Chapter 87

CHAP. VI.That we ought to payGodall due Homage and Worship, particularly that of the Lord’s Day.

That we ought to payGodall due Homage and Worship, particularly that of the Lord’s Day.

For a Conclusion of these Lectures, the last Thing I shall infer, from the foregoing Demonstration of the Being and Attributes ofGOD, shall be, that we ought to payGODall thatHomageandWorshipwhich his Right of Creation and Dominion entitle him unto, and his great Mercies call for from us. And forasmuch as theCreatorappointed, from the very Creation, one Day in seven to his Service, it will not therefore be improper to say something upon that Subject: And if I insist somewhat particularly and largely thereon, the Congruity thereof to the Design of these Lectures, and the foregoing Demonstration, together with the too great Inadvertency about, and Neglect of this ancient, universal, and most reasonable and necessary Duty, will, I hope, plead my Excuse. But that I may say no more than is necessary on this Point, I shall confine my self to two things, theTimeGod hath taken, and theBusinessthen to be performed.

I. TheTimeis one Day in seven, and one of the ancientest Appointments it is whichGODgave to the World. For as soon asGODhad finished his six Days Works of Creation, it is said,Gen.ii. 2, 3.he rested on the seventh Day from all his Work which he had made. AndGODblessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his Work.This Sanctification[a], andblessing the Seventh Day, was setting it apart, as a Day of Distinction from the rest of the Week-Days, and appropriating it to holy Uses and Purposes, namely, the Commemoration of that great Work of the Creation, and paying Homage and Worship to that infinite Being, who was the Effector of it.

This Day, thus consecrated from the Beginning, for the Celebration of the τοῦ κόσμου γενέσιον theWorld’s Birth-Day, asPhilocalls it, was probably in some measure forgotten in the following wicked Ages, which God complains of,Gen.vi. 5. and so after the Flood likewise. But after the Return out ofÆgypt, whenGODsettled theJewishPolity, he was pleased to renew this Day, and to establish it for a perpetual standing Law. And accordingly it was observed down to our blessedSAVIOUR’s Time, countenanced, and strictly observed by our greatLORDand Master himself, and his Apostles and Disciples in, and after his Time; and although for good Reasons the Day was changed by them, yet a seventh Day hath been constantly observed in all Ages of Christianity, down to our present Time.

Thus we have a Day appointed byGODhimself, and observed throughout all Ages, except some few perhaps, which deserve not to be brought into Example.

And a wise Designation of Time this is, well becoming the divine Care and Precaution; serving for the recruiting our Bodies, and dispatching our Affairs, and at the same Time to keep up a Spiritual Temper of Mind. For by allowing six Days to labour, the Poor hath Time to earn his Bread, the Man of Business Time to dispatch his Affairs, and every Man Time for the Work of his respective Calling. But had there been more, or all our Time allotted to Labour and Business, and none torest and recruit, our Bodies and Spirits would have been too much fatigued and wasted, and our Minds have been too long engaged about worldly Matters, so as to have forgotten divine Things. But the infinitely wise Ruler of the World, having taken the seventh Part of our Time to his own Service, hath prevented these Inconveniencies; hath given a Relaxation to our selves; and Ease and Refreshment to our wearied Beasts, to poor fatigued Slaves, and such as are under the Bondage of avaritious, cruel Masters. And this is one ReasonMosesgives of the Reservation and Rest on the Seventh Day,Deut.v. 13, 14, 15.Six Days shalt thou labour, and do all thy Work; but the Seventh is the Sabbath of theLORDthyGOD; in it thou shalt not do any Work, thou,nor thy Children, Servants, Cattel, or Stranger, that thy Man Servant and Maid Servant may rest as well as thou. And remember, that thou wast a Servant,&c.therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath Day.That carnal, greedy People, so bent upon Gain, without such a Precept, would have scarce favoured their own Bodies, much less have had Mercy upon their poor Bonds-men and Beasts, but by this wise Provision, this great Burden was taken off. But on the other hand, as a longer Liberty would too much have robbed the Master’s Time, and bred Idleness, so by this wise Provision, of only one Day of Rest, to six of Labour, that inconvenience was also prevented.

Thus the wise Governour of the World, hath taken Care for the Dispatch of Business. But then as too long Engagement about worldly Matters, would take off Mens Minds from God and divine Matters, so by this Reservation of every Seventh Day, that great Inconvenience is prevented also; all being then bound to worship their great Lord and Master, to pay their Homages, and Acknowledgmentsto their infinitely kind Benefactor; and in a word, to exercise themselves in divine, religious Business, and so keep up that spiritual Temper of Mind, that a perpetual, or too long Application to the World would destroy.

