tired nor Infinity be exhausted but he was pleas'd to put a period to his own extraordinary actings and by his own will determin the products of his boundless power Again if he had pleas'd he could have dispatch'd all his works in a day in a moment and not have made such leisurely progress and have done all at once But he chose a number of dayes to accomplish his great design in six dayes that there might be an orderly proportion and distance of time betwixt the productions of the several creatures and but six that the glory of his workmanship might not receive any disparagement from a seeming delay Now whether these six dayes in which the world was making were meant to signifie the continuance of the world for so many thousand years a thousand years being in Gods reckoning but as a day and the seaventh day of rest to typifie another thousand years of Christ's reign or an everlasting Sabbath in Heaven or whether any other mystery lye hid in the number of seaven whence fond antiquity might appropriate the seaven Planets each to his day and fonder Art divide the week according to planetary hours may be guess'd but cannot certainly be known Wherefore it may suffice us that it pleas'd God so to order his work and so to appoint a holy rest and he sure had very great reason for observing that order and making this appointment THEREFORE THE LORD BLESSED THE sabbath-SABBATH-DAY AND HALLOWED IT He stamp'd upon it a particular respect set it aside from common imployment and business of life for holy and spiritual exercises that it might be spent in the commemoration of his wonderful works And if the institution were so solemn upon the account of Creation how much more will the memory of our Redemption heighten the solemnity and improve the observance of this holy day which our blessed Lord and Saviour the holy Iesus blessed by his rising again from the dead and hallowed by his apparition and discourse with his holy Apostles who have by their example recommended to the Church of God as the Christian Sabbath the first day of the week the day of our Lords Resurrection for which reason it is also call'd the Lord's Day Besides this weekly solemnity and day of rejoycing it is acknowledg'd even by those who are no great friends to the Churches authority that the Church hath power to appoint and set aside for the publick worship of God other peculiar dayes as occasion shall require such as are Anniversary Fasts and Feasts nor is the commemoration of the benefits obtain'd by Christ as his Nativity Passion Ascension c. and of the holy Apostles and other Scripture-Saints more ancient though it be handed to us from the most ancient and the best times then 't is convenient the fundamentals of religion being thus scatter'd through the course of the year and the Holy-dayes next to the Lords-day being the great remarks cognisances of Christianity This reason drawn from the creation which is the moral reason of the precept is in Deuteronomie which is the repetition of the Law omitted and another of a politick concern brought in stead of it as if the command were grounded upon an indulgence to servants and that upon a reflection upon the condition of the Israelites in Egypt where they had been made serve in a cruel bondage mention'd in the Preface Though those words there I suppose might be added only as a reason for the servants and the cattles rest and an argument to inforce the equity of that rather then to be the bottom and ground of the Sabbath it self and yet it seems strange that immediately after Moses tells them God spake these words and no more The sense of the command is this Thou shalt take great heed to the observation of my day and shalt sanctify my Sabbath and keep it holy with exercises of publick private devotion Thou shalt wait upon me in my sanctuary and appear before me in the great assembly Thou shalt come to my house in my fear and enter my courts with due reverence Thou shalt attend to my word obey my voice and shâ—lt bestow this sacred time wholly on the meditation of my Law Thou shalt receive my word with faith and wait upon me in the use of my ordinances Thou shalt set one day in seaven aside from all worldly concernments and thy usual employment and dedicate it and thy self to me Thou shalt prepare thy self and forecast thy business that no other thoughts may distract thee Thou shalt keep it a holy rest to the Lord shalt cause all that belong unto thee to keep it Thou shalt not do thy own works nor speak thy own words nor think thy own thoughts on that day but be taken up with the study of God's word and with the consideration of his works Thou shalt serve me faithfully on thy six dayes of work in a diligent attendance upon the dutyes of thy calling that thou mayst on my day of â—est meet with a blessing find pardon for thy failings and receive strength for thy performances Thou shalt breed up thy children in my fear and acquaint them with my wayes Thou shalt instruct thy houshold and make me known unto strangers Thou shalt be merciful to thy servants and thy cattle and shalt let them injoy the benefit of the Sabbath-rest Thou shalt so observe this rest as not to give thy self up to sloath and idleness nor spend the time in sports and vain recreations but make it a rest from sin as well as from work Thou shalt more particularly imploy thy self in remembring the Lord thy Creatour and thy Redeemer and thankfully acknowledging his benefits Lastly Thou shalt so pass this weekly Sabbath in holy meditations and a heavenly conversation that thou mayst fit thy self for the celebration of an everlasting Sabbath to be kept hereafter with Angels and Saints in Heaven after thou art deliver'd from the troubles of a wicked world How far have we come short of the observation of the Sabbath in these our times who forget the day and neglect the duty who neither labour on the six dayes nor rest on the seaventh as we should doe who profane the sanctuary and pollute the holy place using no reverence and behaving our selves in Gods presence with more rudeness then we would in the presence of men who have made our devotions but a lip labour and plac'd religion in the ear and have excluded God's word contained in the holy Bible and the wholsome forms of the Church to make room for the bold conceits and seditious discourses of men who have preferred Enthusiasms before the written word who have preach'd up rebellion and sacriledge and demolish'd the Churches of God in the Land broken down the sacred ornaments with axes and hammers who have multiplied sects and heresies and dishonour'd God in his solemn worship and in the publick assemblyes who have made void God's ordinances refus'd to
which we must not expect forgiveness and to a new obedience which is the surest sign and evidence that we are forgiven THIS DOE YE AS OFT AS YE DRINK IT IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. That is this sacred Rite I thought fit to appoint and leave behind with you as a memorial of me and a monument of my love towards you who took upon me your nature that I might dye for you and shall shortly powr out my soul to death even as you have seen the wine which you now drink powred into the cup that your souls may live being refresh'd with the virtue of my blood as your bodyes are strengthned and your hearts cheared by the use of wine This ordinance after my departure from you shall serve to represent my death and my love which is as strong as death and the benefits thereof wherefore I charge you and all others which shall profess my name that if you expect to enjoy those blessings which my death is intended to procure for mankind and which will certainly befall those that doe truly believe in me they would not fail to testify their Faith in the use of this Sacrament and apply to themselves the Salvation wrought by my death this mystery being appointed as a means of conveying assurance and sealing pardon Do you then in your assemblyes hereafter as you have seen me doe now amongst you And let all Christians with reverence and due preparation attend and partake of these holy mysteryes knowing 't is not an ordinary and slight business but a matter of great concernment both to the honour of my name and to their souls health It being appointed for my remembrance their spiritual growth Nor shall it be enough once as in the other Sacrament of Baptism or some few times as a thing at your own choice to partake of this holy Supper but it is a thing must be often done and you are frequently in this to commemorate my death as oft as ever occasion shall be given that so the memory of me may be continually celebrated in the Church and you may be drawing virtue continually from me grow up from grace to grace from strength to strength And accordingly the primitive Saints communicated every day going about from house to house and breaking bread And how can we call our selves Christians that far unlike them neglect so great Salvation and regard not the Blood of the Covenant but to the disparagement of Christianity intermit the use of this sacred mystery as of late we have done in very many congregations for several years through the fondness of some whose ill temper'd zeal had well neer eaten up the house of God 'T is true Baptism needs not indeed ought not to be reiterated it being the laver of regeneration Now it suffices once to be born But the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ is call'd and is a Supper Now he that sups once hungers and thirsts again We cannot if we have a true spiritual hunger and thirst after the righteousness of Christ but come to his Table and present our selves before him often at least at the three great Festivals of the Church wherein the Birth the Passion Resurrection of Christ the Descent of the Holy Ghost are remembred as the Iews custom was at their three great Feasts to come up to Hierusalem if not every month nay every week that every Lord's day the Lord's Supper also might be administred and we considering our frequent relapses into sin might be often renewing our vows Nay it were to be wished that our lives were so pure and our minds so taken up with heavenly things and our feet our affections I mean were so shod with the preparation of the Gospel that we might with the ancient Christians make it our every day-meal and say that Prayer in this sense Give us this day our dayly Bread FINIS Courteous Reader THis whole Treatise having been taken by several al young pens from the Author's mouth He doth not conceive himself oblig'd to maintain the Orthography every where seeing 't would have been an infinite task to have corrected all over to his own judgement Truth is scarce any language has greater variety or indeed irregularity of pronouncing spelling the same syllables then our English hath which is some reason of the difficulty of it to strangers I shall instance in some words diversly written School and Schole Vertue and Virtue Common and Commune c. the one being the Vulgar the other the Scholastic Orthography Again a different meaning sometimes diversifies the letter though pronounc'd alike as to lie down and to tell a lye foul dirty and a fowl a bird c. But of this He shall have occasion to discourse more largely in his Tables of the English Tongue wherein he hopes to give satisfaction to the Critic and the Scholar At present he thinks it his main concern to be Vnderstood and therefore takes no notice of any faults escaped but such as may disturb the sense and scandalize an Ordinanary Reader and for the rest trusts himself to the candour of the Judicious ERRATA Pag. 8. l. 7. Deity r. duty p. 14. l. 3. affection r. effusion p 21. l. 3. master r. maker p. 39. l. 21. r. as much as p. 44. l. 19. signicant r. significant p. 48. l. 12. del up even p. 69. l. 10. r. their designs p. 71. l. 18. r. our destiny p. 97. l. 14. lift r. lighted p. 106. l. 14. use r. use p. 111. l. 5. meeted r. meted p. 118. l. 3. serety r. serenity p. 130. l. 7. doing r. doings p. 135. l. 18. For r. So that p. 157. l. 10. metonymical r. metaphorical p. 182. l. 11. he that r. that he p. 192. l. 10. soul r. soul p. 233. l. 8. government r. garment p. 439. l. 19. yet not r. not yet a Qui singit sacros auro vel marmore vultus Non facit ille Deos qui rogat ille facit Mart. b Non tam praedari quam precari c 1 Thess. 5. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the precept in Cornelius his practise 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 10. 2. d Gen. 18. 25. e Matt. 7. 7. f Ioh. 14. 13 14. g Iam. 4. 3. h Psal. 19. 14. i Psal. 5. 5. k Psal. 10. 17. l Gen. 15. 11. m Iam. 1. 6 7. n Psal. 31. 16. o Isa. 28. 16. p Rom. 10. 11. q Heb. 11. 6. r Heb. 11. 6. s Psal. 112. 10. t Psal. 1. 6. v Iam. 5. 16. u Rev. 8. 3. x Iugiter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 y 1 Sam. 1. 13. z Rom. 13. 4. a 1 Tim. 11. 1. b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c Luk. 11. 2 d Thus saith the Lord i.e. 〈…〉 e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. f Rev. 1. 4. g Psal. 148. 5. h Longin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 h Deut. 33. 27. i Isa. 49 15. k Ps. 133. l Ps. 44. 4. m Ps. 2◠n 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 o
