarded nor to be regarded 3. Yet in some cases it must be a male not a female in others a female not a male So in some cases so young and no elder in others so old and no younger as in the firstling males it was to be seven dayes with the Dam nor more nor lesse Num. 19.2 and the eight day to be offered And in the Water of Expiation the ashes of the burnt Heifer was to be of a red Heifer of such an age precisely In all which those very circumstantiall considerations were properly parts of Worship Of the Homage to be tendred to God and immediately to His Honour 4. Furthermore it is to be observed how any thing III. 4. How any thing comes to be a part of worship whether seeming to be substance or circumstance comes to be a part of Worship Which may be resolved two wayes 1. As Worship comprehends under the terme both true worship and false worship or Right worship and Will-worship So the cause of it is our intention to present it as a speciall homage as was said and an immediate honour to God Such intention we say is the formall cause that such an action is Worship in him that presents it 1. The formal cause is our intention or such a thing in him that tenders it And without such intention no action is formally Worship in any man however it be in the nature of the action or in any other person that presents it As for instance The repeating of any sentence of Scripture or the Lords prayer intending thereby to honour God is a part of Worship But to repeat it to teach a child to spell or read or to understand a language or to use it as a charme or the like is certainly no Worship because it wants an intention of immediate honouring God by it So to kneele down before an Image or Crucifixe with intention to honour God by that action is Worship though false and idolatrous but to kneele down before it not seeing it nor thinking of it Or to pull out a thorne out of ones foot or the like is no Worship because againe here wants an intention of honouring God by such an action 2. The efficient cause is Gods command 2. But now as Worship denotes only true and right Worship So the proper efficient cause and that which both legitimates and necessitates such intention is the command of God What He commands to be presented to Him whether seeming substance or circumstance hath the nature of a speciall Homage and immediate Honour to Him and ought to be presented as often as it is presented with such intention From which command also flowes an answerable acceptation of such a commanded thing or action when accordingly performed with that intention And with that intention there may and should also be an expectation of such acceptation whereby the intention is proved in a mans conscience whether the matter be commanded or not For Will-worshippers expect an acceptation though without warrant And prophane Hypocrites though they pretend to worship God yet when they intend it not they expect no acceptation We say then our expectation of acceptation declares whether we tender such a thing as a part of Worship or use it as a meer circumstance IV. Gods command is either particular or generall 5. Yet againe Gods command of any thing as Worship is either expresse and particular of such a speciall thing or generall of such an affection which according to an allowance of presenting some kinds of things to Gods honour doth present such particulars or such a proportion sutable to the degree of the affection and other occasions Instances of the first were the daily sacrifices expresly commanded of the second Free-willing offerings and Vowes As we read of Salomons thousand burnt-offerings on the Altar at Gibeon and his mighty number of Peace-offerings two and twenty thousand Oxen and an hundred and twenty thousand Sheep Even these being acceptable fell under the generall command of Honouring the Lord with his substance which Salomon himselfe records sutable to those Times and his incomparable wealth and the like Considerations as of the great Solemnity of dedicating the house of the Lord c. 6. Once more the Command of God of things for His honour V. Gods command is either 1. By the Law of Nature may either be 1. By the
now have no Typicall use under the Gospel Yet being commanded by God and being His peculiar Portion It also is a part of His worship as we have said But we have an other Objectour who more largely prosecutes the Negative against us and the most largely of any that we have seen and that is the learned Professour D. Walaeus And we cannot wonder so much as we said at any as at him For he grants two things which most of the rest of the Disputers deny 1. That one Day in seven is Morall that is perpetuall by the fourth Commandement 2. That the Lords-day is of Divine though Apostolicall institution Now say we the observation of a Morall Commandement of the first Table and of a Divine institution according to that Commandement is as we have argued a part of Worship This he did foresee would be objected against himselfe and therefore he prevented it as well as he could Thus he frames the Argument All obedience yeelded to the Commandement of God is religious Therefore if one Day in seven be to be observed by Divine command which is his owne opinion it is also religious and so a part of Worship Let us see how he will avoyd this Argument Thus he sayes This hurts them also D. Wal. p. 95. that hold some Time to be observed by the Morality of the fourth Commandement For that Day or Time once appointed be it what it will is religiously to be observed and consequently a part of Divine Worship This witnesse is true and the argument of force against them all Thus far therefore he hath answered nothing but against himselfe XII Object 1. Answered He comes therefore to loose the knot and to object against the contrary opinion The religiousnesse of this Day of ours one Day in seven or the Lords-day is to be measured by the intention of the Commander that is God For if He command any Day to be observed as a part of Worship or as a Sacramentall Type then it is so to be observed with that religiousnesse as it is commanded But if only as a necessary and determined circumstance of Worship or necessary policie in the Church then it is only in that manner and intention to be observed To which we answer many things Sol. 1 1. Where doth this different intention of the Lawgiver appeare in the Old or New Testament That He will have the Times of the Iewes observed as Parts of Worship Ours only as necessary Circumstances thereof Certainly according to himselfe one and the same fourth Commandement is Morall for the observation of one Day in seven both then and now But there is not the least appearance of this difference in that Commandement If one Day in seven was commanded as a part of Worship then It is so now Or if it be now only a circumstance of Worship it was so then for ought appeares either there or any where else that we know of Nay his owne first argument is yet unanswered All obedience yeelded to the Commandement of God is religious Therefore the very command of God of it selfe makes the observation of one Day in seven a part of Worship Sol. 2 2. Whereas he addes a Sacramentall Type as if that made it a part of Worship which being wanting our Day is not a part of Worship as he would seeme to inferre We answer 1. The Sabbath according to his opinion was instituted from the beginning even in innocency and therefore could have no Sacramentall Type annexed to it Yet then it was a part of Worship commanded to Adam by God himselfe 2. Againe a Sacramentall Type may perhaps make a thing more a part of Worship But a thing may be a part of Worship that hath no Sacramentall Type annexed to it For the command of God alone without any Typicall respect may and doth make any thing a part of Worship as singing for example against which if it were not commanded a man might perhaps except somewhat as unseemly for sober men One Day in seven then being still commanded by God in a Morall Commandement of the first Table It remaines still a part of Worship the Type removed from it or rather from the particular Day belonging to it 3. Whereas he sayes we observe our Day not as a part of Worship Sol. 3 but as a necessary circumstance of Worship he seems to think that a thing cannot be both a necessary circumstance and also a part a VVorship Whereas a Day may be and must be both of these if commanded by God A necessary circumstance to those Actions or Duties of Worship which are actually performed on it and a part of Worship in regard of the Divine command of the Day or Time it selfe Yea D. Wal. p. 95. 63. himselfe at least twise calls the seventh Day of the Iewes a circumstance So that their Day also was a necessary circumstance of Worship and yet a part of VVorship Certainly a necessary circumstance of VVorship commanded by God himselfe is a part of VVorship But sayes he one Day in seven is a necessary circumstance of Worship commanded by God himselfe in the fourth Commandement Therefore it is a part of Worship 4. It may not be amisse to adde a few words more about the Sol. 4 phrase of a necessary circumstance of worship Because it is often used by divers and usually mistaken and misapplyed We have formerly toucht it yet it may be convenient to doe it againe It may signifie a naturally or physically necessary circumstance to this or that or any action of worship and then we easily grant that such Time so considered is no part of worship no more then the Place wherein one is by a like naturall and physicall necessity at the Time that he performes any action of worship But this is not the Time we are disputing of for this is only indeterminate and common Time as we have spoken heretofore But we are now disputing of solemne and determinate Time and that in the highest ranke of solemnity determined not by man but by God himselfe both in Nature and Scripture for the chiefe Time and in Scripture for the particular Day This therefore may be and must be a part of worship though the other is not nor cannot be Or secondly a necessary circumstance of worship may signifie a circumstance Morally or Theologically necessary to worship And so worship doth not signifie this or that pacticular Duty of worship but generally Religion and the honour of God For under the Old Testament indeed some Times were Theologically necessary to some Duties of worship namely by Divine expresse command as the 14. Day of the first moneth yeerly to the Passeover unlesse in the reserved case of uncleannesse or a journey and then the 14. Day of the second moneth and so the other Festivalls The Festivity and worship was to be necessarily performed on such Dayes yeerly and the particular Dayes and yeerly revolution were Theologically necessary to such particular
of Moses 1. In the Law or the five Books of Moses so called we have first as we doubt not to prove the Institution of it in Genesis 2. The solemne Promulgation of it in Exodus 3. The manner of Sanctification of it in Leviticus 4. The Profanation Vindicated in the Book of Numbers 5. Pressing arguments for the Observation of it in Deuteronomie 2. Then the Historicall parts of Scripture 2. In the Historicall parts have some Remembrances of it either as observed or profaned 3. There is in the Book of Psalmes 3. In the Psalmes Psalme 92.1 4. In the Prophets a speciall Psalme appointed for it 4. The Prophets are much and frequent in the complaining of the Violation and pressing on the Observation of it 5. 5. In the Gospels 6. In the Acts. The Gospels have often mention of it 6. The story of the Acts hath likewise touches both of the old and New Sabbath 7. 7. In the Epistles The Epistles do hint and insinuate an Institution of a Christian Sabbath 8. And lastly 8. In the Revelation the Revelation discovers Gods right unto it giving it the Title of The Lords Day All which shall be vindicated in due season from those objections and evasions which the Adversaries do put upon them 3. Besides all this the observation of the Sabbath 3. It is ranked amongst Substantials is ranked by the Prophets amongst the most substantiall and perpetuall Duties of Religion 4. 4. The great care of God I Dâ—…ing the commandement 1. In the Length 2. Affirmatively and Negatively The speciall Cost if we may so say and care of God in delivering the Commandement argues much worth and wa ght As 1. In the Length and largenesse of it to make it plain and evident 2. That whereas other Commandements are propounded either Affirmatively only or Negatively only this is both Affirmative and Negative 3. 3. Charged upon all sorts It is Charged upon all sorts of people particularly especially Superiours to look well to the observation of it 4. 4. Urged by many Reasons It is Urged by many Reasons As first Gods Interest in it It is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God Secondly Gods Example He wrought six dayes and rested the seventh Thirdly His Sanctification and blessing of the Sabbath Fourthly The equity of the proportions for Continuance 5. With a speciall Memento and Frequency but one whole Day of seven for six allowed unto men Lastly it is stamped with a speciall Memento in the very front of it Remember the Sabbath Day c. lest it should be forgotten and as a Watch-word of solemne preparation for it 5. It is called a Gift and Favour Exod. 16.29 Ezek. 20.12 Nehem. 9.14 5. The Sabbath is so far from being esteemed by the people of God to be a ceremoniall Yoke or burden that it is divers times called a Gift and sometimes acknowledged as a speciall Favour of God 6. The Observation hath speciall promises Nationall and Personall Temporall and Spirituall 6. The Observation of it hath as great Encouragements by many speciall promises as any one Duty in all the Book of God Both Nationall as Jer. 17.27 Isai 58.14 and Personall even to unlikely persons Isai 56.2 4. 6. Both Temporall and Spirituall in the same places which may serve as Comments upon the Blessing mentioned Gen. 2. and in the Commandement Exod. 20. Fulfilled on our Nation And here give us leave a little to demonstrate the exemplification and fulfilling of this Promise and Blessing to this Nation of ours above any other Nation round about us As we do not find any other Reformed Church hath either so clearly maintained the doctrine of the Sabbath as ours hath both in the Homily of the Time and place of Prayers and in so many Authorized Writers for more than sixty yeares or so solemnly observed it by Command of Lawes Injunctions and Canons and the Conscientiousnesse of Governours of families and private Christians So we find a speciall Ratification of the promised Blessing both in Spirituall and Temporall respects 1. For the Spirituall Travellers of all Countries 1. Spirituall Blessings that look toward Religion do testifie that no Country among the Reformed hath more visible Piety and Schollers that travell amongst Books find no where more exact Treatises of Sanctification than in England 2. For Temporall 2. Temporall the world is witnesse how fully Temporall Blessings have been made good to us of this Nation And which is singularly observable our prosperity began to be clear when the Doctrine of the Sabbath was owned as the Doctrine of our Church by the aforesaid Homily which that it was not in King Edwards time appears by an Act Anno regni 5 6. speaking of all Dayes as alike by Gods Word Whence we observe further that though all the Stories of the Time worthily do magnifie Edw. 6. in his own Person as one of the most excellent Princes that ever raigned yet they speak of his reigne but as a Sad and Dark Day to the State Temporall by reason of ill successe abroad and dissentions of the Nobles at home After which followed a black Night in Queen Maries time by the bloody persecutions of her best Subjects her Forraign-match and losse of all we held in France But when Queen Elizabeth succeeding had restored the Gospell and withall the Doctrine of the Sabbath was Resumed and Professed the Heavens cleared up so bright over our Heads as never had England a more Glorious Day even Temporally than all her reigne after 7. The Transgression of it is 1. Aggravated 7. The Transgression of that Law of the fourth Commandement and the Profanation of the Sabbath is 1. Aggravated by speciall circumstances and reckoned amongst the greatest Abominations Ezek. 20. 22. 2. Threatned 2. Threatned with severest vengeance both Personally with Death Exo. 31.14 and nationally with fearfull judgements as Fire in their habitations Jer. 17.27 3. Punished and Desolation to their Country Levit. 26.34 43. 3. And Punished accordingly with death Numb 15. and Desolation of their Nation 2 Chron. 36.21 and so acknowledged as the cause thereof Nehem 13.18 Exemplified also in our Nation And if we might not bâ— troublesome we might no lesse Exemplifie the remarkable Judgements upon this Nation of ours than we did the Blessings in former times since the time that people began to profane the Sabbath and the Doctrine of it not only disclaimed by some of our Writers but also the Profanation of the Lords Day authorised by the Book of Sports It is observed by others how many dreadfull examples there have been of Personall Profanations of that Day and we think one main Cause of these nationall Judgements under which this Land now grones was the publique Toleration of the Profanation of that Day To say nothing of the manifest decay of Piety and the Power of Godlinesse since that Edict came abroad we
Typicall Nation It is hard to give any such exact description either of Ceremoniall or Judiciall Lawes as shall neither be too scanty so as to leave out none of that kind nor yet enterfere with the other kind And harder perhaps to find any Judiciall proper to the Jewes which had not somewhat of Ceremoniality in it But we will endeavour to difference them as distinctly as we can and that we doe in the manner following V. Description of Lawes properly Ceremoniall 1. By the Ceremonials we understand such as concerned the Jewes as Gods Church underage and with them so many whose Ancestors had received any of them in matters between God and them or relating to a mans particular selfe even single Containing in them Types and Figures of Christ and of his Graces and Benefits Or Documents of Spirituall and Morall Duties And these were partly belonging to the outward Worship of God which in those times stood most in such Typicall Observances and partly belonging to matters of common use as the Prohibitions of Meats and of Touching such and such things which those Lawes made uncleane and of Plowing the 7th yeare or with an Oxe and an Asse together and divers such like By which God would traine them up in that time of his Churches infancie till Christ should come as the Apostle implies Gal. 3. and Heb. 9. We say traine them up 1. Saint Peter speaking of them Act. 15. saith They were a yoke on their necks which neither they nor their Fathers were able to beare To enquire after the spirituall mysteries contained in those Precepts and Prohibitions of most of which no other tollerable reason could be conceived by them but only that God did intend them to signifie some higher matters as also 2. to long for the comming of that promised seed who should deliver them from the bondage of those wearisome observances and burdensome forbearances As even by the Jews writings it appears that they did expect such freedome by their Messiah These we take to be properly Ceremonials But forasmuch as the word Ceremony is of much use in our future Controversie and is diversly taken by divers men VI. Divers acceptions of the word Ceremonial by others We will here once for all to avoid vain repetitions distinguish it according as severall men use to take it And withall shew how far we consent to such sences of the word and why we dissent from them at all It is then taken three wayes by some others 1. For Ecclesiasticall VII 1. For Ecclesiasticall to signifie any externall Rite belonging to externall Worship as being a Church-matter and distinguished against things Politicall concerning the Common-wealth For God hath been pleased in all times of the Church to Ordain as some externall Worship so some Rites and Ceremonies belonging thereunto sutable to those times And so Divines usually speak of the Tree of life in Paradise That it was a religious Rite or Ceremony and namely to be a Sacrament to Adam in his Innocency And in this sense even the Sacraments of the New Testament may be called Ceremonies as being Ecclesiasticall and Religious Rites commanded by God for his Worship And it is further said by some That by Gods prescription the Jews themselves had divers Rites of this nature not Typicall of Christ to come or his Grace c. yet Ceremoniall Vnder this name Ceremony may and ought to be comprised saith one not only the Types and Figures Primâ— part 1. c. 12. §. 17. which manifestly are such but universally all the observations of the Ecclesiasticall Policy some whereof had no Typicall signification at all but were only Ordinances belonging to Order and Ecclesiasticall government Which though we cannot admit as supposing all the Jewish Rites though we be not able to riddle every one to have been Typicall particularly because of that of the Apostle Heb. 8. ver 5. That all things belonging to the Tabernacle being commanded to be made according to the pattern shewed Moses in the Mount 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the Priests using them served for an example and shadow of heavenly things Yet for the present we are content to Record what he grants as usefull for some purposes hereafter perhaps against himself VIII 2. For temporary Patt rn of Catech Doct. p 234. D. Wal. dissert de Sab pag 16. 2. Some others take Ceremoniall for Mutable and Temporary So the learned Catechist gives the Notation of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 given only for a time and then after to expire And some others as they take Morall and Immutable for the same so by Ceremoniall they understand changeable and Temporary And if we take it so then all the Judicials as they are commonly called come no lesse properly under the term of Ceremoniall then the Typicalls But though we believe sundry Judicials had some Typicallnesse in them â—s was toucht before and so were partly Ceremoniall yet to rank them and the Typicalls both equally under the term of Ceremoniall we think is a little too much to confound things different IX 3. Figurative 3. Others by Ceremoniall understand only Figurative as unquestionably most of the Jewish Rites were but then they divide them into three sorts as being they say either 1. Memorials of somewhat past or 2. significative of somewhat present or 3. Typicall of somewhat to come of Christ his Actions or Passions or Benefits arising from both and some Ceremonies had all these uses undoubtedly as the Passeover and some others This sense wee grant in part to be proper having before described Ceremonies to be Types Figures and Documents But we shall not easily grant them that All Memorials of things past or signes of things present no not under the old Testament much lesse under the New are properly called Ceremoniall so as to be contradistinct to Morall and so to be mutable and temporary we by morall understanding perpetuall as we said before X. Description of Laws properly Judiciall Now for the Judicials we conceive they may be thus described to be Lawes given to the people of Israel in civill matters between man and man to order them as they were a body politick to whom the Land of Canaan was allotted for an inheritance and from among whom the promised Messiah was to be born We put in those relations to the Land of Canaan and to the Messiah because all the peculiar civill Laws they had were founded as we suppose and instances may undoubtedly be given of it in very many of them upon peculiar respects unto those Promises Which we the rather conceive because some of them were Indulgences and some Precepts which are not now so much as lawfull to be practised much lesse perpetuall and necessary to us As to instance in no other but that of Divorce which was an Indulgence to them as our Saviour expresly saith and by Him thenceforth repealed Mat. 5. 19. Luk. 16. And that
