A Defense of the Sabbath Day

SECT. VIII.

The last thing in this 4th come. to be handled is the reason of it in thes words, for in six days the Lord made the heaven & earth, the sea, & all that in them is, & rested the 7th day; wherefor the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, & hallowed it, Exod. 20.11.

In these words, or in this reason to the come. these things are considerable, 1. That God blessed and hallowed the 7 h day. 2. The reason moving God, to hallow it. 3. How these words, are a reason to the 4th comm. as for this third thing, it shall be handled in a Section by it self. For the first, that God sanctified the 7th day, or Saturday Sabbath: see this plainly in this 4th come. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Exod. 20.11. see it also Genes. 2.3. So God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it. So then, this Saturday, 7th day, Sabbath, is a blessed and a sanctified day: look what God hath blessed, it shall be blessed: and what God hath sanctified, it must be holy; the Saturday, 7th day, Sabbath therefore, is an holy Time, an holy day. Thus Musculus fol. 62. God might (saith he) have commanded only the acts and doings of the day, but to set out the matter more pithilie, he said, Remember that thou sanctify the day of the Sabbath: He chargeth that the day it self shall be reputed holy. Where Musculus doth not only affirm, that the time and day was as well commanded, as those duties in the day, of rest and holy exercises; but also saith, that the day it self is an holy day. Neither is this day holy, by any man's hallowing or sanctifying of it, but by the proper work of God himself; for, saith these texts, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and sanctified it: and, God blessed the 7th day, & sanctified it. Hereby we see, how God hath chosen out the Saturday for an holy day, above all days of the week; and God having made it an holy day, he hath thereby put as much difference betwixt it, & other days of the week, as was wont to be betwixt A Priest, & a common man: the Temple, & their common housen: & as is now betwixt Sacramental bread, & common bread at our tables. Hence it is, that Saturday the 7th day, is called, the Sabbath of the Lord Exod. 20.10. and, the holy of the Lord, Isa. 58.13. and, my holy day, Isa. 58.13. and my Sabbath, Isa. 56.4. How meanly soever times now count of this day, yet you see by these names, and Epithites, how God esteemed of it.

I come to the second thing considerable, which is the reason which moved God, to hallow this 7th day, Saturday, Sabbath: the reason then why God sanctified this day, it was, because himself had rested on this day, from his great & miraculouse work of the Worlds creation; see this most evidently Genes. 2.3. So God blessed the 7th day, & sanctified it, because that in it, he had rested from all his work. You see one reason then, of the Sabbaths institution & consecration: thus A Kingdom, doth solemnize the Coronation day, because on that day the King came to his Crown: men keep their Birth days, and Marriage days, because on those days they were borne, & married: Those Jews Ester. 9. kept the days of Purim, because of their deliverance from Haman's conspiracy.

I come now to the uses of these two points: and first, is it so, that therefore God sanctified the Saturday, 7th day, Sabbath, because that in it he had rested from all his work; why then say some men, it matters not which day, we give God for a Sabbath, so be we give him one &c? Here was a reason you see, moving God to set apart Saturday, rather then Sunday, or any other day, to wit, because he had rested on that day: and had God a reason moving him to make a choice of days then, & is there no reason at all now, but one day may be as meet as another? hath length of time, worn this reason out of use? will any say, it matters not which day we keep for Coronation day, birth day, or Marriage day? for Christ's Passion day, resurrection day, or ascension day? Is there not some reason even in thes, for one day above all others? even so, is there not a reason, why the 7th day, should be solemnized & rested on above all others, since that God solemnized it, & rested on it; and did therefore bless it, & sanctify it, because himself had Rested in it? I desire this may be observed, by such as expound the come. to be meant of one of seven: that is, of one day of the 7, or of someone day of the 7 or other? as if God had made no choice, or difference of days; & as if God had as well sanctified Sunday, monday, tewsday &c. and made them Holy days, as Saturday his sacred day.

There are besides others, these reasons why we should celebrate this day, rather then any other, 1. because on this day God rested, and not on any of the other 6 days; & we must imitate God. 2. God hallowed and sanctified this day, & so he did not honor any other of the six days; but appointed them for work. 3. God had special reason to sanctify this day, because himself had rested on it; but he had no reason so to sanctify any of the six days, for he rested not on thos, but wrought on them. 4. God commanded this day in special to be sanctified by his 4th comm. which were reason enough for us to put a difference of days, if we had none other. We see then, it is a frivolous objection, to say the least of it, for men to say, it matters not so much, which day we give God for his Sabbath, so be he hath one. God is in love with his own choice, no day can so please him, as his own chosen day. The Jews might as well have said, so be we offer Sacrifice in an house, & by a man, it matters not which house, nor what man: yet God had chosen his Temple before all Housen, & his Priests above all men, therefore they durst not alter God's choice. Might not we as well say now, it matters not so much what man ministereth the Sacraments, so be a man doth it: nor what we drink at the Lord's Supper, so it be liquor? do we not abhor such objections? If we will keep a Sabbath by the 4th come. we must betake us to such a day only, unto which this reason of the Sabbaths institution mentioned in the 4th come. doth properly belong: it cannot be said of any of the other 6 days Sunday, Monday, Tewsday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, that God blessed or sanctified any of them, because he had Rested on them: if therefore we choose any of these 6 days, 1. we keep a day which God did not bless nor sanctify for that end. 2. We defeat & disapoint God, of his main reason & end, which moved him to ordain & command the Sabbath, to bless it and to sanctify it; for, because God had rested on the 7th day, which is Saturday, Therefore the Lord blessed the 7th day, & hallowed it, Genes. 2.2.3. I pray let this point be well observed, for it is of great consequence.

