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religion_n	church_n	doctrine_n	england_n	6,989	5	6.3346	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17418	The doctrine of the Sabbath vindicated in a confutation of a treatise of the Sabbath, written by M. Edward Breerwood against M. Nic. Byfield, wherein these five things are maintained: first, that the fourth Commandement is given to the servant and not to the master onely. Seecondly, that the fourth Commandement is morall. Thirdly, that our owne light workes as well as gainefull and toilesome are forbidden on the Sabbath. Fourthly, that the Lords day is of divine institution. Fifthly, that the Sabbath was instituted from the beginning. By the industrie of an unworthy labourer in Gods vineyard, Richard Byfield, pastor in Long Ditton in Surrey.	Byfield, Richard, 1598?-1664.	1631 (1631)	STC 4238; ESTC S107155	139,589	186

occasion of all this stirre in this mans spirit which in the beginning of the Treatise he layeth downe viz. the wound in the conscience of one Iohn Breerwood by Master Nic. Byfield First it is evident those workes he stucke at were never in question Secondly it is manifest by the Letter of Master Breerwoods written to the abovesaid Master Iohn Ratcliffe that the servant confessed that he received the first touch at Master Bruens of Stapleford but his conference after with Master Byfield was it that resolved him And yet it is cleare that there was never any case propounded to him at Chester about servants worke on the Sabbath at Master Ratcliffes and he never to that time delivered his opinion touching it unto any Thirdly it is no lesse cleare that the occasion was foolish and weak as shall be manifest by giving to all the world a true information how the case then stood with this Iohn Breerwood which I give you in the next Chapter for a conclusion to this first part of the booke Happy had it been for him if Answer For the occasion three things will lively represent it to the world a briefe relation concerning the condition of Iohn Breerwood at that time secondly the comparing of some passages in Master Breerwoods relation with the former thirdly the beginning of Master Byfields answer to this Treatise containing a short and satisfactory answer to this particular First this was the true state of things concerning Iohn Breerwood at the time while these things fellout Iohn Breerwood was servant and Apprentice to one Master Thomas Shipton Grocer in Fridaystreet in the Parish of Saint Iohn the Evangelist He was imployed by his Master on businesse to Chester and going downe hee fell in love with a Maide that accompanied him downe at the same time Whereupon when hee returned as was manifest by the consequents hee cast in his mind which way to wind himselfe out of his Masters service For the attaining of his disordered desire when yet hee had not spent halfe the time of his Apprentiship in his Masters service hee made therefore many scruples some about the Sabbath pretending his conscience had been much wrought upon by Master Nicolas Byfield in that his foresaid journey some about his calling in the weeke dayes About the Sabbath when his Master bade him fetch a pint of wine or see his horse have provender or call the invited Guest to dinner he would refuse to doe it which thing his Master supposing it had been indeed upon some trouble of conscience with joy related to the Minister of the parish M. Walker and therupon sought meanes to bind and retaine him the faster in his service for his Master was a conscionable and religious man and carefull of the Sabbath and hoped that here would begin the discovery of some good wrought in him who before was many wayes untoward But this Iohn Breerwood saw that this would take no place he casts other scruples about the workes of his Calling to get off that way by his pretexts of the evils he saw attended Trades in the City and this turned not off his Master from his desires to retaine him but rather increased them the more Afterwards perceiving that Religion pretended wrought against his intended plot and not for it hee fell to impudent and vile stubbornnesse On a time his Master for some stubbornnesse of his gave him a boxe on the eare then he found out this project to lay his Dagger under his pillow that when the maides should find it there and relate it to their Master he might conceive he had some intent to play some vile part and being a timorous man might bee moved to turne him out of his service After this his Master upon his earnest desire sent him downe againe to Chester to gather up moneys who there gathered up to the summe of an hundred pounds or thereabout his Master fearing to lose it gave way to his motion to leave his service and set up for himselfe in Chester that so he might get his money of him This Iohn Breerwood thus released married the former woman and since putting her to shift for her selfe hath been to and fro beyond Sea and hath played many prankes This Relation was taken from Master Walkers mouth March 30. 