waite upon God and the whole body also in a due and serviceable proportion that so he may by such Solemne Worship of God have a full draught as I may say out of the Fountaine of Gods Goodnesse and satisfie his soule with a more compleate fruition of His Divine Grace Or rather to speake according to the unhappy condition that all mankind are now naturally in by reason of sinne and corruption to seeke to recover his lost happinesse in God by seeking Reconciliation with Him and the regaining and so retaining of his Favour in the use of such Holy meanes as himselfe hath appointed to this end namely the Ordinances of His Worship These things the Law of Nature teaches and commands to all men universally without exception or exemption of any And they must be Brutes or Atheists or both that deny them Moreover X. Solemn Worship distinguished into Solitary Conjoyned and that into Domesticall and Ecclesiasticall in as much as Worship may be presented to God either by any one single person alone or by divers joyning together in the tendring of it which usually though not so properly is exprest by the termes of Private Worship and Publike we had rather say Solitary and Conjoyned and then divide the latter into Domesticall or Family-Worship and Ecclesiasticall or Congregationall It is further considerable what of any of these is to be acknowledged a necessary duty for all men even according to the Law of Nature And for this we say 1. Generally and briefly How far each of these is a Necessary Duty That as far as any of them are possible to be performed all mankinde stand bound to tender them respectively that is so much and so often as they have no just and necessary impediment 2. Particularly for each of these severally 1. Every one is bound to tender to God solemne worship by themselves alone 2. Every one that lives in a family where he may have others to joyn with him in solemn worshipping of God is bound to that also to joyn them to him and himselfe to them in presenting some solemne worship to God 3. Every one also that lives in a convenient nearnesse with others with whom he may joyn in an Ecclesiasticall or Congregationall assembly to worship God solemnly together stands bound in like sort hereunto and may not alwayes absent himselfe from them but some time or other it is his duty to joyn with them in such solemne Worship even notwithstanding any danger of Persecution and that the place of such Worship be but a private House or Chamber or a Field or a Wood or a Cave as it fared with the Primitive Christians And of each of these we conceive proper Reasons to evince the necessity 1. For the first of these Solitary Worship XI Solitary Worship which is not owned as Solemn by our Adversaries ordinarily called Private Worship A man would think none should offer to deny it But in our Disputers books I am sure it is very â—â—intly and seldome acknowledged and the second lesse rather then more And by their language neither Solitary nor Family-Worship is owned under the notion of Solemne Worship For as much as it is usuall with them that when they any where name Solemne Worship they adde Publike to it As being afraid left if they should grant any other Solemne Worship to be a Necessary Duty besides Publike whereby they mean Ecclesiasticall as appeares by their Discourses upon it It would inforce as indeed it will as we shall see a necessity of a solemne time for it as well as for the solemne Publike Worship And then their generall Moralitie of the fourth Commandement which they have devised to be only for the Publike Worship will be found too scanty and their whole Cause be endangered to fall to the ground as we shall make it appeare hereafter Therefore we must needs take a little more paines to prove both Family-Worship and even Solitary Worship to be necessary duties and part of our homage to God and even to be Morall-Naturall and withall to deserve the name of Solemne Worship And afterward we will say somewhat also of the necessity of Publike Worship likewise and so conclude the whole Chapter XII Solitary Worship proved a duty three wayes 1. Now for Solitary Worship such as is performed with the whole man setting himselfe altogether apart from all worldly businesses and distractions to attend upon God immediately and tender both Soule and Body to Him That this is a necessary duty appears from the grounds before laid in a threefold respect 1. That it is altogether unreasonable to imagine that God should lose any of his honour from any man single because there is no other company to joyn with him in the solemnity of Worship 2. It is also unreasonable to think that a man is not bound to seek the recovery of his soules lost happinesse in his enjoying God and conversing with Him in duties of Worship to be performed both with Soule and Body because he is alone and hath none besides himselfe that will have any regard to further him and themselves together in conjoyned Worship 3. Otherwise it were not absolutely a Morall-Naturall duty to worship God solemnly that is with the whole man at all For every such duty which we by the Law of our Creation owe absolutely to God cannot but be perpetually possible and universally to all He being perpetually existent and present with us and we with Him But solemne Family-Worship and much more solemne Publike or Ecclesiasticall Worship is not universally and perpetually possible to all And so no other solemne Worship is possible to them but only Solitary And if that be not to them a Morall-Naturall duty then none is absolutely so For it is cleare a Christian may be and many are forced to live many yeares in such a place among Turks or Pagans as a Captive or the like where there is no possibility at all of having any other to joyn with him in the worship of God no not secretly much lesse publikely So that though we deny not but Publike that is Ecclesiasticall or Congregationall solemne Worship is so far forth Morall-Naturall as it is Possible Yet we maintain that Private that is Solitary solemne Worship is more Morall and Necessary yea firstly Morall being not only Necessary as the the other is when it may be but certainly Possible for every one of Mankinde to performe which the other is not at all times and in all places when a man will And now that such Solitary or Private VVorship deserves to be called and counted Solemne VVorship XIII Well called Solemne appeares from the description of Solemne Worship forementioned against which no just exception can be taken As also by the instance of Daniels prayers which though performed by himselfe alone in his Chamber yet cannot reasonably be denied to have been Solemn VVorship being three times a day constantly and on his knees and his
they are hereby yet more affected by a more Generall Example recommending the Worship of God but also because by the Solemne Ordinances of Prayer the Word and the Sacraments Administred and Dispensed and used in Publike multitudes are at once taught and minded of and provoked to the Duties they owe to God and Man better then their own solitary thoughts and endeavours or only their Families helping them could ordinarily have attained unto And this so much the rather because of the gifts which God to this purpose hath endued His Ministers with who by His appointment are set apart mainly for the Publike VVorship exceeding those which others have usually or ordinarily Yet by the advantage of Publike VVorship every particular Person present both enjoyes the benefit of the Ministers gifts of Prayer and specially of his knowledge and wisedome in interpreting the Scriptures and rightly dividing them for the edification and consolation of every one and so may reape in one houre the strength of that which hath been growing divers yeeres and feed upon that which hath been gathering divers dayes More we shall not need to adde concerning this at this time Because every conscience both feeles the gaine and encrease of spirituall good and comfort by the publike Ordinances as also by their earnest desire and seeking after them proclaime it sufficiently to others As also because to this generally our adversaries are frequent enough in affording their Testimonies And therefore also we will here spare the paines to quote any of them Hereafter we shall have occasion to make use of some of them Now we shut up this Chapter with summing up for a conclusion That both Solitary and Conjoyned VVorship in Families and Churches are Solemne and Necessary Duties required of all men so farre as hath beene said and so Morall-Naturall And now what time is required for all this we shall consider in the Chapters that follow CHAP. VII Generall Considerations about Time and its Profitablenesse in Reference to Morall Actions of Importance THe Necessity and Morality of Solemne VVorship having been in the former Chapter discoursed of I. Scope of the ensuing discourses about Time We are now to take in hand the consideration of the Time which may be or is to be allotted to it both generally and for the performance of the severall kinds of Worship Noted Driving it to this scope to shew by the Profitablenesse that may be in a wise determination of Time for Religion and Gods Solemne Worship That the determination of one day in seven for a Sabbath which we find in the fourth Commandement is a Law substantially profitable for all men in all ages to be bound unto Which then upon the grounds formerly laid of the Morality of such a Law though but Positive unlesse God be found to have clearly repealed it if we can vindicate from the supposed repeale which some contend for as we believe we shall we shall have demonstratively proved the perpetuity of that fourth Commandement in that Consideration and gained the Principall Fort striven for in this Cause And then the residue will be easie to be dispatched and made ours To this end we suppose it convenient to discourse first II. Why we first handle it generally with respect to Civill Actions concerning Time in generall as it may referre to humane Actions even Civill and that for two Causes 1. That hereby if it be possible we may gaine upon mens prejudices and take them of while we make it appeare that we wrest not things about Time to our purpose beyond the Nature of them but that whether we ever meddled with Religion or not Yet the considerations we shall note are reall and certaine even in ordinary businesses and civill affaires And so bringing our Cause before the barre of Reason and Nature to which our adversaries have appealed from the words of the Scripture we may take from them all evasions and wayes of shifting 2. That hereby the whole matter may be more cleare and distinct for every one to conceive and beare away when it is first set down generally with an Application to Civill Actions and afterward particularly shewed to agree to matters of Religion and Gods Solemne VVorship III. Why we use so many distinctions and divisions And apply them a second Time Melim est doctos onorare notis quam rudes fraudare discendis Leo Magnus Phil. 3.1 To write the same things to me indeed it is not grievous But for you it is safe And if in the former part we shall seeme to some somewhat too curious in spinning out distinctions and divisions we crave a respite of such censure untill we have added our Application wherein it will appeare that not one of all those divisions how nice so ever it seems but hath some Profitable not to say Necessary Vse toward the clearing and giving light to this most important controversie On the contrary if we be charged by others to tautologize in our Application of things to Religion in the following part We wish such to consider that many of the Notions being New and not of ordinary observation it may be more excusable to say some things a 2d time over which pregnant wits might have sufficiently understood and remembred by once mentioning them then by a single mention of any thing of importance to endanger the loosing of any ordinary readers apprehension or memory in a discourse of such length and weight as this is These things thus premised we fall to our worke to scanne the Nature of Time in reference to Humane and Morall Actions IV. Time an adjunct yet may be substantially profitable Time generally considered is a naturall adjunct and circumstance accompanying Humane Actions of what kind soever But yet such a circumstance as hath according as it may be ordered a reall as I may say a substantiall influence into the businesses for which such Action is performed and so may be substantially Profitable unto the maine businesse even according to naturall reason and in a constant course supposing the businesse not to be effected by one single and momentaneous Action V. This consideration hath been hurtfully neglected And Place unfitly paralelled with Time in Religion Which reallity of the effect of Time toward Morall Actions being not observed or not regarded by disputers in this Cause hath bred much confusion and occasioned manifold mistakes as appeares even by that one most common Assertion of all the adversaries That Time and Place are equall circumstances in Religion Which how false it is and how prejudiciall not to our Cause only but to Religion it selfe If we doe not anon demonstrate beyond the possibility of any reasonable deniall we shall despaire of ever prevailing in the Cause we have undertaken But on the contrary if we shall make manifest as we are confident by God helpe we shall That the one namely Time is of exceeding importance in Religion even without respect to any particular institution
readily improve this to a remarkable advantage And the unwilling will shift and make excuses as if still uncertain what they were determined unto and so discover their want of affection as the other their good affection to it But otherwise this manner of determination is in no wise sufficient for the whole or even for the chiefe Time for Learning toward either 1. the unwilling or 2. those that are in danger of Interruptions or 3. those that want Wisedome as was forenoted to share that Time equally between the varieties of businesse and so to secure sufficiently their maine businesse of Learning 6. XLV A particular determination may be taken away A determination for a particular action within the compasse of the bussnesse of Learning I may possibly for a while be profitable for that and afterward be so no more and so though it might have been of some use still in some respect yet withall it may now become a burden convenient to be taken away Notwithstanding which a conclusive determination for the chiefe Time for Learning may upon the grounds forenoted remain perpetually and undeniably a substantially-profitable determination and for this cause may be perpetuated when others are discharged of lesser consequence and whose primary immediate end now no longer recommends them so profitable as they were before 7. Finally XLVI A reservation is profitable when interruptions are foreseene to end these Considerations about the manner of Determinations and withall the whole about Time generally Where there is evidently to be foreseen some necessary Interruptions that will certainly or may in likelihood call off from the strict observation of the Time determined in any respect There it is profitable and even necessary to make it with sufficient reservations generall or particular for all such necessary Interruptions as refreshing the naturall spirits by eating or drinking or the like or dispatching any pressing sudden businesse and after those occasions satisfied that the strength of the Determination shall returne and stand in its proper force and validity for the residue of the Time determined Which will prevent its being really burdensome and all pretences that it is so when there is no cause to complaine And now how far all these Considerations of Time in Nature are appliable to Religion and the solemn Worship of God XLVII The conclusion though we cannot doubt but judicious eyes doe much discern already Yet for the satisfaction of all Readers we must distinctly and particularly set down in the ensuing Chapters And hope to doe it so clearly as to give satisfaction to the most if not to all which in matters of Controversie indeed seldome happens to the most rationall Discourse CHAP. VIII Considerations of Time in Relation to Religion and the Worship of God how farre it may be Profitable thereunto WEe come now to apply particularly unto the Worship of God what we have before laid downe in Generall concerning Time in relation to Morall Actions And this we doe by these steps following I. Time imployed in Religion is either Common or solemne 1. Time in reference to Religion and the Worship of God is considerable two wayes 1. As an attendant upon Duties of Worship which some call Common Time 2. As requiring Duties of Worship to attend it which is cald Solemne Time Common Time is that which attends actions This distinction is in part the same with that formerly layd downe of indeterminate and determinate Time For all indeterminate Time is Common Time and meerly an attendant upon Duties of Worship And all Solewne Time which requires Duties of Worship to attend it is determinate Time namely antecedently determined by God in Nature or in His Word or by some Superiour among men or by a mans owne resolution or vow But now in Religion some kind of determinate Time comes more properly under the notion of Common Time then of Solemne Time And so neither are indeterminate and common Time termes altogether reciprocall and convertible Nor yet determinate and solemne Time For some determinate Time such namely as is in any respect determined by the nature of any Dutie of Religion viz. of the Worship of God is as meerly an attendant upon the Dutie as any indeterminate Time being according to the description of indeterminate Time a meere circumstance and necessary to the Dutie not in any Theologicall Consideration but meerly Physicall and Naturall it being simply impossible in nature to performe those Duties without such concomitance attendance of Time As the Continuance of Time for the reading of a Chapter or of such a Liturgy or the like is plainly determined by the Nature of the Action and Physically necessary to the Action and so no more but common Time So that by common Time we understand both all indeterminate Time voluntarily and uncertainly applyed to Duties of Religion as also whatsoever Time the nature of any Dutie of Religion doth of it selfe determine in any respect And by solemne Time we understand only such determinate Time as is either by God or Man a Superiour or ones selfe Antecedently determined either for any one Dutie of Religion or Worship in speciall or generally for any Duties of Religion whatsoever 2. This being thus laid downe it followes II. This falls not properly under a Law That Time in the first Consideration of indeterminate and common Time cannot properly be said to fall under the Law of God or that any Commandement of His should at all medle with it As well because 1. It is no lesse then ridiculous to make a Law or even give a single command about that which whether we will or no will be sure to accompany our actions The Law in this takes order only for the action this or that Dutie to be performed and that carries Time such indeterminate and common Time along with it infallibly and unavoidably As also 2. for that the Command of God or even of Man being the efficient cause of the determination of solemne Time it is a formall contradiction to say That any Precept or Law Commands any Time altogether indeterminate For as soone as it medles with it it makes it determinate and solemne it determines it in one respect or other at least remissely and within a latitude As when we bid a man take Time to Pray or reade in the Scriptures or meditate of the Sermon he hath heard or learne a Catechisme or any such like thing though without any seeming determination of the Time in any respect It is yet certainly in true construction of the phrase an implicite determination of some Time at least of the Continuance and beginning both within some latitude or else such command of taking Time is altogether frivolous and idle In that as hath beene said it abundantly suffices to command the Dutie and then Time such indeterminate and common Time will be sure to attend it And this will appeare if the question be but put why one did bid take Time The
the Determination of that Solemne Time be in it self sinfull as in some considerations it may be in mens Determinations as we shall see It would be sin not to present or proportion Duties according to the Determination made namely 1. During the whole Continuance 2. Upon every Revolution 3. At the particular Season of the Time Determined Only it must not be forgotten That X. Yet admits of a Reservation If any Authenticke Reservation or Dispensation were made together with the Determination of such solemne Time in any respect Or be sufficiently delivered afterwards by the Authority that makes that Determination namely and specially by God whose Authority is most sacred and undeniably absolutely supreame in every thing or even by any Superiour Such Reservation or Dispensation for any particular case to interrupt the Determination and solemnity in any respect may be and ought to be allowed without imputation of sinne or check of Conscience and yet for the residue the Determination to stand strong and firme Of which we shall see some considerable Instances hereafter And the like is to be yielded where a man 's own Vow hath determined any Time to himselfe If the Reservation were made together with the Determination But afterward he hath no power to put in a reservation at his own pleasure upon the change of his mind Only he may make use of any such as Gods command in some other consideration may necessitate him occasionally to give way unto As for instance A man may by Vow determine to himselfe such a Day wholly to be spent in Humiliation Prayer and Fasting From this now no meere change of his own mind afterward nor ordinary occasion of wordly businesse can dispense with him for any part of the whole Day Unlesse with such Vow he did reserve a liberty to admit such or such Interruptions But the Providence of God may interrupt him and he then without any present sinne may give way to some necessary occasions which admit not of a delay whether concerning others or himselfe Such namely as God not only allowes but even commands to interrupt any Time by Himselfe determined as Quenching of a Fire Resisting of an Enemy Affording necessary help to a sick person a travelling woman or the like And if there were any sinne it was in making the Vow too strictly without such Reservation But where God hath not appointed a Reservation in Times by Him determined there a mans own Vow making a Determination of Time to himselfe will tye him fast so far as he made no Reservation together with the Determination it selfe even though it should prove some kind of outward inconvenience or prejudice to himselfe to observe it so strictly For as an Oath to man because God is called for a witnesse in it will bind him fast that makes it though it be to his own hindrance outwardly in some degree unlesse the matter of the Oath appeare when it should be performed to be against some Commandement of God So a Vow to God much more will bind any man though he cannot keep it after without some inconvenience to himselfe unlesse we say it crosse any other Command of God in regard of some other necessary duty or the like XI The profitablenesse of such a Determination for Religion And now we are to proceed to consider according to the method of the former Chapter what Profitablenesse or Necessity generally there is or may be in any Determinations of Time solemnly for Religion and Solemne Worship and that both Conjoyned and Solitary Worship with reference also both to the kindes of Determinations in regard of the Respects of Time themselves and of the manner of them likewise according to Rules of Religious Reason and Experience and the Law of Nature and Scripture Here first All the causes of a profitable and necessary Determination forenoted agree clearly and undeniably to commend a Determination of solemne Time for Religion and even call for it as necessary 1. It is without doubt a most important and necessary businesse XII 1. Religion and Gods worship is a most important and necessary businesse and most worthy to have Time determined for it to tender Worship to God solemnly and accordingly to promote the Soules good It is the most important and most necessary businesse of oll other Gods Worship is the primary and chiefest end of Mans Creation Being and comming into the World and continuing in it And the Soules good is the secondary and next principall end of Mans life and abiding in the World His worldly businesses and even the good of his Body come but in the third place to be matters of necessity or importance If therefore for any thing it is or can be profitable and necessary to have Time determined it is for Religion certainly and for worshipping of God in the first place that He may have glory from us and our Soules blessing from Him And this Profit and Necessity for our Soules is now since the Fall exceedingly increased because thereby we fell from all our happinesse in regard of our Soules And so if any pretence could be alleadged that it was not necessary for Adam in innocencie to have any determinate Time for Solemn Worship to which Question we shall give some occasionall touches as we goe along it not now deserving a long dispute However we to be sure who are in a lost condition by Nature stand in need of Time to be determined for our Soules to seek againe from God by solemne waiting upon Him assured Reconciliation and recovery of our lost felicity in Him 2. By what we have in the Chapter concerning Solemn Worship XIII 2. It is impossible to worship God solemnly and doe any other businesse the while discoursed It appears sufficiently that it is impossible to attend it and other businesses of the World together at the same Time Not only because divers Worldly businesses in the nature of them take up the whole of Time or the whole of a man for the Time while they are doing and so leave not room for so much as Ejaculatory Worship or any thing toward God or the Soules good for some instants But also for that it is the proper nature of Solemn Worship even though Solitary to take up the whole man and so the whole Time whiles that Worship is presenting and it is so much profanesse as a man unlesse in cases by God allowed interrupts for the least moment of Time his Solemn Worship or affords any of that Time to any thing but God and his Soule That therefore there may be some fit Time for Solemn Worship N. B. and other fit Time for Worldly businesse it is clearly profitable to have some Determination of Time for Religion and in a degree necessary It is Heavenly-mindednesse and a gilding of our Earthly imployments to intermingle Ejaculatory Worship with them But it is Earthly-mindednesse and adulterating our Solemn Devotions if we willingly meddle with any Worldly