Use 2. is it so, that God hath sanctified & hallowed, this 7th day, Saturday, Sabbath; how is it come about, that this sacred time, is now everywhere in all Churches so strangely profaned? for, as those Jews, dealt then with the Temple, they bought in it, & sold in it, & changed their money in it, Mat. 21.12. So do we now profane the Saturday Sabbath, by having markets therein, by buying & selling therein; yea, we refuse not to do the most base, seruill, drudgery works, that the Kitchine hath, on the Lord's Sabbath day: we are far unlike our heavenly Father in the use of this day; he sanctified it, we profane it; he rested on it, we work on it; he commanded us to Remember it, we forget it. These things considered, it is high time for every man, to make a search & inquisition, to know whats become of the Lord's Sabbath? and to be well informed of the reason. why the Lord's Sabbaths are now forgotten, & so strangely profaned: The Priests lips must preserve knowledge, and people must seek the law, at their mouths, Mal. 2.7. Wherefore I advise people, to have recourse to their Ministers in this matter, and in most seriouse manner demand of them whats become of the Lord's Sabbaths? & by what warrant this sacred time, is now so profaned? and if they cannot for the present give you a sound reason, desire them to take it into consideration, & to study the point better, that so a full satisfaction may be given to God's people in this matter, or else a reformation may be sought: it is no dallying; the matter is weighty; that a sacred day, so hallowed by God, should be now so profaned, it standeth every man upon, to have sound arguments for it, unless he will be guilty of the sin of profaning God's Sabbaths, weekly, and transgression of the 4th come. & sleiting God's example and president.

This one thing I dare confidently auowch, that no Minister is able to show, any text of holy writ, which doth necessarily abolish this 7th day Sabbath: as for those texts Coloss. 2.16. Exod. 31.13. which are their main texts, thers no necessity at all in them, for abolition of the Moral Sabbath; for there be answers enough to them, & sufficient enough, (as shall be seen hereafter, when we come to answer to all their objections) if those that oppose God in his Sabbaths, did but please to retain them, and to sanctify them: I am confident therefore, that it is nothing but their mere willes, & pleasures, that makes them inveigh against the Lord's Sabbaths: Let people therefore see to it, what manner of arguments & reasons, they admit of from their Ministers, for their profaning of the Lord's Sabbaths, which he hath hallowed & sanctified; let not every trifling probable argument be available, having but some liklihod to be so; but let them call for such solid & substantial reasons, as do prove the abolishing of the Sabbath day necessarily, clearly, & undeniably, to the full satisfying of their consciences; & let Ministers give them no reasons here, for their justifiable profaning of the Lord's hallowed Sabbath, but such as will hold currant, before God, at the day of judgment, when God shall call for an account of his sacred time, & holy Sabbaths: neither let the people rest satisfied, till they have such reasons, for their profanation of the Sanctified 7th day Sabbath, as they do verily believe are sound & warrantable, & such as God will accept at their hands, when they shall be questioned therefore, before his Tribunal: for no probable contingent, & doubtful arguments, will then pass for current, against an express commandment, and so ancient & sacred an ordinance, as is God's Sabbath. I conclude this point, with those words of the voice from heaven to Peter Act. 10.15. The things that God hath purified, pollute thou not. So say I to Ministers, when your people repair unto you, for reasons, to justify them in the profanation of the Lord's sacred & holy Sabbaths; have a care, least you draw all the guilt of Sabbath breaking, & the sin of transgression of the 4th come. upon your own souls, and that by your reasons, you do not pollute the things, which God hath sanctified & purified, the Lord's Sabbaths I mean: the things that God hath sanctified, pollute thou not.

SECT. IX.

I come now to the 3d thing considerable in the reason to the 4th come. mentioned in these words, For, in six days the Lord made heaven & earth, the sea, & all that in them is, & rested the 7th day: Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, & hallowed it. These words six days, you have them twice mentioned in this 4th come. the first time they are mentioned, is in Exod. 20.9. and there they are to be considered as a commandment: for they are delivered in commanding terms. The second time, you have them mentioned, is in Exod. 20.11. and here they are to be considered as a reason: and so much is manifest by the rational particle (for) prefixed as you see. Wherefore now we are to consider of these words, as they are a reason urged by God, to induce us to the Sanctifying of his Saturday, 7th day, Sabbath, commanded in this 4th comm. & the reason is to be applied to the come. on this manner. 1. On the 7th day thou shalt rest from thy labors; because I the Lord thy God at the Creation, rested from my work on the same day, or on the 7th day. 2. On the six days thou shalt labor & finish all thy works, so as nothing be left to be done on the 7th day: because on the six days, I the Lord thy God did work, & finish all, leaving nothing to be done on the 7th or Sabbath day. Thus stands the reason, in relation to the come. as I conceive it: as in the former part of the 4th comm. God presseth us to the observation of the Saturday Sabbath, by virtue of the 4th come. in commanding terms, saying, Remember the Sabbath day, to sanctify it, so in the latter part thereof, God presseth us to the observation of the same day, by his own example: so then, if either precept, or president will avail with us; if either an imperiouse commandment, or a sweet & gentle reason will avail anything with us, then we must keep God's Saturday Sabbath: and such with whom neither God's commandment, no nor yet his pattern & example proposed for us to follow, will prevail, they show themselves not children of God, but rebels to God.

God is pleased many times, in Scripture, to propound himself for our pattern, as 1. Pet. 1.15. As he which hath called you, is holy, so be ye holy, &c. Our Savior Christ exhorteth us, to do good to those which harm us, that so we may be the children of our heavenly father &c. & then he concludeth thus, you shall therefore be perfect, as your father which is in heaven, is perfect, Matth. 5.48. and so in this 4th come. God hath set forth himself for our pattern, saying, Remember the Sabbath day, to sanctify it; for I the Lord sanctified it: on the 7th day, thou shalt rest; for, on the 7th day, I the Lord rested: if therefore you will be led by reasons, as reasonable men should, then let God's reason take place with you; or if you will be led by examples, let God's example be of force with you, to keep his Saturday Sabbath: Wherefore laying aside God's commandment, I now urge only God's reason upon you; and God's example upon you; exhorting you in the words of the Apostle, Be ye therefore followers of God, as deer children, Eph. 5.1. He kept the Sabbath day, do you so too. But if yet you shall inquire which is the day? I answer, see but which day of the week it was, on which God rested at the Creation, Genes. 2.2.3. & that is the day which God persuadeth us to keep: else it were impertinent, for God to persuade us to keep the 8th or 9th day, because he kept the 7th day. The premisses & the conclusion, must be understood of the same thing, as Logiceans know well; the 7th day, therefore is the day, to wit, the 7th day from the creation, which is Saturday; for on this day God rested, and to this day God persuaded us.