1631. as a briefe of those things that might bee more largely set downe the Christian Reader for his further satisfaction if hee desire it may enquire of him who was very well acquainted with all those passages Now consider with me some passages in Master Breerwoods Relation First he saith the true cause of his distemper was a Case of Conscience about workes on the Sabbath yet hee saw that at the first discovery of his strange alteration were discovered obstinate resolutions by faire or foule meanes to forsake his service Hee is little skill'd in the plight of a wounded conscience that can thinke such a conscience and such obstinatenesse are compatible to the same man at the same time Secondly hee talketh of his Masters great offence yet this was no other but that as one joyed to see hee made some shew of conscience in that thing he sought all meanes to tie him the faster to him and his service Thirdly hee talketh also of his Kinsmans affliction What From such a man as was so milde as his Master was Who can beleeve that this matter about his Kinsman was any more than an occasion no cause in truth of Master Breerwoods attempts some thing there was besides this as rightly he acknowledgeth And to put it out of doubt heare M. Byfield speake after long silence under these injuries beginning his Treatise thus LO Sir I am become at length a Writer Your strange bitternes and great thoughts of heart have wrung from me that resolution which once I thought had not been in the power of man to urge me to The Lord make it prosperous if it be his wil or els give me more patience hereafter to forbeare imployment where I can goe about it with so little hope of successe I write not while I write Partly because the discharge of my calling commands me to labor other waies and partly because my judgement is not every way resolved of the expediency of an answer in this kind One thing I am sure of that I can be contented to seale the Doctrine of the Sabbath as it is now taught in the Church of England with my blood and conceive there is as apparent reason for it as for any other point of Religion Thus much I easily grant upon the reading of your writings that if your places of invention had been as sound as your forme of elocution is faire and the matter had been answerable to the stile you shuld easily have had my voice for the Chaire amongst the truly learned but when I consider of your assertions concerning the Sabbath unmasking them and without the varnish cast upon them I cannot but see cause to lament that such

nothing for are not one day in a yeere yeerely certaine dayes and so of the rest and if that some shall say they are enough though others speake against it who shal tel which of these two sides sides with the truth when what is enough you hold God hath not particularly determined yea but Gomarus saith that what dayes are sufficient may be gathered out of the precept of the Sabbath namely that they be either not more seldome or else a little more oft than the Sabbaths of the Israelites as the indulgence of God in giving that precept sheweth For when the Lord for his clemency sake tooke one of seven onely to his worship for the Israelites men of a stiffe-necke and pressed with the heavy yoke of feasts and other ceremonies how shall more seldome suffice among Christians that are free from that yoke and burden Very good Can any looke on this without griefe and laughter If out of the precept you must gather your sufficient dayes why will you not take the dayes God hath in precept warranted for sufficient and sufficiently blessed one of seven the seventh If this your sufficiency must be gathered from the precept and that too as you gather that they bee more to us than were to Iewes then we are to have two Sabbaths a weeke at the least and the Church erred that Anathematized the keepers of Saturday in the time of the Gospell and still erreth that never saw this yet much lesse observed it Or if you say no they must not be Sabbaths how then gather you this sufficiency of the dayes out of the fourth Commandement which concerneth the Sabbath and not halfe holidaies and other feasts and if the Iewes were yoked with observation of feasts therfore Gods clemency would they should keep but the seventh day What an insupportable yoke doe you lay upon Christians that must as you say keepe more than one of seven or else they keepe not a sufficient number all the Iewish feasts would hardly arise to the number that two in a weeke constantly doe amount to and what interfearing is here One of the seven daies of the weeke in perpetuall revolution is not necessarily to be observed by force of the fourth Commandement And yet fewer than one a weeke cannot be sufficient and that by vertue of the fourth Commandement What would you have more than one a weeke by vertue of the Commandement and therefore you say one is not necessary Or is that which is onely sufficient not necessary Why then take that which is insufficient and let that be yet necessary even one when you will and more when you will now this day now that you may do them all a favour to take them over by turnes Thus farre for Gomarus in this thing Secondly that one whole day be kept holy and no lesse is morall and not ceremoniall you yeelde that the commandement for a Sabbath is morall now God never mentioned lesse than a day saying Remember thou keepe holy the Sabbath day the distinction also of time by the Lord of time cleareth this for the whole weeke is divided into seven daies and every of those dayes consisteth of 24. houres David in his Psalme for the Sabbath day b Psal 92. title with verse 2. describeth the time thus It is good to shew forth thy loving kindnesse in the morning and thy faithfulnesse every night meaning every Sabbath day morning and night as the title sheweth The apparition of our Saviour at the night of the day of his Resurrection in the midst of the Disciples assembled c Ioh 20. 