God But these are still but accidentall Considerations as we said before and not having that direct and substantiall influence into Religion that the Continuance and Frequencie of Time determined hath and namely that the Continuance of a whole Day in the frequent revolution of a Week of seven Dayes hath which we say was together in Time determined Gen. 2.3 with that seventh Day in order for the Quando or particular Day for that World But before it in Nature the particular Day that Seventh being in Nature after one of seven And undoubtedly one Day of seven was determined in the fourth Commandement And we say That and no more directly and substantially commanded and determined there and hope to prove it sufficiently in due place time as being of substantiall importance to Religion and the worship of God which God then gave out his CoÌ„mandements to settle the substantials of N. B. All other Commandements of the Decalogue are wholly substantiall and so perpetuall The Fourth then being substantiall for one day in seven for Religion This may conclude that to be the whole substance of the Commandement and not that particular seventh day which hath no substantiality in it And then that one day in seven is likewise perpetuall as appears by all the other CoÌ„mandements of the first Table by all the Commandements of the second Table being substantials of duty to Man And that the 7th day Sabbath though then in force was not at all directly commanded there nor as any part of the substance of it as being not of any substantiality toward Religion more then any other day of the seven Would then have been if then commanded by God as that was before that time Or then the Lords day is now supposing it commanded now as we doe by God or even commanded only by the Church as they suppose if it be but certain that the old Day is no longer in force In a word This is that we say think we have clearly proved from the nature of the respects of Time toward Religion as before toward study for Learning or any other Civill businesse That the Quando Season or Order of Beginnings viz. This or that particular Day first or last of seven or of any other number hath no Materiality or Substantiality in it toward Religion to make it be profitably determined rather then such another of such a number but only accidentally And so in this Consideration to be greatly inferiour to the Quamdiu or continuance as also to the Quoties or frequencie of revolution which are so mainly profitable as we shewed before 3. Whence it followes clearly as was also said before in relation to Learning That whereas a Determination of the Continuance and Frequencie of Time for Religion XXIII Therefore there may be an alteration of it without hurt to Religion whether of either of them singly or both of them joyntly cannot be altered in any remarkable degree without an answerable alteration in the Profit of it toward Religion namely the Profit must needs be greater if it be altered from a lesse proportion to a greater as from halfe a Day to a whole Dayes continuance and from the Frequencie of one Day in seven to one in six or five and so the profit will be lesse if altered from a greater proportion to a lesse as from a whole dayes continuance to 3 or 4 houres only of a day and from the frequencie of one day in seven to one in eight or ten only and consequently a determination of these respects of time remains in the nature of it constantly perpetually profitable to Religion It is quite otherwise with the Season or Order of Time for Religion For of that there may be a remarkable alteration as from the last Day of seven to the first of seven from Evening to Morning * It is ususually taken for granted that the Sabbath of old began in the Evening This we doe not affirme nor yet altogether deny but shall consider it hereafter But now we speak of it by way of supposition that it â—â—d so begin or the like and yet no alteration at all unlesse in some Accidentall Considerations forenoted in the Profit of it In as much as still God and the Soule may have the same proportion of Time both for Continuance and Frequencie singly or jointly and so as much substantiall advantage and no more be toward Religion in the alteration of the Season or Order of Beginning as was before this was altered We say again there is no substantiall convenience or inconvenience profit or disadvantage to Religion in the perpetuating or changing the Season or Order of Beginning from one Day of the Week to another or from Evening to Morning * Whereas we say It makes no substantiall change in the profit to alter the Beginning from Evening to Morning We yet conceive an accidentall profit by it in that by the meanes of the beginning in the Morning we are sure to have the Continuance if for a whole Day not to be ended while we are awake The profit of which we shall argue hereafter But that if no accidentall Consideration recommend a Change that Season or Order of Beginning may be perpetuated under the New Testament which was under the Old without prejudice to Religion And if any Accidentall Consideration doe recommend a Change that Season or Order of Beginning the Day or Time for beginning the Day may be changed and that fitly so it be done by sufficient authority Also in that change It is all one what Season or Order of Beginning be placed in the stead of the former unlesse there be some particular accidentall consideration that recommends one rather then another and then that for that cause is fittest to be chosen and determined accordingly And these things we affirme of the alteration of the Season or Order of Beginning under the Old Testament from the last Day of the Week to the first Day of the Week and from beginning in the Evening to beginning in the Morning This alteration is without any substantiall prejudice to Religion so long as the Determination of the Continuance and Frequencie joyntly that is of one whole Day in seven remaines unaltered Also it is without any substantiall profit For still there is just the same and no more nor lesse advantage toward Religion Gods honour and the Soules good that there was before And God altering it as we say He hath done the Authority is unquestionably sufficient And we have also sufficient ground recommending such an alteration and such a choice even supposing as our Anti-Sabbatarians doe that God hath put over this authority to the Church not only from the Type annexed to the old Day but from a greater benefit then that which the Old Day was a memoriall of namely the Redemption of the World being above the Creation and this Redemption completed in the morning of the Resurrection day while withall
Or 2. thereby to hinder the necessary businesses of mens worldly callings wherein againe the Papists offend in making their Holy-dayes so frequent as that they are exceeding burdensome specially to the poorer sort And this also is possible to be a fault even in voluntary attendances upon Religion sometimes If any doe it so as thereby to neglect their callings ordinarily and remarkably they offend though not against the fourth Commandement properly but only against the indulgence therein granted of six Dayes worke ordinarily and directly against the eighth Commandement or any other that properly concernes their particular callings But avoyding these errours we say no Church nor no Man is to be blamed but commended rather for determining or voluntary applying any Times for Râ—ligion the solemne Worship of God and looking after the soules good the weekely Sabbath or Lords Day of Gods determination being not Exclusive nor any other as we have said XXXIV 2. An initiall determination is certainly profitable 2. In the next place we affirme that an initiall determination may be certainly profitable to Religion Namely Where there is but so much wisdome that by determining so much Continuance or such a Frequencie or such a Season there will be or can be no prejudice to bodily necessities and necessary worldly occasions Not as concluding so much and so often to be enough for the whole or chiefe Time for Religion for that were to make it a Conclusive determination of which our next Consideration is to speake But that so much and so often may infallibly be allowed And therefore so much and so often at least may be determined and as for a beginning for which cause we count the terme of an initiall determination proper And this will according to the proportions of it be so farre forth serviceable and profitable to Religion and particularly against unwillingnesses and unnecessary interruptions As for instance it may be at least for some men and so hath been found in experience very profitable to determine to themselves at least a quarter of an houre in the morning every Day and as much at night or toward night for Religion and solitary attendance upon God And such a like proportion or more for their Family-devotions morning or noone night or evening That at least we say so much so often shall be imployed and when they have freedome they may enlarge the Continuance specially or sometimes even the Frequencie voluntarily and according to occasions And this is properly an initiall determination and it cannot be denied but such an one may be profitable as hath been shewed XXXV A conclusive determination is not profitable in some cases 3 Now for a Conclusive determination and namely of both the Continuance and Frequencie joyntly seeing that it is the chiefe determination of Time for Religion generally or the determination of the chiefe Time for the Generall of Religion which come all to one as hath been intimated before There is a twofold Consideration to be noted one shewing in what cases such a determination can with no probability be conceived to be profitable to Religion The other declaring upon what conditions it may be certainly and infallibly profitable For the first of these this we say That a Conclusive determination of the Continuance and Frequencie of Time joyntly cannot in all probability be profitably made by such persons as want either such wisdome or willingnesse or authority as is plainly requisite to a determination of this Nature viz. of the chiefe Time for Religion For 1. if they want wisdome 1. When men want wisdome either to set out the whole proportion as how many houres in all in so many Dayes or to distribute this proportion fitly between the Continuance and Frequency as they may erre in either case and on either hand in either case so in all probability they are like to erre one way or other If they be affectionately zealous for Religion they may possibly erre in determining too large a proportion too long a Continuance and too frequent a Revolution On the other side if they be sollicitous for worldly businesse they may determine too little a proportion and so too short a Continuance or too seldome a Revolution or both And if they mistake not the proportion and that they should not consent to what we before discoursed of the greater profit in the largest Continuance as perhaps some may not assent to it then againe they may erre perhaps not a little in sharing the proportion between the Continuance and Frequencie and both faile of advancing Religion so much as they might have done as also greatly prejudice mens worldly businesses which in conclusion may happen to fall upon Religion againe For that men in those cases will be apt to make too bold with the religious Time under pretence of necessity at least In a word this Time being to be the necessary and ordinarily sufficient chiefe solemne Time of Worship Where there wants wisdome to judge 1. What is necessary and 2. What is ordinarily sufficient for the chiefe solemne Time in regard both of Continuance Frequency joyntly It may as well be conceived that a blind man will find the right way where there are divers turnings of which he is not aware as that there can be a profitable Conclusive determination made for Religion by such Persons XXXVI 2. Or willingnesse 2. If they want willingnesse to imploy Time in religious Duties themselves and so to have others imploy Time in it It is yet much more certaine that the determination will not be profitably made For they must needs both be apt to think not so much or so often to be necessary as indeed is and so to misse-judge the whole proportion counting much lesse or seldomer sufficient then they should doe As also howsoever for want of affection to forbear to determine themselves or others to any such proportion as they have no will should be observed Of which there needs no other proofe then that of too many pretenders at large to Religion that are so farre from determining any Time to themselves or their families where they thinke themselves wholly left at Liberty that they never so much as observe any voluntarily in any constancie and much lesse have any families-devotions scarce thanksgivings before or after meals at all through the whole years or their whole lives What likelyhood then can there be that such or even much better then they supposing them to be yet in the ranke of the unwilling will ever make a profitable determination of the necessary and ordinarily sufficient chiefe solemne Time for Religion As soone will a covetous man tax himselfe and his posterity to as much as is fit for such to pay weekly and yearly even to the worlds end who yet by his good will cannot afford to part with a farre smaller proportion and grudges at any thing that is laid upon him though farre short of his due XXXVII 3. Or
further in any certain Determination of any more distinctly then we formerly asserted in the explication of this first Position XII 2. It is Morall by the first Commandement But we think good first to interpose our second Position noted in the Title of the Chapter That the Determinate Solemn Time forenoted and argued to be Morall-Naturall is within the compasse of the first Commandement To prove which we propound this ensuing Argument XIII Argum. That which requires that we give not God too little Time at once or too seldome Time in a revolution comprehends under it such a Determinate Solemn Time as hath been mentioned both for Continuance and Frequencie But the first Commandement requires that we give not God too little Time at once or too seldome Time in a revolution Ergo. The Major is cleare from the former grounds in that the Sin and the Duty must needs come both under the same Commandement The Minor may be two wayes confirmed 1. 1 Confirmation That Commandement which requires an acknowledgement that the Lord is our God and the soveraigne Lord of us and all our Time requires that we give Him not too little Time at once or too seldome Time in a revolution But the first Commandement requires that acknowledgement that the Lord is our God and soveraigne Lord of us and all our Time Ergo. The Major is certain because the sin of giving God too little Time at once and too seldome Time in a revolution is contrary to the forementioned acknowledgement The Time being therefore too little and too seldome for Him and His worship because He is the supreme Lord of us and all our Time and as we said before the Sin and the Duty must needs be both under one Commandement The Minor cannot be denied in that the affirmative part of the first Commandement being expresly to have the Lord for our God This necessarily includes the acknowledgement of Him to be our absolute Soveraigne and Lord of all our Time and whatsoever else we can call ours or else some other must be acknowledged Lord of it either our selves or some other creatures and to affirme that were to make such creatures our God Therefore the owning the Lord to be our God requires and comprehends such an acknowledgement and such duty and forbids such sin 2. The second confirmation of the Minor of the first Syllogisme XIV 2 Confirmation may be thus conceived That Commandement which requires the acknowledgement that God is our Happinesse requires that we give Him not too little Time at once or too seldome in a revolution for attendance upon Him and converse with Him But the first Commandement requireth that acknowledgement that God is our Happinesse Ergo. The Major is manifest from the former grounds again because the sin of giving God too little Time or too seldome Time is contrary to that acknowledgement of Him being our Happinesse For what ever a man counts his Happinesse he doth and can doe no otherwise then devote much and often Time to it to attend and enjoy it being carried to his Happinesse with all his strength And Love which is the immediate off-spring of such accounting any thing our Happinesse both commands a mans Time and all else of him in thankfulnesse and kindnesse and wisedome for the service of and converse with that object loved Neither can love afford to offend in giving too little or too seldome Time But it is a sin against love and a manifestation of the want of love so far forth to scanty or abridge Time either for Continuance or Frequencie The Minor is no lesse easily proved Because that is plainly our God which to serve and enjoy is our happinesse As for that reason mainly Money is called the covetous mans god Honour the ambitious mans god Pleasure the voluptuous Epicures and he whose happinesse it is to pamper his belly is he that makes his belly his god In like sort we have not the Lord to be our God which the first Commandement requires unlesse He be our happinesse or which comes to all one unlesse to serve and enjoy Him be our happines As then Prophanenesse Covetousnesse and Worldly-mindednesse are sins against the first Commandement undeniably and they so take up the Time for our own carnall selfe and the creatures as that they are the causes and the only causes why any gives God too little or too seldome Time so they prove that the sin of giving God too little or too seldome Time comes under the compasse of the said first Commandement and consequently that that first Commandement requires such a determinate solemne Time as we have spoken of XV. A Consequence thereof for Continuance and Frequencie both And this which we have now asserted considered by it selfe we conceive that every one even our very Adversaries will and must grant us But when we shall come to make our Inference from it Namely that not only a Remissely determinate Time for Religion but even an Initiall determination both of some solemne Continuance of Time and some solemne Frequencie of Revolution being commanded in the first Commandement both singly and jointly it will thence follow that nothing is left for the fourth Commandement but only the precise and conclusive determination of a whole Dayes continuance in the revolution of seven Dayes as the chiefe Time for Religion and so if the Commandement be not in force now for one Day in seven it is altogether void and there are not now ten Commandements but only nine When we say we shall thus urge them from hence as we suppose we may most justly and strongly they will interpose some Exceptions against this Position of ours concerning the first Commandement including such Determinations of Time as we have named of which kinde we have already met with some from some Discourses We shall therefore in the next Part where this application is properly to be made propound such Exceptions as we can conceive may be made against it and accordingly as we hope sufficiently satisfie them And then so many as dare not directly take away the fourth Commandement wholly will be forced to yield it in force as we contend for one Day in seven even from this very Argument besides all others Mr. Broad indeed hath ventured to be so audacious as to reject this Commandement wholly and one or two more of our Disputers doe now and then speak very broadly towards it as shall be noted in due place But we suppose the most even of those that as yet consent not with us for the perpetuity of one Day in seven are not yet grown to that confidence but that they will rather yield to our assertion of that then altogether to throw away the Commandement For their sakes it is and for other conscientious Christians who count themselves bound to cleave to the whole Decalogue for the Reasons before alleadged in the 2. 3. 4. and 5. Chapters that we take paines to maintaine that