The use of this point is for the just reproof of our times, with whom neither precept, nor president will prevail; for, neither God's commandment, nor God's example, can do anything now a days, no nor yet God's reasons can move any whit; if any of these 3, or if all of them together, would take place with us, behold, we have them all in this 4th come. For 1. God commanded the Sabbath day. 2. God kept it himself. 3. He allureth us by a strong reason, taken from his ensample, & noted by the particle for. How could a point be more thoroughly pressed? of all sortes of people, which come under this reproof, I find none more guilty, then some of the Clergy; for as for the Laity, though they be guilty hereof, yet a little matter would soon reclaim them, but as for these of the Clergy, they are intoxicated, and even drunken with reason & Sophistry; for God's reason, which he useth here in this come. to allure men to keep his Sabbaths, it is with them as no reason; for, either they will make this reason, no parte of God's commandment. or but as some needless appendix unto it; or let it stand still for a cipher, as no reason at all; & so they make a show to embrace God's 4th come. but not his reason which he added to the same commandment; it is the property of an unreasonable man, to reject God's reasons. Or else, by their subtle use of reason, they can toss it, as a man doth a Tennis bale, from one day, unto another, as if the reason must run thus; Therefore God blessed & sanctified the 7th day, because we should keep the 8th day: therefore God hallowed the Sabbath day, because we should sanctify the Lord's day. As absurd as it is, for the conclusion to be understood of one day, & the premisses of another, yet can they put some culler or other on it, whereby the simple, yea & themselves too, are deceived: and this deceit is the more dangerouse, in that it is cullered over with a show of learning; common people verily believe, that because they are so learned & conscionable, therefore they use their learning & conscience in every matter they medle withal; I wish it were so; Oh that Lot, David, and Peter had always used that knowledge & conscience, that was in them?

Were it the common people that violated God's Sabbaths, we could soon check them with the 4th come. & with the example, & reason of Almighty God, to the contrary: but now since it is the syne of Ministers, no bonds, nor reasons of God, can hold them; for they have fond out so many distinctions, & answers, & obiectiones, as they can both violate & profane the Sabbath day; & yet again make God & man believe, that they keep the Sabbath day; as you see none call more for it then they, witness their Sermons; so these can profane God's Sabbaths, with a grace; they can do it, & defend it when they have done; they can do it & never blush at it: these therefore are in a most dangerouse, & well nigh desperate case, small hope of repentance. This one thing I demand of them, let them put all their learning, & all their honesty together, & try, if by them both, they can tell how to apply this example & reason, which God addeth here to this 7th day Sabbath, unto their 8th day, & Lord's day Sabbath.

God hath urged his Sabbaths 1. with a Memorandum prefixed to them, more then to any other thing Commanded. 2. with a Commandment. 3. with his own example. 4. with a strong reason. what may be the reason, why these Clerks professing to be Masters of reason & Arts, should not see or acknowledge these most reasonable things? or should so foully misapply them, as formerly we have shown they do? It cannot be the difficulty of the point, for thats easy & familiar: nor can it be the strength of Scriptures, against the Lord's Sabbaths, for the abolishing them; for they have none necessarily proving that point: nor can it be the strength of Scriptures for the alteration of the day, for they have none to that purpose neither: wherefore it must needs follow, that the eyes of their reason, are blinded with some sinister & by respects or other: I will propound some, & let their own hearts judge whither I have hit the mark or not.

Many look upon the antiquity of the pointe rather then upon God's Commandment; verily believing, the abolishing of the 7th day Sabbath, & the erecting of the Lord's day Sabbath, cannot possible be an error, it is so ancient; as if error could no be ancient.

Many look upon the universality of the point, (another Popish argument) verily believing, it cannot possibly be an error, which is so universally received, espetially many of them being religious & Godly men: as if a Godly man could not err.

Many look upon the learning, of such as have professed it, (another Popish argument) as if learned men could not err. Thus, they that look asquint, at thes by respects, when they go to judge of the case in question, rather then at those 4 main things even now propounded to be considered in God's 4th Com. it is no marvel they cannot see the wood for Trees.

Many look before they will read my book, or scane the point, at the utter impossibility of any reformation; (as if our days were worse then ever were any before) & therefore they have no mind to understand it; thus they look upon God's matters with carnal eyes; who, in other cases teach men to do their duty & leave the success to God: should all men tread their steppes, they would make all sure against any reformation, since they will receive no information.

Some are of opinion, that God will wink at us, as he did at the Patriarchs having many wives; since it is the practice of all Churches, to do as we do; & therefore they will go on, regardless of any further knowledge of the point: But such men may live in adultery at this day, upon the same growndlesse opinion, if but many others would consent & join with them in this wicked practice, so as they might but have this plea, that all men do so, or that all Curches do so. (I would not be thought to speak at rouers, & to guess only in these objections & by respects, at what men may think; for these mine ears have heard men make the most of these objections which here I propound.)

Many before they will open the door of their understanding, to this point, first cast in their minds, what a scandal it will be to their Ministry, what a discredit to their persons, that they have misledd the people so long; & therefore judge it better to go on still as they have begun, they shall answer all, a swell as their forefathers who have done the like: and their people, shall get to heaven in this (wrong) way, as well as the people of former times did; & therefore they will none of the knowledge of this point: but I should think, people would more rely upon their Ministers honesty & fidelity, & credit their Ministry more, if they saw them so far to neglect themselves & their credit, as for God's glory, & the good of their people, to reveal a truth to them, though it cross what they had formely taught them.

Many think, what shall I learn? what I that have thaught others? & now in mine old age? it is better to hold this for an error, & so to reject all thoughts of it: but I should esteem that man not worthy to teach others, who scorneth to learn of others.

Many think, if they should give any way to the knowledge of this point, they should but disturb the peace of the Church, & we are now at a sweet concord; it is better therefore to be ignorant of it, &c. But by this reason, we might have remained all Papists unto this day; for had our forefathers, upon this ground rejected Luther's doctrine, had we not all been deeply guilty still, of the syne & breach of the second Com. & Popish Idolatry? yea, & what I pray is this better, then gross temporizing, & pleasing of the times?