19. Profunda jam nocte it being now very late at night saith Are●ius proveth that the night following of the day of Sabbath take here day for the day-light betweene sunne and sunne is of the Sabbath and lastly the celebration of the Lords day by Paul at Troas in Act. 20. 7. out of which saith Mr. Perkins I note two things First that the night mentioned there was a part of the seventh day of Pauls abode at Troas for if it were not so then he had staied at least a night longer and so more than seven dayes because he should have staied part of another day Secondly that this night was part of the Sabbath which they then kept For the Apostles keepe it in manner of a Sabbath in the exercises of piety and divine worship Answer This also suffereth just exception both in it selfe and in reference to the matter in hand it bindeth you yeeld because Gods command bindeth to obey the Churches just constitutions Consider it is Gods Command that bindeth and not the Churches but as it is Gods Now Gods Command bindeth equally and to despise Christ and despise him in his Apostles in as much as he saith He that despiseth you despiseth me is alike sinfull or what if it binde not equally to take your owne words if it bind enough to make the transgressor a sinner before God For this was never questioned whether the Master or Servant were the greater sinner in the servants working on the Sabbath Againe it bindeth equally by your owne doctrine because you say in pag. 43. lib. 1. it is of the Church guided by the Spirit of God unlesse you will say that the doctrine of the New Testament preached and written by men with the Holy Ghost sent downe from Heaven is of lesse binding power than the Ten Commandements delivered on Mount Sinai which runneth against not onely all Christian religion but also those Texts in speciall Heb. 2. 2 3. 12. CHAP. XXVIII Breerwood Pag. 43 44 45. BVt if you aske me how farre doth that constitution of the Church oblige the conscience I answere you as farre as it doth command you will desire no more further it cannot It cannot oblige farther than it doth ordaine it cannot bind the conscience for guiltinesse further than it doth for obedience because all guiltinesse both presuppose disobedience now that the Church ordained solemne assemblies of Christians to bee celebrated that day to the honour of God and in them the invocation of Gods holy name thankes-giving hearing of the holy Scriptures and receiving of the Sacraments is not denied It is out of question all antiquity affordeth plentifull remembrance of it But that it injoyneth that severe and exact vacation from all workes on the Lords day which the commandement of God required in the Iewes Sabaoth you will never prove It relisheth too much of the Iewish Ceremonies to be proved by Christian divinity for this is no proofe of it that the Lords day is succeeded in place of the Sabaoth or as some Divines tearme it as the heyre of the Sabaoth It is I say no proofe at all except it were established by the same authority and the observance of it charged with the same strictnesse of commandement for if it succeed the Sabaoth in place must it therefore succeed in equall precisenesse of observation So if the Pope succeedeth Peter in place

and vilifying of God Thirdly but what an argument is here The obligation of our thankefulnesse is more than theirs though the obligation of his commandement be lesse herein therefore the Christian should be more devout than the Iew. I had thought the commandement had bound to Devotion and the greater the more I had thought the Greatnesse of benefits whence the debt of thankfulnesse is greatned had increased the obligation of the commandement and our obedience to it But now you yeeld his commandement some what obligeth on our Sabbath though lesse when before you utterly denyed any breach of any divine commandement in laboring that day and so any obligation To strengthen this argument you expresse your wish that most religiously with all abstinence and all attendance it were kept Doe you wish this with all your heart and yet bend all your might to overthrow the commandement of God Would you or could you thinke that your wish should prevaile more than Apostolike truth Fourthly have wee in one breath these contradictory sentences No constitution of the Church obliging to the strict desisting from labour And the constitutions of some ancient Councels restraining that prophanation Fifthly you come in with the Edicts of Princes as one that would have the observation of the Lords day depend upon constitutions of the Church and Edicts of Princes only and so not to differ from another holy day Most wicked Popish worse than Popish and against all the famous lights ancient and moderne Or doe you mention Princes Edicts and Churches constitutions to glose with ours Ours detest your Tenet and you seeke herein to wound Church and Prince for how they hold of the Lords day that it is directly grounded on the fourth commandement appeareth in the Liturgie in the booke of Homilies and in the Statutes and godly Provisions for redresse of prophanations This is the Doctrine of our Church d Homil. of the place and time of prayer part 1. pag. 125. By this commandement speaking of the fourth wee ought to have a time as one day in the weeke wherein we ought to rest yea from our lawfull and needfull workes For like as it appeareth by this commandement that no man in the sixe daies ought to bee slothfull or idle but diligently to labour in that state wherein God hath set him even so God hath given expresse charge to all men that upon the Sabbath day which is now our Sunday