; :; Of FltatiJenipJ 11ames of dayes. Of praying 1111ien we c~me into tl1e Churcl1~ 'kn world of their Chrit\ian liberty, and to make nothing indifftrtnl to us, feeing they can abufc them all. 7 • Yea, almof\ .nQthing is then already indifferent, there being few things that fomc pcrfon in fome time and pla<e hath not abufed to Idolatry. 8. If the queflion be only of all I•dividu.t things abufcd to Idolatry, the decifion now given will hold good : But if it be alfo of all fitcits of fucb thing1, it will be a dilhonour toa mans rca{on to make a qoc:!lion of it. Q.lldl:. uS. Idols with; MomtiJs? May J/Je rife tl1e names of Week dayes which Idolatry honoured their as Sunday , Munday, Saturday, and the reft. .And fo tbe ·An[fll• 1 • IT were to be wirhed that the cuflome were changed : I· Bccaufe the names have been . fo grofly abufed.: 2· And w~ ha!e no need of them: 3• And as the Papifls ~y, [Our Monuments, Temple.names and other Rchch ~mong you proYe ours to be the old Religion, and k<ep polfcllion for os till it be rcllorcd.] So the Heathens fay to all the Chrifiians , [Your very nam" of your dayes and moncths prove our Religion to be elder than yours, and keep polfd!ion for us till it be rcllored ]. ' 2 • It is meet that we wifely do our duty'toward the reformation of this abufc. 3 , But yet long cuflomc and found do~rine bath fo far taken away the fcaodal and in eftech that rather than be an;<>ffence to any by feemin11 fingularity, it is as lawful £lill to ufe thefe names' as it was to L"~' to ufe the names ofC•ftor and PoUu;c, ]11pirtr and Mm,.y hifiorically. ' 4 •In fueh cafes the true fo.lution of the quefiion muLl be, by weighing acc~dcnts and foref«n con- (equents together w1fcly and 1mparually : And he that can forefce whiCh way u likely to do mo11 good or hurt, may {atisfad:orily know his duty. (lyell:. 119. ts it latv{ul to pray fe'Yetl] 111hen we ctme ftrft into t/;e [lmrcb, ifpeeially wl1en tiJe [lmrch is otiJerwife emplt1Jed ? An[rv. r. THis is a thing which God bath given us no p.rtit•l•r La;., about; but the General • Laws mu{\ regulate us, Ltr all ht Jo11c Jeetntly, in •r4tr, arul to ediftc•dow~ ••.Our grr•• .and principal buGnefs in coming to the Church affembly is to joyn wiih ihcrn'intlic public"-.Worjhip; An4 this i:; it that accordingly as our great bufine{s we mull intend and do. 3· In a place where fupcrOition makes ignorant people think it amatt<r ofncccffity, fo to begin with fecret prayer, when the Church is otherwife employed, the ufe of it is ihe more fcandalous, as cn,ouraging them in their error. . 4 • It is the be£\ way to come &eforc the publick worlhip begin, and then they that thick it mo£1: decent may do it without fcruple or jufi offence. . ~· But as a mans heart may put up a lhort.ejaculation as h~ walketh up ~he Church, without loft~ what elfe he m•ght hear, fo a man may on hiS knees be fo bnef, as that h11 lofj £halL be but fmall : And whether his profit preponderate that little times lofs, he can judge better than another. There– fore though llike be!\"keeping to Concord with the Affembly in our devotion, yet lhefe arc things in which it ill b<feemeth Chriflians to judge or defpi{e each other : And I £hall take on either fide the judgln!) a11d defpifing of thofe that differ from us, to be a far greater fm, than the doing ,or not doing of the thing. . . Objt~. It it not caVrd iH Ecclef. S• 1, 2· tbt facrifict of fooll iob• ~HOfl!HOI thry Jo rvil? An[w. No : I have wondered to . hear that Text fo ,ordinarily thus pcrnrtcd. The :Cext is, [ K<tp thy foot ..hm thou .go•ft lo tht b011[e of God, a~d .b• mort rt•dy t~ btor, than to offrr tb< facrl– fict of foou---] . Wh1ch is no more, than that 1t JS the 1magmauon and cu!lome of fools to think.to pleafe God by their facrifices, ~nd bringing fomcwhat to him, while they refufe or neglect to hear his commands and obey him : Whereas Ohtditnct is better than Sacrifice ; and the facrificc cf tl·.e wicked is abomination .to the Lord: And he that turncth away his eor from hearing the Law, his prayci is •bominable: ~nd becaufe they hate inOrwd:ion-thcy 011ll cry and God will not hca.t rhcm. Thcrtforc bc ,firH <;atcful (,0 htar what God f1ith to thee, and to learn his will and do if, and then bring thy f•crifi<c to him: Leave thy gift at the Altor, an~ go a.nd be reconciled to thy bro– ther : Obey fitll, and then come and offer thy gift. This is all the meaning of the Text. See - alfo
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