Many think, possibly it may come to pass, that the profession of this point, may cost them loss or hazard of their livings, whereby they are now comfortable maintained; & therefore it is good, not to be first in the knowledge & profession hereof; they think they may know it soon enough 10 or 20 years hence to their cost, let others break the ye in the mean time. But these men set more by a good living, then by a good conscience: they love to serve God, but it shall be no further, then they may serve their own turns: they will serve God, if they be suer once, it will cost them nothing.

Many think, it is not safe to be acquainted with this point, least it entangle their consciences, &c. But thes men, whilst they seem to be of tender consciences, bewray they have no conscience, or very corrupt consciences: for, if they had any conscience, or any good conscience, would it suffer them to refuse such a light in to God's Law, as would cause them to make a conscience of it? were God's Laws, and the knowledge of them made (think you) to entangle men's consciences? do not Ministers & people both, pray & use means, to increase in knowledge of God's Laws; & are they now afraid of the knowledge them, when of tendered unto them least their consciences should be entangled with them?

Many think, happily it is a truth, & it were not amiss if it were preformed; for we have little to say for our Lord's day; & as little against the Sabbath day: but that such a mean obscure fallow, as this Brabourne is, who is such & such; we know him well enough, both what he is, & what he was, &c. that such a one should attempt this reformation, our Spirits cannot brook it: But brethren, I have often & still do wish unfeignedly in many respects, that God had put it into the heart of some other man, an eminent person, to have informed in this case, that so my meanness, should have been no impediment, to the progress of God's cause, but God is wont to glorify himself by weak instruments, that so the praise may be to God, & not to the instrument: that our times are no changlinges; that they differ not from former times, shall appear by a story I read of in Peter Heylyns Microcosmos pag. 291. where it is thus reported; In the time of Luther's reformatiō, one Matheo Langie A Cardinal, & A Bishop, of A Bishopric, of the greatest revenues, of any in all Germany, ingenuously confessed, that the Mass was not void of its faults; that the Courts of Rome were corrupted, & that a general reformation, of the lives of priests & fryers, was necessary: But that a poor, rascal Munke (for so he thought Luther, saith the Author) should begin all; that he deemed intolerable, & not to be endured. Thus you see, scandal hath formerly been taken, at the meanness of the person: great Clerks, will neither attempt the reformation of abuses them selves, nor yet can they bear it, that their inferioures should do anything neither: the reason I take to be, because in the former, they are in danger to loose their greatness, in the latter, to loose their goodness: it is lamentable to see, how now a days, the word & truth of God, is receined with respect of persons, and that among the best, both Ministers & people: they inquire not now a days, what he saith: and how agreeablie to the rule of God's word he speaketh: but, what is he? whence comes he? is he a lofte in the world? benifised with a good living? richly attired? is he a man of note? can he coutenance us? and the point he speaks for? these, & the like carnal & childish respects, have Christians, in receiving God's word; it would discourage any man almost, that is less then A Doctor of Divinity, & of the highest rank for honor & worldly dignities, to be industriouse in the study of the Scriptures, so as thereby to ad further light unto profession; because what he saith shall be as meanly accounted of, as his person is: S. James saith. my brethren, have not the saith of our Lord Jesus Christ in respect of persons I am. 2.1.

Who that looketh upon these so many stumbling blocks, with many others that might be shown, can wonder, that men of a sharp sight, yea & holy liefe, should have their eye sight daz • lled, & not see such a truth, as is encountered with so many difficulties: were it such a truth, as the knowledge & public profession thereof, would stand with antiquity, universality, public applause & approbation, facility of reformation, credit & reputation, liueings & preferments, then should I wonder & wonder again, if Ministers should not find it out presently. & profess it publicly: but this is such a truth, as is at the first thoughts of it, oppugned by a whole army of gain saying objections, all which, are prevalent with manes natural corruptions: let not people therefore, think it a thing altogether impossible, for many Godly & learned Ministers, to side it together, against such a truth, & to bewillingly ignorant of it: and let such Ministers themselves, search out which of these obstacles here mentioned, or the like to them, hath so blinded their minds, & dazelled their reason, as neither God's Memorandum, prefixed to the Saturday Sabbath; nor God's Commandment; nor God's ensample; no nor yet God's reason & persuasion; & all written in the Moral Law, can prevail with them, to take in to Remembrance again, the Lord's Sabbath day: for doubtless, there must besom beam or other, in the eye of their reason, which cannot see reason in God's reason.

Before I conclude this section, one thing more I would commend to your consideration, & this it is; whereas this 4th come. generally considered, hath two partes; the one is the Commandment it self; the other is the reason of the commandment: as formerly I have shown you, that our Ministers have by their renouncing of the time in the Com. renounced & abolished, by just consequence, the whole 4th come. also: so much I am to discover a further error of theirs, which is, that by their abolishing of the time in 4th come. to wit, the Saturday, 7th day, Sabbath; hereby also they have nullified, & abolished, the reason to the come. which is taken from God's own example, and contained in these words, For in six days the Lord made the heaven & the earth, the sea, & all that in them is, & rested the 7th day: Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, & hallowed it. All these words I say, they have utterly nullified, so as now they stand but for a cipher, to fill up an empty place. What I have charged them with, I thus make good: The argutum & thing which God would persuade his people unto, it is the observation & sanctification of the 7th day Sabbath, as you may see in the come. foregoeing this reason; to this end it pleaseth God, to frame & propound unto us, a most notable, & lively reason, taken from his own example, to this effect, Remember you to sanctify the Sabbath day; for because I sanctified the Sabbath day: Do you rest from work on the 7th day; for because I rested from work on the 7th day: & therefore I hallowed & sanctified the 7th day Sabbath. Now suppose we, that the 7th day Sabbath were abolished, as they say it is, which is the argutum or thing argued, whereunto God did by this reason persuade, then what use can there be of this reason, which God here propoundeth? for example, now that Circumcision, the Passover, & Sacrifices are ceased, what use is there now of those reasons, whereby God's people the Jews, were then persuaded to those duties of Circumcision, the Passover, & Sacrifices? such is the case here, take away the Sabbath day, & you take away the reasons that belonged to it, to persuade unto the sanctification thereof: for what need reasons & motives, to persuade unto that which is not?

