enough for vs to forbeare our works and so to keepe it idly but we must rest to keep it holily therefore it is called a holie Sabbath and a holy rest and here remember to keepe holy the rest It is true that the first thing that is here commanded is rest but it is not the principall thing Rest is but the huske but sanctification is the almond rest is but the shadow but sanctification is the bodie rest is but the meanes but sanctification is the end and if wee doe but cease from our labours and do no good it is nothing but the oxes Sabbath if we come to Church for nothing but to sleepe that is Eutychus Sabbath if wee cease from our labours and follow riotousnesse that is worse that is the golden calses Sabbath they sate downe to eate and drinke and rose vp to play Exo. 32 or if we keepe it onely vpon constraint that is the Princes Sabbath and not Gods Lament 1. 7. it is said that the enemies of the Church of God seeing their Sabbaths they laughed at them how iustly I know not but this I am sure if the diuell see vs keepe such Sabbaths he wil laugh at them but the Lord will say Goe your waies I know you not nor your Sabbaths and Who required these Sabbaths at your hands Esai 1. 12 13. It behooueth vs therefore to doe that which hee exhorteth vs vnto in so many places of the Scripture namely to sanctifie his Sabbath § Sect. 2 But here I know it will bee demaunded how is this day sanctified seeing all daies are alike and What it is to sanctifie a thing one hath no more holinesse than another in themselues The bread and the wine in the Lords Supper haue no more holinesse in them of themselues than other bread and wine the water in Baptisme is in it selfe but as other water the trees in Paradise of life and of the knowledge of good and euil in themselues were but as other trees what is it then that maketh them holier namely this that they are put apart from other things vnto a holy vse and so are the bread and wine holie in the Lords Supper so is the water in Baptisme so were the trees in Paradise so were the Priests holie so were their garments holie so was the Temple holie and so is this day holie But this way the day is rather said to be holie in regard of the institution which is from God who hath only power thus to sanctifie but there is another holinesse which is in the obseruation and in that respect wee are said to keepe it holie The manner of which sanctification the Prophet Esay expresseth thus If thou turne away thy foote from the Sabbath from doing thy will vpon mine holy day and call the Sabbath a delight to consecrate it as glorious to the Lord and shalt honour him not doing thine owne waies nor seeking thine owne will nor speaking a vaine word then shalt thou delight in the Lord c. Esai 58. 13. In all which words hee doth nothing else but set downe the keeping of the Sabbath And first to shew the rest of this day he cals it a Sabbath Secondly to shew it must be sanctified hee calleth it his holy day Now as touching the rest of this day first he requireth a bodily rest of thee to turne away thy foote from it that thou breake it not viz. by any bodily labour Secondly hee requireth a spirituall rest from sinne also thou must not doe thine owne will vpon it Hauing thus shewed the rest then he sheweth the sanctification of this rest First it must bee called a delight so that we must take comfort in the approching of it and our hearts must leape within vs as the babe did in Elizabeth at the approching of Mary For this is the day of our prouision this is the market of the soule wherein we must furnish our selues of that spirituall Manna the foode of our soules in the strength of which wee must walke all the weeke following as Elias did after his refection by the Angell Secondly it must not bee our delight as some delight in that day to spend it on their lusts but it must be a delight to consecrate it and that not vnto our Whitson Lords and Ladies vnto our groues and hill-altars vnto our May-bowers and shreenes of pleasure not vnto our Theaters to gaze in nor vnto our fields to walke in but it must be consecrated as glorious vnto the Lord. And therefore as Hanna desired her sonne that she might offer him vp vnto the Lord 1. Sam. 1 so must we this day that wee may consecrate it vnto the Lord. Lastly because the nature and propertie of things consecrate vnto the Lord is that they may not be other waies imployed than vnto his honour and vse therefore hee addeth that thou shalt honour him vpon this day to serue him and to giue worship vnto his name and that wee may the more safely keepe it he shewes how wee breake it For danger is not well auoided vnlesse it be foreseene and knowen he setteth downe therefore three things which must be looked vnto that wee breake not his Sabbath our workes our thoughts and words and first for our workes wee must not doe them not doing saith he thine owne waies Secondly for our thoughts wee must not thinke them thought is not free neither are our tongues our owne for wee must not speake a vaine word So then to conclude will you know who keepeth holie the Sabbath Esay telleth you he that keepes the rest of this day that keepes it as