to upbraid any one Party For though the Act of Oblivion injoyns us to forget Injuries done to Men yet Religion will oblige us to remember our Sins against God The Sacraments I have handled with that brevity that I have not there much insisted on the Rites wherewith our Church administers them but elsewhere in the Book have in the general offer'd somewhat to their defence Where I plead Admission of all to the holy Table I would not be understood to speak for those which are under Church-censures On every of these parts I have said little of the much which might have been said and for ought that I know nothing that has been said by others having had a special care all the way of the Eighth Commandement Sir You are the onely Author that I have consulted and these sheets have not been the travail so much of my Invention as of my Memory while I have been recovering those Notices your Institution lodg'd in my young head and heart Wherefore what I have fail'd in Elegance of expression or Solidity of matter I must first here beg your Pardon for seeing that contrary to the method of the Resurrection what was sown in strength is now raâ—s'd in weakness And next crave your Blessing upon the Book and Me that God would make us both serviceable to the Publick For I very well understand what hazard of censure I run by appearing thus in Print and what Obligations I now lay upon my self to walk carefully and order my conversation aright since he that puts forth a Book of Religion and leads an irreligious life doth but libell himself and scandalize his Book Sir As it was your great care and love to send me in my younger years to several places for my education so 't was my no lesse happinesse that I was principled in Religion by your self and though Scholar to sundry Masters was your Catechumenus I thought it then the most fitting Gratitude to return you what I receiv'd and design your own Instructions the Memorial of my Dutie That the God of all Consolation would crown your Old age with Honour and Ioy and after these many years of Suffering and Persecution wherein you have had so large a share heap upon you the blessings of Peace and a long Life that you may see and partake the prosperity of Jerusalem shall be the dayly prayer of Dear Father St. Thomas-day 1661. Your most dutifull and obedient Son Adam Littleton Sentences out of Scrip ure Heb. V. 12. FOr when for the time ye ought to be Teachers ye have need that one teach you again which be the first Principles of the oracles of God and are become such as have need of milk not of strong meat 1 Tim. I. 13. Hold fast the Form of sound Words which thou hast heard of me in Faith and Love which is in Christ Iesus Prov. XXII 6. Train up or Catechise a Child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Psal. XXXIV 11 12 13 14. Come ye Children hearken unto me I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life and lovâ—th many dayes that he may see good Keep thy Tongue from evil thy lips from speaking guile Depart from evil do good seek Peace and pursue it Prov. IV. 23. Keep thy Heart with all diligence or above all keeping for out of it are the issues of life Psalm CXI 10. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom a good Vnderstanding or good success have all they that do his Commandements Eccles. XII 13. Let us hear the Conclusion of the whole matter Fear God and Keep his Commandements for this is THE WHOLE DUTIE OF MAN An Explanation of the GROUNDS OF RELIGION RELIGION is the Fear of God i.e. the acknowledging worshipping of God God is known by his Works and by his Word There was never any Nation which did not profess the worship of God An Atheist was alwayes counted a monster Now most Countries following Nature as their guid have mistaken either in the matter or manner of their worship The Heathens therefore such as Indians Scythians Turks c. worship either a false God or with false worship But God's people being guided by the light of Scripture do embrace the true Religion the Iewish Church in the time of the Law the Christian Church under the Gospel For after the coming of Christ the Religion of the Iews hath now no longer use since it was but a shadow and type of Christ to come For Christ the Sun of Righteousnesse being risen the Ceremonies like shadows are scatter'd and fled away Christian Religion then is that Doctrine which Christ himself taught when he was on earth confirm'd by miracles and holinesse of Life and sealed with his precious Blood dying on the Cross. Christian Religion is at large conteined in the holy Scriptures i.e. in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles who were the Pen men of the holy Ghost But it is chiefly compriz'd in the four Heads of Catechism which we call the Principles of Religion Now Catechism is a brief and plain Institution which explains the Mysteries of Faith and the Duties of a holy Life in that manner that they may be easily understood by any even the most vulgar apprehension Wherefore 't is call'd the Sincere milk of the Word as being fitted to the capacity of little children which as yet cannot bear more weighty discourses which are compar'd to solid meat This Doctrine then is plain that it may be receiv'd by the Understanding and short that it may be held in Memory yet full too that it may instruct us in all things necessary to salvation For it is made up of four parts whereof the First teacheth us what we are to believe concerning God and the Church the Second what duty we owe to God and man the Third describes a method of praying the Fourth delivers those Sacred seals by which this doctrine is confirm'd The Confession of Faith is set down in the Apostles Creed The Law of God contein'd in the Ten Commandements is the Rule of life The Lord's Prayer is a most absolute form and pattern of Prayer And lastly the two Sacraments of Baptism and the Holy Supper are instead of Seals These are the Pillars upon which not onely the Church but every faithfull soul is in the Spirit built up to perfect knowledge and blessednesse to grace and glory AN EXPLANATION Of the LORD'S PRAYER The Lord's Prayer OUr Father which art in heaven Hallowed be thy Name Thy kingdom come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our dayly bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil For thine is the kingdome the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen The LORDS PRAYER PRAYER is a calling upon God in time of
him without fear That he would overcome the world for us mortify the old man and trample Satan under our feet Finally that he would save us to the uttermost and compleatly in our whole man body soul and spirit from all and all manner of evil whither of this life or of that to come and would so contrive all events and lay the plot of his eternal purposes that all things may work together for our good and procure our everlasting welfare FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER This is the Doxology which either comes in as a Confirmation to back the foregoing petitions or is added as a bare Confession it being usual that in sacred writings that particle for or because is not alwayes brought in as a causal or rational influence but is many times simply narrative In this later sense the several words may be taken to mean the same thing as in Daniel's prophecy and the Revelation many such synonyma's are heap'd together and in the Psalms several in several places used indifferently to shew that too much cannot be said or too many expressions made use of to set forth divine Majesty We end our Prayer then in an adoration of his exeellencyes and a deep acknowledgement of his greatness represented under a three-fold term Kingdom Power and Glory which are farther rais'd and lifted up beyond our conception by the infinity and eternity of them His Kingdom has neither beginning nor end of dayes his power admits no bounds knows no end and his glory as himself is and was and is to come And as the Church hath worded it which was but a pious descant upon this piece of the Lords Prayer Glory be to the Father to the Son and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen In the former sense 't is laid at the bottom of the Prayer as a ground foundation of it as if we were pleading to be heard Nor doe we in these our requests seek our selves or study and design our own emolument and advantage but our souls are touched with a love to thy name and we humbly desire thee to accept these petitions in order to thy own glory which will receive some advantage even then when the necessityes of us thy creatures are supplyed If thou be graciously pleas'd to hear us in these our desires Thy Kingdom will be advanc'd thy power made manifest and thy Glory promoted 'T is not for our selves we ask nor can we think our poor concernments an argument sufficient to ground a confidence on but for thy names sake Alas should we aim at Kingdom power or glory what poor short-arm'dâ— short-liv'd thing would it be bound up within the measure of a transitory life of a span length but thine lasts to ages of ages thy Kingdom has the same date as eternity never commenced never shall exspire thy power reaches from everlasting to everlasting and thy glory indures from generation to generation 'T is our earnest request that thou wouldst provide for the honour of thine own name that thou wouldst not be wanting to thy self in the vindication of these thy glorious attributes nor let them suffer by turning thy face away from our prayers And thus these three words may cast back a respect to the several petitions as has been before observ'd to those which concern God in this manner Thine is the Kingdom therefore let thy Kingdom come since it doth of due belong unto thee Again thine is the power therefore let thy will be done for whose will should carry but his whose will no one can resist And lastly which was propos'd first in the petitions that the Prayer might begin and end alike and God's glory might be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it Thine is the glory therefore hâ—llowed be thy name And in subordination to these we proceed to ask in our own behalf wherein yet those attributes seem to be no less concern'd with some such reflection as this Thine is the Kingdom wherefore give us bread it was a Pharaoh's care to provide bread for his subjects how much more will our King and our God supply all our wants and allow us necessaries Thine is the power therefore forgive us our sins for who has power to forgive sins but God Oh! that it would please thee to shew this thy power in pardoning our iniquities and not in avenging them and lastly again Thine is the glory wherefore lead us not into temptation whereby we may bring dishonour to thy name but deliver us from evil that we may glorify thee the author of all our good And all these requests to be granted not for the present only for a day or an age but this provision for his own glory and our wants to be for ever because his Kingdom and his power which are the store whence this provision is to be made and his glory which is to be provided for are for ever as also our wants need a continual supply Now these his attributes having been in ages past and being to last for all ages to come by former experience of those that have been before us and our own beget a confidence for the future that as our fathers trusted in him were not ashamed so succeeding generations shall find 't is not in vain to seek him and that he whose goodness is unexhausted will not be weary of doing good So that the eternity of Gods perfections ingages our posterity to hope in him and concludes this prayer fit to be used as long as the world indures This Doxologie or Conclusion of the prayer is set down only by St. Matthew St. Luke mentions it not and accordingly the Church in her offices leaves it out nor does this difference plead any thing against the formality of the prayer it self or the omission of this part prove that the whole may be omitted and laid aside For as 't has been said before Christ propos'd this Prayer upon two several occasions at two several times one was when he was preaching his Sermon on the mount before a great multitude of auâ—ditors wherein he delivers in a large discourse the sum of Christian institution and the dutyes of a holy life of which Prayer being none of the least himself propounds a pattern for imitation and use The other was more private in the company only of his disciples when after he had been at prayers by himself they desir'd him to teach them to pray as Iohn had done his disciples whereupon he gives them this form for their constant use at least upon solemn occasions when ye pray say c. Now this latter appointment of it leaving out the conclusion shews that it is not an essential part of the Prayer necessarily belonging to it but an addition that may be spared indifferent to be used or not wherefore whether
beneath or that is in the water under the earth Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor serve them For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my Commandements III. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain For the Lord will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his Name in vain IV. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Six dayes shalt thou labour and do all thy work But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God In it thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy son nor thy daughter thy man servant nor thy maid servant nor thy cattell nor thy stranger that is within thy gates For in six dayes the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seventh day Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it V. Honour thy father thy mother that thy dayes may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee VI. Thou shalt not kill VII Thou shalt not commit adultery VIII Thou shalt not steal IX Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours house thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife nor his man servant nor his maid-servant nor his ox nor his ass nor any thing that is thy neighbours THE TEN COMMANDEMENTS GOD when he had erected the stately frame of the World and furnished the scene of nature with various kinds of creatures prescribed an order course in which every thing should move for his command doth as well determine the actings of his creatures as it did produce their beings Thus the great wheel of nature keeps an orderly and constant course and as in a watch or some other curious piece of workmanship every small parcel of his work observes the rule of it's motion and is by that principle the workman's hand put into it guided to those ends for which it was made And this is the Law of Creation by which all creatures pay an obedience to their Creatour for as they depend upon his power to Be so 't was fit they should be directed by his wisdom to Act. This is indeed the Law of Nature which God as supreme Soveraign and absolute Lord and proprietour of all things has the sole right of imposing By this the heavenly bodyes dispense their influences and steer their motions which when excentrical are not irregular The Sun knows his place of rising and setting and it must be miracle that either stops him in his wonted rode or puts him back The Moon is constant to her changes and all the stars fixt to their stations nor doe the wandring stars rove out of those bounds which God hath set them The very inconstancy of weather and vicissitude of seasons is order'd by this Law and when any thing in the Elements happens extraordinary as that fire should refuse to burn water deny to drown c. 't is because a more particular warrant hath superseded the general commission which was sign'd at first for the law giver has power to alter his own laws make what exceptions he please which was the ground of Abraham's Faith who though by the general precept forbidden to kill any one yet upon special command thought himself obliged to sacrifice his own and onely Son To this Law are subject the Sea also ebbing and flowing from towards the shore God having appointed it its bounds beyond which it may not go and the Earth with all plants and fruits which grow on the surface of it and stones and minerals in the bowels of it according to the rules of each kind Of this Law a paricular branch is that which we call natural instinct whereby living creatures which are indued with sense and motion and a faculty of propagating their like to wit Birds Beasts Fishes and creeping things are regulated in the managery of their care and converse Hence springs that tender affection which all damms have for their young ones the conjugal fidelity of pairs the rules of order and government amongst societies such as Sheep Bees c. After this manner it pleas'd the faithfull Creatour to provide a Law for the well-being of his creatures without which the universe would have been still a meer Tohu and Bohu void and without form This is that ligament which binds the jarring Elements in a league of amity and sets every thing a work quietly to its own ends so as to preserve the whole and were it not for this all things would run into confusion But man being a creature of a more excellent make and having the imprese of divinity stamp'd upon him being made in the likeness of God was not to be coop'd up within the same measures as his fellow-creatures and be guided to his duty by blind instincts and a reason without him but had a greater latitude as of knowledge so of liberty allow'd him for it was thought fit that he who was to have dominion over the rest and to act Soveraign among other creatures should be intrusted with the government of himself Wherefore he had an understanding a will given him whereby he might see and choose his rule and might determine himself to a generous obedience And these faculties of his were as all things else were that God made at first very good his understanding right and wise his will holy and just of perfect sufficience to lead him to the right and of as perfect an indifference to leave him to the wrong besides his affections pure and free from all disorder Now that man might not pride himself in the reflection upon his own excellencies and that God might from this his Vicegerent and Prince of the Creation have some small acknowledgment of subjection it pleased him to make a command of tryall in a slight matter indeed the eating of an Apple but loaded with a grievous threat In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt dy the death The breach of so easy an injunction upon so solemn a denunciation aggravating the ingratitude and the contempt of the offender And see how hard it was to persist in good even for him who before never knew evill How slippery a State Innocence when there is but the least temptation to debauch it How frail a thing the best of men if he be left to himself A toy tempts Adam from his obedience and his happiness together and from Eve's hand which administred the sin he took his death too Then were forfeited all the glorious priviledges of his Creation then were defaced all the resemblances of divine perfections then was his soul as well as body left naked of all graces and virtues his original righteousness turn'd into original sin then were his dayes cut short by
