braines wee may iudge to the contrarie So that if any man when he hath had the whole weeke before him to make his prouision will neglect the oportunitie and passe the time ouer and then goe vpon the Lords day to the butchers or such like places to buie victuals hoping to get a better penniworth or because he would not lette his busines before or for that he maketh no difference of dayes and all this while grosselie imagineth that hee committeth no sinne excusing his fact with this that meate must needes bee had and it cannot bee deferred daubing it vp as it were with the vntempered morter of necessitie hee must bee admonished that howsoeuer hee may set a fayre face on his before men and may bleare their eyes that cannot well see yet in Gods iudgement iâ— is lesse then nothing who must be iudge of all but will melt away as snowe before the sunne seeing that hee hath to cut off the head and tayle of those idle pretences spoken aloude and proclaymed long agoe that the sabbath is to bee obserued and remembred for these causes which we must doe so much the rather because he promiseth vnto vs that in sixe dayes we shall be able to doe all our worke for so is it in the wordes of the commandement Sixe dayes shalt thou labour and doe all thy worke Euery man in the sixe dayes may doe all his worke in which words because he vseth it as a reason to perswade vs to rest vpon the seuenth day there must needs bee secretly included as there is a promise of the blessing of God vpon our labours in the sixe dayes that in them we shal be able to do al our work euen al our work I say which properlie belongeth vnto vs and which the Lord would haue vs to doe and therefore calleth it our worke As Master Caluin noteth vpon these wordes Calu. in Exod. 20.8 Vniuersum opus All thy worke hereby saith he is signified that though the sabbath be taken away there will be time enough for all our busines otherwise this reason we see were insufficient to perswade men to rest vpon the seuenth day if in the sixe wee might truelie obiect they cannot doe all their worke But the Lord who knoweth what hee would haue vs to doe and therefore what is our worke better then wee our selues and what is our strength to doe it and what time we haue allotted out for it he saith in the sixe days we may doe all our worke and this he speaketh to the busiest bodie in the worlde and to the most couetous who knoweth no ende of working whereby any gayne is gotten and therefore when we take vpon vs so many things that we are ouerwhelmed with them cannot bring them to an ende with the end of the sixe dayes then haue we intermedled with that which belongs not vnto vs and haue entered as it were vpon other mens busines and it is not the Lord but the diuell that hath set vs on worke and he will one day pay vs our hyre Master Caluin doth lay forth this whole matter very plentifully in most significant wordes Caluin vpon Deut. 5. serm 35. and followes it with great power in his sermons vpon Deuteronomie When it is sayd Thou shalt labour sixe dayes our Lords would hereby signifie vnto vs that wee ought not to complaine of yeelding vnto him one certaine day when hee leaueth vnto vs sixe for one as if hee did say shall the cost and charge bee great vnto you to chuse one day which may bee wholly giuen to my seruice that you doe no other thing in it but reade and exercise your selues in my lawe or heare my doctrine which shall bee preached vnto you a day to come to the Temple to the end you may there be confirmed by the sacrifices which are there made a day to call vpon my name to declare and protest that you are of the number and companie of my people ought this to bee grieuous and troublesome vnto you seeing you haue sixe daies free to traffique and to doe your busines in when I vse such gentlenes towards you that I demand but one day of seuen is not this an ouer greâ—t vnthankefulnes on your part if you complaine of this time as being euill imployed If you bee such couetous and niggardly wretches as not to spare me one seuenth part of the time I haue giuen you your whole life wheresoeuer the sunne shineth vpon you you ought to acknowledge my goodnes and how that I am a liberall father towards you for this sunne which J make to shine is to giue you a meane to goe and walke by to the end that euery one may doe his busines and yet for all this why is it that I shall not haue one day among seuen in which euery one should withdrawe himselfe from his trauaile and labour that you bee not wrapped in the care of the worlde and so haue no care to thinke vpon me Now then we see that this sentence of trauailing the sixe dayes is not placed as a commandement but is rather a permission which God giueth and that to reproch the vnthankefulnes of men if they obserue not the Sabbath day and sanctifie it in such sort as we haue spoken So then when men shall haue well considered of this thing they shall be conuinced that God beareth with them as a father which should shew himselfe pitifull to his children and therefore let vs take diligent heede that we be not vngratefull but be prouoked and allured to serue our God so much the more seeing he commandeth vs not those things which might seem ouer bitter and painefull vnto vs but hath a due regard to our power and abilitie therefore when he beareth with vs after this manner and leaueth vnto vs our profits and commodities so much more dissolute wicked and inexcusable are