the Lords holy day that cals it his delight that consecrateth it as glorious vnto the Lord that doth not his owne waies that thinketh not his owne thoughts that speaketh not a vaine word he is the man that keepeth the Lords Sabbath and he it is whom the Lord wil honour and make to mount vpon the high places of the earth and heauen also § Sect. 3 Hitherto hath the Prophet giuen vnto vs the true patterne of a Sabbath which euery Christian is bound to obserue as being both the summe of this and the same with this precept of the Sabbath which we haue in hand the keeping of which holy consisteth in the performance of the duties of holinesse which are of three sorts publique priuate or mixt of all which wee will seuerally speak and first of the publique And because these duties cannot bee well performed without the helps and meanes conducing thereunto wee will therefore first shew the things required to the performance of these publique duties which are in this precept commaunded as well as the duties themselues and they be these foure First that we assemble our selues for there can be no publique exercise without a publique assemblie Secondly that the assemblie must bee timely Thirdly our demeanour whilest we be in the assemblie And fourthly our continuance in the assemblie § Sect. 4 And first that vpon the
c. which notablie meeteth with the backwardnes of this generation that hardly can bee drawne to learne that which in truth they cannot be without And so much of the fourth mixt dutie § Sect. 6 The fifth and last of these mixt duties is the shewing of mercie vnto our brethren for as this is a 5. Duties of mercie day wherein God sheweth the greatest mercie vnto vs in that he bestoweth vpon vs his word a rare and singular blessing and therefore a singular blessing because it is so rare For hee hath not dealt so with euery nation Psal 147. 20 As I say he hath shewed vs this mercie so should wee shew mercie one vnto another And here first order must bee taken in publique vpon the Sabbath that collections bee made for the reliefe of the poore Saints 1. Cor. 16. 1. And as in publique reliefe must be made for them so also in priuate it behoueth vs to visit and to goe vnto them as Christ did to the sicke and lame folkes lying at the poole of Bethesda Ioh. 5. that by that meanes wee might the better bee acquainted with their wants as also the more stirred vp to yeeld them some reliefe and of our superfluitie to send vnto them as in Nehemiahs time vpon a Sabbath after they had heard the word they did eate and sent part vnto them for whom none was prouided Nehe. 8. 10. But now vpon the Sabbath what is our manner so soone as we haue dined No regard is had but presently we call for cards or tables or else away we haste to bowles or to dauncing or some such like exercises but vnto the poore whose bowels sound like shaulmes for want of foode and whose faces gather blacknes through famine we haue no bowels of compassion notwithstanding the pitifull child halfe starued and hanging vpon the mothers breast crieth out ready to giue vp the ghost where is bread and where is drinke and that the hearts of the parents fall in sunder like drops of water because they haue not to giue vnto them Be moued with this my brethren you that are fed with the fattest of the stall and more than the flower of wheate spare something of your excesse to relieue their penurie Behold shall the mother eate her fruite and childe of a spanne long shall they perish and die at your doores and in their houses for some had rather starue at home than goe abroad to begge shall they perish I say without compassion Will you spare no dishes from your tables nor morsels from your mouthes to relieue them no not though Christ commaund it and reckoneth what is done vnto them as done vnto himself Matth. 25. Shall he send them vnto you hungrie pitifull naked and miserable and will you doe nothing vnto them for his sake that did so much for yours If he would he could haue made you poore and them rich or prouided riches enough for all or made no more than hee had riches for or he could haue made that the Rauens should feed them as they did Elias or that they should haue needed no foode as Moses in the mount But hee would haue it thus to trie what you would doe for him and therefore to this end he saith Ye shal alwaies haue the poore with you why then giue them of your bread to eate and of your wooll to clothe them At least if you will not do it for the poores sake yet do it for Christs sake Loe he will accept it as done vnto himselfe for Matth. 25. 4. when the righteous shall denie that they had either clothed him or fed him c. what is his answere In as much as you haue done it vnto one of the least of these my brethren ye haue done it vnto me But will some man say I am a poore man and I haue nothing for my selfe and therefore nothing to giue Neither had the Apostle Siluer and gold haue I none saith Peter Act. 3. 