Mercyes to them and theirs after them who have a respect for me and a care to keep my commands Now if we would take notice how full the world is of Idolatry when neer three parts of four in the whole habitable world are Mahumetans and Pagans and the greatest part of Christianity is ingag'd in Image-worship what cause have we to fear the severest judgements of a jealous God How guilty has this Land of late been of the basest Idolatry in the blasphemous addresses to usurping powers and imputing the villanous artifices of wicked men to the holy Spirit of God How have schisms like armyes of locusts over-spred and eat up the Churches of God in these Nations every one severally inventing falâ—â— wayes of worship and setting up thâ—â— abomination of desolation How has Idolatry and Antichristian doctrine prevail'd amongst us and been eagerly assisted by a seeming opposition How many Corahs Dathans and Abirams have been own'd follow'd by giddy multitudes that have offer'd strange fire and maintain'd rebellion against the sacred orders and institutions of the Church What credit hath Sorcery and Astrology of late years gotten that many have forsaken their own prudence and God's providence too and given themselves up to a lying spirit How is Self and Sin made the great Idol of all our devotions and how do we every day provoke God to jealousy with our lusts Sure then we have great reason to pray in the Churches words Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this Law As the second gives order for the carriage of our Body so the third sets down a rule for the chief part of the body the Tongue That prescribes postures This regulates our speech That takes care for Gods Worship This for his Name It likewise consists of two parts the Precept it self and the Reason of the precept THOU SHALT NOT TAKE to wit into thy mouth thou shalt not mention make use of God's name in thy ordinary discourse And more particularly thou shalt not swear as the three Eastern Interpretations have it exactly to the Hebrew phrase for to lift up God's Name signifies to swear and so in the 24. Psalm He that hath not lift up his soul to vanity is expounded by the words immediately following That has not sworn deceitfully THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD. God's Name is here put not only for those appellations whereby he is distinguish'd but for the divine Attributes also for his Word and his Works and all other discoveries which he makes of his Essence power wisdom goodness as has been said before in the first Petition of the Lord's Prayer IN VAIN Idly to no purpose rashly upon every slight or silly occasion in common talk or in any frivolous matter without due reverence and heedfulness or falsly in the defence and justification of a lye and thus the word in its latitude includes the three qualifications of an Oath that it be made in judgement in justice and in truth The reason follows FOR THE LORD WILL NOT HOLD HIM GUILTLESS THAT TAKETH HIS NAME IN VAIN i.e. He will not clear and acquit him and let him scape unpunish'd that shall dare to call the all-knowing God to witness a lye Two Observes that word Iehovah or Lord helps us to as having a double Emphasis One is that however a false or a vain swearer may pass as to the notice and penalty of humane Lawes God will find out the offender and punish him Another is that it is said here only the Lord whereas before 't was said the Lord thy God to shew that perjury and rash oaths are sins of that nature that God will not only punish his own people for but even the Heathens and Infidels whose Lord indeed he is but he is not their God And Heathen story is full of such examples wherein the breach of oath has been constantly followed with remarkable vengeance And that is intimated in that negative threat which signifies more then it speaks out He will not hold him guiltless meaning that he will most certainly punish The sense of the Command then is this Thou shalt not use my Name upon a design of cheat and to cover a lye thou shalt not forswear thy self by calling me to witness a known falshood and thus call some heavy vengeance upon thine own head But thou shalt when thou art call'd by the Magistrate thereunto bear faithfull witness to the truth which thou knowst and shalt make good thy promises Thou shalt not blaspheme my Name by rash and needless oaths nor upon every mean paultry occasion make mention of it but shew a reverence and a regard to it and take it into thy mouth with solemn care and weighty consideration When necessity so requires and Authority commands for the decision of strife and to put an end to controversie thou shalt swear by me and by me alone who onely know the secrets of hearts and am able to avenge the falshood Thou shalt have an awfull respect for every thing that belongs to me thou shalt peruse my word with diligence and attention reading and hearing and meditating in it day and night It shall never depart out of thy mouth Thou shalt honour my Ministers the Preachers of my Word the dispensâ—rs of my holy Ordinances Thou shalt magnifie and praise my Name in the remembrance of all my wondrous works Thou shalt take notice of my Iudgements and my mercyes and in all events speak well of my Name and whatsoever falls out in the affairs and interests of the world to say still the Name of the Lord be praised And to conclude Thou shalt walk in my fear in thy distress call upon my Name be frequent in Prayer and in praise lift up thy heart and thy voice to me who hear in Heaven and so order thy conversation that thou mayst not cause my Name to be evill spoken of but shalt live suitably to thy holy profession that all that see thy good works may glorifie me and by thy example may be taught to love and fear my Name Let us but take a view of our selves and see whether we are such as the Lord will hold guiltless Have not we taken the Lord's Name in vain when generally it has been used as a stale to base interest and a cloak for hypocrisie and tyranny when our Pulpits have prefix'd the Name of the Lord to the blackest designs and those who would be thought strictest in prosessing the Name of the Lord have set on foot rebellion under the title of the Cause of God when there has been such breaking of Oaths and making of Covenants against the Laws of God and man In so much that for our swearing backward and forward as the villany of these late times has taught men to doe we may justly be term'd the perjur'd Nation when our orthodox teachers have been thrown into corners with indigence and contempt that the basest of the
Sunday as their Sabbath whereon our Saviour rose again from the dead and shew'd himself to his Disciples Another difference betwixt us is that we are not obliged to that Iudaïcal strictness but are allow'd a chearfull freedom yet not so as to make it a day of pastime for it follows that it is THE SABBATH OF THE LORD THY GOD as appointed by him or To the Lord thy God as dedicated to his especial service a day wherein thou art to contemplate the works of the Lord wrought in the Creation and the mercyes of thy God shown forth in thy Redemption a time set apart not for thy business much less for thy sport but for God's glory and publick worship to be spent wholly in performances of holy dutyes IN IT THOU SHALT DO NO MANNER OF WORK Nothing of common drudgery of thy ordinary vocation of thy weeks work none of thy work for it 't is not meant that we should sit still and doe nothing but works of piety as going to Church and the Priest's offering their Sacrifices in the Old Law c. are God's work and works of necessity as provision of food c. are the works of Nature and works of Charity as healing the sick taking the oxe or ass out of the pit c. are works of Grace And these must and may be done without any violation of the Sabbath THOU God here cals all the family to an account so careful he is of his own day And whereas in the other Commandements Thou is directed to every body here it carryes a special warrant to the superiour seeming to require of him that he not onely keep it himself in his own person but take care also that all in his charge keep it too Thou whether thou art magistrate master or mistress of the house father tutor or whatever governour imploy thy authority to see my Sabbath duely observ'd Yet not so as that the superiours negligence shall be an excuse for the inferior's for they are all spoken too here by name AND THY SON Children are naturally more apt to neglect their duty then able to perform it or indeed willing to understand it They must be taught it then and kept to it Acquaint thy son therefore with my wayes and instruct him in my fear Train him up in good courses that he may not be prepossess'd with vicious customs Bring him to Church let him be couversant in Scripture and learn the principles of Religion and seek me early that he may grow up as in stature so in wisedom and grace and favour with God and good men AND THY DAUGHTER No age nor sex priviledg'd from Sabbath-duty And these two words include all inferiours who are not in a servile condition all children pupils scholars citizens subjects whose respective governours are particularly to heed their observance of this day THY MAN-SERVANT AND THY MAID SERVANT All thy servants whether hired or bought all that doe thee work and receive thy wages Neither thy Avarice nor their own lust shall imploy them and cause them to absent themselves from my service Servants that day 〈◊〉 God's servants and their master's fellow-servants yet to be commanded and overlook'd by their masters that they do serve God And indeed it is the master's great interest to see that this day be well observ'd in his family since he cannot well expect that his own work should prosper if God's work be neglected or that those servants will be faithfull in his service who doe not care to serve God THY CATTLE The Greek reads here as 't is express'd in Deuteronomie and thy oxe and thy ass and thy cattle i.e. all labouring beasts which man makes use of for tillage of the ground for carriage of burdens for going of journeys c. that they also may rest from their usual labour and may have a time of refreshment for there is a charity too due to these brute-servants and the good man is mercifull to his beast But does God take care of oxen Though they have a share in his providence yet what are they concern'd in his Law which is spiritual and holy 'T is for man's sake whom they serve in whose charge they are that they are here mention'd And indeed should the cattle have been left out it might have look'd like an allowance to worldly-minded men to have set them on work the attendance of that would have prov'd the imployment of men too for that beasts will hardly work alone without the direction oversight of men NOR THY STRANGER THAT IS WITHIN THY GATES He that sojourns with thee within thy city so the Magistrate is concern'd or thy guest in thy house and so 't is the duty of the Master of the family to see that strangers of what countrey or religion soever comply with this Law and doe not violate the Sabbath-rest by travell keeping market following their merchandise or any other worldly occasions The Hebrew words are sometimes taken in a special strict sense so as that the stranger means one of another countrey converted to the Iewish profession and observances call'd otherwise a Proselyte and the Gates being the place of session or assize where the Iudges and Magistrates met for the tryall and decision of causes mean the civil power and jurisdiction But they are here questionless to be taken in the larger and more common sense FOR IN SIX DAYES THE LORD This is the reason of the Command and shews farther the equity of it that we would not think much to doe as God himself did and indeed the morality of it too for this reason concerns all mankind Heathen as well as Iew wherefore to intimate the universal obligation it hath it sayes not the Lord thy God as before but only the Lord. MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH THE SEA AND ALL THAT IN THEM IS He finish'd the work of creation and did all which he had to do in that first week of the world And it would be worth our imitation to consider how God takes a review of every day's work and it would be well for us that we could every night before we take our natural rest take account of our actions and see that they are good and at the weeks end before we enter upon this spiritual rest survey the work of the whole week and say of it not that it were exceeding good but that at least it were not exceeding evil Two things in the method of God's working may be worth our particular notice that the evening is mention'd still before the morning as if God had taken counsel o're night what he should doe next day and that God made man last on the very Sabbath-eve as if he had made him for no other purpose then to keep the Sabbath in the admiration of his works and the celebration of his praise AND RESTED THE SEAVENTH DAY God might have been working on still and set forth his power in new productions for Omnipotence cannot be