Day as their Naturall spirits can hold out unto as they are able to continue waking in the service of God But it doth not bind all then equally to the same proportions of minutes because all are not able to wake equally one as long as an other But so farre as men are able it binds all equally all being bound to serve God in the Day with all their strength the strength of all their Naturall abilities And so much we shall presently see The Law of Nature commands every one of mankind and more then so much it doth not command whether the Continuance be longer or shorter compared with others XXIV Answ 2. 2. But with all we say If any one of mankind through neglect of the service of God or misse-devotion to it doe willingly sleepe more and wake lesse Time then he need to doe whether againe the Continuance compared with other men be longer or shorter he is and will be found a transgressour against this Law of Nature For this is but corruption in him though perhaps he may pretend Naturall infirmity But of that and all other such like pretences this Rule in a word may be a certaine and sufficient judge That what Continuance soever a man is able to keep himselfe waking in a Day about any worldly businesse or matter of pleasure gaming or the like he is able to keepe himselfe according to Nature the same Continuance of Time in the service of God in one or other exercise of Religion which Naturally weary not the spirits more then worldly matters but rather lesse then many worldly matters and the varieties may refresh and doe greatly the mind so farre as carnallity and corruption oversway not And therefore in the first stating of this position concerning a Day to be determined by the Law of Nature we distinguisht Naturall abilities from corruption For we take it for a most undeniable Truth That corruption doth not hinder the Law of Nature from commanding to the utmost of Naturall abilities as long at least as it exceeds not them For the loving and so serving God withall our strength as was toucht before is infallibly of the Law of Nature and yet no mans corruption now suffers him to yeeld God so much love and service This also made be made good in manifold particular instances That the Law of Nature doth command us to doe things which now according to Our corruption it is impossible for any man to doe As to pray or read or hear the Word when ever he doth any of these Duties with a steady fixed heart and mind without any distractions or worldly thoughts at all that while for that they are so farre forth a taking of Gods holy name in vaine Yet this no man is able now to doe as all mens consciences will confesse even though they imploy but a very short Continuance in it And now we come to prove XXV An argument to prove that nature determines a dayes continuance that a Dayes Continuance for Religion is determined by the Law of Nature from grounds and principles in Nature which we have formerly made use of If it be sin against the Law of Nature never in a mans life to give God a whole Day at once then the Law of Nature determines to every man a whole Dayes Continuance once at least in his life But it is sinne against the Law of Nature never to God a whole Day at once Ergo The consequence is undeniable The Antecedent is thus further made good That which is contrary to the acknowledgement of Gods being the Lord of us and all our Time and Gods being our happinesse is a sinne against the Law of Nature But never in a mans life to give God a whole Day at once is contrary to those acknowledgements Ergo. The Major is most plaine and certaine The Minor also may be infallibly proved Because those acknowledgments call for as much Continuance at once as Nature can possibly determine and possibly give at once where all that a man hath is due that debt cannot be satisfied unlesse all be tendred to Him So unlesse all the Continuance of a Day be tendred to God he hath not all that is due to Him as Lord of all our Time Also where a man acknowledges his whole happinesse to lie that cannot but carry him with the whole of his strength to the utmost Continuance Nature hath to give For all that a man doth is toward his happinesse and nothing can draw his mind from it while his acknowledgement of it failes not Now we have already shewed that Nature can and doth determine such a Day to every man for businesse of what kind soever and that it can give it wholly to God imploy it wholly in the service of God taking in specially the Reservations of any necessary refreshings which Nature and not corruption calling for God allowes and any extraordinary other Necessary interruption as we have formerly said Therefore never throughout a mans life to give God that which Nature is so able to give Him is against those acknowledgements of Gods Soveraignty and His being our Happinesse and so a sinne against the Law of Nature XXVI An objection answered If here it be objected That the same Argument will as well prove the whole Continuance of every Day of our life as of one Day which yet it doth not doe nor cannot because our Naturall necessities allowed by God and even commanded by the Law of Nature as it concernes the second Table duties admits it not And therefore the Argument is either false or impertinent or both We answer that the Objection furnishes us with sufficient justification of the Arguments both truth and pertinencie For we grant according to the Objection that God in the Law of Nature commands to attend necessary Worldly businesses as well we say not as much that is as absolutely necessarily as His services and the pursuing immediately of the Soules happinesse in and by them Therefore in sensu composito it is not true that the Argument proves the whole of every Dayes continuance to be determined by the Law of Nature for Religion and Gods immediate worship Although in sensu diviso it proves of every particular Day that is this or that Quando as well as of one But we propound it not of any particular Day in respect of the Quando or Season this or that Day but only of one single Continuance of a Day And so it is both true and pertinent It is true For though naturall necessities of Worldly businesses will not admit the whole Continuance of every Day one after another that is the Quoties or Revolution joyned to the Continuance which we meddle not with in the Argument Yet they will certainly admit one Day in a mans life we mean ordinary businesses will and for extraordinary necessities we grant as before Reservation for them if they should fall out when a man were upon that one Dayes devotions Therefore
calling for a Revolution and Frequencie of a whole Day though we say not that it can pitch upon the Frequencie of a Seventh Dayes revolution Of which more anon XXX Another scruple satisfied If any after all shall say That we have forgotten to put into this Argument one thing before mentioned in the way to it namely That the Coninuance which the Law of Nature determines conclusively is the longest Continuance that naturall abilities can hold out unto at once which we have not yet affirmed of a Day VVe answer in a word 1. That we conceive it needlesse to take much paines to prove that the a Day of 24 houres is the longest Continuance at once that the naturall abilities of all mankind generally is able to bestow upon the worship of God or any other businesse For if sleep be so necessary as it is ordinarily to all men within that time which is a most formall interruption or breaking of the Continuance of any businesse as that not one of a hundred perhaps doth or can watch at any time a whole 24 houres together Then much lesse can it be imagined that all men should be able to hold out to a longer Continuance without such naturally necessary interruption 2. Also that we may justly say that after such a formall interruption as sleep upon the necessity of Nature is and a new Day in Nature beginning The next Time suppose any were further determined upon a mans waking were rather belonging to the Quoties or Frequencie as being a Revolution of a New Day as we said then simply to the Continuance so notoriously interrupted and ended from a necessity of Natures making Though also if there were an expresse and distinct determination further upon that second Day of any Continuance of Time then that determination were not neither a single determination of the Quoties or Frequencie but of it and the Quamdiu or Continuance jointly As in the Fast of Ester three Dayes one after another XXXI How far Nature determines the Frequencie And so we proceed to our second Question about the Law of Natures Determination of Time namely about the Frequencie How far the Law of Nature will lead us toward a Conclusive Determination thereof that is of the greatest Frequencie even single without any Continuance added to it and whether it can as well make a Conclusive Determination of the Frequencie as we have shewed that it doth of the Continuance For resolution hereof although it may seeme faire to affirme That if we shall speak according to the Naturall divisions of Time and so the Naturall revolutions distinctly observable by Naturall Rules even without art among all men all the world over the Law of Nature doth determine even conclusively the Frequency of every Day that is so often the Law of Nature doth require for the Worship of God from all men by way of command but no oftener though not forbidding oftener but only seldomer because Nature seemes to have no Frequenter distinct revolution then a Day And that it hath and is able to observe and take notice of and accordingly is able to Worship God even solemnely so often There being no impediment imaginable why within the Revolution of every Day a man may not give God some solemne Worship But we say though this seemes a faire assertion and sutable to what we had before of the Naturall Continuance of a Day yet if we shall speake Practically and Ethically as we did partly before of the Continuance we must deliver our selves somewhat otherwise and indeed so we must also in a meer Physicall or Astronomicall consideration of the Revolution of a Day And 1. XXXII Twice a day at least then in that consideration we say that the Law of Nature if it make any Conclusive determination of the Frequency of Time for Gods worship it must be of twice every Day Because there is indeed a two-fold revolution or Frequency observable in every Day Naturally the beginning and the end In each of which it is undoubtedly possible to tender to God some Worship And so it is Practically A mans first waking and his lying downe to sleepe are two distinct observable Revolutions appliable to Gods Worship we doe not now here speake of the Quando whether Natures Law doth command to take the first Time of waking and the last Time before sleep for solemne Worship that may be considered afterward But we say that these two are distinct and observable revolutions of Time in every Day And so each of them affording a remarkable possibility of Worshipping God The Law of Nature upon the former grounds of Gods being our happinesse and the Soveraigne Lord of all our Time cannot but determine both those Times to make a Conclusive determination of the Frequency if any such may be made or at least an Initiall determination that is so often at least as twice in every Day once in the morning and once toward night the Law of Nature doth determine for solemne Worship to every man This we meane of such Dayes as we call working Dayes out of which Natures Law determines twice every such Day to tender some solemne Worship to God As well as it doth the whole of one Day in a mans life as we discoursed before of which Day or any such Dayes we speake not in this Argument Because though the particular Duties are divers on such a Day and some to be repeated twice or oftener as prayer Yet this in the whole is counted but once one Continuance because no worldly thing unlesse by reason of present necessity for which a reservation is made may come in and interrupt the Continuance at all But now therefore when we speake of twice a Day we speake of those Dayes which are mainly for worldly businesses that even notwithstanding that they are so by Gods allowance and appointment N. B. whether in Nature or Scripture yet the Law of Nature doth determine a double Frequency of Religious services every such Day of every mans life Only we say not that any Continuance is strictly determined with this Frequency that so long a man must continue at his devotions twice every Day But that so oft at least for the Frequency the Law of Nature commands we thus in a word further make plaine XXXIII Confirmed by reason If it be sinne against the Law of Nature not to worship God every Day twice then the Law of Nature determines to every man the Frequency of every Day twice But it is a sinne against the Law of Nature not to Worship God every Day twice Ergo. The consequence hath been confirmed by like Arguments The Antecedent is also certainly thus made good That which is contrary to the acknowledgement of Gods being the Lord of all our Time and our happinesse is a sinne against the Law of Nature but not to worship God every day twice is contrary to those acknowledgements Ergo. The Major cannot be denied and hath often been
proved The Minor is also infallible because that acknowledgment calls for as Frequent Worship of God as Nature can possibly point out and possibly give to God But we have already shewed how Nature doth point out clearly and distinctly two Revolutions of Time every Day and that it is infallibly possible to apply both of them to give God some Worship at least in a short Continuance as a minute or halfe a minute together Therefore not to give God so oft some Worship is against that acknowledgement and so a sin against the Law of Nature which also it is more then probable God meant to teach his people by the appointment of the daily morning and evening Sacrifice And this Frequency of twice every Day for some solemne Worship of God though it primarily respect Solitary Worship XXXIV 1 With respect to solitary worship which is as we said in a former Chapter the most Essentially and Properly Morall-Naturall solemne Worship and Perpetually necessary as being perpetually possible for even while a man is in the midst of a crowde it is possible for him to present to God such solitary and secret Worship as we have described to be solemne even the whole man being intent on no other thing for that while how short so ever the Continuance prove So that we cannot possibly conceive what can hinder a man and so what can excuse him from such tender of some solemne Worship to God solitary and single by himself twice every Day Namely between morning and noon and between noon and his sleeping at night Yet withall 2. As also to family worship we wish all those that have or may have company to joyn with them in Family Worship to consider seriously between God and their consciences whether the forementioned grounds for solemne family Worship be so far forth also Morall-Naturall as it is possible to be performed with any conveniency and then the Argument but even now mentioned laid together will not also evince it to be Morall-Naturall for such to performe solemne family worship as often namely twice a Day once in the morning or toward noon and once in the evening or at night We are very sensible That this will be a very harsh pill for many Readers to swallow familie Duties being so exceedingly neglected and even disputed against by very many as no where commanded in Scripture Therefore we only propound it againe to all consciences to weigh in sobriety what just hinderances they can have and so what excuses they can possibly plead which God will accept of if they tender him not such Worship so often they and all their families ordinarily And whether a quarter of an houre or halfe a quarter at a Time can be refused by any but minds forgetfull of the Soveraignty of God and the obligation they owe to Him for His Protection and Blessing Night and Day preserving from dangers and prospering endeavours and the dependance they have upon Him continually without whom sinne and misery will at all seiasons seze upon them and againe forgetfull that their Spirituall Happinesse lies in Him conversing with Him and pursuing and enjoying His Favour And then we suppose the issue of their religious and conscientious thoughts will be no other then that rather more and oftener then seldomer and lesse is due to God and necessary for them and their families for their owne good of soule and body spirituall and even temporall namely to secure a blessing upon themselves every way Daily XXXV Nature cannot make a conclusive determination of the Frequency But to returne to our Question whether thus often by a Conclusive Determination of the Frequencie for Solemne Worship and that the Law of Nature doth require no oftner then twice a Day Besides that if that be good which we have but now discoursed of twice required for solitary Worship and twice for family Worship also we have already gotten to four times a day instead of twice we add yet further that we cannot absolutely rest here for a certain definite and determinate number or Frequency For if we speake still Practically as we must in matter of Religion These determinations of twice or foure Times every Day will not infallibly satisfie the Law of Nature Nor indeed any other number of Frequency that can be named And so in a word we say That the Law of nature cannot possibly make a Conclusive determination of the Frequency of Time considered simply for Gods VVorship that is That so often should be peremptorily necessary for all men and no oftener and so that so often should be sufficient for all men generally considered The reason of it although some particulars might be yet obliged to some what oftener The reason hereof is plainly this That Practically it is possible to observe a revolution of Time wherein we may if we have hearts to it set our selves to Worship God even solemnely as oft as our minds cease from being taken up wholly with any worldly businesse and that such businesse will by any means admit an interruption of a minute or halfe a minute to lift up the soule to God in Prayer or Prayses and this may possibly be manifold Times in a Day even innumerable before hand And now the Law of Nature from those often mentioned and ever to be thought on acknowledgements of Gods being our Soveraigne Lord and of all our Time and our happinesse and so to be infinitely preferred before our selves and all our worldly businesses will be constantly calling upon us in all those Revolutions of Time to â—ender to Him some Worship how short soever And from this no consideration of Gods not only dispensation but command to imploy our selves in worldly callings and performe such worldly businesses as are necessary accordingly can be pretended to be a sufficient discharge absolutely and alwayes For we have before proved in the Chapter of Solemn Worship and it is not denied by any that we know That it is oftentimes a Duty which we now say is according to the Law of Nature not only in the midst of Worldly businesses to tender some Ejaculatory Worship to God namely Prayers and Praises But even upon sundry occasions to interrupt for a little while our Worldly businesses wholly to pray to Him and praise Him somewhat solemnly Therefore we say againe that these occasions being impossible to be numbred before-hand for any one man and much lesse for all generally there can be no certain Conclusive Determination of the Frequencie by the Law of Nature that just so often and no oftner should be necessary for solemn worshipping of God by all men And now from this we go on to our third Question propounded XXXVI Nature cannot make a conclusive determination of the Continuance and Frequencie jointly concerning the joyning of these two Respects of Time the Continuance and Frequencie both in one Conclusive Determination that is Whether the Law of Nature can possibly make a Conclusive Determination of
did so very much by the advantage and even necessity of their Callings being spirituall and in the road of Religion and their minds withall full of zeale and religious affections And thus we are the more inclined to believe because the very same Divines when they think of other men speak very fairly toward the Perpetuity of a seventh day Sabbath as necessary for all men As may be seen among others by that one place of him who is esteemed the chiefest of the Disputers against it of Mr. Calvin we meane in his Commentary upon Genesis 2.3 who thus speakes Benedictio ista nihil aliuâ—â—est quam solemnis consecratio qua sibi Deus studia occupationes hominum asserit die septimo Est quidem legitima hac totiua vitae meditatio in qua se quotidic exerceant immensam Dei bonitatem justitiam virtutem sapientiam in hoc magnifico coeli terraeque theatro considerare verum si fortominus sedulo quam par esset ad cam intenti essent homines ad supplendum quod assiduae meditationi deerat septimuâ— quisque dies peculiariter delectus est Primum ergo quievit Deus deinde benedixit hanc quietem in soeculis omnibus inter homines sancta soret vel septimum quemque diem quieti dicerit ut suum exemplum perpetua esset regula Denique sacra est ista vocatio quae homines mundi impedimentis eripit ut totos Dei cultui addicant Praetereasciendâ—â— est non 〈◊〉 tantum vel atatis vel populi sed totias humani generis commune esse hoc exercition Quies spirituisis est carnis mortificatio ne ampliussibi vivant filli Dei aut propriae voluntati indulgeant Quod eam Sabbathum figuravit temporale fuisse dico Quod autem ab initio mandatum fuit hominibus nise exerceant in Dei cultu meâ—ito ad mundi finem usque durare oportet Calv. in Gen. 2. That Blessing is nothing but a solemn Consecration whereby God challenges to Himselfe the cares and imployments of Man And afterward To supply the defects of Daily Meditation every seventh Day was peculiarly chosen First GOD rested and then He blessed this rest that it might be holy among Men in all ages He dedicated every seventh Day to rest that His example might be a perpetuall rule And again This Vocation is sacred which takes men off from Worldly impediments to give themselves wholly to GOD. And yet further VVe must know that this is the common exercise not of one Age or People only but of all Mankinde And finally after he had mentioned another end afterward added to the Sabbath under the Law to the Jews namely typicall of Christ he remarkably concludes with these words That the Sabbath did figure that sc our Mortification it was temporary But that it was given to Men from the beginning that they should exercise themselves in the VVorship of GOD worthily it ought to endure to the VVorlds end Thus he Than which and so the whole of the matter in that place nothing can be spoken more judiciously or more Orthodoxly But other where he and others forgetting we believe the necessary Worldly businesses of other men seem to speak as it besides a time for Publike Worship there were no other Sabbath now but a continuall every-dayes Sabbath It being as we said very much so with themselves and so they not finding a speciall need of a seventh Day wholly to be a Sabbath in regard of themselves spake more unwarily of the Commandement than we are perswaded they would now have done if they had lived in our Time and seen their own and other people undone by prophanations of it VVhich hath made also divers Divines of those Parts to speak more fully for the fourth Commandement of late then formerly as we shall note hereafter But this by the way and in a kind of digression not unusefull we hope And so having cleared our meaning in the Minor of our Argument we come to prove it Namely That without a Chiefe Time determined sufficiently for Solemn Worship Religion cannot certainly stand among all men Thus we further argue If without a sufficient Time determined both for Continuance XLIII The Minor confirmed and Frequencie jointly no sufficient Time will be generally observed among Mankind for Religion Then without such a Time determined Religion cannot certainly stand among all Mankind But without such a sufficient Time determined no sufficient Time will be generally observed Ergo Without such a sufficient Time determined Religion cannot certainly stand among all Mankind The Consequence of this Argument may be undeniably made good by the consideration that without a sufficient Time observed for Religion Men who are borne void of the knowledge of God and unapt enough to learne it will never attaine a sufficiencie of knowledge for the honouring of God in their hearts and lives and saving their own souls Nor is it imaginable that they can possibly come to such knowledge either by the Continuance of one whole Day once in their lives of which we disputed before or by the addition of a few Minutes twice or thrice or four times every Day by snatches and sudden fits Mans nature is too froward too much corrupted to learn the mystery of heaven and salvation so by the by as experience superabundantly proclaimes even where there is a great deale more Time then so allotted to it and observed for it Also 2. without such a sufficient Time observed for Religion The great duty of love to God which is the fundamentall affection and even the summe of all Piety can never in an ordinary course be attained or preserved or exercised and exprest Men are as averse from Gods love as ignorant in the knowledge of Him And even though they have a knowledge of the Doctrine of God as many have not only competently but even eminently by having been trained up to it and having spent much time upon it from their youth up yet they may be Atheists in regard of affection and wholly devoid of all love to God And there is no ordinary meanes to work their hearts to such a holy love but by their being busied a convenient space of Time and that frequently in the services of God hearing of Him and meditating of Him and the like whereby they may come to be convinced of the reality and certainty of those divine truths which they have learned to know and see a necessity of loving and imbracing them and God in them above all Acquaintance breeds love between those that were strangers So doth acquaintance with God by the observation of sufficient convenient times of attendance upon His Ordinances Also if in any some beginning of love and affection be bred there is no preserving of it from decay but by frequent and conveniently continued intercourses and converses in holy duties Any man that disuses these or curtals the Times of them will and doth find in himselfe if he consider himselfe