But happily they will say (though untruly) that the Sabbath day is not abolished, it is only but changed unto the Lord's day. Well, say we for this time grant them this for argument sake: then thus I make it good against them; the reason of the 4th comm. cannot possible be a reason unto the Lord's day, for it is most absurd for any man to think, God should persuade us to keep the Lord's day, because he kept the Sabbath day: or that God should persuade us, to keep the first day of the week, because kept the 7th & last day of the week: Thus the conclusion, & the premisses should not be of the same, but of sundry things: For, the day whereof the question is, as now they would have it, to wit, the Lord's day, it differeth much from the day mentioned in the reason to the come. & that thus, 1. The day in the reason, God rested in it, but the day in the question, God wrought in it. 2. The day in the reason, God sanctified it, and hallowed it, but the day in their question, to wit, the Lord's day, we nowhere read that God blessed it, & sanctified it: so the one differeth from the other, as much as an hallowed, or holy day, doth from an unhallowed, or working day. If it be so then, that this reason proposed by God, cannot be applied unto the Lord's day, then it followeth, that this reason, is made by such as oppose the Lord's Sabbaths, a very cipher, & of none use, but to fill up a void place. A very wicked fact it is, whosoever are guilty of it.

Yet further, that this reason stands now a days (since our Lord's day is come into use, and the Sabbath day abolished) as a mere cipher; it will further appear, if you do but take a suru • y, of the Sermons of Ministers in the Pulpit; & of their writings in books; for of all the arguments & reasons, whereby they urge people to the observation of the Lord's day, you shall never hear them make any use at all, of this reason, the which God himself hath thought most meet to be urged, and hath therefore annexed it, to his come. When did you hear any say, it is your duty, to sanctify the Sabbath day, we now keep; because on it, God Almighty rested from his work? and, it is your duty to keep this Sabbath day, because God did at the Creation, bless it, and sanctify it? No, if they should use these reasons, their daubing would be seen into; every man can tell them, this Day that we keep, is not the day wherein God rested, but the day where, in he wrought; and this day, is not the d • y which God blessed & sanctified, for this day, is the 8th day, but God sanctified the 7th day: wherefore they are ashamed to use this reason, & therefore they let it stand untouched, & thus it hath stood for a Cipher, this many hundredth of years: me thinketh the consideration but of this one point, should be enough to certify them that they are wrong, for as much as they dare not press this Sabbath we now keep, with God's reason, annexed to his 4th Comm. now of all reasons that men can invent, what reason more forcible then that, which is taken from God's own example, that he rested on that day, & sanctified it: but now this argument from the example of God, is stale in the Churches, is quite out of use; who doth excite & stir us up, in thes our days, from the example of God, saying, let us keep the Sabbath day, for God Almighty kept it? let us rest from our labors on the Lord's day, because God rested from his works on this day? let us sanctify & hallow the Lord's day, because God Sanctified & hallowed it, at the Creation, Genes. 2.2.3. let us keep the Sabbath day, an Holly day? for God made it an Holly day, by hallowing it, Exod. 20.11. Genes. 2.2.3? Let us honor it, as the most ancient holly day, it being as ancient as the world, Genes. 2.2.3? & as the most honorable holly day, it being made an holy day, by God himself, & not by man, Genes. 2.2.3. all men follow the example of the king; & who would not follow this example of God, the king of kings, if it were urged? if therefore the Lord's Sabbaths, be neglected, for want of forcible & most prevalent arguments & reasons, let such Ministers bear the blame, who deprive the people of this so effectual & moving an argument: what a maruailouse thing is it, that God should in his wisdom & goodness to us, besides his Com. persuade us by such moving & powerful reasons, as he hath annexed to his Com. & yet Ministers are Mute & silent, as if there were no such things in the Law & word of God: is it not meet, that such af oule error as this is, should be discovered?

But suppose that some have Sophistically, by playing with the Homonymie of the word Sabbath, improperly applied to our Lord's day, both deceived themselves & others, & so urged a far off this reason upon our day, surly they have touched it, but lightly, as glad when they are safely got off it again, least they should bewray all: for example, suppose a man that knows the difference betwixt the day called Sabbath day, in scripture; and the day called Lord's day: the one being the 7th & last day of the week, the other, the first day of the week: the one, being the day before the other; the one being for memory of the Creation, the other for memory of the Redemption: if now a Minister should tell him, it is his duty to sanctify the Lord's day, because God sanctified the Sabbath day; would not the man think the Minister iesteth with him? since he knows God sanctified the 7th day of the week, but our Lord's day, is the 8th day, or first day of the week? & since he knows that the reason which he useth, speaks of the day named Sabbath day, but the day he applieth this reason unto, it is of another name, to wit, the Lord's day? would he not think the Minister hath foully mistaken himself, to misapply so the example of God, to a wrong day? for, if the Minister would press a man, to sanctify the Lord's day, from the example of God, he must bring an example where God rested on the Lord's day; and where God blessed & sanctified the Lord's day. Wherefore, to conclude this point, either they are a shamed of God's reason, & dare not use it at all; or if they do, they must play the egregiouse Sophisters with the peopse, by playing with the Homonymie of the word Sabbath, using it in another sense, then it is used by God, thereby to cover their doubling, from the eyes of the people; but for the most parte of them I am suer, they use not this reason at all, & these do less evil, then those which abuse it.

Thus then you see, they have first abolished the whole 4th Commandment, as elsewhere I have proved; & here again you see they have abolished the reason to the Com. & God's example: now then let us put them together, & then the total some will be, that they have by abolishing the Time in the 4th Com. abolished also the wholl Commandment: & not only that but also the reason & example of God, annexed to the Com. & so they have made clear work; for they have taken away all, even all, root & branch. Thus you see then the time and 7th day in the Com. is of some consequence, even as the foundation is to the building, when as it being once removed, all comes tumbling down, let this time therefore be more regarded, if you will have the 4th come. at all regarded.

SECT. X.