administer and receive the blessed Sacraments who have had no regard to the Feasts and Fasts other ancient usages of the Church but have set aside dayes of our own and have fasted for strife and given thanks for blood who doe not take care that we and our houses may serve the Lord nor make any account of this sacred time who spend the day in sloth and riot and vain sports and do not sanctifie it and keep it holy to the Lord who doe not improve the blessing of the Sabbath to the advantages of a holy life but continue still in gross ignorance and profaneness so that we may very well use the Churches Prayer Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this Law The fifth Commandement This is the hinge of the two Tables the main joynt of the whole Law concerns the Magistrate who is God's Vicegerent ou earth and the keeper of both the Tables wherefore some assign it a place in the first Table God having a special care of civil order and peace in the societyes of men has therefore set this Commandement concerning the obedience to superiours by which peace and good order are preserv'd immediately after those of his own worship and in like manner back'd it with a reason whereas all the rest which follow are set down barely in way of Commands without the addition of any promise or threat So then this Command is made up of two parts the Precept it self and the Reason of the Precept the Precept shews the duty Honour and its object thy Father and Mother The Reason is a promise of long life and therefore the Apostle hath call'd it The first Commandement with a promise for the Third contains a threat and that of the Second is more threat then promise That thy dayes may be long on the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee HONOUR This shews a different degree and condition amongst men and God's Law maintains the distinction In all societyes there are some superiours some inferiours The Law is not for levelling Honour would not be a duty if all were equal Now Honour implyes respect and obedience subjection and service THY FATHER AND MOTHER whether thy natural parents or civil Magistrate or spiritual governour or whatsoever superiour which are all by a usual propriety of the Hebrew language styled Fathers Father having been the first dignity of the world and all rule and government whatsoever founded on the right of paternal Authority which aggravates an offence done to a superiour makes the offender as ungracious as one that dishonours his father Here are meant then all manner of persons in relation Parents and Children Magistrates and Subjects Ministers People Master Scholar Husband wife Master and Servants old young noble and base rich and poor c. Nor so onely but here is included also by the rule of contraryes the duty of superiours to their inferiours that they be kindly affected to them rule them in God's fear according to righteousness and faithfully mind the dutyes of their place Now the duty of Inferiors is only mention'd because they are the more likely to fail in their duty their neglect is of worse consequence Disobedience dissolving unloosening order and peace which are the bands of society whereas oppression does but strain and gird the tyes of government too close No Tyranny of the most wicked Prince can be so mischievous and destructive to the publick as the Rebellion of Subjects let them pretend never so much religion for it The great Interest of society is to obey since the resisting of a lawfull governour will in the end destroy government it self and bring all things into confusion THAT THY DAYES MAY BE LONG Long life is the promised reward of obedience but the disobedient shall not live out half their time but shall be cut off by some untimely death and by their seditious actings and wilfull oppositions forfeit their lives to the Law The Hebrew word may be rendred that they i.e. thy Father and Mother may prolong or lengthen thy dayes as if the parent's blessing could instate a dutyfull child into a long life This is sure that parents at first and afterwards civil Magistrates had power of life and death in their familyes and within their own territories and so might justly by Capital punishment shorten the lives of the disobedient UPON THE LAND WHICH THE LORD THY GOD GIVETH THEE Here is meant the Land of promise which the Israelites were now going to possess wherefore the Septuagint call it the good Land Which word is now wanting in the Hebrew copy though possibly express'd at first for taking that word in there are all the Letters of the Alphabet to be found in the Decalogue without it there will be one wanting And if Moses was the first Inventor of the Hebrew Letters as some think and it is probable he being the most ancient writer 't is as probable that there was a Specimen essay of them given in the Commandements the only speech which God hath by his own mouth utter'd This part belongs most properly to the Israelites wherefore 't is added that the Lord thy God gives thee but may be extended to us all And here are two or three notes in 't upon the Land that notes that the loyal and faithful shall not be turn'd out of his possessions live an exil'd life in forreign countryes but prolong his dayes and live in peace at home whereas rebels and traytors forfeit their estates and loose their fortunes by seeking unjustly to greaten them The Land or the good Land the Land of Canaan notes the Land of thy forefathers of ancient inheritance and a Land abounding with all conveniences of life to shew that obedience shall possess the ancient demeans of the family live in plenty when the rebellious shall seek their bread in a strange Land Which the Lord thy God giveth thee notes God's particular bounty to the obedient and that what they injoy comes with a blessing and is the fruit of a promise 't is as if he should have said obey thy Father and Mother and they shall give thee life and I will give thee Land In Deuteronomie are inserted these words That it may be well with thee and that thy dayes may be long for otherwise a long life spent in toil and hardship exercis'd with want and misery is a Curse rather then a Blessing and indeed the word which here signifyes the lengthning of dayes has also a signification of health for life of it self is not pleasant but a burden rather unless it be attended with those enjoyments blessings which make it comfortable as Health Peace Plenty Prosperity c. And such a life it is that is here promis'd as the reward of obedience But it seems in the ordinary oeconomy of Providence to fall out otherwise many times when the dutyfull child is caught away
draws with it attention which will drive away vain thoughts as Abraham scar'd the birds from the sacrifice We cannot in reason exspect that God should take notice of us if we mind not him or hear those prayers which the Speaker himself regards not Who leaves Humility behind him doth but personate a devotion and plays rather then prays He may please himself or others it may be with acting a pompous part but God resists the proud nor doth the boasting Pharisee go home justified Now Humility is chiefly seated in the mind but it expresses it self too in the outward parts and prescribes the posture of kneeling bowing falling flat upon the face nor was the Publican less humbled when he stood afar off and pray'd Who would seek to God if he durst not trust him but look'd upon him either as a down-right enemy or an unsteady friend we must bring the confidence of children if we look to have the kindness of a Father The Apostle hath said it that he that prayes doubting and with wavering shall go without so that who asks with distrust bespeaks a denyall Nor yet must this confidence be so bold as to limit God to means how or appoint him his time when God's own times are best our seasons are in his hand and 't is not for us even in this sense to know the times and the seasons Moreover he works without means as well as with means and the unlikelier the means the likelier for God's service the first cause virtuates the second therefore the assurance that God will grant must be attended with patience i.e. a quiet expectation till it please God to answer us in his own way He that will not stay God's leasure deserves not his answer He that believes saith the Prophet shall not make hast which the Apostle quotes thus He that believes shall not be ashamed that is disappointed And that is the next to wit Faith by which we apprehend and get knowledge of God For he that addresseth to him must first believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him God is not pleas'd with the sacrifice of fools The best service we can perform if it be not enliven'd with saith is at the best but a carcase of duty and like that cheat Plutarch mentions of an oxes bones cover'd with the hide and intended a sacrifice when the flesh and entrals were gone Nor will a naked faith serve turn to make this oblation acceptable unless it be cloth'd with good works There must be obedience as well as knowledge a sincere heart as well as an orthodox head nor is 't less fit that pure hands should be lifted up to God in prayer then devout eyes And therefore this Prayer is accompanied by both Creed Decalogue both of them having an influence upon it since we cannot pray as we should without having respect to both Faith manners seeing that without Faith 't is impossible to please God and the desire of the wicked as well as their way shal perish Prayer is sometimes term'd a sacrifice now that can't be offer'd without fire There must be then all the affections in a flame For the fervent Prayer of the righteous availeth much and the Prayers of the Saints are presented by Christ to his Father mixt with the sweet odours of his intercession in a censer Zeal was that fiery chariot wherein Elias rode to Heaven who had that great command over heaven while he was on earth by his praying that he could with this key of David either open or shut it at his pleasure Yet we must take heed of bringing strange fire the ignis fatuus of a new Light or the glimmering taper of an ignorant devotion but fetch it from heaven nor content our selves with a flash and fit of devotion but keep it alive in our hearts as the fire upon the altar which was never to go out There must be a constancy and a daily practice such as Daniel's use was who prayed three times a day with his face towards Ierusalem and David's who prais'd God morning and at evening and at noon-day And thus some expound that Pray alwayes i.e. constantly every day without intermission set aside some of your time for this duty alluding to the custom of the daily sacrifice Now there are several sorts of Prayer As to the place publick in the church or private in the family in the closet As to time ordinary for our ordinary affairs morning and evening before and after meals and extraordinary upon extraordinary occasions such as are designs dangers and deliverances fasts and feasts judgements and mercies particular sins and graces c. And accordingly some have to very good purpose and great benefit of the vulgar put forth Manuals of devotion fitted for all the business and most occurrences of life As to the manner mental only as Hanna pray'd in silence or oral utter'd by the voice whence 't is call'd Oratio As to the person praying either conceiv'd that either upon premeditation or with sudden affection and as they say ex tempore and this may must be allowed any Christian in his privacy or set either by publick appointment of the Church or the civil Magistrate who being to order the matters of Religion may well be styled in this meaning the Minister of God Diaconus Dei Liturgus Dei i.e. as the Greek word imports God's common-Prayer-maker it being the very word whence Liturgy is deriv'd or by direction of Godly men for the use of them who are unprovided with forms of their own And lastly as to the subject or the things prayed for the Apostle hath divided it into four kinds Petition for good Deprecation of evil Thanksgiving for the good obtein'd or evil remov'd and Intercession in the behalf of others All which sorts of prayer are either exemplified or included in this most absolute form which our Saviour himself prescrib'd which from him is called The Lord's Prayer There are not many things which wear the stamp of this title and those have a peculiar veneration due to them as immediately appointed by Iesus himself the Lord's Day the Lord's Supper the Lord's Prayer The same word out of which the name which we give God's House is made Kirk or Church Christ did not only make it but appoint it too for when his disciples came to him with a desire that he would teach them to pray as Iohn had done his disciples He bade them use this form St. Matthew indeed When you pray say thus which yet doth signify not only in this manner but in these very words St. Luke more peremptorily delivers the institution when you pray say so that granting the adversary the advantage that he would catch at from St. Matthew yet he must acknowledge even from thence that this prayer is an exact copy and plat-form by which we are to frame and model
to call upon the Lord and to give thanks unto the name of the Lord c. Not unto us but to thy name give the glory i.e. to thy self for so the opposition stands not to us but to thy self Sometimes it is taken for fame and renown and glory which accompanies a good name and makes it like good oyntment the Giants of old were men of name to wit famous renowned men much talked of Christ's name after he had wrought some miracles was spread abroad throughout the country i.e. he grew famous We will make mention of thy name saith the Psalmist often and will speak well of thy name and sing praises to thy name i.e. set forth thy praise in verse and contribute the skill of my tongue and harp which are my glory in the celebration of the glory Then 't is taken for those abilityes virtues which commend a man to fame and raise an admiration and esteem of him as power wisdom goodness mercy c. And such are the glorious attributes of God the excellencies and perfections of his nature as How excellent is thy name in all the earth sayes David when he meditates upon the works of creation wherein those attributes of his doe most conspicuously shine forth to the amazement of any serious beholder And lastly it comprehends all the effects atchievements of the divine attributes whether produced by common providence in the world such as are his works daily accidents extraordinary events or by special grace such as are his word and ordinances the Sacraments the Gospell his Ministers his Sabbaths his Temple his inheritance persons places times and things dedicated to his service and whatsoever wears upon it a stamp of holiness to the Lord. Thus in thy name will we tread down our enemies i.e. by thy assistance and help and by the conduct of thy providence so ordering it defeating the counsels and breaking the strength of our adversaries In thy name we have prophecied and cast out devils c. by virtue of thy commission by thy command and appointment and the warrant of thy word Baptizing them in the name of the Father c. to wit into the profession of the Gospell into the worship and service of God faith in his promises and obedience to his commands Nor is the principal and usual signification to be laid aside God having many such names given him in Scripture both proper as Iehovah Iah Elohim Adonai Shaddai and appellative even a full Alphabet of names as the Syric Grammarians reckon them And so too Holy and reverend is his name Our petitions here begin in God's name a form so well liked that it came to be taken up even up even in the civil affairs of life wills contracts c. and made use of at last as a stale to countenance the worst designs of cheat prostituted to base self-ends even to the infamy of a Proverb And surely if we facing our prayers with it make it only a vizar to our own corrupt desires we doe it a fowl reproach and profane it when we pray it may be sanctified To Sanctify hath also a doubtful meaning according to the thing it is applyed to The Philosopher has in a moral respect rank'd things