at all a sensible coldnesse and a strangenesse grow upon him to the utter endangering of all the love of God in his soule which in the mean time the World in generall and particular Creatures which have encroached upon his Times have stollen also away even all the love from God which can never be regained unlesse by renewing even with enlargement oftentimes the former Continuances and Frequencies of Times observed for Religion and Devotion Withall there is not any so kindly or proper an expression or exercise of love to God any other way as this of observing convenient Times of Continuance and Frequencie in spirituall converses with Him Love where there is not a violent detention from the object or party loved admits not a forbearance of attendance long neither can it content it selfe with sudden snatches a word or two and away a secret whisper and no more But though it is glad of these occasionally and as it were by way of overplus to solemn converses yet cannot be satisfied upon those termes but must and will observe just Continuances and those frequently so as to make up a convenient sufficiencie of Times and where this is not there is no generall and ordinary way for men to exercise and expresse any love to God But the love and all the main exercise and expressions of it will goe away after the World pleasures friends honours riches as they that wallow up all the Time in a manner And upon this the VVorld is so universally and perpetually a reall Comment that it is needlesse to discourse further of it The Consequence then of our Argument is sufficiently setled That without a sufficient Time observed Religion cannot certainly stand among all men The Antecedent XLIV The Antecedent confirmed That without a sufficient Time generally determined for all men no sufficient Time will be generally observed by all men may also be certainly evinced from the discourse in the former Chapter of the Necessity of some Determination of Time for Religion specially in reference to mens generall unwillingnesse to be conversant in duties of Religion and the many interruptions of worldly businesses seeming continually necessary one day and houre and time after another so as to leave no room at all for any considerable solemn worship of God by men of full worldly imployments unlesse there be an antecedent Determination of Time necessitating them to lay aside such worldly businesses to attend on God And without this not so much as an houre in a twelve-moneth would many a man even many thousands of men neither be willing to attend upon God and his worship nor even find leisure through one businesse or other still following in the neck of another And therefore much lesse would they else observe any tolerably sufficient Time for Continuance and Frequencie without some Determination of it to them before-hand Witnesse many mens totall and perpetuall neglect of all Times of Devotion which they are not fully convinced that either God or such Superiors among men whom they dare not disobey in the particular have infallibly determined unto them and injoyned them to observe Children servants parents masters men women young old great and small manifest this more then enough to them that have but any will to take notice of it We conclude then our generall proofe of the Necessity of a sufficient Time to be determined for Religion That it is no lesse necessary for the generall of mankinde in an ordinary course then Religion it selfe And that as without Religion we mean Religious performances of holy duties first and then from the strength of them a Religious Conversation in all matters no honouring of God nor no salvation for men So without the observation of sufficient Times for Continuance and Frequencie in duties of Solemne Worship no Religion and without the Determination of such sufficient Times no Observation of them generally by all men And therefore such Determination of them is unavoidably necessary for the generall of Mankind Now for the particulars XLV The first qualification of the Determination proved with respect The first is that of this sufficient Time or these sufficient Times of Continuance and Frequencie determined jointly The Continuance must be so large as to afford Time not only for Publike Worship but for Family-Worship also and likewise for Solitary Worship and so the Determination must command the Practice of each of these as they are possible to be had and the whole Continuance to be imployed in one or other of them excepting necessary Reservations c. This is a main and most important Point to be cleared For as our Assertion is universally held by all that plead for the Morality of one whole Day in seven for a Sabbath according to the Commandement So is it universally denied by all Anti-Sabbatarian Disputers who wholy confine the sufficiency of the time to be determined to the Publike Worship even making the Publike Worship to be the very Morality and Substance of the fourth Commandement and Time but as a circumstance of it or adjunct Necessary indeed but only as it is necessary to any other businesse and so someties they call their sufficient Time but only the Sequele of a Morality We confesse some of them doe so far forget themselves for all this as to let fall now and then a word toward Private Worship also as part of the duty of the Day to be determined But this is so seldome and so faintly and is so contradicted by their own Tenets that there is no trusting to their concession But what we assert must be proved as strongly as may be And that done there will be more done then perhaps many Readers are yet aware of â— To the publike worship But first we will begin even with that which they are so much for the Publike Worship for the sake of other Readers of whom some perhaps may be apt to question even the necessity of Solemne Times to be determined in a constant Frequencie so much as for that the rather because of late we have heard the whisperings of some such opinion among some Anabaptisticall and Antimonian spirits with that then we begin we say And shall make use of our generall Argument before used and apply it respectively to this and the other kinds of Worship Thus then we argue 1. If Religion cannot certainly stand among all men without a convenient space of Continuance frequently observed in publique VVorship then a sufficient Time must necessarily be determined for all men wherein they both may and must exercise themselves in publique VVorship But Religion cannot certainly stand among all men without a convenient space of Continuance frequently observed in Publique Worship Ergo A sufficient Time must necessarily be determined for all men wherein they both may and must exercise themselves in Publique Worship For the clearing of this argument By the words Certainly and among all men we understand as before Ordinarily according to Gods usuall working
in all sorts and not as things may be by his extraordinary grace to some that can have no help from any publique ordinances nor as some extraordinary persons may shift without them Also by Publique VVorship we understand not that which is presented onely in a publique place as in Churches where there is publique and free liberty to serve God without feare or danger of persecution But such Worship as is tendred by an Assembly of Christians of diverse families wherein some Minister or Ministers of God are imployed between God and His People to dispense to them His Word and Sacraments and present to Him their Prayers and Praises in whatsoever place this be in a Church a private house a field a wood a cave a ship or the like So that the terme of Publique relates to the persons and not to the place in this argument The Consequence of which is we suppose sufficiently confirmed before in the generall argument in the necessity of using all ordained and possible meanes of advancing and preserving Religion among all men and the necessity of such a Determination of such Times as are necessary to be observed by reason of mens unwillingnesse and interruptions The Antecndent may certainly be evinced by Gods frequent and earnest charges to His Ministers to preach His VVord and be instant in season and out of season and to His people to assemble themselves together not forsaking the practice of it as the manner of some was and to be swift to heare and not to despise Prophecying telling them that Faith is begotten ordinarily not without hearing and that of a Preacher sent of God for such publike service and that they are blest that wait at the gates of VVisdoms house and at the posts of her doores and the like All which shew that it concernes the Honour of God in such a sort to have His people assemble themselves to worship Him particularly by hearing of His VVord preached to them and accordingly by Prayer and administration of the Sacraments Neither is God sufficiently honoured by such persons as having opportunity of joyning in His Worship in this sort publikely with others restraine themselves constantly within their own families upon what pretence soever But the necessity of this is yet more cleare from the consideration of the good of mens soules which doe extremely stand in need of it In the most families all the world over the abilities of private Christians even of governours of families are not such as will ordinarily suffice to build up themselves and their families in the faith and feare of God without the help of a constant publike Ministery And by reason of their manifold worldly imployments and businesses they have not leisure to apply themselves much and often to study the Scriptures and matters of Religion and Conscience no not for themselves sufficiently and much lesse for others and so cannot but be ignorant of many things and mistake and mis-understand many others even of speciall importance for Gods honour and their own and others salvation which againe calls for as necessary their attendance upon a Publike Ministery whose gifts and studies are distilled for their benefit and whose Sermons cleare truths and urge practice of duties and avoidance of sins and present comforts to them with much more evidence and strength of Divine reason then they could of themselves have lighted upon or by any private helpe usually have attained unto And this hath been so universally acknowledged by all Christians in all Ages and Countries that where there hath been any number of them neer one another they have had their Church-Assemblies or Publike VVorship though forced to be in private houses and even in fields and woods and caves and to observe the times in the nights or in the morning before day to avoid the rage of Persecutours as much as might be and yet chusing rather to hazard the exposing their bodies and bodily substance to their fury if they were surprized as sometimes they were then to neglect such a joint serving of God and hazard their soules for want of such publike ordinances and meanes of Grace Adde hereunto the contrary experience in our Kingdome and Nation that where any as too many in divers places whether poore or rich servants or others upon any considerations whatsoever doe usually neglect the publike assemblies and so come to no Church nor publike Ordinances ordinarily they are either grossely ignorant or profane or both in a word at the best but civill Atheists devoid of any true sense of Religion or regard of God or their soules And so we suppose the first branch concerning Publike Worship is sufficiently confirmed That the ordinary solemne Time for all men must extend to that and determine a convenient Continuance for that But not for that alone but for domestique and family-worship also Which is our second branch now to be confirmed XLVI 2 To Familie Worship That the sufficient Time must be of so large Continuance as to extend also to that and require men that live in Families where they have others to joyne with them in the VVorship to tender such conjoyned VVorship besides the Publike in their severall Families respectively To prove this we resume againe our former Argument in this manner If Religion cannot certainly stand among all men without a convenient space of Continuance frequently observed for Family Worship over and above the Publike Worship Then the chiefe Solemne Time of Worship is not sufficiently determined for all men unlesse the Continuance of it be so largely extented as to require Family Worship over and above the publike But Religion cannot certainly stand among all men without a convenient space of Continuance frequently observed for Family Worship over above the Publike Ergo The chiefe Solemne Time of Worship is not sufficiently determined for all men unlesse the Continuance be so largely extended as to require Family Worship over and above the Publike The Consequence of this Argument is partly confirmed before There needs only this to be added for the clearing of the Necessity of the Determination of such Time to the observation of it That otherwise 1. Men and Women of other Families would interrupt those that were willing to tender such Family Worship oftentimes by visits of respect and complement and by coming to discourse with them about worldly businesses bargaines newes or any thing and they should not be able to avoyd their importunities many times only a tie of a determinate Time upon all sorts may and will suffice to keepe or send away such unnecessary interruptours of Religious Services 2. Covetous or Prophane Governours would else never looke after their Families at all but let them worke or play yea make them Worke after the Publike Worship ended Who yet may be awed to the contrary as much as to any other Duty by a certaine and cleare determination of Time to be imployed in Family Worship as well as Publike 3. Prophane Servants and
Namely that here there is need of the most peremptory determination of all other as well 1. to prevent all unnecessary interruptions which yet without this every man is exceedingly lyable unto and that from all sorts of persons Superiours Inferiours Equals within doores and from abroad they are liable to offer many interruptions and interpose many hindrances with their hands and even with their tongues unlesse both be charmed by a sufficient determination and every man and woman is liable to admit such interruptions unnecessarily from others unlesse they be themselves forbidden by the tye of such a Determination lying upon them which even they may be able to pleade against the over-pressing importunity of such Interruptors 2. Also to secure the performance of such necessary Solitary Worship against the generall unwillingnesse that is in mens hearts against it of all other duties And this nothing can possibly secure but a peremptory Determination awing the conscience because of the secrecy of the duty which no man is or can be witnesse to constantly nor take steadily an account of there must be therefore necessarily a strict Determination of Time for such Solitary VVorship or else infallibly there will be none such constantly observed by the generallity of men The Antecedent That there is a necessity of a frequent observation of a convenient Continuance for solitary VVorship is proved not only from what was said of its being Morall-Naturall Chap. 6. but by what was even now argued to evince the necessity of observing Family VVorship applyed to this As 1. That experience shewes most men specially of the inferiour sort servants and children and the poore that are faine to worke hard for their livings and even superiours if men of trade and well customed or otherwise if persons of businesse All such have but little leisure on the working Dayes for any solemne solitary Worship And upon that pretence we doubt not but divers Readers have been already grieved that we have seemed a while agoe to urge them to at least twice every Day though Daniel was a man of businesse enough and yet he kept himselfe constantly to his three times a Day and so did David too Psal 55. Therefore there is unquestionably the more neede that the chiefe solemne Time should sufficiently determine a just space for this solitary Worship besides conjoyned to supply somewhat those defects and take away all excuse of want of leisure from every one Thus Calvin in the place before cited To supply the defects of daily meditation Calvin in Gen. 2. every Seventh Day was peculiarly chosen of God 2. A solitary preparation is needfull both for the Family Worship and for the Publike Worship and without this neither are like to be reverently performed or improved A mans owne mind is the only commander of it selfe and if it neglect it selfe by it selfe others conjoyned helpes will worke little upon it 3. But specially after the Publike or Family Worship or both and so betweene whiles if there be space betweene The improvement of the other mainly if not wholly depends upon the solitary Worship a man or woman presents alone in recalling and working upon their owne soules what they have been conversant in with others by solitary Meditations and Prayers No tongue or hand of another can reach their heart to apply home the necessary truths Neither is it any time so sufficiently done with others speaking or even with ones owne speaking from God or to God in conjoyned prayers although so often a good beginning is made but still there wants a further application to more inward and particular cases and more matters a further preaching over repeating over to ones owne heart the Doctrines of Faith and Practise and a further praying them over out of ones owne inmost and secret thoughts powred forth before God I adde the more fully any one is affected by the Publike or other conjoyned Ordinances the more they are and will be desirous to carry those thoughts alone into the presence of God and beg of Him to write and imprint them yet more firmely upon their hearts So farre is the Publike Worship from discharging a man from solitary Worship that we dare be bold to say and appeale to all experienced consciences for the truth of it that That man or woman never throughly profited by that VVord read or preached or other Ordinance of God in Publike or in a Family which they did not care to thinke of by themselves alone with the first free leisure they could have neither is there a better signe of a true profiting by the Ordinances of God and the Worship of Him tendred with others then the riveting the strength of them into the heart by solitary prayers and meditations without delay 4. There is also no soule but if it be observant of it selfe will find it selfe to have need of more knowledge then the Publike Ministery or any Family Devotions besides doe expresly offer to it and need to be remembred of more things then are in those performances dilated upon and so hath need of as much Time as may be and as its naturall spirits are able to hold out unto to read the Scriptures and other godly bookes and to consider its own conscience even in matters perhaps not named or but named in all the Ordinances that Day wherein they have joyned with others and so to meditate and read and pray and give thanks concerning those things for its necessary edification and comfort In all which respects when specially it can have but very little on the Working Dayes it hath need of the more on the chiefe solemne Time the ordinary Day for Gods worship even the most large Continuance that Nature can afford to give 5. Adde hereunto That the Solitary Worship a man or woman tenders to God is in the nature of it the most conscientious and the most undoubtedly godly of all other as having least of man if any thing at all when it is inwardly performed without using the voice to recommend encourage or help it It comes specially from the Spirit of God and is carried on by the Spirit of God and in it if ever is the soule in Heaven while it is upon Earth 6. Insomuch as a man may truly say that it of all the rest is the best character of a Christian or faithfull servant of God A man may for want of opportunity be deprived of the society of others to joyn with him in publike or domestique devotions and he may by sicknesse or by lamenesse or the like accidents be debarred from going to the publike worship and yet be never the lesse godly if he supply those wants in personall and solitary devotions constantly But without the practice of this as he hath Time and spirits he cannot be a Christian whether he frequent and use conjoyned services or no. 7. Finally because those conjoyned devotions are not certainly possible to all men a great part of their lives and may many wayes
this question home to their own soules perhaps they will yeeld us the whole cause and dispute no further though they have heretofore But we go on to a third qualification or condition of our sufficient Time to be determined for all men that is XLIX The third qualification proved 3. That the distribution of the whole proportion between the Continuance and Frequencie be so wisely ordered as there be no unsufferable prejudice to mens worldly businesses by too short Continuance and too great Frequencie and that even the unwilling may be forced to yeeld to the wisdom together with the authority of the determiner in it and the willing be able to pleade for themselves and theirs also against all disputers and gainsayers that it is necessary to observe this distribution without variation or alteration The necessity of this condition may appeare partly by what was said of the foregoing qualification to acquit this chiefe solemne Time from all aspersion of intolerable burden which would lye upon it among many and even all if it could not be shewed not to be prejudiciall beyond sufferance to mens worldly occasions by over great Frequencie as well as by too great a proportion in the whole otherwise they who conceived themselves so grieved by it would make bold to reject it as no commandement of God neither could they be blamed unlesse there were sufficient ground to convict them of the wisdom of such distribution And then it had been as good that no Determination had been made at all or rather better For if none at all had been made a more equall one might now be made Whereas a Determination supposed to our hands doth greatly bind our hands from alteration even to the better But perhaps this condition needed not have been put in neither in reference to any danger that our Antisabbatarians will offend in in being so injurious to mans worldly occasions toward which they are over favourable and partiall at least those of Forraigne Churches But for our own if they do really intend to charge upon mens consciences all the Church Holy-dayes besides the Lords dayes according to the strictnesse of the Canons of the yeare 1603. and the practise of Ecclesiasticall Courts as oft as any complaints came in that kind they would indeed be too injurious to mens worldly occasions and accordingly the people every where specially in the country do without any scruple reject them for the most part Even let the Minister do what he can to keep them up in credit by Prayers Preaching and the like yet they will goe to Faires and Markets and to Cart often and doe any work within doores specially and not so much as come to Church to the publike worship unlesse they be both altogether at leisure and have some willingnesse besides to it Therefore because we dispute of a chiefe Time necessary to be observed being determined VVe must put in this that the Revolutions be not too frequent and too many so as to bring a remarkeable prejudice and burden upon mens worldly businesses which would make it certaine not to be observed and so render it altogether vaine As also we insert the mention of this condition to shew how equally we desire to carry our selves in this controversie and that we are sensible as well as others that mens worldly necessary businesses must not be incroacht upon no more then they may incroach upon the businesses of Religion which is indeed a main end of the determination we are now arguing about To set the limits wisely and equally for the ordinary chiefe solemne Time for all men leaving enough for worldly matters and yet withall determining enough for Religion And to this our next qualification under the terme of sufficiency as the two foregoing ones under the terme of necessity speakes L. The fourth qualification the Time determined must be sufcient in regard Our fourth condition then or qualification of the chiefe ordinary solemne Time to be determined is That it must be sufficient And this sufficiency must be in three regards 1. Of Gods acceptation 2. Of Soules benefit 3. Of Consciences security and satisfaction we suppose there needs not many words to prove this condition to be not only reasonable but necessary Every one that speakes of this chiefe solemne Time of Worship gives it the terme of sufficient and under that title was our generall Argument proving a necessity of such a sufficient Time to be determined And it may be demonstrated we thinke that that Time is not sufficient neither can deserve to be so called or counted that is not sufficient in all these three regards 1. Of Gods acceptation First we say It must be sufficient both for the whole of the proportion and for the wise distribution of it betweene the Continuance and Frequency in regard of Gods acceptation He requiring of all men generally and ordinarily no greater proportion in the whole not no other distribution of that proportion then such a determination expresses and concludes But is graciously pleased with so much so often and accepts it as a right and orderly service of Him if accordingly observed and presented Unlesse it reaches to this To what purpose is all or any thing What end or use of any determination or observation of Time at all God hath no need of us our services our Time or any thing Yet He requires all this that we present soules and bodies to Him and this and that solemne service and observe sufficient Times It must then be meant of such sufficiency as He will accept whose all Time is and whose we are and all things To give Him then determinately or determine for His solemne Worship lesse or otherwise then is acceptable to Him is as good or as bad as to give Him nothing at all to determine no Time at all for His service We need say no more of this this being the ultimate and supreme end of all religious services and so of all determinations for Religion to please God and doe that which is acceptable to Him 2. But we must adde 2. The souls benefit that the sufficiency of this chief solemne Time must extend to the benefit of mens soules For as much as God is so gracious toward mankind and so much intends their good in all the services and Duties He calls them unto that He accepts of no services as sufficient towards Him which are not in their nature and degree also sufficient to mens soules their salvation by the attainment of necessary knowledge and answerable spirituall affections If then the Time determined for the chiefe solemne Time for Religion be not fairely sufficient in the nature of the ordinary chiefe Time for the getting and preserving of knowledge of Religion in all men and the working and maintaining of all godly affections in them by the advantage of a just proportion in the whole allotted to it and a wise distribution of the Continuance specially so as there may be upon