Having finished the Exposition of the 4th Com. & discovered the manifold errors, & shameful abuses of it; that I might yet further make these errors appear; I purpose here to mention two things: The former is, to show how our Congregations (which is much to be lamented) will for the must parte of them, come short of their hoped for reward, for Sabbath keeping: & that the residue, do but dally, if not mock with God: this cogitation, doth present it self to me, when I think of the public prayers of the Church: for there the Mimister in the name of God with loud & audible voice, a mongst other of God's 10 Com. pronounceth these words, being the 4th come. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, & do all thy work. But the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy sone, nor thy daughter nor thy man servant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy eattell, nor thy stranger, that is with in thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven & earth, the sea, & all that in them is, & rested the 7th day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, & hollowedit. Now presently, thes words being uttered by the Minister, the wholl Congregation confirmeth them, by this devour & godly prayer, unto Almighty God saying, Lord have mercy upon us, & incline our hearts to keep this Law. The charge of the Minister standing in God's room, & the Ecchoing voice of the people, by there prayers, as an answer confirming, putteth in my mind, to think what a lamentable Dialogue would be betwixt Almighty God, & us, if he should call us to an account, for the breach of his 4th Com. for, albeit we draw nigh to God, in the Congregation, with our lips, saying Amen to all God's precepts; yet in our lives is no such matter: and because we all, one day, must come to this accompt; it shall not be amiss, to have the state of it presented before our eyes here; that so if we cannot acquit our selves, we may know it in time, whilst there is space for repentance.

Suppose we therefore, Almighty God examining us; & we again answering for our selves, thus. Question. 1. Have you remembered my Sabbath day as I commanded you by my Minister in the Congregation, & unto which you did subscrib & assent by your prayer? Answer, no Lord, we have in deed forgotten that day, but we have been mindful of the day after it, to wit the Lord's day. Question, 2. But have you Sanctified my Sabbath day, as I commanded you? Answer, no Lord, we have (we must confess it) profaned that very day, but we have sanctified the Lord's day, which is but the day after it. Quest. 3. But as for the 7th day: where as I certified you, that the 7th day, is the Sabbath day, Exod. 2 • .8. & charged you, that in it thou should est do no manner of work, &c. have you now refrained your labors, & rested from work, on this 7th day? Answ. no Lord, we confess indeed, that how ever we have done our works on this 7th day, yet have we rested from our works on the 8th. day Quest. 4. whereas I sanctified & hallowed the 7th day, & also set you mine own president for your example, in as much as I Rested on the 7th day, & moved you by a reason drawn from mine own example, which I annexed to my 4th Com. have you now imitated mine example; and regarded my reason where by I persuaded you? Answ. no Lord, we have neglected thy example, & thy reason: But we have imitated Christ & his Apostles, in preaching and hearing of sermons & the like, on a day, whereof we read not that ever thou didest Sanctify it, namely on the first day of the week, which thou didest command for labor. Now think of this matter good brethren in time, least you leese your hoped for reward, of keeping the Lord's Sabbaths: for will this answer go for current think you, before God, at that day of Rekoning?

But this answer is too right down for some; for these have ingenuously confessed the truth: wherefor we must lay down another answer for them, for they like Saul, who contrary to God's Commandment, spared Agag & the best of the Sheep, &c. yet said, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, 1 Sam. 15.20. so these stand to justify it & defend it, that they do obey the voice of God, according to his 4th Com. well let these be tried, saith the Almighty, Quest. 1. Have you Remembered my Sabbath day? Answer, yis Lord, for as for that day, we never thought of it; but we remembered the Lord's day, the day after. Quest. 2. And have you sanctified my Sabbath day, as I commammanded you? Answ: yis Lord, for we profaned it with servile labors, but we have sanctified the Lord's day. Quest. 3. And have your rested on the 7th day; for, the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lard, &c. Exod. 20.10. Answ. yis Lord, we have labored on the 7th day, & have rested on the 8th day. Quest. 4. But the 7th day, is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, Exod. 20.10. have you now kept the Sabbath of the Lord your God? Answer: yis Lord, we have profaned it, but we have kept the Sabbath of the Lord Christ. Quest. 5. have you kept the 7th day Sabbath, in imitation of me, the day which I set you for a pattern, the day solemnized in remembrence of the Creation? Answ: yis Lord, for we have kept the 8th day, or first day of the week, in imitation of Christ and his Apostles, the day solemnized in remembrance of the Redemption. Judge now good brethren, if these men may not besaid, to dally & mock with God, in a most seriouse & weighty matter.

Yet further, there are but two eminent places in the Church, wherein the Minister performeth his service to God; to wit, the Delike & the Pulpit; & loe, how these vary & are at jar? In the Deske, the Minister readeing the 10 Commandemets, saith, the people must sanctify the Sabbath day: but the same Minister, in the same Church, & to the same people, being but gotten up in to the Pulpit, saith, they must sanctify the Lord's day. In the Deske, he saith, the 7th day, is the Sabbath: but gone, but a far as the pulpit, & there he saith, the 8th day is the Sabbath. Think you, these men are not gone from their Text, when they read one thing, & preach another? is it meet, that the Deske & the Pulpit, should be at such odds?

I confess they have some idle distinctions, & frivolous answers, whereby for the present they stop up the month of conscience, and blind the eyes of the simple, but let them try, if they cane by the same answers & distinctions, blear the eyes of Almighty God, at that day: In the days of blindness & popery before Luther brought light unto the second come. I verily believe it, that Popish Priests, had not more, nor more gross answers, distinctions, & objections, to maintain their Idolatry and Image worshiping, against the second Comm. then now a days our Ministers have, to mainteiue their syne of Sabbath-breaking, against the 4th Com. but what should I say? I wish I knew, how else to inform God's people of his will; & how they & I might sanctify God's Sabbaths, in private, without the public assemblies of the Church, & helps of a Minister, & disturbance of the Church; as we may & cane yield obedience to any & every of the other 9 come. singly & alone every man by himself, without the help & company of others; & although they would not join with us; could I, I say, have devised this, it should well have been seen, that I would never have blotted paper to inform, or contended with these cuning Sophisters, who by their wits, such as they are, will make anything good they please to undertake; they should for me have goneon, till they had met with the reward of their daubing & doubling. For as I suspected them, so I find them, like Moab, Ierem. 48.11. settled on their lees: & like the men in Jerusalem, Zephan. 1.12. frozen in their dreges.