6. yet such as he had he gaue so hast thou no siluer nor gold yet thou hast instruction admonition consolation and such like giue these then for they be almes and duties of mercie and are most agreeing to the nature of a Sabbath The other doe good to the bodie but these doe good both to the bodie and soule and this thou oughtest to doe For if thou must helpe vp thy brothers asse that is downe vnder his burthen then how much more thy brother that is downe vnder the burthen of sinne And if thou must pull a beast out of the mire then much more a man out of the mire of sinne 2. Peter 2. 22. And if it be a dutie to make peace betwixt man and man vpon the Sabbath then much more betwixt God and man And therefore helpe thy brother with this almes and relieue his wants but this if thou hast not to giue then thou art poore and needest it thy selfe and therefore must seeke it of others And so much touching these mixt duties vpon the Sabbath CHAP. VI. Of priuate duties namely meditation Sect. 1. And conference Sect. 2. § Sect. 1 THe exercises that are only priuate follow and they are two meditation We must vpon the Sabbath meditate vpon that we heare and conference That we are bound to meditate vpon the Sabbath appeareth by the practise of one of the best Sabbathists that euer was the Prophet Dauid that professed it to be his exercise continually Psal 119 and if continually then on the Sabbath much more As also it appeareth in that God inioyned it to Iosua that hee should meditate in the booke of the law day and night I trust then that there is no man but will say that then he was commaunded to doe it vpon the Sabbath and that we haue neede to doe it it appeareth by the weaknesse of our memories which may well be compared vnto ashes as Iob saith that easily lose any impression that is made in them and if wee neuer rehearse that which we haue heard but suffer all to runne out like leaking tubs as fast as it comes in and that the Preachers words make only a thorowfare in our heads comming in at the one eare and going out at the other when shall we profit by it No no it is the hiding and not the hearing of the word that makes vs wise Otherwise as it was said of the widowes 1. Timoth. 5. that they were alwaies learning but neuer comen vnto the knowledge of the truth so may it be said of many hearers that they are alwaies hearing and neuer profiting because we meditate not on it Well the stomack that receiueth meate and presently putteth it vp againe we say is sicke As it fareth with the bodie so is it with the soule if it draw no nourishment out of the spirituall foode of the word it is a sick soule Yea but will some man say my memorie is An obiection remoued short and I cannot remember what the Preacher said I thinke
heare God out of his law to reason in this sort against them I gaue you sixe daies to doe your worldly businesse in to labour to ride to runne to buy to sell to sow to reape to solace your selues to see your friends to make merrie c. and yet cannot you bee contented with them but that you must incroach vpon me to take my holy day also and to spend it I say not vpon your labours but that which is more vntollerable vpon your lusts and delights This I say cannot but strike them thorough and make their harts to fall in sunder like water when they shall consider their great ingratitude towards him that when he of seuen could affoord to giue them sixe they of seuen cannot affoord to giue giue doe I say out vpon it nay cannot suffer him to enioy one The scarre of churlishnes sticketh like a starre in the forhead of Nabal and shall to the worlds end 1. Sam. 25. 3. that Dauid when in regard of his kindnes shewed vnto his shepheards in the wildernesse requiring him to giue him a present of any thing that came next vnto his hand the churle refused to doe it Now Nabal how soeuer churlish yet this was his owne it was in his power and it was prouided for his shearers yet for all this is hee iustly condemned for a chrule in that hee sent not a present vnto Dauid that had so well deserued it With what words then may this sinne of ours be sufficiently aggrauated that whereas God of his bountie of seuen hath giuen vs sixe if we also should take away from him that one If a poore man on the way as thou trauellest should come vnto thee and craue of thee for Gods sake to bestow vpon him something to relieue him and thou out of thy liberalitie and compassion towards him shouldest giue him all the money in thy purse reseruing onely a very little for thine owne vse to bring thee home if hee I say should catch thy purse and that also and run away with it wouldest thou not account him very vngratefull Yet thy vngratitude to God is as great as his and more for in very truth thou art so bound vnto God as that if thou shouldest giue halfe of thy daies yea all of them back againe vnto him thou couldest not sufficiently recompence him To conclude therefore this point let that reason which mooued Ioseph not to consent to his Mistris preuaile with thee My master hath committed all into my hand and hath kept nothing from me but onely thee because thou art his wife how then shall I doe this great wickednesse and sinne against God Genes 39. So shouldest thou answere thy companions when they shall allure thee on the Sabbath to sinne The Lord hath giuen me all the daies in the weeke to doe my workes in sauing onely this one he hath reserued vnto himselfe how then can I do this great wickednesse and sinne against the Lord in breaking his Sabbath And thus much for the manner of the reason how it inforceth vs to the keeping of the Sabbath The doctrine that we learne hence is first that the commandements of God stand all of them and are grounded vpon good reason and therefore that all his commandements are not onely true Psal 119. 