This, as it was a good Reason for the Order of a Sabbath to theJews; so is as good it Reason for our Saviour’s Continuance of the like Time in the Christian Church.

And a Law this is, becoming the infinitely wise Creator and Conservator of the World, a Law, not only of great Use to the perpetuating the Remembrance of those greatest of God’s Mercies then commemorated, but also exactly adapted to the Life, Occasions, and State of Man; of Man living in this, and a-kin to another World: A Law well calculated to the Dispatch of our Affairs, without hurting our Bodies or Minds. And since the Law is so wise and good, we have great Reason then to practise carefully the Duties incumbent upon us; which will fall under the Consideration of the

II. Thing I proposed, theBusinessof the Day, which God hath reserved to himself. And there are two Things enjoyned in the Commandment, aCessationfrom Labour and worldly Business, and that weremember to keepthe Day holy.

1. There must be a Cessation from worldly Business, or a Rest from Labour, as the WordSabbath[b]signifies.Six Days thou shalt do all thy Work, but the Seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thyGOD(not thy Day but his)in which neither thou, nor any belonging to thee, shall do any Work.In which Injunction it is observable, how express and particular this Commandment is, more than others, in ordering all Sorts of Persons to cease from Work.

2. We mustremember to keep the Day holy. WhichRemembranceis another Thing also in this, more than in the other Commandments, and implies,

1st, That there is great Danger of our forgetting, neglecting, or being hindred from keeping the Day holy, either by the Infirmity and Carnality of our own Nature, or from the Avocations of the World.

2ly, That the keeping it holy, is a Duty of more than ordinary Consequence and Necessity. And of greatest Consequence this is,

First, To perpetuate the Remembrance of those grand Works ofGODcommemorated on that Day; in the first Ages of the World, the Creation; in the middle Ages, the Creation and Delivery fromÆgypt; and under Christianity, the Creation and Redemption by Christ. Which Mercies, without such frequent Occasions, would be ready to be forgotten, or disregarded, in so long a Tract of Time, as the World hath already stood, and may, by God’s Mercy still stand.

Secondly, To keep up a spiritual Temper of Mind, by those frequent weekly Exercises of Religion, as hath been already mention’d.

Thirdly, To procureGOD’s Blessing upon the Labours and Business of our six Days, which we can never expect should be prosperous, if we are negligent ofGOD’s Time. For how can we expectGOD’s Blessing upon a Week so ill begun, with a Neglect, or Abuse ofGOD’s first Day? And therefore if we become unprosperous in the World; if Losses, Troubles or Dangers befall us, let us reflect how we have spent theLord’sDay; whether we have not wholly neglected it, or abused it in Riot, or made it a Day for taking Journeys, for more private Business, and less scandalous Labour, as the Custom of too many is.

Thus having shewn what Reason there is torememberto keep holy the Day dedicated toGOD, I shall consider how we are to keep it holy, and so conclude. Now the Way to keep it holy, is not by bare resting from Work; for that, as a Father saith, isSabbatum Boum & Asinorum, a Sabbath of Beasts: But holy Acts are the proper Business for a holy Day, celebrated by rational Beings. Among all which, the grand, principal, and most universally practis’d, is thePublick Worship ofGOD, the assembling at thepublick Placeof hisWorship, to pay (with our Fellow-Creatures) our Homages, Thanks, and Praises to the infiniteCreatorandRedeemerof the World. This as it is the most reasonable Service, and proper Business for this Day, so is what hath been the Practice of all Ages. It was as early asCainandAbel’s Days,Gen.iv. 3. what was practis’d by religious Persons in the following Ages, till the giving of the Law; and at the giving of that, God was pleas’d to order Places, and his particular Worship, as well as the seventh Day. The Tabernacle and Temple were appointed by God’s express Command; besides which, there were Synagogues all over the Nation; so that in our Saviour’s Time, every great Town or Village had one, or more in it, andJerusalem460, or more[c].

The Worship of these Places, our blessed SAVIOUR was a constant and diligent frequenter of. ’Tis said,He went about all the Cities and Villages, Teaching in their Synagogues, and Preaching, and Healing,&c.Mat.ix. 35. And St.Lukereporteth it as his constant Custom or Practice,Lukeiv. 16.And as his Custom was, he went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath-Day.

