The Lo!ds day to be kept hol:J. CHAP. X VIII. Tit. t. 1>ireEfions for the holy jpendi1zg of tiJe Lords 'Day m Families. 9· 1· o:reCt.J . BE :weD T(fulvrd ag,ainft theCavilJo[ t!Jofecarnal mtn, ~btwouldmakeyot,bt- Dirdf. r. licvr, that tbe ~Ol) J.Prndi.ng of tbe LordJ Day it IJ. nttdltjs lbing: For the N~mt s.ioce the ~~ri.: whether it '!hall be called 'the Chrijlian Sabbt~th, is not much worth contending cm~: of th,,, 1 about : Undoubtedly the: N.1mc of 1he Lords Day, is th:lt which was given it h~ve ~ubl,~- by the Spirit of God, Rev. J, 10. and rhe anrient Chrif\ians: whofometirnecalled it, 1he Sabba111, by ~f ~be rL~~d~ allufion, as they ufcd the·JJames, 'Sacrifice and Altar : The quefiion is not fo much of the Name as Day. the Thing: whether we <?ught to fpend the day in holy exerci(es, without unneceifuy diveuifernents? And to l~nlc your confcicnccs in this you have all the[e t..vidcnces at h\nd. , ~· 2 • 1· By the confeffion of all, you have the Law of Narurt to tell you that God mufi be openly worfhippcd, and that fomc fct time lhould be appointed for his Worfhip : And, whether the fourth Commandment be forn•ally in force or abrogated, yet it is commonly agretd on that the parityof Jeafon a11d general equity of it fcrveth to acquaint us,thar it is the will of God, that one day>in fevcn be the \c:afi that wt. ddlinate to thii ufe: this bdng then judged a meet proportion by God hlmfclf ( even from,the Creation, and on the account of commemorating the Creation) and Chri– {lians being no lds obliged to take as large a fp:tce of time, who have both the Creation and Redc:rnp~ tion ro commcrnor~te, and a more excdlCJJt manner of WorOlip.to perform. P· 3· 2. It is confdfcd by all Chrifiians, that Chrifi rofe on the fir!\ day of the Week, and appeared to his congregated pifciplcson that day, and powred out the Holy Ghofi upon them on that day, ~nd that the ApoH\es appointed, and the Chriftian Churches ob{erved their aifemblics and corn: munion ordinarily on that day: And that thefe ApoO!es were filled with the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghofi, that they might infallibly acquaint the Church with the Doctrine and Will of]efus Chrifi, and leave ir on record for fucceeding _ages; and fo w~re ~ntrufied by Office and enabled by Ml\r. r6. 2,g. gifts, to fettle the Orders ofthe Gofpel-Church, as MoftJ did the matters of the Taberna& and Luke 24· •, wor01ip thep : and fo that their Laws or Ord.qs thus fetled, were .the Laws or Orders of the Holy. Gholl, John 20· I, 19, 26. A{is'2· r. A{1s 20i 7• 1 Cor. 16.,1,-2· Rev. I· IO· Mattb. 28~ 19,20 J ohn !.6. 13, 14, 15. Rom. 16:16. ,2 1hrff.2·15· §· 4· 3· It is aHo confdfed, that the Univerfal Cl)urch frtljtl th~ dayes of· the Apollles down till ~ow bath cont\antly kept ho!.y the Lords D>y in the m;molia!.ofChrifis Refurreelion, and that as by the will of Chrif!.ddivered <9 th~/P by or frofll the ApoO!es ; In fo much thas I remember not either a.ny Orthodo,x Cl)rifiian, or HcrcJick, that ever OJ?ppfcd, q~eflio~,ed or fcrupled it, tiB of late ages. And as a hifiori<.al difcovery of the matter of fact, thiS is a good1evidence that indeed it was fet– tled by the Ap.ofiles: and confequentJy by Chri~ who g~ve them <.heir Commillion, and infpited them by toe Holy Ghon.. . 1 ·, ~· 5• 4:lt is confeffed, that it is fiill the prall:ife of thc,Uqiv;erfal Church : And thofe that take it to be but 0(~cclcfiaftical appoint!llCnt, fome of them mean it of fuch extuord.inary Ec~lefi- :. \ . afiicks as infpired Apol\les, and all of them (3ke.the appointment as obligatory to all the members of the rc:h. · , ,: .. \ .. ~· 6. 5· The Laws of the Lmd where \ve live command·lit, and the King by Proclamation urg~ cth the. execution_; and the Canons, and Homilies, and Litu.rgy fhew that the holy obfervation of the L9_rds Day, is the_judgement am~ will of tl;l;e .. HP.Vc..rno~r~ of the Church. Read the Homilies for t'11e Time and place of Worfb.ip. Yea, they require the people to fay when the fourth Commandment' is read, [ LoriJ,ape mercy upqn f15, ,and encline1 oJ~r l~tflrts to keep tbir.Law]. ·: And the command, of Authority is,nqt a contemptible obligation. · " 1 ·: ~ ; .,. r • .-,i·r §. 7· 6. It 1s grauted by allJ that more tha!J this is due to Gqd, and the lift that is in every Chri~ C\ian tclleth him, d~at it is a very great mercy to us: not only to fetvants, but even to all men, rhat ont: day in feven they may djsburdcn themCelves of all the cues and bufinefs of the world, which may hinder their holy ·comrnuoio,n with GOd,and one another~; and wholly apply.themfdves to learn the will ofGod. And tt:lture Jta,cheth us to acicpt of mercy when·it is olfcred tO Us, and noc difpu(e againtl onr happin,fs. • .. ~· 8. 7· Common experience tcllcth us, that whcrf the Lo1ds Day i• more ho!ily and carefully obltrvd, Knowledge and Rclig_i'i'n pJofper b.cfl: ~nd that more fouls are converted on thofedayes, than on all rhe other d..tycs Pehdes: and that the;. people are accordingly morereditied : And that where_ever the Lords Day is ordinarily neglt,d;f;d, or mifpetn,1\el:gion and Civility decay, and there is a v1fible lamentable ~ifftr~nce,1 beto.yeen d1ule places and fJtnilics, ·md the other. 9· 9· 8. Rca_f£n and expe,ric.:nce telleth us, th:u if men \Ye;r..: l tft to thernfelves; what Time they !hould appoint for Gods publick Worlhip, ,in m.ofi place' it would be fo little and difordered and · D dd d 2 ., unc;rtain,
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