to the distances of Places But yet they may be truly said to observe the solemne Time upon that same Day some beginning a little before others and so successively one after another to the end of the 24 houres of that Day one or other would be still imployed in the solemnity of Worship according to the Dayes determination And so an amends as we may say would be made for not beginning all at an instant in that hereby the Holy Time N. B. should be observed actually and continued in actuall services full 24 houres and so no part of it wholly shrunke up by sleepe or other interruptions For still in one part or other of the World whole Countries would be in their waking Time and so in the solemnity of their devotions For demonstration of this suppose at such a Place the Day begins an houre before at another as it is really so every Day in point of light and so of midnight and noone and evening c. and this other Place sees Day an houre before another yet more Westward and so of the rest as betweene Dover and the West of Ireland they say there is an houres difference Now by that Time the first Place hath begun and gone on in solemn Worship an houre the next begins and joyns with them and so the next till it be gone round So that by the twelft houre halfe the World are in their solemne Worship Publike or Private And then the other halfe takes the turne in their order till the twentifourth houre There cannot then we say be a better way to exercise the Communion of Saints upon earth Nor is there upon earth imaginable a fuller resemblance of the great and solemne Assembly which is constantly kept in Heaven And let that be further noted in a Word that the forementioned respects of Time Continuance Frequency and Season are not in Heaven distinguishable For they in Heaven doe keepe a constant and everlasting solemne Sabbatisme as it is cald Heb. 4. whereas we poore snakes on earth are forced to waite the returnes of solemne Times The reason is they above have no other worke to doe but to serve and Worship God they are spirits without bodies we on earth have bodies to care for as well as soules we have other callings commanded us to attend on as well as on Gods solemne Worship But yet it is fit we should as neer as we can conforme to them above which we say is chiefely by this joint observance of the same particular Day and number and length all the World over for our chiefe solemne Times Whereunto may be added for a conclusion that otherwise every sover all dominion as there are many in Germany and Italy and other Countries not subordinate to one Prince or State with their neighbours but small principalities and free States might vary the particular Day were it but to shew their liberty and so such as had occasion to travell among them would be very often either forced to breake the number determined to all or else keepe within doores upon their owne solemne Day and so want the help of others and be in danger to be interrupted by others And so every where upon the borders of Countries this hazard might be All which is prevented and only so by having all in all Countries of the World the same particular Day and beginning of it as we have said And so we have at length dispatched the whole of what we judge considerable about the profit and necessity of solemne Time generally and of the chiefe Time for Religion in speciall Except by whom the determination of this chiefe Time is to be made which now followes in the next Chapter CHAP. X. The Determination of the chiefe Solemne Time of Worship for all men necessary and ordinarily sufficient for the chiefe Time as also of the particular day for it belongs not to men but to God 1. The question explained HItherto in the former Chapters particularly about Time we have been laying foundations of fortifications where withall to defend the Perpetuity of the fourth Commandement for a seventh Day Sabbath and the Divine institution of the Lords Day the first day of the weeke for the particular day and to batter down the opposite Mounts of our adversaries both Sabbatarians and Antisabbatarians And as we have built upward we have planted some Peeces and discharged them against their workes in such fort as we are perswaded the judicious Reader already discernes them to shake and totter But now we are about to erect a Principall Tower which if we can firmely and strongly do All men will see that we have sufficiently secured our selves and our cause from any fear of future assaults from the Antisabbatarian party And as for the Jewish Sabbatarians we doubt not but we shall also quit our selves from them in the latter parts The matter we propound to be strengthned is the position exprest in the title of the Chapter That the Determination of the chiefe Solemne Time for all men necessary and ordinarily sufficient for the chiefe Time as also the particular day for it belongs not to men but to God To state this clearely we must needs repeate a little of our foregoing discourses and adde a few words more for full understanding of it 1. By the chiefe Solemne Time 1. What is meant by chiefe solemne Time we meane the Continuance and Frequency jointly that is so much at once so often and so often so much Time to be observed for Religion Gods honour and the soules good in Solemne Worship and that in a convenient large Proportion in the whole and a convenient large Continuance for the various kinds of worship publike domesticke and solitary and a convement space for serious performance of severall duties in each kind together with a convenient Frequency of Revolution of such continuance So as no other proportion of Time is or can be of Equall profit with this All other being lesse large for Continuance remarkably or remarkably lesse frequent and so cannot attaine to that substantiall profitablenesse to the generall of Religion that there is in the chiefe Solemne Time we speake of 2. By the Determination of this chiefe solemne Time 2. What by determination Necessary for all men we meane The appointing it so to all men by a law as that thenceforth all men that have this law given them and their posterity to the worlds end are bound in conscience to observe it and cause as much as lyes in them others also to observe it as necessary to Religion so as they sin that observe not the whole proportion or that observe it not according to the distribution of the Determination so much Continuance together in one day and no lesse and that dayes Frequency so often returning and no seldomer then is exprest in the Determination Only still admitting a reservation as we have oft touched before for necessary worldly occasions 3. What by
to have prophaned it as Ezekiel hath told us Therefore also they are not reproved for not observing any times at all Yet doubtlesse many of them were so Atheisticall and irreligious as they observed not the times of their own Superstition Yet to observe some times our adversaries and all men confesse is absolutely Morall Naturall and bound all the Gentiles in all ages But because they observed not those they did observe unto the honour of the true God but of Idols therefore we say they are never reproved for any neglect or inobservation of Times at all But on the otherside when God mentions by His Prophet Esay Chap. 56. The sonne of the stranger joyning himselfe to the Lord He againe and againe calls such to the observation of the Sabbath with most ample promises as a most essentiall part of Religion and most necessary to every Servant of God A Law then from God Himselfe is most necessary for His Honour and for Religion concerning the chiefe Time for His Worship Though to those Nations that have cast off His true Worship He hath not particularly revived it not having given them His written Word Sol. 2 2. To the other objection concerning the good of mens soules 1. We say not that the observation of the Sabbath or any sufficient Times in Duties of Religion will save mens soules or benefit mens soules without the revelation and Faith of Christ 2. But we say that a Law from God Himselfe concerning a Sabbath or the necessary and sufficient chiefe Time for Religion is necessary unto every man as a Morall meanes towards the attainment of salvation and the good eternall of mens soules as well as towards the right honouring of God And therefore God hath not put over the making of such a Law unto men whether Christ be revealed to them or not revealed to them neither to every man for himselfe single or to any speciall men or number of men for all the rest XIII Nor 2. is this Authoritie given to some speciall men for the rest And now having proved this sufficiently enough concerning it s not being put over to every man single and we suppose not too prolixly considering how we argued withall that if it belong to men it must belong to every man single And our largenesse about this may stand us instead an on also We proceed to the second maine branch of our second Argument Namely That God hath not given Authority to any speciall men or number of men to determine the chiefe Time of His Worship for all men This question is disputable in three severall distinctions of Time or Ages of the World The first we make for this matter from Adam to the mention of the Sabbath to Israel Exod. 16. The second from thence to the making void of all the Jewish Dayes the particular Seventh Day Sabbath and all by the Resurrection of Christ and preaching of the Gospell by the Apostles The third from the making void of the old Seventh Day Sabbath to our Times and so to Christs second comming And in each of these Periods of Times Two sorts of Persons are generally considerable 1. Those that were out of the Church by the revolt of their Ancestours from Gods Covenant made with Adam after his fall intimated Gen. 3.15 Namely Cain and his posterity and those that fell off to them Gen. 6. and those of Noahs posterity that fell from the Covenant renewed with him and Sem according to the intimations of Gen. 9. Namely the race of Cham and even of Japhet and Sem also the most of them turning Idolaters as is said even of Abraham and his Progenitours before God called him Jos 24.2 and so the greatest part of the World remained and doth remaine out of the Church and Covenant of God to this Day 2. In all ages from Adam even untill now God hath had a Church some though at Times very few He renewed His Covenant with and made them His peculiar servants And so were outwardly the whole Nation of the Jewes the seed of Israel particularly from their comming out of Egypt till the destruction of Jerusalem after their rejection of Christ their promised Messiah And ever since and a while before He hath had a Church chiefly out of the Gentiles who have received His Gospell and the Faith of Christ Now we are to take a view of both these sorts of men the Pagans so lets us for distinction sake call the former sort and the Church in the three Periods of Time forenoted In all three of them it is controverted concerning the Pagans what sufficient Times they were obliged unto or are and by what Law by whose determination And for the Church or servants of God in the first and the last for in the middlemost it is beyond all peradventure that God determined the Time to the Jewes and left it not to them But yet even during that Time because there might be and doubtlesse were in some part or other of the World still some few servants of God among the Gentiles It will be justly questionable by whose Authority the determination of the necessary and sufficient Times was made even for them where ever they were and what proportion soever was determined though never so small a Continuance and seldome revolution These things thus premised we thus propound our Aurgument against any speciall men having this Authority for all the rest XIV If so then either to Pagans or to the Church If God have given it now or heretofore to some speciall men for all the rest of mankind Then either to some speciall men among the Pagans for all within their Countries and to the Church for all their knowne members Or to the Church generally for all mankind both the members of it and all others But neither hath God given this Authority to some speciall men among the Pagans for all within their Countries and to the Church for all their knowne members Nor yet to the Church generally for all mankind both its members and all others Ergo He hath not given it to some speciall men for all the rest of mankind The Consequence is undeniable the enumeration being sufficient The Antecedent hath three branches considerable In the scanning of which we will begin with the first and next take the third and leave the second to the last Place Which will appeare to be the convenientest method of proving them though the Argument could not so well be contrived in that order XV. 1. Not to Pagans This is proved absurd First then we reason against this Authority being left to any speciall men among the Pagans in any Age of the World whether Governours of Families of Townes or Countries or Kindomes That they should have in their hands the determination of the necessary and sufficient Times for Religion for themselves and all under their Authority And we say that God Himselfe did determine it to Adam and so to his posterity and that
chiefe solemne Time for Religion or the distribution of that proportion between the Continuance and Frequencie except only for a whole Dayes continuance which is refused Then they can have no sufficiencie of wisdome to make this Determination But there is no Rule whereby Men may guide themselves steadily about the Proportion necessary and sufficient or the distribution of it except c. Ergo Men can have no sufficiencie of wisedome to make this Determination The Consequence againe is evident enough For what is wisedome but to doe a thing steadily by a sufficient rule Whatsoever then is done without a sufficient rule cannot be said to be done wisely whatever other commendation may be given to it Neither doth the Exception interposed weaken the Consequence because as is exprest the Continuance of a whole Day is refused and so refused by all the Adversaries as that this is the maine and originall quarrell that hath bred all the rest and therefore that cannot be pretended by them on their part as possible to be determined by any rule of wisedome Though we for our parts may and must enforce it so as most apparently wise and by the perfectest rule of Nature and Reason against which there is no just gainsaying unlesse God himselfe did utterly reject it And they that say He hath have then we say no rule of wisedome to goe by For our Antecedent in this and in the whole will be abundantly cleared by a serious considering whatsoever may be pretended either generally or particularly in whole or in part to be a rule in these cases Generally there can be no rule but either 1. The Law and Light of Nature Or 2. some generall expressions of Scripture We say some generall expressions of Scripture For all the particular determinations there mentioned are expresly disputed against by the Adversaries as no necessary obligations or rules to Christians Again for particular rules totall or partiall There are none proper to this Question but one of these four Considerations 1. The Nature of the Object of Worship and the primary end of all Religious Time determined or observed Namely God whose nature is unquestionably infinite 2. The nature of the prime Subject of Worship and the secondary end of all Religious Time determined or observed namely the Soule of Man which in the duration of it is ordained to be infinite and in the necessities of it toward the provision for Eternity is next to Infinite 3. The nature of the Duties of Worship in which that is in the variety of some or other of them all Religious Time determined is to be imployed whose nature will appeare to be generally except in one case or two indefinite 4. The nature of the secondary Subject and usuall and certaine Impediment of Religious Worship that it cannot have all Time allotted to it namely the body and bodily and worldly businesses which allow not we say all Time to be devoted to Religion and Solemn Worship but call for a share of Time from every man both for Continuance and Frequencie all his life long The nature of which businesses will appeare to be 1. Sutable to corrupted Nature 2. Exceeding various numerous and uncertaine and capable also of taking up all the Time of life if they might be suffered 3. At the best but secondary and inferior businesses And these foure Considerations were all the rules that Adam or any of the old Patriarks could have to look to toward the making of this Determination of the necessary and sufficient chiefe Time for Religion if it had been as is supposed by our Disputers left to them to make for themselves and others And they are all also that the Christian Church can well pretend to supposing the Determination left to them Only to gratifie our Disputers who seem often to fancy as though the Proportion the Jewes observed or rather we say which God determined to them of one Day in seven may serve for some kind of rule to estimate this necessary and sufficient Time by Though by no means they will yield that particular proportion and distribution to be necessary and sufficient now For that were to yield in effect the whole Cause We will we say to gratifie them take this also into consideration And so with the best skill we have examine and set before our Readers all these five severally and distinctly according both to the Law and Light of Nature and generall expressions of Scripture And see what will come of it And whether after all men will not fall short of a sufficient Rule to make this Determination wisely by if it were left to them XLVIII 1. Not the Nature of God himselfe 1. We begin and worthily with the Consideration of the Nature of GOD the sole object of Worship and primary end of all Religious Time to whose Honour all Solemne Time and so this chiefe Time and all Worship tendred in it is to be observed Now we say The Nature of GOD whether we heare Scripture speak er even Naturall Reason is unquestionably infinite And so it cannot be possible to make a definite determination of any Time proportionable to that If you ask What Time is necessary for the Honour of GOD in it selfe considered The answer can be no other then All Time is necessary Or againe If you ask What Time is sufficient for the Honour of GOD The answer will still be Lesse then all Time cannot be sufficient Who can declare the mighty acts of the Lord who can shew forth all His praise saith the holy Psalmist Psal 106.2 Thy glorious Name is exalted above all blessing and praise say the holy Levites Nehem. 9.5 who afterward in the same confession remarkably blesse Him as for a singular favour for making known to them His holy Sabbaths the chiefe solemne Time of praising Him v. 16. Here then is nothing to proportion out only a parcell of our Time for Religion and leave the rest for other purposes to scanty God as if He were not worthy of all our Time and afford the world and worldly businesses what is not allotted to Him The question is not here whether a man may not imploy some Time upon worldly businesses by Gods allowance For we are far enough from denying that But whether the majesty glory and honour of the eternall God the Lord of us and all our Time in and by it selfe considered can afford to spare any Time from His attendance and specially which way it can be possible that the thoughts of His incomprehensible Excellencie and Glory should direct us to share Time between His immediate service and worldly matters The holy Angels in heaven keep an eternall Sabbath without intermission interruption or end We shall doe so too hereafter with them if we rightly and faithfully serve Him upon earth And without all controversie such an eternall Sabbath swallowing up all Time is not over-sufficient to give attendance upon Him and His praises Nor could be sufficient if any
thing could be added to it That then all our Time is not so taken up with His immediate worship even upon Earth no reason can be sufficient but His own will declared to be otherwise then to require the whole from us His will alone is that which abates of the necessity of any one minute or moment of Time in our whole lives from our particular attendance upon Him and that makes any jote lesse then all to be in His acceptation sufficient His will then we must seek further after in some of the other Considerations For here we are undeniably at a losse and can make nothing of our thoughts towards a Determination 2. Take we a view then in the next place XLIX 2. Not the nature of the Soule of the nature of the Soule the prime subject of Worship and secondary end of all Religious Time for whose benefit properly it is to be imployed And this we say both Scripture chiefly and Nature also at least not reasonably contradicting proclaime to be infinite in duration appointed to an Eternity of happinesse or misery and its necessities to secure this happinesse and avoid this misery considering what corruption it hath are next to infinite Which way then can that which is infinite or next to infinite afford a direction to judge any proportion definite to be sufficient for it Or measure so much as necessary and leave any out of all the Time that any Soule hath in this life And if the inevitable necessities of Nature for eating drinking and sleeping c. be pleaded yet we doubt not whether the Soule would not or should not grudge even at these as endangering to hinder that which is of more importance than meat or drinke or sleepe or even than the bodily life and subsistence it selfe Not that we imagine or dreame that God hath not allowed even by the light of Nature and much more by Scripture sufficient Times for all these bodily necessities But yet we know that both God sometimes commands to fast and forbeare all meat and drinke for a space and so to watch even whole nights for the good of Soules our own specially but also even of others As likewise that when a Soule growes extraordinarily sollicitous of its own salvation and sometimes even of others It cannot afford to eat or drinke it cannot sleep ready sometimes even to starve it selfe or kill it selfe with over-watching but that it is forced up doe otherwise even by Gods command urged upon them by friends and the feare of prejudicing their very salvation if they should be causes of their own death And moreover it is usuall with many Christians to think much and repine at all the Time wherein they are not spiritually imployed for their soules even though they cannot deny but God hath not only allowed but even commanded them to imploy houres and dayes many and many upon worldly businesses which command and allowance of His is the only thing that satisfies them or else they could never so far forth as they think of their soules be willing to allow any Time at all to any other thing And therefore there is no manner of help from hence for any shareing of Time between the soul and worldly occasions The rather because a soul awakened with sence of its own good becomes apprehensive 1. That there are yet manifold things in Religion which are greatly necessary for it to know what ever knowledge it hath already attained to and these call for a great deale of Time to learne them 2. And how forgetfull they are from Time to Time of the things they have learned and that calls also for much Time to preserve them in memory and recover any they have lost 3. Withall the faintnesse of their godly affection 4. And the strength of their corruptions which require still much and often Time to strengthen the one and combate and mortifie the other 5. And finally their being assaulted daily and hourely with temptations and afflictions and their peace and comfort further wasted by sins and corruptions which makes them stand in need of Time Yet more to regaine that peace and comfort when it is gone or wasted and to enjoy spirituall refreshings in the bosome of Gods love All this together cannot but make a soul think no measure of Time lesse then all necessary and sufficient for attendance upon Him whom it is bound to love with its whole self mind heart strength and so to worke upon it self that it may love Him and be sure of His love And when it hath once attained to this love of Him above all other things and to an assurance of His love to it it cannot but still think all Time is little enough and too little to serve Him in thankfulnesse for His love and to enjoy His love and its own happinesse in attendance upon Him and converse with Him It must then again be Gods will declared that men should spend their Time in this world otherwise then wholly upon the immediate care of their soules in His immediate service that must discharge any proportion at all from being necessary to the soules good See Sect. 71. and so His promise of blessing upon some proportions of Time orderly observed for the chiefe Time together with other Times to be redeemed as they can that makes any proportion to be sufficient for the chiefe Time But for this we must still seek further For we have yet met with no manner of intimation of Gods will how to regulate or determine our proportions 3. To come then to the third consideration that is L. 3. Nor the nature of the duties themselves of the nature of the duties of Worship in the varieties of which of some or other of them the chiefe Time we are discoursing about is to be imployed And they are all except the Sacraments apparantly indefinite and so still uncapable to direct to a definite determination of Time necessary and sufficient to be allotted to them either for Continuance or Frequency Indeed the Sacrament of Baptisme is in it self soon dispatched and in the nature of it not to be reiterated to the same person And the Lords Supper also is soon dispatcht by each particular Communicant But then it as well as any of the other duties of Prayer Preaching Reading the Word Praises Singing Meditations Conferences Catechisings is capable of a Daily Frequency And all those may be reiterated oftner even every new minute after an interruption and that every Day of ones life We meane the nature of them admits it possible and no way forbids it Again they may be prolonged any of all these and much more divers or all of them one after another divers houres even a whole Day unquestionably and any one of them a whole life together if the bodily spirits could hold out so long and no necessary interruption did call off On the other side they may any of them be suddenly dispatched If a man did preach