they should cease from all weekely and worke-day labour of these lawes to reject their commandements touching matter of worke or service on the Sabaoth or any other day Answer First I might put off all this still because it is upon this false ground that the Commandement of God doth not enjoyne our Sabbath with the like But I willingly goe on with you to see if there bee one true stitch through your whole Discourse And here before wee come to particulars h Though the Lawes of men should not take hold of servants in this case yet the Lawes of God doe let all note that that odious terme and calumniating phrase of Servants rebellion against their masters is your owne and commeth from an evill heart and crafty head We teach that Princes unlawfull commands are not to bee executed yet we teach not that any so commanded must rebell but not obey and be so farre from rebellion if it should be urged that hee suffer even to blood patiently without so much as reviling judging or the like but onely committing his cause to him that judgeth righteously But to come to your matter you hold First That the Churches Constitutions and the Edicts of Princes never intended to forbid light and labourlesse worke nor doe their censures take hold on men therefore Secondly against this what the Doctrine of our Church is you heard before which taught that God condemned all weekely and worke-day labour all common businesse and to give themselves wholly to heavenly exercises c. The doctrine of the Church of Ireland i Articles of Religion in a Synod at Dublin 1615. is consonant hereunto which teacheth thus The first day of the weeke which is the Lords day is wholly to be dedicated to the service of God and therefore wee are bound therein to rest from our common and daily businesse and to bestow that leasure upon holy exercises both publike and private In a Councell k Concilium Matiscon 2. c. 1. in the yeare 588. it was decreed that no worke on the Lords day bee done but the eyes and hands stretched out to God that whole day and that if a Countrey man or servant should neglect this wholesome Law he should bee beaten with more grievous strokes of Clubbes For these things saith that Councell pacifie God and remoove the judgements of diseases and barrennesse And againe understanding while they sate in the Councell l C. 4. that some absented themselves from the Assemblies they decreed under paine of Anathema that on all Lords dayes all both men and women received the Communion In another General Synod there was made this decree m Sancitum est ut domini in suis ditionibus diebus dominicis prohibeant nundi●as annuas s●ptimanales item conventicula in Tabernis compotationes alearum chartarum similes varios lusus concentus musicorum instrumentorum usum atque choreas Synod general Petricoviensis Anno 1578. It is ordained that the Lords in their severall dominions doe prohibit on the Lords dayes the yearely and weekely Faires also meetings in Tavernes Compotations or Gossipings Dice Cards and divers the like sports singing in Concents as now many in merry meetings have their singing of Catches and their roarings as they are called the use of musicall Instruments and Dancing In a Councell at Nice it was ordered that those who either kept Court bought or sold or otherwise prophaned the Sabbath should bee prohibited the Communion because that whole day we ought onely to rest and spread abroad our hands-in prayer to God n Toto hoc die tantummodò vacandum quia toto hoc die manus Deo expandendae Canutus o Canutus lege 14. 15. a King in this Land before the Conquest enacted in a Councell at Winchester that Sunday should be kept holy and Faires Courts Huntings and worldly workes on that day should be forborne Guntramnus p Praeceptio Guntramni ad Episcop dat in Concil Matiscon 2. King of France commanded that on the Lords day no bodily worke should be done besides what was prepared to eate to maintaine life conveniently Secondly you affirme that neither constitution of the Church nor edict of Princes doe free servants from their Masters power to command them to worke or their obedience to worke at their Masters command that day more than others Thirdly what the Doctrine of our Church is in this point is cleare in the Homily of the place and time of prayer delivered in these words Sithence which time meaning the time of our

must he therefore succeede him in equality of power The Lords day therefore succeedeth the Sabaoth in the point of sanctification for celebration of the assemblies for the Church hath precisely commanded that but not in the point of exact and extreme vacation from every kind of worke for that the Church hath not commanded and so although the Lords day may well be tearmed the heire of the Sabaoth yet is it not ex asse haeres as the civill Lawyers speake It inheriteth not the whole right of the Sabaoth for that right and prerogative of the Sabaoth was not given to the Sabaoth and its heires it was no fee simple and if I may speake in the Lawyers stile it was onely a tenure for tearme of life namely during the life of the ceremoniall law which life ended in the death of our Saviour This reason therefore of the succession of the Lords day in place of the Sabaoth is no reason Answer First what was acknowledged by the Church as injoyned by the point of vacancie from all labour without the least rellish of Iewish ceremonies wee shall see in the next Chapter Here onely wee examine your supposed confutation of a reason to prove it which reason is this The Lords day is