into three forms For there are some things absolutely and in their own nature good others as naturally bad and a third sort of indifferent things which in their own nature are neither good nor bad but according as they are used His distinction may find room here and accordingly admit of a threefold Sanctification That which is in it self holy is sanctified when 't is acknowledged and reverenc'd as holy And thus we are bid to Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself the holy One. That which is by nature evill and corrupt is sanctified by being made holy and having that nature renewed according to righteousness And thus God sanctifies us by his spirit creating us to good works in Christ Iesus and he bids us also Sanctify our selves by a diligent attendance on the holy ordinances and holiness of life and conversation That which is of a middle and indifferent nature is sanctifyed when we set it apart from common service and apply it to holy uses So our meat is sanctified by the word and Prayer so the Priest with his vests the Temple with it's utensils the Sabbath c. become sacred and inviolable And who offers a violence to any thing that thus belongs to God's peculium is profane and sacrilegious Our request then in this petition is That all things may be done to the glory of God that he would order his own counsels and all the dispensations of his providence and his grace to the utmost advantages of his own praise that he would sanctify us that we might sanctify him in our hearts that we may fear before him that is dreadfull in holiness that we may entertain reverent thoughts of him admire him in his infinite perfections be astonished at his unsearchable glory study his praises meditate on his goodness delight our selves in him and speak well of his name and set forth his noble acts that we may take notice of him in his out-goings observe his providences mark his particular supplyes and restraints regard his mercies with thankfulness and mend under his judgements that we may wait on him in his sanctuary in the use of his ordinances go to his house in his fear praise his name in the assembly among those that keep holy dayes attend to his word keep his Sabbaths honour his Ministers and give due respect to every thing that belongs to him and that we use not any of his names or titles but upon weighty occasions and with great reverence And lastly that our whole life be so holy and blameless that we may not give occasion for God's name or his wayes to be evill spoken of but rather that our light may so shine before men that they seeing our good works may glorify our Father which is in Heaven And this being done will promote set forward the interests of his Kingdom and so speed the second petition too THY KINGDOM COME God is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings the great Soverain of the world who does whatsoever he pleases and neon saith unto him what dost thou who hath resisted his will or given him counsel For that the word signifies also in the Chaldee dialect those two things being necessary to compleat a Monarch's right and make him absolute to doe what he doth by a clear and full authority and power of his own and by his own counsel and pleasure to act and determine that power He is the great Basis and support of all societies and governments in the world For the powers that are are ordain'd of God By me King's reign and for him too being his Vice-gerents and sword-bearers to be a terror to evill-doers
Scripture The one was when he came in the flesh in the form of a servant to die for us that he might reign upon the tree as some readings have it in the Psalms The other will be when he shall come in the clouds with power and glory attended with Angels to judge the world at that great and dreadful day when the trumpet shall summon all to appear before the tribunal And when that 's done he shall deliver up the Kingdom to his Father and the time of this his coming and the end of the world he hath left here to be the subject of our prayers and not of our inquiries to exercise devotion not curiosity the uncertainty of the time being an argument to quicken our diligence in preparing for it that we may watch and pray he having told us afore-hand that he will steal upon us as a thief in the night But what need we trouble our selves about the age of the world when our own time is so uncertain that we cannot call the next hour our own and know not how soon the arrest of death may hurry us away to judgement He that dies now in the Lord rests from his labour his good works follow him and if we cannot properly say that the Kingdom of God is come to him we may safely say he is gone to it At the end of the world then is Christ's great coming and the general judgement but at every single death there is a particular doom past when the soul immediately after it's delivery out of the body is dispatched either into the regions of life or lodged in the chambers of death so that in this sense Christ may be said to come too And there is a gracious visit when he comes and knocks at the heart and calls to his beloved by his word When he comes into us to a feast and banquet of love furnished with the consolations of the spirit The sum of this request is that God would declare his power even to the heathen that know not his name and make discoveries of his Majesty by his outward administrations not leaving himself without witness but convince profane spirits that there is a God that rules in the world that he would manage the affairs of the world for his peoples good and for the advancement of the Kingdom of his Son that he would bless the civill societies of men that he would fill Soveraigns with wisdom to go in and out before the people and people with loyalty to their rulers and with love to one another That he would establish the state wherein we live in peace and order preserving us on one hand from the tyranny and oppression of superiours and on the other hand from rebellion and conspiracy of inferiors That he would save the King whom he hath set under himself our supream Head and Governor from all treasons and treacherous designs that he would subdue the people under him cloath his enemies with shame and upon himself let his crown flourish that he would give the King his judgements and make our Magistrates men of courage fearing God and hating covetousness That he would preserve us from all dreadfull calamities the plague pestilence and famine from wars fires inundations from murder and sudden death That he would take a special care of his Church and his chosen ones that he would send labourers into his vineyard that he would endue his Ministers with righteousness that he would illuminate all Bishops and Pastours with true knowledge and understanding of his word that both by their preaching and living they may set it forth and shew it accordingly That he would inlarge the tents of Japhet remember his ancient people the Iewes gather in the remnant of the gentiles send forth his Gospell into the dark corners of the earth and publish the glad tidings of salvation unto all mankind that he would fill up the number of his elect and hasten the glorious appearance of Christ That he would confound the devices of all that have evill will to Zion and turn the hearts of hereticks schismaticks and bloody tyrants That he would assist those that suffer for the testimony of a good conscience with strength from above and send them the comforter That he would destroy the man of sin with the breath of his mouth That he would garrison our hearts with his grace that he would teach us his laws that we may walk in his statutes and keep his commands That he would mortify the desires and lusts of the flesh subdue us to himself and make us a willing people in the day of his power That he would open our hearts for the receiving of his word and rule in them by his spirit That his Kingdom may first enter into us that we may enter into it Lastly that we may have our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospell live in a constant exspectation of our great change that when our Lord comes he may find us doing his will on earth as it is in Heaven And blessed is he whom his Lord when he comes shall find so doing THY WILL BE DONE The nature of God is not made up of a body and soul nor hath he bodily parts as eyes hands feet c. or faculties of mind as understanding memory affections and 't is no less improper to say of God that he knows or wills any thing as that he walks sees c. which are metaphorical expressions taken from men God being pleased in holy writ to condescend to our capacity and speak of himself after the manner of men God is all understanding all will nor is there any thing in God which is not infinite i.e. himself His will then is not a thing really distinct from his understanding or indeed from his essence neither is it a blind power as it is in us that needs the guidance of reason and the light of another faculty to be convey'd into it to represent the object and advise it to choose the good and eschew the evil but is of it self most free most wise most good It self is a law and rule to it self determins it self and is the measure and standard of all goodness righteousness and holiness The Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works And his pracepts are more to be desired then gold yea then fine gold sweeter then hony the hony-comb Now there is a twofold will of God that of his decrees and that of his commands Nor do these two cross and oppose the one the other as if God decreed one thing should be and commanded the contrary but they keep a sweet harmony and mutuall correspondence God's word and his providence may seem sometimes to clash and justle one another yet they do keep the same road of righteousness nor does God ever contradict himself or speak one thing and mean another Let God be true and every man a lyar '
thou say the Lord's Prayer this way or that so thou say it one way or other either with this addition according to St. Matthew so as to be one of the Christian multitude or without it according to St. Luke so as to be one of the disciples we shall not quarrel only do not thou quarrel at his wisdom who thought fit to vary some expressions in the self same form on purpose to please thee that thou mightst have a liberty of choice there being an express command to use it and thou left to thy freedom to take which thou wilt One thing may yet perhaps be objected why the Church should follow St. Luke in this omission and take the rest from St. Matthew whose words in expressing the fourth and fift petitions differ from St. Lukes To this some perhaps will answer that the Doxologie is of a questionable authority as suppos'd to have crept in out of the scholion or margent into the text wherefore it being without all doubt omitted in St. Luke's Gospel being doubted in St. Matthew's the Vulgar Arabic Translations having it not that the use of it might breed no scruple it was thought fit to be quite left out But allowing it a full authority the Church may surely be allowed the same freedom which any private Christian hath of using which form it shall think fittest for publick service Wherefore seeing both the Evangelists doe agree so far as the petitions which make up the prayer the Church might judge it convenient to lay aside the rest and therein follow St Luke And again because St. Luke's language is more elegant and difficult St. Matthew's on the other side according to the simplicity of the Hebrew style being more plain and facil might consequently be deemed fitter for popular use especially when St. Matthew himself sayes that our Saviour did dictate it to the multitude which variety of style together with the custom of Interpreters who are used to render the same things differently being consider'd may also evince that this prayer though deliver'd by our Saviour upon two several occasions might be the very same in the Syriac language which our Saviour used though it be diversly express'd in the Greek St. Matthew perhaps more closely adhering to the words then St. Luke who according to his genius to keep an accurate propriety of the Greek tongue might take the liberty a little to vary And of this we might produce many instances in several discourses of our blessed Saviour related by them both which though variously reported by both nay by all four yet were plainly meant for the same so that both the forms though not exactly agreeing in all the words are but the same Prayer and he that uses either of the forms sayes the Prayer no less then he that should say it in Latine according to Pagnin's or Steven's or Beza's Translation who yet may differ in the plainest sentences as not using the same pen and possibly sometimes out of the meer study of variety shall be thought to say his Pater Noster in Latin only he that would use it in Latin would no question choose that Latin translation which he thought came nearest the Original which is here the Churches case AMEN This is a word our Saviour who was truth it self therefore call'd in the Revelation the Amen had in his mouth often and seldom began any discourse of weighty moment but he fronted it with this asseveration many times doubled too Amen Amen I say unto you i.e. Truly Truly as St. Luke expounds it or Verily Verily But the chief use of it is at the end of our Prayers especially in public devotion where the Priest's blessings and services are to be attended with the peoples acclamation an ancient custom as appears by the Psalm And let all the people say Amen It has a double significancy in it not only to gather up the whole Prayer which went before and throw it out at a word with a fervent desire that our requests may be heard and granted But also to denote a confidence of obtaining and an assured trust that what we have been praying for will not be denied us It claps a Fiat to the Prayer as the Septuagint render it So be it and seems to demand performance FINIS THE EXPLANATION Of the APOSTLES CREED THE APOSTLES CREED I Believ in God the Father Almighty maker of heaven and earth 2. And in Iesus Christ his only Son our Lord. 3. Which was conceived by the holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary 4. Suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried 5. He descended into hell The third day he rose again from the dead 6. He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty 7. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead 8. I believ in the holy Ghost 9. The holy Catholike Church the communion of Saints 10. The forgiveness of sins 11. The resurrection of the body 12. And the life everlasting Amen Of the Apostles CREED THe Apostles as some deliver it before they went into the several quarters of the world to preach the Gospell to all Nations according to Christ's command met and agreed upon the common form of Doctrine which they should teach in each Province wherein the sum of Faith might be set down Others are of an opinion that some grave and pious men did at the beginning of the primitive Church gather the sense if not the very words out of the Apostles writings Now Symbolum bears a double meaning for it signifies first a military badge or watch word by which a souldier may know one of his own side from an enemy So this distinguisheth a true Christian from an Infidel or an Heretick Secondly a shot or club when every one payes his share towards the reckoning Because the Apostles laid their heads together and every one contributed his peice Wherefore it is also divided into twelve Articles according to their number but it is more conveniently distributed into three main parts that it may answer the Trinity of Persons and their three-fold operation thus The first part treats of God the Father the work of Creation whereby he made the world and all things that are contained in it The second of God the Son and the work of redemption whereby he restored mankind fall'n by sin and by his death and resurrection purchased Salvation for us The third of God the Holy Ghost and the work of sanctification whereby he doth apply to the Church that is to the company of believers the benefits purchased by Christ to wit Pardon Grace and Glory The first Article I BELIEV This word belongeth to all the parts of the Creed We pray for others we believ only for our selves Thy Faith hath saved thee saith our Saviour Faith is either taken for the Doctrine which we believ or the grace by which we believ That is in