wee if we be not inflamed to yeeld our selues wholly vnto him Thus farre Master Caluin See then what an impudency and rebellion this is that men are growen vnto the Lord sayth In sixe daies they may doe all their worke and therefore willeth them to rest vpon the seuenth and they most wickedly crie out as loud with more then a whorish face by their speeches and practises that in sixe daies they cannot doe all their worke and therefore they take vp also all our part of the seuenth what a crueltie then is this that they charge the Lord withall that he should bind them vnder the paine of eternall condemnation to rest vpon the seuenth day and yet should not giue them sufficient time vpon the other dayes to end their worke in which once but to imagine were horrible impietie But let vs iustifie the Lord in his mercie and confesse as the truth is that wee ought so much the more carefully to remember the Sabbath to rest vpon it because in the sixe daies wee may doe all our worke if wee will pray vnto God for
his fauor more assured of his promises and made more fit to serue him Euen as in the scriptures The seruants of God haue greatly profited in faith obedience by the consideratiō of his creatures we may see many times how the spirit of God sendeth vs to the creatures to bee confirmed by them in the things that are spoken of God in the word and the seruants of God haue by them strengthened their faith in the promises which they had learned out of Gods word before The Prophet Esay chap. 40. propoūding vnto the people most excellent promises whereof they should bee made partakers in the time of the Gospell which hee doth in the former part of the chapter frō the 12. verse he beginneth to confirme them in the certaine trueth of the same by the consideration of Gods omnipotent power whereby hee made all things at the first in such a wonderfull order that thereby they might bee assured that nothing should bee able to hinder him from bringing that to passe which he haid promised to his Church but that they should looke most certainly for it saying Who hath measured the waters in his fist and counted heauen with a span and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and waighed the mountaines in a waight and the hils in a ballance So likewise the Prophet Ieremie in his 33. chapter promising mising vnto the church deliuerance out of their trouble doth perswade them of the infallible truth of Gods word herein by setting before their eyes the immutable course of nature in the continuall interchange of the day and night Thus sayth the Lord Iere. 33.20 if you can breake tny couenant of the day and my couenant of the night that there should not be day and night in their season 21. then may my couenant bee broken with Dauid my seruant that he should not haue a sonne to raigne vpon his throne and with the Leuits and Priests my ministers 22. As the armie of heauen cannot be numbred neither the sand of the sea measured so will I multiplie the seede of Dauid my seruant and the Leuits that minister vnto me The Psalmes most of all are full of this matter and as it is a booke of practise especially so it is plentifull in these meditations and the treatise would be long if I should but in order reckon vp the principall places there tending to this purpose yet the waightines of the matter will not suffer me to passe ouer them all It is most apparant how Dauid in the 8. Psalme stirreth vp himselfe and all mankinde to praise the Lord for his great liberalitie towards them appearing in this that as he made him at the first Lord and ruler ouer all his creatures in heauen and earth so he hath restored him into the same dignitie by Christ when he had iustly lost it before because of his sinne when he thus beginneth and endeth the Psalme O Lord our gouernour Psal 8.19 how excellent is thy name in all the world And in another Psalme the Prophet complaineth of the greatnes of his affliction and being almost discouraged because the Lord deferred his helpe so long that he might not vtterly sink down vnder the heauie waight of his grieuous tentation Psal 77.10 strengtheneth his faith by remembring Gods former works that he might haue hope of his mercie towards himselfe I remembred the yeares of the rtght hande of the most high 11. I remembred the workes of the Lord certainly I remembred thy wonders of old 12. I did also meditate of all thy workes and did deuise of thine acts So likewise in the 22. Psalme the man of God being in such extremitie that he was almost past all hope beginneth with this heauie complaint Et. 21.1 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and art so farre from my health and from the voyce of my roring But afterwards commeth to this verse 4. Our father 's trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliuer them 5. They called vpon thee and were deliuered they trusted in thee and were not confounded And then he sayth vers 10. I was cast vpon thee euen from the wombe thou art my God from my mothers bellie Where we see he getteth hope at the last of being heard and deliuered by the consideration of Gods workes both generally done to his seruants in times past and particularly shewed to himselfe heretofore And there is great reason of this for the Lord is alwaies like himselfe and Iesus Christ is yesterday and to day and the same for euer and therefore will doe as he hath done for there is no respect either of persons Psal 