86 but righteous also vers 106. Yea they are all most iust vers 128. And there is nothing in the world that standeth with such reason as the seruice of God which maketh the Apostle to call it our reasonable seruing of God Rom. 12. 2. And therefore Ezec. 18. 25. God blames those that say his waies are vnequall and no lesse worthie of blame are such as thinke that it is vnreasonable to keepe a whole day holie vnto the Lord. Why then how should their businesse goe forward why then when should they haue any time for recreation What is all this but to finde fault with Gods law as if it were not iust as if it were not equall But what saist thou is it not equall and is it not meete that thou shouldest haue thy sixe daies to doe thy businesse in which God hath allowed thee And is it not as meete that God should haue one Let this therefore cease thy murmuring against Gods law seeing it standeth with such good reason The second doctrine that wee note in these words Sixe daies shalt thou labour is this that as it is sinne for vs ordinarily to worke on the seuenth day so also is it sinne for vs through negligence or idlenes not to dispatch our worldly businesse in the sixe daies seeing he hath allowed them vnto vs for that purpose And therfore on them we ought to labour and it behoueth vs so much the more carefullie to labour in them seeing that God hath enioyned man to labour in the sweate of his browes Genes 3. Yea seeing as Iob saith he is borne to labour as the sparkles flie vpward Iob. 5. 7. And hence it is that God hath left him so many precedents of labour before his eyes the oxe is made to till the land and tread out the corne the asse is to stand vnder the burthen the heauens are still in their motion as it were still a working the Angels are ministring spirits Psal 104. 4 and when man was in the state of perfection God would not haue him idle Gen. 2. though God had no neede of his worke nor the garden for it brought out all things without planting yet hee would haue man to labour because man had neede of it and therefore sets him his taske to dresse and trimme the garden Nay God himselfe in his owne person wrought sixe daies in making of the heauens and the earth Hee could indeed haue finished it in one or at a words speaking but yet he would worke sixe daies to leaue vnto vs an example to doe the like Then here are those slow bellies and idle Abbey lubbers condemned that spend whole daies in doing nothing that are like paralitique and gowtie members loose and vntied in the ioynts of obedience that say vnto the head commaund vs not for we will not moue neither will we stir But shal not God curse them as he did the fig tree that bare no fruite cut it downe why combreth it the earth And were it not that these words did stand vp so pregnantly against these men yet the very euils that accompany idlenes were sufficient to make it to be detested for what sinne is it almost that groweth not out of this as out of a nurcerie of all sinne Idlenes causeth to fall asleepe Pro. 19. 15. then idlenes is the cause of drowsinesse So is it of beggerie He that will 〈…〉 in winter shall begge in summer Prou. 20. 4. Idlenes is the cause of ill husbandrie His land cries out against him and the furrowes thereof complaine that haue not their water courses Iob. 31. 38. Thornes and nettles couer the face thereof Prou. 24. 4. So is idlenes the cause of drunkennes Amos
6. They liue at ease and what followeth vers 5. They drinke their wine in bowles Idlenes causeth wantonnes Dauid after his sleepe in the day time lusteth after Bathsheba 2. Sam. 11. 12. Idlenes causeth tale-bearing for they being idle goe about from house to house and become pratlers and busie bodies 2. Tim. 5. 13. like Bishops in another mans diocesse What shall I say more in a word they are inordinate walkers as the Apostle calleth them 1. Thess 3. and therefore what good may be looked for from them Then to conclude seeing such a legion of sinnes waite vpon this one sinne let vs shunne and auoide it and let vs walke in that vocation wherein God hath called vs considering that as the iron that lieth still rusteth the water that runneth not corrupteth and the field that is not manured bringeth foorth weedes so it fareth with the soule of the sluggard in steede of the good graces of God which rust and decay euery day in him there ariseth nothing but the affections of an idle braine as weedes in a land vntilled Let vs therefore betake our selues vnto some honest vocation wherein we may profit either Church or Common-wealth and let vs know that it is not left in our power to labour or not but let vs assuredly know that God enioynes vs labour for Sixe daies shalt thou labour § Sect. 2 But here two questions arise to be discussed First whether it bee not lawfull for a man vpon any of the sixe daies to vse recreation for the health of his bodie being he commaunds him to worke sixe daies Secondly whether it bee not lawfull to consecrate any one or more of the sixe daies to Gods seruice Touching the first it is true which the Apostle saith Bodily exercise profiteth little 1. Tim. 4. 