Law of the Lord must meditate in it day and night that so he may time his duties aright and be like the tree planted by the river side which bringeth forth its fruit in due season and thus whatsoever he does shall prosper GOD SPAKE Three months after the children of Israel's departure out of Egypt when they had pitch'd their Tents in the wilderness of Sinai when they had fresh in memory that wonderful deliverance which God wrought for them in their passage over the red-Sea from Pharaoh and his hoast besides those many dreadful miracles which he had shown in Egypt God mindful of the Covenant which he had made with Abraham and his seed the Israelites being now in a convenient place in a desert retired from the observation as well as the invasion of their enemies strikes a league with them that if they will obey his voice and keep his Covenant he will own them for his peculiar people and upon their acceptance of these terms after two dayes solemn preparation the Divine Majesty came down with Thunders and Lightnings and thick Clouds and seated himself upon the top of the Mount Sinai in the midst of fire and smoke with the noise of Trumpet that the Mountain and the Camp both shook with fear and whether by the ministry of an Angel or rather by some other more immediate way with audible voice face to face pronounced the tenour and conditions of the Covenant comprehended in the words of the Law ALL THESE WORDS Christ the second Person is called the Word but he is the word begotten as the Word is the immediate and essential issue of the Mind The whole Scripture too is God's Word that is was by God inspired into the holy pen-men they writing according to the dictates of the Spirit whence that form of speech especially among the Prophets Thus saith the Lord and The Word of the Lord came unto me But these Words God himself utter'd which therefore call for the more heedfull attention and awfull regard If the Lyon roares shall not the beasts of the forrest tremble every word should sound in our eares like a clap of Thunder cause an Earth-quake in our bowels for the Highest hath utter'd his voice even a mighty voice All these words too which requires an universal obedience We are not to pick and choose but receive them all with a like readiness of Faith as the clear manifestations of God's will God at the first creation for every dayes work spoke and it was done Oh! that he would so speak to our hearts that his Spirit may accompany his Word and help us to doe what he commands us to doe O Lord give us strength to perform thy Commands and then command what thou wilt SAYING The Rabbins have a tradition or fiction that God pronounc'd the Law twice over the first time with that hast as if the whole Law had been but one word but at the second going over leisurely and distinctly Whereupon they say that in this portion of Scripture the accents are upon every word doubled to denote that double delivery the one a note of speed the other of stop and pause This I suppose they gather from the two words here used as if he spoke them in hast and said them at leisure or whether they thought it fit the Law should be delivered twice by word of mouth as well as twice written upon tables Whether this were so or no matters not much only it should be our prayer and endeavour that they might be spoken over twice to us to the ear first and then to the heart to the inward man as well as to the outward though we have not the advantages of those terrours and dreadful circumstances wherewith the Law was at first delivered to prepare us with a prostrate humility and a devout reverence yet let us imagine that we hear the trumpet sound to judgement and awaken our attention and let us think we see the flames of Hell those everlasting burnings whither the transgressors of this Law must be dispatch'd and possess our souls with fear and hearken what the Lord will say to his servants The Preface Had God surpris'd them with this terrible appearance they might have been swallow'd up in their fears and been lost in those dazling amazements therefore he gave them two dayes time to prepare themselves here before he makes known to them his Law he acquaints them with the Lawgiver and that he might put their affections into a suitable temper for so solemn an occasion he makes an Introductory Preface wherein he lays down the arguments of their obedience taken partly from his power Soveraignty in that he is the Lord partly from his mercy and kindness seen first generally in that relation wherein he plac'd himself to them as being their God and more particularly discover'd in a late great deliverance he wrought for them and that both in respect of place out of a strange country he had brought them forth out of the Land of Egypt and in respect of condition out of a slavish and toilsom drudgery out 〈◊〉 the House of bondage I Who now speak to thee from the midst of fire out of the thick cloud the fear of thy Fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob I that appear'd to Moses in the burning bush cloathed with Majesty and dread I who have carried thee upon Eagles wings and have brought thee thus to my self to shew my statutes unto thee and to make known my laws Hear O Israel and fear and observe to do for I AM THE LORD The maker of all things the absolute Soveraign of the World Iehovah the Fountain of beings who give being also to my word and promise there is nothing resists my will for my power is infinite wherefore stand in aw and fear before me the subjection and homage of all creatures being due to me by right of creation all things are my servants for from me and to me are all things I spake the Word and they were are created I made all things according to my good pleasure and for my own glory and men more especially for my service and amongst all the sons of men I have chose you for my select people for I am THY GOD by Covenant as well as by Creation by promise no less then by providence I made my self known to thy Fathers and engag'd my loving kindness to them and to their posterity after them I took a particular care of you when you were but few in number that the Nations about you might do you no harm I supported you under your burdens in Egypt and multiply'd you when you were sorely oppress'd in so much that of seventy persons you are become a great people I have own'd you as my charge and have done wondrous things for you in the land of Cham and HAVE BROUGHT THEE OUT with a strong hand and stretched out arm in the sight pursuit of Pharaoh all his hoast
't is true in a temporal sense and observation will make it good that the wicked children of godly parents have some what extraordinary providence attend them in this world and 〈◊〉 much 〈…〉 for their fathers 〈…〉 God 〈…〉 tender of their concerns 〈…〉 for his and 〈…〉 promis'd that it shall be well with those that fear him and with their 〈◊〉 after them He owns them here as friends and will not forget them in their relations but will shew them all the kindness which the◠are capable of And thus the Israelites in their distresses thought it a great argument in their Prayers to plead with God not the merits but the memoryes of their fore-fathers Abraham 〈◊〉 and Iacob What better portion can a loving father provide for his children what greater legacy of love leave behind him then God's favour and 〈◊〉 est in divine mercy Who are those God here calls his Lovers his Friends those 〈◊〉 keep his commands that observe his precepts For indeed friendship consists in the union of minds and the compliance of wills And 't is the nature of love to seek by all means to please the party loved and not to cross his desires or give him any offence This is the true mark of our love to God if we are carefull to keep his commands to doe what he would have us doe And who would not love God that loves himself and seek his friendship who is so ready to engage his kindness to us and our heirs for ever and requite our love a thousand fold This reason as it contains a threat and a promise and is grounded upon the Iustice and mercy of God is common to all the Commandements but is peculiarly annex'd to this as that which God takes the greatest care of and is most jealous of the breach and it may justly occasion our wonder to consider that notwithstanding God's strictness in propounding the command and his severity upon the breaches yet his own people have been ever forward to run into Idolatry and to take example from those very nations whom they themselves for this very sin have by God's command rooted out of their land and country So that it should seem there was but too great reason why this reason should be set particularly to back this command The meaning of the precept is this Thou shalt not make use of any Image whether graven of whatsoever metall gold or silver or cut out of stone or carv'd in wood or fashion'd in wax or what other material soever or any picture drawn or pourtray'd in cloth paper c. or any likeness and resemblance of any creature in the whole world for a religious purpose in the way of worship upon any pretence Thou shalt not worship the work of mens hands or the work of their brains neither Image nor imagination none of my creatures much less any of thine own Thou shalt neither worship them nor me by them but shalt consult my word and fetch thence the rules and wayes of worship Thou shalt not be led by the example of Heathen-people whose ignorance of me may be some excuse to their Idolatry to follow their practises and turn my glory into the likeness of any corruptible thing The Sun and Moon and Stars above thee shall not dazzle thy mind by their lustre so as to forget me and pay that homage to those glorious lights which is due to me who live in unapproachable light The trees and springs bread and wine and other blessings of life shall not for their usefulness and for that helpful virtue which I their Creator have put into them win so much upon thy affections as to asscribe that honour to them which belongs to their Maker nor shall the wonders of the deep and the prodigious secrets which I have laid in the womb of the seas swallow up thy admiration so as to drown that respect which thou oughtst to have for me the sight of whatsoever excellency or convenience or dreadfulness in any of the creatures shall but serve to give thee an occasion of magnifying my glorious perfections and goodness and power not to fix thy devotion upon them for I commanded and they were made for my own glory and for thy use not for thy worship The Angels thou shalt respect as my messengers and receive my errands with reverence but shalt not by worshipping them make them my fellows The Saints who now rest from their labour and have left thee their examples of a holy life thou shalt remember with thanks and endeavour to imitate and thus make them the object not of my jealousy but of thy emulation The evill spirits shall not fright thee into religious observance being able to doe no more hurt then I let them Thou shalt not with base flattery Idolize the persons of men whether they be Good or Great but carry a respect subordinate to me In fine Thou shalt not set thy affections and respects upon any thing so as to make it an Image of jealousy Thou shalt not fall flat on thy face before any creature or its resemblance nor bow thy knee nor kiss thy hand nor make any other sign of adoration nor pray to them or before them or use any other gesture of worship however thou mayst pretend to direct thy intention nor shalt thou pay them any religious service or attendance by building groves temples and altars by making priests and appointing sacrifices or any other rites But thou shalt worship me the Lord thy God and me alone shalt thou serve in body as well as soul for I am the Creatour of both and though I am a spirit and am to be worshipped in spirit and in truth yet your bodyes also shall be temples of my holy spirit I will be sanctified in them in the use of such holy rites and Ceremonies as I have appointed shall hereafter appoint in my word and by my Church that all things in my service may be done decently in order Thou shalt therefore worship me according to my appointments come to my house in my fear behave thy self with care and reverence in the holy place whilst thou art in my presence in the performance of all religious acts and shalt bow down to me kneel before the Lord thy Maker Thou shalt not consult with witches or use other unlawful means nor shalt thou regard sorceries or any superstitious observances Lastly thou shalt give thy self up wholly both in body soul and spirit to my worship and shalt dedicate thy self so to my service that thy body also may become a Temple of the holy Ghost And all this thou must be the more carefull of that thou mayst not deprive me of that homage which I expect from thee and give away my glory to another when thou considerst my jealousy to observe such indignityes and my power to avenge them the severity of my Iustice in punishing Idolaters and their posterity after them and the multitude of my