25.10 or times with him but all the wayes of God are mercie and trueth not only mercie in the beginning but trueth in the midst and ending For this cause the seruant of God thus praieth in the Psalme 119. Et. 119.132 Looke vpon me and be mercifull vnto me as thou vsest to doe vnto those that loue thy name And vers 149. Heare my voyce according to thy louing kindnes O Lord quicken me according to thy custome In both which places we see how he prayeth to God that he would shewe him that mercie which he was wont to shew to him himselfe others in the like case heretofore so by the former works of God strengtheneth himselfe in prayer Thus wee may easilie vnderstand what profit we might get by the earnest meditation and wise conference about the works of God which are done in great wisedome thereby to confirme vs in the trueth of those things that are written in the word and to draw vs to those dueties that are required of vs in the same and so generally to further vs in all godlinesse and therefore a thing not to bee neglected at any time but most of all to bee practised vpon the Lords day that we might leaue nothing vndone which might make all Gods worship most profitable vnto vs and make vs fitter vnto all other dueties which is the end why the Sabbath was ordained In the 104. Psalme the Prophet speaking of the wonderfull workes of God and the marueilous gouerning preseruing of them beginneth thus Et 104.1 My soule praise thou the Lord and towards the midst breaketh forth into this speech O Lord how manifold are thy workes vers 24. in wisedome hast thou made them all And in the end concludeth with Glorie be to the Lord for euer And 33. I will sing vnto the Lord all my life I will praise my God while I liue Hereby declaring what ought to bee wrought in all men by the reuerent cōsidering of Gods works and that we should not muse or speake of them vnprofitably but with that glorie vnto God and comfort to our selues which he requireth of vs and no doubt many of his children doe But that I might drawe to an ende one word of that which as it is most plaine so it is most comfortable
to bee regarded vpon the Lords day appeareth by that which Moses speaketh of it Deut. 5.14 The seuenth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God thou shalt not doe any worke therein thou nor thy sonne nor thy daughter nor thy manseruant nor thy maidseruant nor thy oxe nor thy asse neither any of thy cattell nor the stranger that is within thy gates that thy manseruant and thy maidseruant may rest as well as thou Where he maketh this a reason why rest is vpon the Sabbath day especially to bee giuen vnto all that are imployed vnto any bodily labour euen vnto the dumbe beast that they might be eased thereby without the which their estate were too intollerable And therefore it appeareth that the Lord would haue men exercised vnto pitie vpon this day most of all when by his Prophet he perswadeth them to ease their seruaÌ„ts cattel of their labour vpon this day least otherwise by continuance they should be most cruelly oppressed Whereunto agreeth that which is most plaine to conceiue and forcible to moue Exod. 23.12 Sixe daies shalt thou labour to doe thy worke and in the seuenth day shalt thou rest that thine oxe and thine asse may rest and the sonne of thy maid and the stranger may bee refreshed Where besides that it is to be obserued that in the former part of the chapter hee speaketh of shewing mercie and compassion as to the poore man in his cause to the enemies oxe going astray to his asse lying vnder his burden to him that is wrongfully oppressed to the stranger that is farre from his owne countrie and friends and to the fields and vineyards that they might rest vpon the seuenth yeare for the benefite of the poore and the cattell as may most euidently appeare vnto him that will but reade the text and then adioyneth this vnto it as that which is of the like nature and kind the words themselues that he vseth in setting of it downe doe sufficiently declare that mercy must be especially regarded vpon this day when hee reckoneth so many by name that most of all stande in neede of it and would haue them to rest because otherwise they cannot sufficiently bee refreshed and drawe their breath with ease as it were euen as the worde doth import as hath beene declared before Hereupon the Prophet Ieremie speaking of sanctifying the Sabbath Iere. 17.21.22 requireth of them that they shuld set their seruants free from their burdens and their worke By all which it may be most certainely gathered that all louing kindnes and pitie is to be shewed vnto our brethren as at all other times so most of all vpon the Sabbath and more then after an vsuall manner when it is one of the ends why it was ordayned by GOD and therefore the thing whereunto we ought to haue an especiall regard most of all if we consider the practise of it in the whole new Testament For it is written of our Sauiour Christ by the Euangelists in the Gospell that vsually hee vpon the Sabbath daies visited the sicke healed the cripples restored the blind to their sight and doth not onely defend his doings herein by the law against the cauils of his aduersaries but also leaueth his owne example in this to be our president and patterne to followe whereof that is a proof that Saint Iohn testifieth in many words There was a feast of the Iewes Iohn 5.1 and Iesus went vp to Ierusalem 2. And there is by the