The second thing I purpose to mention, for the further appearance of the abuse of this Comm. here followeth: whereas words & arguments, will hardly avail, I purpose in the last place to try, if sense will be informed; for which purpose, I will give you an occular demonstratiō, so as the sense of seeing shall be convinced of the abuse of this Com. That this may be, I will set here before your eyes, the whole 4th come. intirly, as God wrote it in the Tables of stone: furthermore, as for these things, which so many Ministers say, are ceremoniouse & abolished in this Com. those things I will compass about with a parenthesis, or two half moon circles, that so you may se, which partes of the Com. they hold for Moral, & which for ceremonial: behold it thus: Remember (the Sabbath day) to keep (it) Holy. Six days shalt then labor, & do all thy work: But (the Scauenth day, is the Sabbath) of the Lord thy God (in it) thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy sone, nor they daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid, nor thy beast, nor thy stranger that is with in thy gates: for in six days, the Lord made heaven & carth, the sea, & all that in them is, and (rested the 7th day) Therefore, the Lord blessed (the Sabbath day) & hallowed (it.) Loe, which partes of this 4th Com. they make Ceremonial & abolished; to wit, all those words, which are enclosed with in the parenthesis: for the word (day) this they abolish for a ceremony by these Texts, Rom. 14.5. Gal. 4.10. & for the word (Sabbath) that they hold for an abolished ceremony, by these Texts, Col. 2.16.17. Exod. 31.13. and for these words, (these 7th day, is the Sabbath) this is that which of all other partes of the commandment: they abhor, as a Jewish ceremony; so much for the commandment: come we next unto the reason of the come. noted by the word for; which containeth a most effectual persuasion from God's own example: & herein these words (rested the 7th day) do stand for a Cipher; no Minister at any time in these our days, using thes words, as a reason to move and excite us, to rest on the 7th, or 8th day, because God rested at that time: secondly, these words (the Sabbath day) do stand for a Cipher also; for no Minister doth persuade us in these days, to sanctify the Sabbath day, because God sanctified the Sabbath day, to wit, the Saturday Sabbath: for it is the Saturday which God hallowed & sanctified at the Creation.

Now cast thine eye back good Reader, & see the come. behold what they allow of it to be moral, and how much of it they will needs have to be ceremonial, & like a cipher; did thine eyes ever before behold, such a mingle mangle, such a hotch potch: the 4th come. is by these Interpreters become, half fish, half flesh; A Lynsey wolsey; A moral Ceremonial Commandment; partly lasting, partly faded. There be many Statute Laws in this Kingdom, & tis said, many Lawyers will do much for money; but can such an instance as this be shown, where the Lawyers, have by their expositions & pleadings, so mangled any of the Kings Laws, as have our divine Lawyers, who in this case, have taken away the key of knowledge? Luk. 11.52? How can a man's eyes but abhor to look upon, & behold any writing, thus interlaced with parenthessese, many hundredth of years after it was written? but how should a Christian look upon any of God's ten commandments, with any patience, to see them or any of them thus mangled & defaced? was God so mindful, to place all the morales by themselves, in the Tables of stone, & to exclud the Ceremonials, and wright them elsewhere, as vnsit to be matched with the lasting Morals, and are there now so many Ceremonial words crept into this Moral law? We read in 2. S • m. 10.4. how King Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away; me think these men, could not look more ill favoredly & disguisedly, then doth this 4th come. Now it is thus barbared and notched, by our late barbers: If I would have a thing ugly done indeed, these men shall do it for me.

Furthermore, the indignity offered unto this come. is such, as it is not now only shameful to look upon; but also it is by their corrupt exposition, made very non-sense & ridiculouse; to this purpose, let us collect together so much of this comm. as they allow to be memorall, and omit that which they make ceremonial, that is, so much as is put within the half moon circles, & see what a piece of senseless stufe there will be: and this then it is; Remember to keep holy. Six days shalt thou labor, & do all thy work: But, of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter &c. see if by their distinctions & subtleties, they have not picked out the heart, and sense of this come. by picking out the time. Thus for the comm. but further, for the reason which God hath annexed to his come. taken from his resting on the 7th day; and, from his sanctifying and hallowing of the 7th day: this reason I say, hath not only some words picked out of it, as had the come. but which is more, the wholl reason it self, as God laid it down, & wrote it in Tables of stone, is utterly by them abolished & useless; no mention of it in these our days, thereby to excite & persuade people to the obedience of the 4th come. Wherefore, by your eye sight, you may behold the abuse of this comm. and by your observation, you may take notice, how the reason to the come. is nullified; two remarkable things to be observed.

The consideration of these things (me think) should plead strongly against all the enemies to the Lord's Sabbaths, that so all their reasons they bring against them, should be suspected & rejected; because by their abolishing his Sabbaths, they must needs make such havoc of God's 4th come. as you see: Their texts of Scripture also Col. 2.16.17. and Exod. 31.13. with the rest, are to be suspected as corrupted & grossly abused by them, seeing that they will so urge & press them, against the 7th day Sabbath in the 4th come. as that by one text of Scripture, they will mangle another; & so understand one text of Scripture, as it shall eat out the very bowels of another; so setting Scripture against Scripture; the text Col. 2.16. shall eat out the bowels of the 4th come. yea this text Col. 2.16. with other the like, & certain reasons they have, shall pick out the very heart & sense of the 4th come. & make it senseless, as you see: of like nature are all their distinctions, & therefore worthily to be abhorred, of all such as love God's laws: God will undoubtedly one day, accurse all such distinctions, & expositions of any text of Scripture, as are made in opposition to his Laws: is there no way to expound the Gospel, but so as it must needs quite overturn the law, or some part of it? and is it meet to receive such unnecessary distinctions, as shall rend out, & rase out some portion of God's law, the Decalogue or 10 Com. I mean?

But it may be objected, that we do not make such havoc with the 4th come. nor make it so void & senseless, but that we do still retain it, & do press it upon men's consciences, well nigh every sermon &c. True indeed, you urge the 4th come. but how absurdly, let all men judge; like as if a man should cancel a bond, & pluck off the seals, & yet stiffly plead his bond still; so these, after by their doctrine they have made the commandment. a piece of senselese & ridiculouse stuff; yet still they call and cry out the 4th come. the 4th come. ye transgress God's 4th come. Furthermore, the reason annexed to it by God, as most effectual to persuade men to obedience of this come. taken from God's ensample, this you altogether omit & neglect: For, when are you heard to persuade the people thus? Let us rest from our works on the Lord's day, because God rested on the 7th day, Gen. 2.2. Exod. 20.11? Let us sanctify the Lord's day, because God sanctified & hallowed the 7th day, Gen. 2.3. Exod. 20.11? Let us be imitators & followers of God, as deer children, and keep that day weekly for an holy day, which God himself made & kept an holy day, at the Creation? No, no such matter, for so they should contradict themselves: If they should persuade men to follow God's example, so the mystery of their iniquity, would be discovered: for God kept the 7th day, from the creation; but our Lord's day, is the 8th day from the creation: & the day which God kept, was kept in memory of the Creation; but our Lord's day, is kept in memory of the Redemption: thus as the come. is nullified, so the reason to the come. is made a mere superfluouse cipher, & altogether useless, let them say what they will to the contrary.