people might fill their hands and become Priests to a Tyrant's interest when prosperous villany has been bless'd in the Name of the Lord and suffering Innocence has been impleaded as guilty when swearing is in so much credit is look'd on as the Character of Greatness and rash oaths have the reputation of Gallantry when we that have the Name of God call'd upon us live unworthy of that calling make his Name be evill spoken of O! let us pray as the Church has taught us Lord have mercy upon us and incline our hearts to keep this Law The fourth Commandement The third was the rule of our words the fourth of our works and that which is consequent to them rest That teaches us holy talk This instructs us in holy walking for so our Church-Catechism has resolv'd the sense of this Command to serve God faithfully all the dayes of our life so that 't is not the seaventh day onely but all seaven that we are to serve God in He that would serve God well on the Sabbath in a holy rest must first serve him in his week's labour and doing the work of the six dayes well The second and third concern the Manner of his worship This more especially the Time It hath also as the other two had two parts the Precept and the Reason of the precept The precept is attended with a large explication what is meant by Sabbath and what meant by Keeping it Holy First we may take notice of the extraordinary manner wherein it is deliver'd 't is usher'd in with a Memento Then what is to be remember'd the Sabbath and the Sanctification of it Then follows the explication What is the Sabbath by Opposition first to our dayes of work the other dayes of the week six dayes shalt thou labour and doe all thy work which indeed is precept too as well as concession no less a Command to oblige us to diligence in our calling then a Grant to give us leave to follow it And the injunction is twofold that we labour take pains in our imployment set our selves a work and that we finish and make an end of our business and doe all that we have to doe Then secondly by Position which punctually sets down the day But the seaventh day is the Sabbath What is it next to Sanctify the Sabbath or keep it holy To doe no work on that day nothing of our ordinary imployment wherein the strictness of the Command appears that all of the family as well as the Master all of the city as well as the Magistrate are concern'd being set down here by name Thou master and mistress or magistrate or whatever governour and thy natural dependencies thy son and thy daughter and thy acquired relations whether by Covenant or hire thy manâ—servant and thy maid servant or by purchase and possession thy cattle or by sojourning the stranger that is within thy gates The reason is taken from God's own example whereof we have first the Narration how he made all things in six dayes and rested the seaventh and then the Design of his so doing that he might appoint the Sabbath wherefore he blessed the Sabbath-day or as the Septuagint have it the seaventh day and hallowed it REMEMBER We are too apt all over to forget our duty wordlings especially in the pursuit of their earthly concernments would scarce make a stop at the Sabbath and therefore this Command summons them with a particular Alarum a word of much weight in the Hebrew Idiom where the Verb should be twice repeated Remember to remember i.e. be sure by all means to remember and denotes the former old custom of keeping the Sabbath even from the beginning of the world and therefore presents it here as an ancient institution to be remembred And it quickens our care not only for the observation of the day when it comes but for our preparation for it before it comes we must think of it all the week afore hand and provide for it that nothing may divert us from the celebration of it THE SABBATH-DAY A day of rest and leisure from the works of our ordinary calling that ceasing thus from our earthly affairs we may have opportunity to meditate on heavenly things and lift up our souls from the cares of this life to the contemplation of those joyes gloryes which those that serve God shall have in the world to come where there shall be an everlasting Sabbath TO KEEP IT HOLY To set it aside wholly for the service of God in publick by Prayer reading and hearing God's Word serving God in the solemn assembly in private by meditation and study of God's Book and other holy exercises We are to remember both the day and the keeping the day holy some are ready enough to remember the Sabbath as a time of leisure out of carnal indulgence but they are not so ready to remember the duty of the day to keep it holy and improve it for spiritual advantage SIX DAYES THOU SHALT LABOUR This as it declares the precept so it shews the equity of it if God allow us six we should not grudge him the seaventh Besides it has the force of a command and is deliver'd in the same manner as the other Commandements Thou shalt labour He that 's idle all the week has no right to the Sabbath-rest He that 's careless in doing his own work on the six dayes is unfit to be imployed in God's service on the seaventh The word many times hath a peculiar signification for the service of God and thus it will inferr that every day is a Christian's Sabbath and he is to be doing God's work even when he is doing his own AND SHALT DOE ALL THAT THOU HAST TO DOE Dispatch all thy business and leave nothing undone against the Sabbath that thou mayst be wholly vacant and have thy thoughts as well as thy body at rest and thy mind free from all distractions of worldly cares thou mayst have nothing else to think upon but the worship of God This calls upon us for diligence in our callings that we must not doe our work by halves but go thorough with it And it gives a Typical intimation too that we would in this week of our mortality set upon and accomplish the necessary work of Repentance Faith and Obedience that we may have all our accounts clear'd e're the eternal Sabbath come upon us when if we have left that work undone we shall have no time allow'd us to go on with it and bring it to an end BUT THE SEAVENTH DAY This is the Ceremonial part of the Command but that a seaventh should be kept is Moral For the Iews in memory of the Creation were to observe the seaventh Day which with us is Saturday as their Sabbath whereon God having made all things rested But Christians in memory of a greater work of Redemption led by Apostolical practise have constantly observ'd the first day of the week to wit
Self-denyal which is the principle of Christianity Self-preservation has been set up and Interest made our Idol when we have been so far discontented at our present condition that we have over-run all orders to mend our private fortunes have ruin'd the publick when we walk disorderly and are immoderate in the use of our pleasures and are taken up with the love of the world and impure affections and cannot rellish the things of God when we cannot indure one another and require that of others we would not allow them and set our selves at irreconcileable distances when we indulge our selves in carnal joyes and have no compassion for our suffering Brethren when our hopes depended on an arm of flesh and the fear of man deterred us from our duty so that we would not trust God for our delivery in the performance of our duty when every small thing puts us into passion and in our zeal we design a revenge on the person more then a reformation of his vice when we follow the guidance of a deluded conscience and mistake both covetousness and ambition for zeal when we prefer publick mischief before our own disappointments and had rather Church State should be indanger'd then our design should miscarry when we hug temptations and make much of our lusts and lull them on the pillows of ease and security when we wish for things unlawful and take unlawful courses to get them when all our desires are let out for carnal satisfactions and we make it the great business of our lives to provide for our content and yet can never be contented When by our covetousness and evil concupiscences we have thus broken not only this but all Gods Laws and Commandements we may very well desire God's pardon for what is past and his assistance for the time to come in the Churches form Lord have mercy upon us and write all these thy Laws in our hearts we beseech thee FINIS AN EXPLANATION Of the SACRAMENTS The II. SACRAMENTS Baptism GOe ye and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every ereature He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned The Lords SUPPER THe Lord Iesus the same night in which he was betraid took bread And when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said Take eat this is my body which is broken given for you this do in remembrance of me Likewise also he took the cup after supper and when he had given thanks he gave it to them saying Drink ye all of it For this is my bloud of the New Testament which is shed for you for many for the remission of sinnes This doe ye as â—ft as ye drink it in remembrance of me Of the SACRAMENTS THe Sacraments That is to say Holy Rites or Ceremonies or mysteries used in the Church appointed by Christ himself Now Sacrament is a military term and signifyes that oath whereby souldiers were wont to engage to be true and faithfull to their General in the War against the enemyes of their countrey And thus it is with us Christians who have vow'd obedience to Christ the Captain of our Salvation and sworn to fight under his Banner that we may by his strength overcome the world the flesh and the Divel The Sacraments are but two Holy Baptisme and the Holy Supper which come in the place of Circumcision and the Iewish Passeover By Baptism we are admitted into the bosom of the Church and as it were entred into God's family being by nature aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel and of the children of wrath become heirs of the promise The Supper affords us a spiritual repast and by it we grow up and are intimately united to Christ and are preserved and fed to life everlasting There are two things to be considered in a Sacrament an outward Sign and an inward Grace signified Sign in Baptisme is Water which washeth the filth of our body the Thing signified is the Blood of Christ whereby our souls are cleansed from the filth of sin The outward Elements in the Supper are Bread and Wine by which the strength of nature is repair'd and maintain'd The Things signified are the Body of Iesus crucified and his Blood shed which being partaken by Faith doe heighten our graces and nourish the souls of believers Baptisme then is the laver of regeneration and the Supper is the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. In a word the Sacraments are annexed to the Word of God as the seals of the promise conveyances of grace and evidences of the Spirit by which he doth effectually apply to believers the love of the Father and the merits of the Son assuring their hearts confirming their Faith fastning their Hope and enlarging their Charity Of BAPTISM THe Institution of Baptisme was after this manner When Christ had with his Blood sealed the truth of his Doctrine and purchased to himself a Church i.e. a peculiar people the chosen ones of God whom he fore knew from all eternitie for he was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world was laid and had made good this his purchase by his resurrection in that the bands of death sell off and he was released out of the prison of the grave having paid the debt for which he as our surety suffered it was then convenient that this Church thus purchased should be gathered and the chosen ones be called and converted to the saith by the preaching of the Word and distinguished from the rest of the world by a profession of the Gospel and the use of holy ordinances Wherefore being himself to depart hence to ascend to Heaven he leaves his Disciples with instructions how to propagate the faith and to order the affairs of his spiritual Kingdom to the end of the world and to proclaim throughout all quarters of the world the good tidings of peace and pardon to all such as should by faith and repentance come in and give up their names to Christ It being God's will that all should be say'd and come to the knowledge of the truth Whereupon he sends the Apostles to preach and by Baptisme i.e. by a solemn rite of washing with water receive into the bosom of the Church as many as should profess faith in him giving them this commission before his departue as it is set down by the Evangelist Goe ye and teach all Nations baptizing them c. Baptism having bin formerly us'd by Iohn the forerunner of our Saviour and honour'd by the example of our Saviour himself who at his Baptism was signally own'd from Heaven for the Son of God the Spirit also in the shape of a Dove lighting upon him Our Saviour in these words wherein he appoints the form and use of Baptism partly
outward actions resembling the inward virtue and efficacy of that thing of which it is a sign This sacred Rite is called the Holy Supper either by the way of Metaphor to denote the communion and fellowship which the Saints have with one another for which reason we also usually term it with the Apostle Paul the Communion The whole family meeting together at that time when all the business of the day is over to refresh themselves and take their repast Nor is it otherwise with the houshold of Faith who though imployed in several dwellings and dutyes of life yet as members of one and the same body whereof Christ is the Head are united to one another by the same spirit fed with the same spiritual food So that the Mystical body of the Church is made up of many Saints just as the bread it self of many corns and the wine of drops whence 't is frequently by the Greek Fathers called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. the gathering together of the Saints whither as some Interpreters would have it that place hath allusion where the car case is that is the crucified Body of Christ thither shall the eagles the quick-sighted high-flown believers be gathered together Or out of a more particular respect to the Passeover into the place and stead whereof this Sacrament came as the other succeeded circumcision for the Iews were wont by God's appointment yearly to celebrate a Feast whereon at evening in each houshold they slew a Lamb dressed it and eat it together in remembrance of the deliverance from the Egyptian slavery and from the Angel who striking all the first born of Egypt pass'd over the houses of the Israelites who for that purpose had according to that command dash'd the Blood of the Lamb upon the lintel of the door Now Christ being the substance was to put an end to all ceremonies came to make one perfect sacrifice once for all who in that he dyed dyed but once being the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world and his death we are to remember in these pledges of his love whereby he hath delivered us from a spiritual slavery and wrought salvation for us And indeed in that very nick of time when our Saviour had finisht the Paschal Supper with his Disciples he appointed this as to abide for ever in the room of the other The Lord's Supper it is styled because appointed by the Lord Jesus and represents him to be fed on by Faith The words of the Scripture wherein the Institution is set down expresse both time when and manner how it was performed the manner again delilivers partly what he did partly what he said in consecrating the bread first and then the cup. The Institution of this Sacrament is described by the authour time and manner The Authour the Lord Iesus The Time the night wherein he was betrayed the Manner consists of two parts shewing partly what he did partly what he said and that severally of these two several signs by which he would represent his Body and Blood For this Holy Supper was to consist of spiritual meat and drink as men use both to eat and drink in their other ordinary meals The Bread is the sign of his Body the Cup of his Blood First as to the Bread what did he He took it he bless'd it he broke it he gave it What said he Take eat this is my Body Again for the Cup what did he he took it he bless'd it he gave it What said he Drink ye all of it for this is my Blood c. Now let us goe over each part again and explain it more fully THE LORD JESUS Who by the merit of his Passion and at the price of his Blood purchased for us Salvation and for himself glory and a Name above every Name that he might become Head of the Church and to him might be given all power from the Father He alone has authority to appoint Sacraments and order the affairs of his Church by his word and spirit whereby he hath impowerd his Ministers to act in his Name to