sheepe market a poole called in Hebrue Bethesda hauing fiue portes 3. In the which lay a great multitude of people of sicke folke of blinde halt and withered wayting for the moouing of the water 4. For an Angell went downe at a certaine time into the poole and troubled the water whosoeuer then first after the stirring of the water stepped in was healed of whatsoeuer disease hee had 5. And a certaine man was there which had beene diseased eight and thirtie yeares 6. When Iesus sawe him lye and knew that hee now long time had beene diseased he said vnto him wilt thou be made whole 7. The sicke man answered him Sir I haue no man to put mee into the poole when the water is troubled but while I am comming another steppeth downe before mee 8. Iesus sayd vnto him Rise take vp thy bed and walke and the same day was the Sabbath Where wee see that our Sauiour Christ commeth of purpose to the place where a great many of impotent and diseased people vsed to lie vpon the Sabbath and healed one of them And in the seuenth chapter he defendeth this fact of his saying Chap. 7.23 If a man vpon the Sabbath receiue circumcision that the lawe of Moses should not be broken be ye angrie with me because I haue made a man euery whit whole on the Sabbath day If the law of circumcision doe bind men to minister and receiue it vpon the Sabbath then much more doth the lawe of loue bind men to shewe mercy vpon the Sabbath seeing that it is appointed of God not to hinder vs from but to further vs in all his works among which the relieuing of them that bee in necessitie is one of the chiefe and principall And as the Lord Iesus Christ came not to destroy the lawe but to fulfill it Math. 5.17 so hee obserued it very carefully in this poynt and being most full of compassion did declare it aboundantly by taking all oportunitie to succour them that were in miserie euen vpon the Sabbath as the fittest time for it For this is that also which Saint Luke reporteth of him in his gospel That he taught in one of the Synagogues on the Sabbath day 11. Luk. 13.10 And beholde there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteene yeâ—res was bowed together and could not lift vp her selfe in any wise 12. When Iesus saw her hee called her to him and saide to her Woman thou art loosed from thy disease 13. And he laid his hands on her and immediately she was made straight againe and glorified God 14. And the ruler of the Synagogue was mooued with indignation because that Iesus had healed on the Sabbath day and sayd vnto the people there are sixe dayes in which men ought to worke in them therefore come and be healed not on the Sabbath day 15. Then answered him the Lorde and sayd Hypocrite doth not each one of you on the Sabbath day loose his oxe or his asse from the stall and leade him away to the water 16. And ought not this daughter of Abraham whome Sathan hath bound loe eighteene yeares be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day Where we doe euidently see that Iesus Christ not onely in wonderfull great pitie vnto this long diseased creature bestoweth the benefite of health vpon her but also when as the rulers of the Synagogue either through a grosse ignorance or palpable hypocrisie did find fault with it as a
the ignorant to admonish the vnruly to bring home them that goe astray to bind vp the broken hearted to strengthen the feeble to encourage theÌ„ that be occupied in well doing and in one worde so to helpe them in the lesse that the chiefe and principall bee not neglected wherein true loue especially doth consist and wherein the Lord is serued of vs most of all And this is that which is spoken of our Sauiour Christ in the place aboue mentioned that hee not onely healed the woman vpon the Sabbath of her bodily disease Luk. 13.16 but deliuered her from the chaynes of the diuell with which she had beene long held For it is euident in the Gospell that besides the infirmitie of her body there was an extraordinary worke of Sathan wherby as she was strangely possessed so it wrought in her many strong passions from all which she being deliuered by Christ Iesus receiued euen in that especialy the most mercy at his hands Therefore among al the works of God we must be persuaded that this is none of the least to shewe mercie vnto the distressed soules of our brethren for this is the mercy of the most mercifull euen Christ Iesus himselfe from whom as we haue receiued many great mercies so none to this that he hath redeemed our soules from eternall destruction and when we were sunke downe into the bottomlesse pit of all misery hee came thither in vnspeakable loue to fetch vs out and reconciled vs to his Father and hath made vs heires of euerlasting life And let vs be so much more mindfull of this duetie by how much the fewest in the worlde doe thinke of it no not they that otherwise are mindfull to shewe mercy in all outward things And thus wee see that none can bee exempted from these dueties for though euery one cannot goe into the houses of the poore neither is it meete that some should because of their personages and calling yet they may make enquirie of them and send vnto them and exhort others to do the like and pray for them and may with their equals haue such profitable conferences that they may shewe great mercy to their soules by drawing them neerer to the kingdome of heauen and drawing them further off from the pit of hell And they that be poore and