but halfe a quarter of an houre or a minute as Peters Sermon related Act. 10. exceeded not a minute or very little when the falling of the Holy Ghost on all them that heard the Word made an interruption proclaiming withall a sufficiency of acceptation and blessing for that Time of his speaking and their hearing it might be a true service of God acceptable to Him and profitable to souls And so the reading of a verse or sentence of the Scripture Or the singing of a verse or line Or the praying as long only as the Publicans God be mercifull to me a sinner And so a word or two of conference and a very speedy thought of meditation Any of all this might and would if want of affection to the duties were not the shortner of them be pleasing to God and beneficiall to soules in its degree There is nothing then on no hand in the nature of the duties of Worship that can possibly be a rule to say Such a proportion of Time is certainly necessary and such a proportion is certainly sufficient Or the distribution must be so and so to so much Continuance and no lesse and so much Frequency and no seldomer Neither can we run back to the considerations of Gods honour or the soules good to measure these by For they have already refused any absolute direction But still some other thing must estimate or helpe to estimate the due proportions of Time for the severalls of these And againe only the will of God some other way declared is that which must teach us to conclude that for the chiefe Time to be imployed in them any of them or at least all of them together have been sufficiently prolonged in a just Continuance on any Day or sufficiently frequently reiterated As also that all of them or some of them are necessary to be so long continued together or necessary to be so often reiterated nothing can justly determine but the expresse will of God which yet we are to proceed in the search of as being hitherto never a whit neerer the finding of it then we were when we begun to inquire after it LI. 4. Nor the nature of the body ot bodily necessities 4. And now we are arrived at our last Consideration specially for the world before Moses The nature of the body and worldly businesse The body being the secondary subject of religious Worship joyning with the soule in some sort in all solemne Worship of which we now discourse And yet it and specially worldly businesses are certaine impediments of Worship denying at least That all Time should be solemnly allotted to it or spent in it And so call for and challenge a share and proportion of all mens Time both for Continuance and Frequency But here also we are not like to find any better helpe toward the dividing of our Times betweene God and the World the soule and the body then before and that in the three regards forenoted 1. The businesses of the body and of the World doe greatly border upon corrupted Nature and so to looke at them chiefely to discover a Rule to proportion our Times is to be sure to be misled For the issue will undoubtedly be that the proportions for the body and the world will be taken too largely and too slender pittances left for God and the soul As is more then apparant in many who though their consciences cannot deny the fourth Commandement to concerne them and theirs even for a whole Day in a weeke yet doe not nor cannot afford God and their soules halfe the Day because their minds are so set upon pampering their bellies and giving way to their lazinesse by lying longer in bed that morning then all the weeke besides and going sooner to bed that night then any other besides sleeping sometimes in the very Day time not to say in the very Church and at the solemne service of God also finding sundry pretended necessities of this or that worldly businesse for themselves and theirs And much more is this evident in those who have learned the confidence to deny the Commandement for one whole Day of seven and only pretend to acknowledge with our disputers a sufficient Time that God must have But there is so much correspondency and sutablenesse betweene their bodily or worldly occasions and their carnall corruptions that they make a shift to shuffle God and their soules off with a very leane and thinne allowance of Time sufficient indeed for nothing but to render them the more inexcusable that making shew of acknowledging a sufficient Time to be necessary to Religion they allot such a miserable insufficient parcell to it And there is no reason to expect it will be any better ordered while mens corrupted nature hath no better counsellours then the body and worldly occasions under the name of necessities to helpe to divide and distribute the proportions of His Time for Religion 2. This the rather because the businesses of the body and of the world towards the bodily life are so numerous and various and uncertaine running round throughout the whole yeere as is said of a husband-mans worke that it is never done and so it is with all worldly businesses in one regard or other and capable also of ingrossing the whole of every day which is most apparant in servants and those that spend their Times chiefly at the pleasures of other men So that there is no possibility of concluding before hand with respect to worldly businesses I may certainly spare for Religion so many Dayes of a yeere or of a moneth or weeke or so many houres of a weeke or Day because I shall have nothing to doe about worldly affaires but may be free to attend on God We say this can never be said in reference to all mankind of whom our dispute now is and so we should have most wild determinations if men take their aimes only or chiefly from the considerations of bodily and worldly businesses in the proportioning a necessary and sufficient chiefe Time for God and the soule 3. For also at the best the bodily and worldly occasions are but secondary and inferiour matters farre beneath in worth not only the Honour of God but the good of soules And it cannot be fit or agreable to wisdome that inferiour matters should give a Rule to superiour or be a measure to them that is for the maine and chiefe part of our Time It is true indeed That Gods gracious indulgence to mans bodily life and outward comforts doth allow interruptions in some reserved cases from His solemnest services and so from His owne most solemne determined Times as we have often said But without such indulgence printed in Nature or exprest in His Word no conscience might no good conscience would dare so to interrupt His Times and services Much lesse then without His indulgence may any conscience conclude and determine That such bodily and worldly businesse as fals within the compasse of every
is now no Times necessary to Religion And so in stead of answering our Argument which proceeds on that supposition they wholly pervert the state of the question now between us 2. That this Assertion of theirs is expresly contradictory as we conceive to their own Tenets so often set down in their Books That some sufficient Times a Day or Dayes to be observed and even determined for Religion is Morall-Naturall that is necessary to Religion for all men by the Law of Nature How they will reconcile these two let them consider till we have leisure to speak more of it in the promised place LXIV A Question answered If any now ask What Commandement we mean all this while within whose generall meaning this is which we have spoken of We answer 1. If we could not assigne directly and certainly the particular Commandement yet would the thing upon the foregoing grounds be no lesse certaine There being divers other matters which are undoubtedly within the Decalogue about which Divines differ in what Commandement they are as appeares by comparing the Expositions of the Commandements in almost any two Authors 2. Yet we say that for our parts we suppose That this is properly belonging to the fourth Commandement and is indeed the whole and entire generall meaning thereof The words proclaime That the object of the Commandement is Time necessary for Religion and Gods honour And therefore we are perswaded that the generall meaning and scope of it is as we have exprest That those Times and those only should be observed as necessarie to Religion which God himselfe appoints And so though we prove as we doubt not but we shall in the next Part That the words of the 4 th Commandement are only for one whole Day in seven and not for the particular Day of the seven last or first Yet the particular Day both of old the seventh in order from the creation and now the first of the seven come within the compasse of the fourth Commandement within this generall meaning because they were appointed by God though elsewhere and not in the formall words of the Commandement And so also the other Jewish Festivals appointed by God shall properly belong to the same fourth Commandement falling under the generall meaning mentioned And indeed they are usually by Divines reduced thither Who yet can no wayes defend their assigning them to that predicament or place if this be not assigned to be the generall meaning of the fourth Commandement 3. Yet if any will not admit this then we say we know not how they will be able to deny but that this is Though not the whole yet a part of the generall meaning of the second Commandement Which under the prohibition of Worshipping God by an Image and promise of a blessing to them that keepe His Commandements namely that Worship Him with that Worship that He hath commanded carries this generall meaning certainly That God should be Worshipped with those things and actions and those only which Himselfe hath appointed And so as under this all the Ceremoniall Worship of Old Sacrifices and other Rites and Lawes belonging to Gods Worship and our two Sacraments now are comprised and so the prohibition of all superstition and will-worship invented by men by the usuall vote of Divines and cannot indeed come properly under any other So the observation of any Times as necessary to Religion and Gods Worship and of those Times and those only as so necessary which God Himselfe appoints must needs fall under the same Generall meaning of the second Commandement if it belong not peculiarly to the fourth as was said before And perhaps how ever if an exact inquiry be made into the Latitudes of the Commandements of the first Table they will all be found in an subordination the latter more particular then the former and partly at least included in it Undoubtedly the first concludes with in it the three latter even all the second Table also and we thinke the second contains some part of the third and fourth also and againe that the third doth containe part of the fourth namely the manner of the observation of the holy Time that it be not in vaine c. But we leave this Notion to the juditious Readers consideration and maintaine our Argument sufficiently without it whether the generall Law about Time we are now scanning be in the fourth or part of the second or even belong to the first as so much as is Morall Naturall difinitely concerning Time for Religion we have formerly asserted to be within the first Commandement still as long as it is within the Decalogue our cause is safe And if it be referred to the second Commandement then we shall have gained this particular advantage certainely and clearly though we suppose we shall anon prove it will follow from any of the rest of the Commandements of the first Table within which it unquestionably comes That then the necessary Times of Religion and Gods Worship are not meerly circumstances or adjuncts of Worship but proporly parts of Worship and are to be observed as parts of Worship as all other specialties of the second Commandement are But we must now proceed to another Argument in our present businesse Thus we frame it LXV Arg 2. All Time is Gods to dispose of If all Time is Gods and none mens owne for worldly businesse but by Gods indulgence Then the determination of the necessary sufficient chiefe solemne Time for Religion cannot belong to men but it is Gods owne peculiar But all Time is Gods and none mens owne for worldly businesse but by Gods indulgence Ergo The determination of the necessary sufficient chiefe solemne Time for Religion cannot belong to men but is Gods peculiar The Antecedent cannot reasonably be denied by any conscience that acknowledges God the Creatour of all men and all Time and so the undoubted and absolute Soveraigne and Lord of all and that considers that even the most necessary worldly Times as for sleeping eating and the like are no otherwise Ours but by His indulgence granted indeed in Nature ordinarily and so manifested sufficiently by the Light of Nature Yet can it not be denied but even these Times are still subject to His pleasure which may make exceptions against them as indeed He sundry times doth enjoyning men as we formerly noted by His providence and by generall Rules of His Word to watch whole Nights and Dayes and to Fast likewise in Religious references to Him and their owne and others soules to performe solemne and extraordinary Duties of piety and charity and sometimes even with respect to the bodily lives and comforts of themselves or others Moreover it cannot againe be denied but if it pleased Him He might command men altother to forbeare their meat and waite upon Him for a miraculous preservation like that of Moses and Elias and our blessed Saviour for whole forty Dayes and forty Nights together and as it shall be with us all
eternally in Heaven and even appoint men to die for very want of meat or sleepe rather then intermit or interrupt their solemne attendances upon Him So that it is every way cleare That no Time at all is ours for any worldly businesse but by Gods indulgence which is our Antecedent of the present argument Now for the Consequence that thence it followes LXVI Confirmed by 4 reasons That the determination of the necessary sufficient chiefe solemne Time for Religion is Gods owne peculiar and belongs not to men This we suppose will be manifest by considering 1. That the determination of this Time for Religion doth in the Nature of it carry along an allotment of the residue of mens Time mianly for worldly businesses We say mainly because still according to what hath been before discoursed God in the very Law of Nature calls for some Times every Day even out of the Work-dayes besides all extraordinary Times for Religion but the determination of the chiefe Time for Religion being set the residue is mainly for worldly businesses even allotted to them by that very determination of such Time as sufficient ordinarily for the chiefe Time to Religion 2. Therefore to ascribe to men the determination of this chiefe sufficient Time to Religion is to ascribe to them the allotment of their owne Time for worldly businesses As contrarily to ascribe to God the allotment of mens Times for their worldly businesses is to ascribe to Him the determination of this sufficient chiefe Time for Religion 3. Now that it is not in men but in God not only originally which the Adversaries cannot deny though perhaps they thinke not enough of it nor speake enough of it but also Practically to allot to men the main Time for their worldly businesses whether they be Inferiours or Superiours Pagans or Christians worldly or godly may be made good by foure Demonstrations as we conceive them to be drawne from the Light both of Nature and Scripture Although we cannot here forbeare to say and referre to the Readers to judge what cause we have for it That our disputers in this whole controversie about religious Time seeme absolutely to be of the mind that however all Time be originally Gods and He may still challenge what He pleases by an expresse Law Yet in practise He hath rather given over Time into mens hands and made all Time ours rather then His owne except only what He challenged from the Jews by expresse Law even from the beginning of the world and so since the Gospel referring to men the superiours at least among them the allotment of their owne Times for their worldly businesses and consequently they to allot to Him back againe and to their soules some pittances to be spent in religious Duties according to their affections and discretions there being only Generall remembrances and Rules in Scriptures of not neglecting God and their Soules but none obligatory descending to particular proportions dividing betweene worldly businesses and Religion Now this kind of making all Time ours chiefely and principally for worldly businesses We take to be their capitall and fundamentall Errour in the whole dispute about the Sabbath and Lords-day And cannot sufficiently wonder how it should settle in the minds of considerate Divines But the greatnesse of the Errour of this conceit we hope to represent to all Readers and even to our disputers owne consciences by these foure Arguments following LXVII 1. Otherwise no Time should be Gods but by mans indulgence 1. Is not this to reduce all Time from being Gods originally and none ours for worldly businesse but by His indulgence to no Time being Gods practically but by mens indulgence as we may say And againe all inferiours Times for their Soules to be neither at Gods appointment nor their owne dispose but at their superiours how prophane and godlesse so ever and by their indulgence Which although we grant that if God had any where said in His Word expresly or by undeniable consequence I will leave all Times to you and so I did before Moses his Time to all mankind There had been no reasoning against it nor finding fault with it Yet without any such syllable or shadow either in the New or Old Testament of leave and Generall indulgence from God to conceit and conclude thus Our Times to be generally ours We cannot but judge a high presumption not paralelled by any child or servant among men towards their Masters or Parents who further then they can pleade their superiours allowance of such Times for themselves dare not challenge any Dayes or Houres as theirs and much lesse the principall of their Time to be their owne and their attendances on their superiours to be but when and how long and how often they themselves who are inferiours doe or shall appoint or tender voluntarily Even retainers though no ordinary servants have some set Times by their superiours appointment to present themselves and all is not meerly at their discretion And we are sure we are or should be more then retainers to God 2. LXVIII 2. Else man should be his owne end even in worldly respects To assert Time to be generally Ours without expresse generall indulgence from God for worldly businesses is it not to savour too strongly of Making man even in worldly respects and as imployed in worldly businesses the principall end of man that is man himselfe to be the end of his owne being even in an earthly consideration and not God And againe superiours among men to be the principall end of their inferiours being and not God much lesse the souls of the one or the other which are poore contemptible things and very seldome mentioned by our disputers in all their discourses about necessary and sufficient Times and so Religion Gods Honour and mens Soules as meane and secondary things of an inferiour Nature to have no other Times then what men can spare or determine to spare from their worldly businesses and pleasures c And so notwithstanding that God tooke an other order with His Jewish Church exacting from them for Himselfe and their soules together a weekely Sabbath besides sundry other Times Yet to imply there was no need of His doing any such thing either before or since Notwithstanding mans fall and all mens corruption even under the Gospel and their misdevotion to Religion and their owne and others soules good but all Times to be referred to men wholly to give backe what they should thinke fit unto Religion like a poore secondary inferiour indifferent matter as we said before Which how repugnant it is to the high honour of Almighty God our Soveraigne Lord and Creatour and to the welfare and dignity of mens eternall Soules We dare appeale to the very Light of Nature even before a Pagan Judge deliberately pronouncing and according to those undeniable principles of Gods Soveraignty and the Soules immortality LXIX 3. Scripture seemes to leave very little to mens worldly businesses