Having thus mention’d the Practice of CHRIST, it is not necessary I should say much of the Practice of hisApostles, and the following purer Ages of Christianity, who, in short, as their Duty was, diligently follow’d their great Master’s Example.They did not think it enough to read and pray, and praise God at Home, but made Conscience of appearing in the publick Assemblies, from which nothing but Sickness and absolute Necessity did detain them; and if Sick, or in Prison, or under Banishment, nothing troubled them more, than that they could not come to Church, and joyn their Devotions to the common Services. If Persecution at any Time forc’d them to keep a little Close; yet no sooner was there the least Mitigation, but they presently return’d to their open Duty, and publickly met all together. No trivial Pretences, no light Excuses were then admitted for any ones Absence from the Congregation, but according to the Merit of the Cause, severe Censures were pass’d upon them,&c.to express it in the Words of one of our best Antiquaries[d].

Thepublick Worshipof GOD then, is not a Matter of Indifference, which Men have in their own Power to do, or omit as they please; neither is it enough to read, pray, or praise God at Home, (unless some inevitable Necessity hindereth;) because the appearing in GOD’s Home, onhisDay, is an Act ofHomageandFealty, due to the CREATOR, aRight of Sovereigntywe pay him. And the with-holding those Rights and Dues from GOD, is a kind of rejecting GOD, a disowning his Sovereignty, and a withdrawing our Obedience and Service. And this was the very Reason why the Profanation of the Sabbath was punish’d with Death among theJews, the Sabbath being aSign, or Badge of theGODthey own’d and worshipp’d.[e]ThusExod.xxii. 13.My Sabbaths ye shall keep; for it is a SIGN between me and you, throughout your Generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD, that doth sanctify you; or as the Original may be render’d,a Sign to acknowledge, that IJehovaham your Sanctifier, oryour God: For as our learnedMedeobserves,to be the Sanctifier of a People, and to be their God, is all one. So likewise very expressly inEzek.xx. 20.Hallow my Sabbaths, and they shall be a Sign betweenme and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your GOD; or rather as before,to acknowledge that I JEHOVAH am your GOD.

The Sabbath being thus a Sign, a Mark, or Badge, to acknowledge God to be their God, it follows, that a Neglect or Contempt of that Day, redounded to GOD; to slight that, was slighting God; to profane that, was to affront God; for the Punishment of which, What more equitable Penalty than Death? And although under Christianity, the Punishment is not made Capital, yet have we no less Reason for the strict Observance of this holy Day, than theJews, but rather greater Reasons. For the GOD we worship, is the same: If after six Days Labour, he was, by the Seventh, own’d to beGOD, theCreator; no less is he by our Christian Lord’s Day: If by the Celebration of the Sabbath, the Remembrance of their Deliverance from theÆgyptianBondage was kept up, and GOD acknowledged to be the Effecter thereof; we Christians have a greater Deliverance, we own our Deliverance from Sin and Satan, wrought by a greater Redeemer thanMoses, even the blessed JESUS, whose Resurrection, and the Completion of our Redemption thereby, was perform’d on the Christian Lord’s-Day.

And now to sum up, and conclude these Inferences, and so put an End to this Part of my Survey: Since it appears, that the Works of the LORD are so great, so wisely contriv’d, so accurately made, as to deserve to be enquired into; since they are also so manifest Demonstrations of the Creator’s Being and Attributes, that all the World is sensible thereof, to the great Reproach of Atheism: What remaineth? But that we fear and obey so great and tremendous a Being; that we be truly thankful for, and magnify and praisehis infinite Mercy, manifested to us in his Works. And forasmuch as he hath appointed a Day on Purpose, from the Beginning, for these Services, that we may weekly meet together, commemorate and celebrate the great Work of Creation, that we may pay our Acts of Devotion, Worship, Homage and Fealty to him; and since this is a wise and excellent Distribution of our Time, What should we do, but conscientiously and faithfully pay GOD these his Rights and Dues? And as carefully and diligently manage GOD’s Time and Discharge his Business then, as we do our own upon our six Days; particularly that with the piousPsalmist,We love the Habitation of God’s House, and the Place where his Honour dwelleth; and therefore take up his good Resolution inPsal.v. 7. with which I shall conclude;But as for me, I will come into thine House in the Multitude of thy Mercy, and in thy Fear will I worship towards thy holy Temple.

Now to the same infiniteGOD, the omnipotent Creator and Preserver of the World, the most gracious Redeemer, Sanctifier, and Inspirer of Mankind, be all Honour, Praise and Thanks, now and ever.Amen.