therfore it may be imagined they can shew no mercy at all for they haue not wherewith must first of all consider Mark 12.43 the poore widowe that gaue but two mytes how it was accepted and that the Lord accepteth of euery one not according to his deedes but according to his good will and secondarily that if they will instruct admonish comfort their brethren and pray for them they shall shewe the greatest mercy vnto them that may bee and doe that worke which is most acceptable vnto God and therefore most peculiar to the Sabbath So then that we might be persuaded of the excellency of this duty aboue all others let vs coâ—sider of that which the spirite of God speaketh of it Iam. 5.19 Brethren if any of you haue erred from the trueth and some man hath conuerted him let him knowe that he which hath conuerted the sinner from going out of his way shall saue a soule from death and shall hide a multitude of sinnes And indeede all our profession is nothing and the shew of religion that we make is vaine except it bring forth these fruites in vs as the same Apostle witnesseth Chap. 1 27. Pure religion and vndefiled before God euen the Father is this to visite the fatherlesse and widowe in their aduersitie and to keepe himselfe vnspotted of the world Not that there is no religion but this but that by these fruits it shall appeare whether our religion be good or no and whether we be profitably occupied therein or no euen when all the publike and priuate exercises of the same doe prepare vs to shew mercy vnto our brethren and make vs more fitte thereunto Therefore whereas wee haue seene in the former part of this treatise that notwithstanding the precise commandement of resting such dueties were permitted as the preseâ—t necessitie of any creature did require now wee doe furâ—her vnderstand that they be by the commandement of God necessarily laid vpon vs that they are in the number of those works of God which that we might wholly doe we are commanded to rest from our owne All superiours ought to be carefull that their inferiours do keepe holy the day as well as themselues Now the Lord would not onely haue vs to keepe holy the Sabbath our selues in all the partes of his worshippe publike and priuate which wee haue seene heretofore but also that euery one shoud in his seueral place and roome carefully take order that so many as bee committed to his charge should sanctifie the daye as well as himselfe which though it be true in all other commandements namely that whatsoeuer we are bound to do our selues we must bee meanes to further other in doing the same because the loue of God and of our neighbours spreadeth it selfe ouer all the commaundements and therefore though it be not expressed it is necessarily vnderstood yet in this commaundement it is so much the more required because besides the analogie and proportion betweene it and the other commandements doth inforce it the very words themselues doe bind vs thereunto For when it is said Thou and thy sonne thy daughter thy manseruant and thy maide though he speaketh by name onely of resting vpon the Sabbath yet because the ende of that is that the day might be sanctified looke howe many reasons we haue seene before binding the inferiours to rest and the superiours to prouide that they doe so indeed so many are there compelling them to sanctifie the day in their own persons and in so manie as belong vnto them Therefore when first of all it is generally sayde in the commandement Remember the Sabbath daye to keepe it holy and afterwards The seuenth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God that is which must bee dedicated vnto his seruice and in the end you must therefore rest that you might serue him in it as hee requireth and then nameth the seuerall parties that should rest his meaning is to declare vnto them the right ende of their resting and so speaking by name to the gouernours saying Thou and thy sonne and thy daughter thy manseruant and thy maid the stranger that is within thy gates to shewe vnto them that it is not sufficient for them to looke that they vnder their gouernement should rest vnlesse they sanctifie the day of rest also which they must be so much carefull of by how much the sanctification of the day is greater theÌ„ the ceasing to worke vpon it as the end whereunto this is but referred and therefore if it bee a sinne in them at any time not to haue a sufficient regard vnto them that they do not worke then
wisedome in our calling and so we shall be deliuered from that necessitie of working many times which otherwise we doe voluntarily pull vpon our selues Thus wee may conclude this point that seeing the Lord of his great liberalitie euen vpon that day wherein hee requireth our rest most precisely hath not cast vs into that bondage that we should doe nothing at all but hath left vs that freedome that in needfull things we may labour it standeth vs in hand so much the more carefully to looke to our selues that wee be sure the things we go about could not haue bin done before not deferred any longer and therefore were necessary to be done at that time which when wee bee throughly persuaded of by Gods word then may wee in faith and a good conscience take them in hand knowing that the Lord exempteth vs as it were at that presēt from the generall lawe of resting and by some speciall occasion calleth vs to worke and therefore wee doe it as vnto him Works of necessitie vpon