8. he speakes of fasting the best of these exercises yet something it doth profit and for that profits sake we are allowed at some time to vse it seeing that God allowes a time thereunto as Eccles 3. There is a time vnto euery purpose a time to laugh a time to daunce c. Yea and if wee consider the weaknes and corruption of our nature wee shall finde that we haue neede of such times for wee are not of such a temper as to hold out still if our natures bee not repaired and refreshed but it is like vnto a bow if it stand long bent it will cast aside and therefore it is allowed vnto vs sometimes to vnbend as it were our wits and to refresh our spirits and as in a great combat to breathe a while that we may returne with a fresh incounter And to that end God hath allowed vs exercises both for the bodie and minde for the minde as Sampson vsed riddles Iud. 14. 12. and Dauid his Harpe 1. Sam. 16 for the body as Ionathan his bow 1. Sam. 20. and Esau vsed hunting Gen. 27. And this a man may doe if hee consider these things First that the mirth be allowable or that it be not corrupt or scurrilous for foolish iesting is condemned Eph. 5. 4 or dangerous as Pro. 20. 18. The foole faineth himselfe mad and casteth firebrands and arrowes and mortall things and saith Am not I in sport Secondly that wee vse them with moderation We must doe as Salomon when we giue our selues to these things we must be sure to leade our hearts in wisedome Eccl. 2. 1. And though we taste of the hony combe with Ionathan yet we must not eate too much Prou. 25. 27. And therefore if wee much desire it then we must remember Salomons watch-word Put thy knife to thy throte Pro. 23. 2. In the vse of these things therefore a man had neede doe as Vlisses when hee heard the Syrens first to binde himselfe fast vnto the maine mast that he might not be drawne away by them for though these bee not the diuels cart-ropes yet they be made dangerous cords of vanitie oftentimes to draw a man to further mischiefe especially if hee consider not the end of these recreations that wee vse them in respect of a greater good and to make vs fitter vnto better things euen as a man vseth sauce to sharpen his stomack because it is weake But many men in their sports know neither end nor measure whole nights or daies are not sufficient but that they must change and alter Gods couenant and turne the nights into daies to extend their sports vnto the vttermost limits yea and to leape from one sport vnto another as the flye doth from one scab vnto another When will these men I thinke be wearie will they neuer haue done meane they to make it the end of their life to liue to play Woe worth such a life tenne times worse than death because liuing they die as the widow that liued in pleasure was dead whiles she liued 1. Tim. 5. 6. And shall they not then dying die eternally as the rich man that went to hell for all his pleasures Luk. 16. 25. But what speake I I know my words are too weake to perswade these they are so deeply set Well yet let them remember the voyce that will come at midnight and happely may speake vnto them in the middest of their pleasures as the hand-writing appeared vnto Baltasher in the middest of his pleasures I say no more but think vpō it And last of all weigh well the circumstances of time place persons with whom thou vsest these recreations for there is not the least of thē but may make thy recreations sinfull As for example other things cōsidered it may be lawful for a man to shoote or bowle but is this lawfull to doe it when the preacher is in the pulpit or is it lawfull to play in the time of prayer or to vse it with those whom a man would disdaine that they should sit with the dogges of his flocke they bee so vile and prophane But what power or force circumstances haue in things indifferent to make them lawfull or vnlawfull I haue abundantlie shewed in the beginning of the chapter of rest Let this therefore suffice for answere to the first question § Sect. 3 The second question is whether it bee lawfull to consecrate any one or more of these daies vnto the Lords seruice The answere is that vpon some extraordinarie occasion the Church and the Magistrate may appoint one or more of these daies vnto Gods seruice For although a man may not prophane or make common that which is consecrate vnlesse in case of necessitie as Dauid did the shew bread Matth. 12. yet he may consecrate vpon a iust occasion that which is common as appeareth euery where Yea euen of these sixe daies wee finde some consecrate vnto the Lord as two daies in Hester called the feast of Purim Hest 9. And the feast of Dedication instituted by the Macchabees and obserued by Christ himselfe Ioh. 10. 22. So also did they consecrate of these daies vnto the Lord by keeping their fasts vpon this day