therefore and is ever very necessary that God by His own Law Word should determine all and so without all doubt then He hath And now it remaines that we should examine the Arguments or pretences for the Churches Power to determine this chiefe Time for Religion in all the respects or in any But we can find none particular and proper to the matter in hand but only generall presumptions upon the supposition which they will needs suppose That God hath made voyd all His owne former determinations and so left in His Word all Times and Dayes equall under the Gospel As also that assertion comes most frequently forth That Time and Place are equall circumstances in Religion And so Place being left to the Churches determination Time is so too in like sort All which we shall encounter more particularly in their proper station and namely in the next Chapter by way of corrollary to our whole discourse about religious Time we shall endeavour to manifest distinctly 1. That all Times and Dayes are not equall in Religion under the Gospel 2. That Time and Place are not equall circumstances in Religion And therefore the leaving of the one that is Place to the Church will inferre nothing at all for the Time to be so left And then we shall conclude all our generall discourse and first part with asserting That this chiefe Time thus determined by God is not a meere circumstance or adjunct of Worship but a proper and essentiall part of it a part of Religion to be observed with the same mind that any other part of Religion is which will helpe we hope not a little to the conscionable and carefull observation of it LXXXI An objection answered Only one Objection though of two branches we have met with against the necessity of the determination to be made by God which we must give a particular satisfaction unto least some Readers should yet stumble or be gravelled at them but briefly for many words will not now need Thus it is said It seemes to be necessary that God should determine the sufficient Time for His publike Worship even on the solemne Dayes And again the sufficient Times for family and solitary Worship every Day as well as the determinations we have all this while been arguing for And seeing it is cleare He hath not done those it may seeme not necessary He should doe the other We answer 1. Supposing that God hath determined the chiefe Sol. 1 Time of Worship There is no such necessity that out of that He should determine particularly a proportion for the publike Worship For when men know they must spend the whole Continuance of the Time the whole Day in Religious Worship either publike or domesticke or solitary The Governours of the Church may now be well enough trusted to determine the houres for the publike Duties Their wisdome unlesse in perverse spirits that would purposely shut out some of the Ordinances of Prayer or Preaching or the like or curtall them that men might be sure to have no benefit by the publike will easily suffice to allot convenient proportions for these from experience how long men may ordinarily hold out in such Duties whether Ministers or People with edification and herein also to referre it partly to the discretion of Ministers There being a possibility of variety in severall particular Churches in the same Church at severall seasons of the yeere and the like without any remarkable prejudice to Religion Gods honour and the good of mens soules any where Because still the residue of the Day before and after the publike remaines devoted to Religion Whereas there would be manifest and certaine danger of prejudice to Religion even the ruine of it as we have shewed if the whole of the chiefe Time were left to mens discretion to any number of men whatsoever 2. We say the like for the Continuance of Time for Religion on Sol 2 the working Dayes either in domesticke or solitary Worship That God having strictly determined the chiefe Time namely one whole Day in a weeke according to the fourth Commandement there was no such necessity that He should determine besides the Continuance of the Week-dayes devotions He might have done these also we confesse if it had so been His pleasure But we have intimated formerly faire reasons which we may conceive why He would not namely 1. His gracious indulgence to try mens affections and zeale and spirituall wisdome in redeeming of Time ordinarily and extraordinarily on those Week-dayes for their families and themselves to waite upon God and their Soules with which they might be conveniently trusted if they conscionably observed the chiefe Time the Sabbath of Gods owne peremptory determination Specially remembring what we said a while agoe of the Blessing made over to such that they should thereby come to delight more and more in the Lord and such then will not be wanting to God and their soules or others soules even on the Week-dayes when they conveniently can redeeme any Time 2. As also To make evill men the more inexcusable who being not tyed so strictly on the Week-dayes will yet rob God and their souls and the soules of others under them of the Time of the Sabbath the Time that God himselfe hath made to be the necessary and ordinarily sufficient chiefe Time for Religion to all men Such we say would never have obeyed any determination on the Week-dayes for any Continuance if they should have been tyed to that also which thinke the Sabbath one day in seven so intolerable a burden now that they are so much at libertie on the other Dayes For also such on the Week-dayes doe scarce give God any Time at all many or most of them with their families or alone Therefore we say we can see reason why God was pleased not to tie men in all the parcells of Time when yet He would and hath in some in the chiefe And like unto this He hath done at least in the opinion of all or most of our English Adversaries in another Point namely in matter of our goods All our estates and goods are His as well as our Time Therefore out of them out of the increase of Corne and Cattell and the like He hath by an expresse determination challenged to himselfe a portion by way of tribute or homage namely the Tithe the tenth part It is the Lords Lev. 23. which afterwerd Himselfe divers yeeres after bestowed upon the Levites ond Priests His Ministers to whom He saith Himselfe would be their portion and inheritance Num. 18. Now this Law we say our English Disputers beleeve to be perpetuall Notwithstanding which strict tie for that part of our goods a tenth part All acknowledge somewhat more to be due to God for pious uses and for the maintenance of the poore and yet in neither of these hath God made any particular determination but left it to every ones discretion and affection according to occasions ordinary and extraordinary
Law of Nature that is of things which in a Rationall and Ethicall Consideration according to the Light of Nature may be and are to His honour either constantly or accidentally as Prayer to Him Swearing by His name 2. Or by positive Law in Scripture and calling Him to witnesse or appealing to Him 2. Or by Positive Law in Scripture which is the only way now Or of old by Dreams and Visions and the like altogether by vertue of His divine institution and appointments As the use of Water in the Sacrament of Baptisme and of Bread and Wine in the Lords Supper which being things of common use for worldly purposes have no other aptitude to be immediately to His honour But from His owne Command 7. These things thus premised VI. The question stated first by us we shall briefely state our question thus We say the necessary sufficient chiefe Time for Religion together with the particular Day for it is a part of worship and not a meer adjunct and circumstance only Hereby we mean that that Time observed for Religion is a part of our speciall homage to God and an immediate honour to Him And that it ought to be presented with such intention as being specially commanded by God partly in the Law of Nature namely the Continuance and Frequency being to the honour of God only in a Rationall and Ethicall Consideration and partly in Scripture as hath been shewed Chap. 10. And accordingly is specially acceptable unto God and such speciall acceptation may be and ought to be expected from God And so the Duties of Religion are then doubly worship and doubly acceptable both in reference to the Duties themselves and to the Times wherein they are performed Only still it must be remembred that all our acceptation is in and through Jesus Christ We say they are doubly Worship and doubly acceptable or trebly or foure fold as filling up together the whole Continuance commanded of a Day and answering the required observation of such a frequent Day and being presented upon the appointed particular Holy Day Like unto which there is now no other Time under the New Testament in this compleat sort Worship or so greatly acceptable Though there be some other Times that may have a little share also as we shall see anon In the meane time all our indeterminate and voluntary Times in any respect so far as they are voluntary are meere Circumstances of VVorship and no way to any speciall or immediate Honour to God in their observation nor any matter of speciall acceptation and so not to be presented with any such intention or expectation This is our opinion and meaning VII 2. By others 8. But now on the contrary others deny that under the Gospel any Time or Dayes at all are parts of Worship or that the Worship of God consists now at all in the observation of them Thus one resolutely O.R. p. 202.2 We deny that the worship of God can be placed in the observation of any Day unlesse we speak improperly Yet we acknowledge That in the Holy-Dayes there is a kind of worship of God as far as they are instituted to the Honour of God alone and the faithfull are congregated to them to holy performances But this is very improper indeed For besides that by being instituted to the Honour of God alone he meanes not that the Dayes instituted or observed are any speciall or immediate Honour to God positively but only that negatively they are reduced to His Honour when they are not instituted to the Honour of Creatures Saints or Angels among Orthodoxe Christians though they are among the Idolatrous Papists But besides this we say If the Faithfull congregating can make a Day a part of Gods worship then any Day or every Day of the Week or Yeere may be a part of Worship when the Faithfull meet to that purpose which no man affirmes p. 204.1 But heare him once againe The worship of God ought to be the end of the indiction of such Dayes But the Dayes themselves are no part of worship but an adjunct only or circumstance of worship If any man shall say The learned Professour speaks it only of the Holy Dayes appointed by the Church We answer VVe know he doth so But then he must remember that he makes the very Lords day to be of Ecclesiasticall constitution only which cannot make a thing a proper part of worship and so the same is appliable to the Lords-day also But he is not alone in this Assertion his Fellow Professour is of the same mind which we wonder at for the Lords-day when he puts this difference between the Jewish times and ours That the very Dayes D. Wal. de Sab. p. 93.95 and the Rest upon them was a part of worship to the Jewes But ours only a necessary circumstance thereof Another followes thus To speak properly a Day makes no part of Gods service Primr p. 250. 278. under the New Testament but is only an accidentall circumstance thereof And again Times appointed now make no part of Gods service and are not appointed but relative to the publike exercises p. 287. c. VVe need say no more for the stating the Question The difference is apparent They say The Time is only a necessary circumstance VVe say it is more than so a speciall part of worship VVhich thus we come to manifest by these ensuing Arguments That Time which the Lord requires out of all our Time VIII Arg. 1. It is Gods portion Ergo a part of worship as His peculiar portion is a part of worship But the necessary sufficient chiefe Time for Religion together with the particular Day for it is that Time which God requires out of all our Time as His peculiar portion Ergo It is a part of worship The Proposition is made good by instances of other things which being challenged by God as His peculiar portion became thereby parts of worship parts of the speciall Homage due to Him immediately tending to His Honour As 1. The Place which God did peculiarly chuse out of all the Tribes to set His name there as the Place often is the Lords House the Lords Temple was by vertue of such Divine challenge of it a part of worship sc of the Ceremoniall worship undeniably and the presenting there their services was a speciall part of the Jewes homage to God and an immediate honour to Him as also a matter of speciall acceptation with God even so far as that no other legall services were otherwhere acceptable at all except upon extraordinary command as Elijahs was 1 King 18. And if it were so with Place then there can be no reason but it is so with Time now though not now in a typicall respect but morall whether naturall or positive it is all one 2. So was it also of old with the Tithes which God challenges as His peculiar portion out of every mans substance Lev. 27.30
32. It is said They are the Lords His part His tribute And so the payment of them was a speciall Homage to Him an immediate Honour a part of worship And that which is specially to be noted antecedent to any particular use which He meant to put them to and whereto He did afterward apply them sc the maintenance of His Priests Levites For this we read not of till Num. 18. which was divers yeers after Whereupon it is there and elsewhere said That the Lord is the portion of Levi that is Levi should enjoy the Lords portion of Tithes as also of Offerings But this use of them was secondary and we doe not say that in this considration the payment of them was properly Worship For it was not immediately to Gods honour but only mediate in as much as those Levites that were maintained by them were Gods Ministers That which made them Parts of Worship was antecedent as we said to this Namely Gods challenging them as His portion His own primarily and originally though now making the Levites His receivers Hence the witholding them is called robbing of God not defrauding or robbing the Levites Mal. 3. And if we understand aright This is that Sacrilege mentioned Rom. 2. where after the Apostle had twice said Thou breakest the same Commandements thou teachest others not to break Stealing and committing Adulterie he adds Thou that abhorrest Idols or Images dost thou commit Sacriledge Dost thou break the same Commandement viz. the second robbing God of part of His Worship by detaining His portion of Tithes However to be sure they were His portion formerly and so a part of His worship 3. And so was that share which God reserved to Himselfe out of the Midianites spoiles The Lords Heave-offering v. 29.41 Num. 31. which is called the Lords tribute the Lords portion And was His a part of homage to Him a part of His worship on that occasion antecedently to the speciall use He afterward allotted that also to be disposed of by Eleazar the Priest as we there read Now if these things by this meanes became parts of Worship So is it in reason with that Time which God challenges as His tribute or peculiar portion out of all our Time It must be a part of Worship in that it is His allotted to His Honour antecedent to any particular uses which it is put to to any particular Duties of Worship which yet become the imployment of it Namely one or other of them or more than one even all the varieties of Duties doe actually imploy this Time unto Gods Honour But antecedent we say to any particular Duties the Time being Gods His portion is to His Honour immediately and a part of Worship and consequently calling for some particular Duties of Worship to help imploy it to Gods honour In a word Though it cannot be actually imployed to Gods Honour without some particular Duties yet hath it a distinct consideration abstracted from the Duties As requiring and calling for and even commanding as we said formerly of Solemne Time in generall Duties to attend it some or other And so is distinctly by and of it selfe to the Honour of God immediately as well as the Duties themselves though not actually separated from all For that is a contradiction in Religion to say That a Time can be to Gods honour and not be imployed in some Religious Duties or other But we have said enough as we conceive to illustrate and evince the Proposition of our Argument That the Time which is Gods portion is a part of VVorship The Assumption That the necessary sufficient chiefe Time for Religion is the Time which together with the particular Day for it God requires out of all our Time out of all mens Time as His peculiar portion that is above all other Time hath been proved abundantly in the foregoing Chapters 9. 10. And this we also conceived to be meant in those words of the fourth Commandement The seventh Day or a seventh Day one Day of seven is the Sabbath or a Sabbath of the Lord thy God or to the Lord thy God namely That he being the Lord of all thy Time as of all things else that are thine hath reserved to Himself and challenges for Himself while He allowes thee six Dayes mainly for thy woâ—ldly businesse this proportion of Time of one whole day of seven The Lords Day if from Divine Authority must needs be a part of worship and more holy then other Dayes G.I. pag. 16.9 as his peculiar portion to be sanctified imployed to His immediate honour And like to this as we conceive is the meaning in the New Testament of the terme of the Lords Day it is the particular Day which he hath taken and challenges to Himself as His peculiar portion out of all the Dayes of the Weeke to be sanctified wholly to His honour whence the conclusion followes inevitably That this Time in all the respects of it is a part of Gods worship a part of the speciall homage and tribute due to Him from all men and specially accepted by Him We proceede to another Argument IX Arg. 2. It is the observation of a morall Commandement of the first tab e. Ergo. properly respecting the necessary sufficient chiefe Time for Continuance and Frequency jointly Thus The obedience to and observation of a morall Commandement of the first table is a part of Gods immediate worship But the observation of the necessary sufficient chiefe Time for Religion is the obedience to and observation of a morall Commandement of the first table Ergo The observation of this Time is a part of Gods immediate worship Both the Propositions are confessed and granted by our Disputers Prim. p. 2. Therefore they must own the child issuing from such Parents The Major is thus expressed Whatsoever is morall is universally an essentiall part of Gods service The Minor thus The morall substance of the fourth Commandement is to have a Time regulate frequent c. And generally they all speake of a sufficient Time as morall naturall It is then a part of worship a proper and essentiall part of it by their own sentence But we will a little further prove and illustrate it also by our own grounds and not depend upon them 1. For the Major we say That the Commandements of the first Table do all of them plainly concerne the immediate worship and honour of God and all the objects of those Commandements namely the things and actions outward or inward commanded in them are matters of Divine worship Therefore the obedience to those Commandements the observation of them must needs be a part of worship of our Homage to God and redound to His immediate honour For 2. Whatsoever is to be presented to God by vertue of a morall Commandement of the first table is to be Presented to Him by all men as a speciall homage they all owe to Him as when a Landlord keeping court requires all his
Religion 17. As all Time is Gods and none ours for worldly businesse XLII 17. All Time is Gods all Places are ours but by his indulgence And indulgence of his we have none that we can securely challenge sufficient for worldly occasions but the six Dayes in a weeke mentioned in the fourth Commandement which indulgence cannot be perpetuated without the perpetuating also and first of the command of one Day of seven for God and Religion So that without this Commandement and indulgence we trespasse upon God continually in following our worldly businesses But as for Place though the whole earth be Gods yet in expresse termes He hath given it to the children of men Psal 115. by a generall indulgence Neither calls for any of it back under the New Testament as he did a little spot for typicall use of old any place is convenient for so many bodyes serving all the necessary turnes for Religion And so there is no Trespasse upon God in point of Place if there be but an observation of his appointed Times in any Place Whence still the same conclusion rises Time and Place are not equall Circumstances in Religion 18. Mens soules need a singular blessing XLIII 18. There needs a blessing to make sufficient not so for place to make any Time lesse then all sufficient for their soules which have so manifold necessities and are so infinitely more worth then all bodily occasions Which blessing as none but God can bestow so is there no ground to expect it but to his own appointments and determinations And such blessing He annexed to His determinations of Time Gen. 2. and Exod. 20. But there being no influence of Place into the soul any Place is sufficient which is sufficient for the bodyes convenience And so no blessing is to be expected with relation to the Place But only to the meeting and to the observation of the Time so appointed by God neither did God ever blesse any Place for Religion but only typically In this then also Time and Place are not equall Circumstances in Religion XLIV 19. The necessary Time for Religion is properly holy so is not any Place 19. The Necessary Time for Religion is properly holy and the sufficient Time acceptable to God or else it could not be counted sufficient But no Place is or can be now properly holy or acceptable to God Nor was ever any Place so of old in a morall sense or with reference to Morall Worship But onely typicall The Synagogues are no where called holy Places in Scriptures No not the very court of the Temple where the people meet to pray and heare and the like Neither were they suffered to go at any Time into that holy Place but the Priests only and only the High Priest and but once a yeare into the Holy of Holies on the day of Attonement All to teach the people that all the holinesse and acceptation of service in the Temple was only typicall which when it should cease all holinesse of Places should withall cease and no more acceptation to be expected from the service presented in any Place with reference to the Place or any consecration of it to Religion So though we may now consecrate or set apart Places for Religion as the Centurian a Gentile of his own accord and in love to the Jewish nation as themselves say and not as an act of devotion built them a Synagogue Luke 7.5 Yet can we neither make them Necessary Holy nor Places of acceptation Place and Time therefore are not equall circumstances in Religion XLV 20. The New Testament honours a Time viz. the Lords Day no Place as the Lords house 20. Finally to wind up divers things in a few words The New Testament honours a Time with the glorious title of Gods possession the Lords day which Day for Continuance Frequency and Order may be observed all the world over with but a little difference according to the climates how many millions soever of Christians there be in the world Which joynt serving of God eminently redounds to his great honour and is the greatest exercise of the Communion of Saints upon earth from which no persecution imprisonment or the like can hinder them so long as they have but spirits enough to lift up their soules to God But the New Testament dignifies no Place now with the title of the Lords house His possession Neither can all Christians now because of the Churches amplitude meet in one Place And if any would say all their places of meeting might be of the same proportion all the world over We Answer It is indeed possible in nature but altogether improbable and next to impossible in practise that it should be so without a divine command For it were altogether ridiculous in reason as it would be to have all men weare cloathes of the same bignesse and length Besides this would only be publique Places not domesticke much lesse solitary And again persecution and imprisonment might hinder from using these Once more then Time and Place are not equall circumstances in Religion nor fit to be equally left to men to the Churches determination or any other And so we doubt not but we have sufficiently evinced this assertion as well as the former If any think XLVI The conclusion we have spent too many words about it let him thank our disputers confidence on the contrary side which hath in a sort forced us to it while withall we have given a kind of recapitulation of some principall heads in the foregoing Chapters which some Readers perhaps will not be sorry for We end with this advertisement That if we had listed to make our Selves or our Readers merry in so serious a subject as our generall matter is we would not have wisht for a handsomer subject then this paralelling of Time and Place as equall But we durst not be light in so waighty a cause And now we have a third Corollary to adde That the chiefe Time is a part of worship and not a meere circumstance which will be yet another proofe of its being above Place But this is for the next Chapter CHAP. XII The necessary sufficient chiefe Time for Religion together with the Particular Day for it is a Part of Worship and not a meere Adjunct or Circumstance only I. A third Corollarie The necessary sufficient Time is a part of Worship THis Assertion we conceive to be a necessary Corollarie from our foregoing Discourses Yet is usually denyed even by some who differ not from us in the maine grounds of it Therefore we judge it expedient to be subjoyned and cleared Because also we are perswaded it will not only adde a little more light to some things already laid down but likewise somewhat more awe the Consciences of every one in the point of strict observation of the whole Lords day in a weekly revolution For if men be once fully convinced that not only the performance of such particular