succeeded in the place of the Sabbath or as some say as Heire of the Sabbath therefore to bee kept Sabbath-like You confute it thus If it succeeds it in place must it succeede in equall precisenesse of observation No It succeeded in point of Sanctification not of exact vacation I reply your distinction is not distinct for if in Sanctification then in exact vacation namely vacation Sabbaticall for if in the end in the meanes necessary to that end and for that end ordained which is exact vacation so farre as it may further Sanctification Now for your playing on the termes about an Heire it is frivolous Secondly for your instance in the Pope succeeding Peter arguing from place to power it little conduceth to this matter for the Pope succeedeth not in place Apostolicall if he did I should not much doubt of his power Apostolicall Had there beene a certaine Commandement of God to shew that God in his eternall Law commanded his people to obey the Apostolicall place But by place you mean roome not Officiall function and then what kinne betweene your instance and the matter in hand CHAP. XXIX Breerwood Pag. 45 46 47. ANy other reason besides this or else authority which I might in your behalfe object to my selfe I know none worthy mentioning for the commandement of God as I have proved is not of this day The commandement of the Church is of this day but not of these workes neither will all the histories of the ancient Church nor canons of the ancient councels nor any other monuments or registers of antiquity afford you as I am certainely perswaded search them as curiously as you can record of any such constitution of the Church for the generall restraint of workes on the Lords day You may finde I know in some of the ancient Fathers much sounding the prerogative of that day as that it was a holy day in * Hist Eccles lib. 4. cap. 22. Eusebius a day of Christian emblies in * Apolog. 2. Iustin Martyr and a day of rejoycing in * Apolog. c. 16 Tertullian a festivall day in * Epi. ad mag Ignatius and some more of the like but doth any of all these import or imply a generall restraint a desistance from all worke No they doe not neither shall you finde in these nor in any other records of antiquity any constitutions of the Apostles and of the first Church extant to that effect no nor any relation or remembrance that such a constitution had ever beene made by them nay I finde cleare evidence to the contrary for would Constantine the Great that most holy Emperour and best nursing Father of Christian religion that ever Prince was would he I say have licensed by his decree the country people freely liberè liciteque are the words of the constitution to attend their sowing of graine setting of vines and other husbandry on the Lords day if those workes had beene forbidden by the commandement of God or decree of the Apostles and first Church Or would the Fathers in the councell of Laodicea one of the most ancient and approved councells of the Church inioyne the vacancy of the Lords day with this condition And if men can Certainely servants full ill can if they be constrained by their Masters to worke would they I say have added such a condition had it beene simply unlawfull for all sorts of people by the ancient sanctification of the first Church to doe any worke that day It appeareth therefore that there were no such universall constitutions of the Church The actuall forbearing of all workes by some Christians that day stand not on nor on the exhortations of some ancient Fathers to that purpose some remembrances of both are to be found I know but these are particular examples and perswasions constitutions of the Church they are not edicts of sundry Princes likewise and decrees of some provinciall councells are extant I confesse in record to the same effect and those are constitutions indeede but partly not of the Church partly not universall nor very ancient and therefore are no sanctions to oblige the whole Church which beside the law of God and decrees of the Apostles to whom the government of the whole Church by our Saviour was committed and the canons of the universall Synods no positive constitution can doe Answer Having made it evident that the Commandement of God stands in force for our Sabbath I might easily cast off all that you shall say to the end of your Discourse but to cleare and scoure the coast and make it apparant that what you say is nothing and all maketh for us who in this thing hold the Truth we proceede You say you finde nothing for the generall restraint of works on the Lords day in any Historie cannon monument and register of Antiquitie but cleare evidence to the contrarie First for the first let the places you alleage speake out that all may heare them and not be blindly huddled up That in Euseb l. 4. cap. 22. is a passage in the Epistle of Dionysius Bishop of Corinth to Soter Bishop of Rome concerning the accustomed reading of the Epistle of Clement to the Corinths in their publike assemblies on the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lords day of which hee saith thus Wee have spent or passed through to the end of it the Lords day to day an Holy day Now to spend the Lords day throughout an holy day is not to spend any of it in servile worke let Scripture Heathen writers and all men testifie this was done saith that Bishop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 After their ancient custome Iustin Martyr after he hath recorded all the duties of their publike assemblies addeth this having spoken in the