FOOTNOTES:[a]‎‏קדש‏‎Usibus divinis accommodavit, à communi & profano usu segregavit, in usum sacrum ad cultum Dei destinavit.Kirch. Concord. p. 1336.Destinari ad aliquid, Sacrari,&c.Buxtorf. in Verbo.[b]‎‏שבת‏‎Cessatio,Requies.[c]Vid.Lightfoot’s Works, Vol. 2. p. 35.and646.[d]Dr.Cave’sPrim. Christ.Par. 1. c. 7.[e]At this Day it is customary for Servants to wear the Livery of their Masters, and others to bear Badges of their Order, Profession, Servility,&c.So in former Ages, and divers Countries, it was usual to bear Badges, Marks and Signs on divers Occasions. InEzek.ix. 4.A Mark was to be set on the Forehead of those that lamented the Abominations of the City. The like was to be done upon them inRev.vii. 3. and ix. 4. So the Worshippers of the Beast,Rev.xiii. 16. were to receive a χάραγμα,A Mark in their right Hind, on their Foreheads. Those χαράγματα, Σφραγίδες,Badges, &c. were very common. Soldiers and Slaves bare them in their Arms or Foreheads; such as were matriculated in theHeteriæ, or Companies, bare the Badge or Mark of their Company; and whoever listed himself into the Society of any of the severalGods, received a χάραγμα, or a Mark in his Body, (commonly made with red-hot Needles, or some burning in the Flesh,) of the God he had listed himself under. And after Christianity was planted, the Christians had also theirSign of the Cross. And not only Marks in their Flesh, Badges on their Cloaths,&c.were usual; but also the Dedication of Days to their imaginary Deities. Not to speak of their Festivals,&c.the Days of the Week were all dedicated to some of their Deities. Among theRomans, Sunday and Monday, to theSunandMoon; Tuesday toMars, Wednesday toMercury, &c. So ourSaxonAncestors did the same; Sunday and Monday, (as theRomansdid,) to theSunandMoon; Tuesday toTuysco; Wednesday toWoden; Thursday toThor; Friday toFriga; and Saturday toSeater: An Account of which Deities, with the Figures under which they were worshipp’d, may be met with in our learnedVerstegan, Chap. 3. p. 68.

[a]‎‏קדש‏‎Usibus divinis accommodavit, à communi & profano usu segregavit, in usum sacrum ad cultum Dei destinavit.Kirch. Concord. p. 1336.Destinari ad aliquid, Sacrari,&c.Buxtorf. in Verbo.

[b]‎‏שבת‏‎Cessatio,Requies.

[c]Vid.Lightfoot’s Works, Vol. 2. p. 35.and646.

[d]Dr.Cave’sPrim. Christ.Par. 1. c. 7.

[e]At this Day it is customary for Servants to wear the Livery of their Masters, and others to bear Badges of their Order, Profession, Servility,&c.So in former Ages, and divers Countries, it was usual to bear Badges, Marks and Signs on divers Occasions. InEzek.ix. 4.A Mark was to be set on the Forehead of those that lamented the Abominations of the City. The like was to be done upon them inRev.vii. 3. and ix. 4. So the Worshippers of the Beast,Rev.xiii. 16. were to receive a χάραγμα,A Mark in their right Hind, on their Foreheads. Those χαράγματα, Σφραγίδες,Badges, &c. were very common. Soldiers and Slaves bare them in their Arms or Foreheads; such as were matriculated in theHeteriæ, or Companies, bare the Badge or Mark of their Company; and whoever listed himself into the Society of any of the severalGods, received a χάραγμα, or a Mark in his Body, (commonly made with red-hot Needles, or some burning in the Flesh,) of the God he had listed himself under. And after Christianity was planted, the Christians had also theirSign of the Cross. And not only Marks in their Flesh, Badges on their Cloaths,&c.were usual; but also the Dedication of Days to their imaginary Deities. Not to speak of their Festivals,&c.the Days of the Week were all dedicated to some of their Deities. Among theRomans, Sunday and Monday, to theSunandMoon; Tuesday toMars, Wednesday toMercury, &c. So ourSaxonAncestors did the same; Sunday and Monday, (as theRomansdid,) to theSunandMoon; Tuesday toTuysco; Wednesday toWoden; Thursday toThor; Friday toFriga; and Saturday toSeater: An Account of which Deities, with the Figures under which they were worshipp’d, may be met with in our learnedVerstegan, Chap. 3. p. 68.

Place this to fold out at the End fronting the left hand.

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