the Lords day must not be done for gaine but of mercy and pitie In which consideration wee ought not to take any thing for our worldly labours vpon the Sabbath and we should not make a gaine of our trauaile vpon that day if necessitie driue vs vnto it for we do it not as a worke of our calling from the which wee must cease nor as that by the which wee get our liuing with which wee must not meddle but only because some of the creatures doe stand in neede of our helpe for whose preseruation the day of rest is appointed and therefore in pitie and compassion vnto them we yeelde them our labour and doe it as a deed of mercy and vnto the Lord. And therfore though that constitution of Gregorie the 9. Cent. 13. cap. 6. be not in all points sound when he saith Let men and cattell rest vpon the Lords day vnlesse vrgent necessitie compell them vel nisi gratis fiat or vnlesse it be done freely for the poore or for the Church because the free doing of a thing will not excuse it when there is no necessitie or when it is not a worke proper vnto this day yet it seemeth that herein he aymed at the truth when he requires that that which is done should not be for gaine but of loue to the poore and to the Church of God and therefore freely And this is that indeed which commonly men do pretend when they are charged with their needlesse trauailings that it was a good deed to help such a one in miserie and it did lye vpon his vndoing and hee could not but doe it for very pitie and a great deale more they can say for themselues Therefore let it appeare by their doings that nothing mooued them but pitie and that of very conscience to relieue the necessity of others thy were mooued vnto it by not onely not receiuing but not looking for any reward of men no more then you doe of the almes which you giue and for visiting the sicke and imprisoned that so it may be counted as an holy worke indeed when you doe it not respecting your owne profite in it but onely the good of others Therefore let the Phisition or chirurgian and such as attend vpon the sicke or are any wayes imployed about him take nothing for their paines vpon the Sabbath but let them doe it freely that it may be a gift and not accounted as a work of their calling but a deede of loue and the apothecarie though he receiue money for his stuffe yet let his labour be free The like must be vnderstoode of all other works of necessitie And therefore if the lawyer counsellor or sergeant will needs trauaile then about his clients cause let him doe it onely for Gods sake and not bee occupied about it as a worldly thing and a matter of gaine for that is proper to the sixe daies in the which God would haue them in the sweat of their face to eate their bread Obiection But if they say it may be the men with and for whom we deale stand in no such need of our liberalitie nay they would thinke scorne of it and they may better giue vs a pound then wee them a penny Answer then yet at least wise dedicate it to the poore and taking it with the one hand giue it with the other that you may haue the testimony of a good conscience the spirite of God bearing you witnes that your worke was onely for the Lorde as this day is appointed out wholly for his seruice and that no priuate commoditie of your owne mooued you vnto it for the Lord hath giuen you the sixe dayes to make prouision for yourselfe for otherwise we shall make no difference betwixt the sixe daies and the seuenth the works of the one and of the other if we shall in all of them alike be conuersant in the same things with the same minde and for the same ende and purpose Therefore that I might end this matter we doe see that excepting these cases of necessitie in which the Lord would haue vs thus cheerefully to be occupied as about the works of mercy and his seruice onely from whence no gaine is to be looked for 1. Tim. 6.6 though godlines indeed be great gaine and he that hath pitie vpon the poore lendeth vnto the Lorde and looke what he layeth out Prou. 19.17 it shall be repayed him wee are bound most straitly in this commandement to rest and that the Lord looketh for a rare and singular kinde of rest euen such a one as wee haue heard out of his worde and that hee will not dispence with vs in any wise but as it hath beene shewed and therefore that wee ought to haue a principall respect and regard vnto it as to the thing that doth most neerely concerne vs. And in this one point though I am not ignorant that I haue a great cloud of aduersaries against me who are otherwise minded and cannot be thus persuaded as indeed many things in this commandement are greatly controuersied yea among the learned as in any one that I know yet I desire them in the feare of God that as they will obserue the rule of the Apostle Iames 1.19 who would haue vs swift to heare slowe to speake and slow to wrath they would indifferently and as it were in an eeuen ballance weigh such things at haue been alreadie alledged for the proofe of it before they begin to giue out their censures against it Obiection If we be thus straitly bound to rest we are still in as great bondage as the Iewes were vnder the law Therefore whereas some men might hereupon gather that if the case be thus betwixt the Lorde and vs in the matter of the Sabbath and that the commandement of resting doth stand in such force and strength and bindeth vs so strongly as it doth then our estate is no better then the Iewes the same