dispense his ordinances even to the end of the world IN THE NIGHT. For it was a Supper which he intended and 't was at supper or rather after supper when he had with his Disciples about him eaten the Passeover the type of himself who was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world when he said at the Table One of you shall betray me and discovered his betrayer by giving him a sop which some think was no other then a piece of consecrated bread Nay the self-same night IN WHICH HE WAS BETRAID by Iudas with a kiss bringing a multitude along with him arm'd with swords and staves the rage of the rulers and the curses of the priests to lay wicked hands on him after he had sweat drops of blood in his agony and powred out his Soul in Prayer being sad even to death in a garden where he made the praeludium to his Passion BREAD by which the heart of man is strengthned which is therefore called the staff of life is made use of to represent the Body of Christ who was the bread which came down from Heaven by which souls are fed to life everlasting HE TOOK IT That he might by his example shew the Ministers of his word what they are to doe when they invite their people to the holy Table himself doth in a solemn manner begin the ceremonies taking the bread i.e. lifting it up and holding it in his hand which amongst the Iews was then the fashion observ'd by the master of the house AND GIVING THANKS We doe not read anywhere that Christ ever sate down to meat without Thanksgiving which especially before the Holy Supper is necessary it being for that reason call'd the Eucharist And surely the death of Christ which is here set forth was the greatest blessing that ever befell mankind Or Blessing it The meaning may be that by consecrating it he did set it aside from common use and praying for a special blessing upon it that it may become an effectual means of grace he stamp'd upon it a kind of reverence which was not due to it before HE BROKE IT Whence this mystery is also call'd the breaking of bread he divided it into several pieces that there might be the better distribution of it amongst the company at table AND GAVE IT i.e. reaching out his hand he set to every one his part and bestowed it amongst them TO THE DISCIPLES Who did then represent the whole Church of Christ and society of the faithful both men and women who should give up themselves to the discipline of Christ and take upon them the profession of the Gospel not so much as Iudas excepted though Christ well knew what was in his heart Wherefore by Christ's own example Ministers might learn that none should be excluded and kept from the table where Christ
that good shepheard of souls that lay down my life for my sheep Thus broken and given thus delivered for you and to you I seal pardon of sins to your hearts I improve grace supply strength feed your souls to life everlasting Broken or Given as if it were all one for this heavenly Bread was given that it might be broken 't was broken that it might be given Christ could not have suffered for us had he not had a body given him for that purpose nor could that body have done us good or furnisht us with spiritual nourishment had it not bin broken Had not Christ dyed we could not be sure of living As it is with the bread it self which is the Symbol of his Body The corn must be first cut down and threshed and winnowed and grownd and sifted kneaded and baked with a hot oven before it can become bread THIS DOE YE These words either have reference to the actions of the Disciples who took the bread which Christ gave them and eat it and so they belong to all Christians in general to the whole company of believers according as the Church doth in more words deliver it Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee feed on him in thy heart with Faith and thanksgiving And so of the Cup afterward 't is said This doe ye as oft as ye drink it i.e. when ever ye drink it drink it in remembrance of me Or to Christ's own actions who broke it and gave it and thus they imply a special charge to the Officers of the Church the Ministers of the Gospel and Preachers of the Word such as also were these Disciples as if he should have said you are Apostles with whom I leave the care of planting Churches and preaching the Gospel whom I trust for the management of the affairs of my Kingdom and duly administring the Sacraments wherefore I charge and require of you that in celebrating this mystery you follow my example and doe no otherwise then you have seen me do before you that it may remain pure to all succeeding ages according to this first institution And hither St. Paul in this case makes his appeal where he discourses of the Holy Supper That which I received that deliver I unto you how the Lord Iesus c. This or Thus This which I have done or thus as I have done now in your company doe ye and all from hence forward that derive authority from you in your several assemblyes take bread and bless it and break it and give it about to those who rightly prepared come to the holy Table and use these words of consecration which I have done to you The Greek is make this hence it is an ordinary phrase amongst the Popish Priests when they perform Mass to say that they doe make the Body of the Lord thinking possibly that the Doctrine of Transsubstantiation is much advantaged by the word of making which in the Greek is indifferently applyed to all manner of actions and the other which signifies to do would have bin very improper and not fit to be us'd in this place THIS DOE YE The word will also in the Latine and Hebrew carry a sense of sacrificing and then 't would intimate that our Saviour's death was our peace-offering whereby God's wrath conceived against sin was atoned and his Iustice satisfied we being cleansed by the sprinkling of his Blood The Papists therefore call the Mass a Sacrifice without Blood and the holy Table strictly and properly without any Metaphor an Altar 'T is true we doe here represent and commemorate the death of Christ and when we come to partake of these Mysteries we may use the Psalmist's words What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me I will take the Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord I will Sacrifice unto thee the Sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon the Name of the Lord I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people But he having offer'd once a perfect Sacrifice for the taking away of sin and cry'd upon the Cross It is finished and in that he dyed dyes no more 't were absurd to think there needed a repetition of that act which in it self was all-sufficient Christ's Blood being of an infinite value as it immediately follows in the same Psalm Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints A word peculiar to Christ as in the fourth Psalm He hath set apart the holy one for himself and in the 16. Thou shalt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption meaning Christ. Besides to what purpose is it to ground an unreasonable doctrine upon the nicety of a word which in ordinary plain meaning signifies but this doe so hereafter as ye now doe or do ye in your companies what ye have seen me now do in mine IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. For a memorial of me and a monument of my love who have not spar'd my life for your sakes and with a sense of gratitude to keep up the memory of my bitter death which I as your surety upon your account underwent and the benefit whereof you will receive by believing on me by eating my flesh and drinking my Blood and becoming one with me Or for my remembrance appointed by me to be one of my sacred ordinances to be kept up in the practise of the Church till my second coming in the clouds as ye will see me goe away Wherefore in the mean while to leave behind me a remembrance and to bear up your hearts in Faith that what I have suffered hath bin out of love to you and that those who in following ages shall not see me in the flesh yet may have some further assurance then my bare word I have provided this to be a standing ordinance in the Church whereby I may be remembred to the end of the world LIKEWISE ALSO HE TOOK THE CUP Now follows the other part of this Sacrament to wit the consecration of the Cup for it would not be a compleat meal were there not spiritual drink as well as meat the Blood of Christ being as necessary to quench the thirst as his flesh to satisfie the hunger of a believing soul that hungers and thirsts after righteousness But first the Bread and then the Cup. Why because there must be a body broken before there could be blood spilt First bread to strengthen and then wine to refresh the heart Again the Cup last as of great importance for the flesh could have profited nothing without the blood and God is said to have redeem'd his Church with his Blood nor does he onely redeem us with the shedding of his blood but wash us by the sprinkling of it upon our consciences from dead works and preserve his Church spotless till the great day Nay the author to the Hebrews observes
want or distress and a returning of praise for blessings receiv'd or deliverances obtein'd Or indeed more generally and suitably to the nature of this holy exercise abstracting it from our occasions 't is a Meditation upon God his essence and his Attributes his Word and his Works and an acknowledgement of his power and wisdome and goodness whereby he orders all things to his own glory and our good It is indeed the special act of God's worship for Adoration is nothing else but a praying to him whom we adore Whereupon the heathen well observ'd that 't was not he that graves the idol but he that prayes to it which consecrates the Deity This is sure that his Religion may well be question'd who useth not to pray though 't is true too that prayer may be abus'd to wrong ends even to devour widow's houses nay to eat up God's own House Now the grounds of Prayer are laid in the nature of God and the relation which he hath to us who as he is our Creator and preserver challenges this homage whence the Psalmist frequently invites all our fellow creatures to this duty brings us altogether into one quire to praise the Lord. And the very instinct of nature hath taught ravenous beasts not so much to prey as to pray the young Lions and the young Ravens in their hunger cry to him and he feeds them and fills every thing living with his blessing Nor doth our relation so much as our want make prayer necessary for we depend upon him both as to the life of nature and of grace nor are we able to subsist or act without his constant help Therefore that praecept is no more then nature dictates to us Pray without ceasing or continually that is In every time In every place In every business The main thing in Prayer being to lift up the soul to carry God in our thoughts and have our conversation in Heaven as the man after Gods own heart saith of himself I have set the Lord alwayes before me And in the presence of so glorious a Majesty there cannot chuse but be an humble reverent fervent chearfull frame of spirit a mind well tuned and the affections so order'd the thoughts so compos'd as if one were alwayes in an actual devotion Now God's Nature makes it as convenient for us to go to him in prayer as our Interest makes it necessary for as he was pleased to call Abraham that had frequent intercourses with him in this kind his friend He hath all the qualities which should be taken notice of in the choice of a friend He wants neither will nor skill to do us all imaginable good He hath kindness to intend us good wisdome to contrive it and power to accomplish it Nor are the other Attributes idle in our behalf For 't is his Mercy to promise us help and his Iustice to perform his promise and the like may be said of the rest Then what a priviledge is it that a poor creature dust and ashes may freely speak to his maker That we who dwell in houses of clay may keep up a commerce with heaven that sinfull creatures as we are have access to the throne of Grace with boldness and may challenge a hearing in God's Court of Chancery Shall not the Iudge of all the earth saith he do right And any sinner may sue for his pardon with the same plea. Shall not justice acquit me since mercy hath accepted my surety Is it not enough that my debt hath been once pay'd Christ hath dyed for my sins and my soul shall live Nay let our case be what it will God himself hath afforded us such Arguments as he will not stand out Shall he that hath given me a life deny me food shall he that hath given me a body deny me raiment He that hath given me his Son will not he much more give me all things else Thus Prayer is not only like Iacob's wrestling with God upon earth but his scaling ladder too to reach heaven whilst Prayers ascend to fetch down blessings and blessings descend to fetch up praises Lastly let 's but look to the advantages that come by praying and me thinks no body should be so ill natur'd to himself as to neglect it What is 't but ask and have and will any one be so lazy as to refuse the pains of asking He deserves not bread to put in his mouth that will not open a proud mouth to ask it We have Gods word for 't in several places that his kindness he rates so cheap that it shall be had for asking Ask and it shall be given you And our Saviour passeth his word that whatsoever we shall ask in his name he will do it Can any thing be purchas'd at a lower rate then asking This is the buying without mony and without price Doth a man want wisdome counsel help Doth a sinner want grace pardon strength Doth a Saint want light comfort rest Let him but come and ask he shall find God readier to give then himself was to ask who sometimes answers prayers before they are made and counts it one of his greatest titles that he is a hearer of Prayer But some ask and have not Because as the Apostle saith they ask amiss Wherefore he that would pray aright so that he may obtein must come prepared furnisht with those Graces which may make him accepted Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight We must not rush into so great a presence for the foolish shall not stand before thee but consider the Majesty of God and our own vileness being deeply affected with the sense of his goodness and mans misery and premeditate before hand what we have to say and how and indeed pray before we go to pray that God will prepare our hearts for prayer For so the Psalmist resolves the success of Prayer Thou shalt prepare or direct their heart and shalt cause thy ear to hear And though all the graces like a bed of spices are upon this occasion to breath forth their sweet odours yet some have a more particular imployment such as are Reverence in our high thoughts of God Humility in our low thoughts of our selves Trust to rely upon his goodness and Patience to wait his time Knowledge that we may understand in some measure the nature of God and Obedience that we may sincerely perform his will Zeal which may inflame and raise our affections towards him and Constancy which may keep us in a daily practice of this Deity And to those which call upon him so God will be near and will either do that which they ask or something which may be better for them Who comes irreverently puts an affront upon God which an earthly Prince would not brook He that is possess'd with an aw of greatness will take heed how he demeans himself before it Reverence then