As for the law it self, you urge it indeed upon men's consciences, but with small conscience you urge it; for you abuse & prefane God's word (as hath been shown) by applying that to the Lord's day, which is a common working day, as fryday is; which should be applied by God's ordinance, to an holy day, which himself had hallowed, as to the 7th day; as well might you profanely apply those Sacramental words of institution, to common bread, & to common water, as God's 4th comm. to a common day, not sanctified by God. And thus much for Exposition of the 4th Commandment.

THus I have endeavored to make it appear, how they have corrupted & abused the law, and thereby corrupted & abused the people also: What remaineth, but that they may be driven to repentance, I mind them of that fearful denunciation, uttered by our Savior Christ, after that he had ratified the law, in the integrity & perfection of partes, even to a jot & title of it, Mat. 5.18. Whereto he addeth these words, Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least Commandments, & teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall observe, & teach them, the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven, Matth. 5.19. In which words, our blessed Savior, doth persuade, to the keeping of the Moral Law, in every jot & title of it, unto the worlds end: Further, our Savior showeth wherein, or in what manner, he would have every jot & title of the Law kept; and this is two ways, the one by doctrine, noted in these words, and teach men so: The other by practice, noted in these words, Whosoever shall observe &c. whereby we see, it was the mind of Christ, to have every title of the law, not only observed & practiced; but also, he would have every title of it, taught unto the people, & urged & pressed upon them: and on the other side, because the bare doctrine of the Minister, is forcelesse it. many men, without his practice; least they should say, he layeth heavy burdens, upon other men, but himself will not touch them, with one of his fingers, therefore Christ joineth practice to doctrine, saying, Whosoever shall observe & teach &c.

Furthermore, we are in special manner to note, unto what manner of persons these words are directed, not unto lay men as they call them, but unto the Clergy, unto Ministers in special; as we may understand by the words teach men so: so then, this portion of Scripture, it is directed unto the Ministry; & the will of Christ to them is, that they shall both teach to the people, and also practice before them, unto the worlds end, every jot and title of the Law.

Now in the next place, we have Christ his arguments, to move & persuade Ministers, to these two duties; and because Ministers are of two sortes; some, though but a small some, will teach and practice, every jot & title of the Law, to the utmost of their power; but others, will neither teach nor practice the same; therefore hath Christ fitted his Arguments, to both sorts; & by name, to such Ministers as do both teach & practice; to them our Savior promiseth this blessing, that, they shall be called great in the Kingdom of heaven: oh that there were yet many more, that would covet this greatenesse in God's favor, by teaching & revealing the whole counsel of God, even all his Ten commandments, intirly, in every jot title of them? But now as for those other Ministers, who refuse either to teach, or to practice, this Law of God intirly: to these, our Savior threateneth a Cursse, to wite, that these shall be called least in the Kingdom of heaven: now whereas our Savior denounceth this curse, unto them, which break one of the least of these commandments: suppose we the Time commanded in the 4th come. where the very least of the commandments because they use to call it, but a circumstance, and the like; why yet for all that, so long as it is a commandment, though the least of all the commandments, yet Christ denounceth this Cursse unto such Ministers, as refuse to teach the people this least come. and refuse to practice it before the people: they have pleased to miscale it a ceremony, & Judaism & the like; but let them try if this will free them before Christ his Judgment seat, from this Cursse of Christ, which he denounced being on earth. I believe all theyre subtleties & shifts, whereby they blind the eyes of men here, will hardly so blind the eyes of Christ then: he will have an account of his wholl Law, not of pieces and percels of it, as we please.

Thus we se what the duty of Ministers is, namely to teach the people, to observe the Lord's seventh day Sabbath, which is one of the commandments, though you make it the least: and it is their duty also, if they will be freed of Christ his Cursse, to observe & keep the 7th day Sabbath, before the people; so leading them by liefe & doctrine together: but how far off, is the practice of most Teachers from observing the mind & will of Christ? in stead of practicing the 7th day Sabbath in their own persons, for example unto others; they could be content to persecute any, that they se forward this way; oh fearful! Instead of teaching the people this, which they count the least of God's commandments, & urging them to keep, every jot and title of God's Law, & so the Lord's Sabbath day; they teach openly & publicly the quite contrary; as namely, that this least of God's commandments, it is abolished, and that the Sabbath day, commanded, it is abolished; thus this least of God's commandments is trampled down, because it is a little one, & a ceremonial one, & a circumstantial one; & not the Law of Nations, nor found now in the hearts off all men fallen & corrupted, as a Law of Nature; and because commanded to the Jew, and the like: but whatsoever be their shifts, suer I am the Sabbath day, is not less then one of the iotes and titles of God's Law; nor is it less then the least of God's commandments; wherefore, who soever teacheth in opposition to this Sabbath day, he bewrayeth himself to be no friend of Christ's, and that he regardeth not his mind and will, in teaching and observing all & every of the Commandemets: nay he proclaimeth him self in open pulpit, to be a professed enemy to Christ our Savior and these his words, Mat. 5.18.19. and to the integrity & wholnesse as I may call it of God's Law; he had rather have it lamed & percelled out, that so he might serve God by halves, and by piece meal, then to have an indifferent respect with David, unto all God's Commandments, Psal. 119.6. & rather then he would have God's Law entire & complete, in the perfection of partes, unto a jot and title.

Is not it true of such Ministers wherewith the Lord charged those corrupt Priests, Mal. 2.9. to wit, that they were partial in the Law? & are not these also in our time partial in God's Law, when not with standing what Christ hath said, for the integrity of the Law, yet these men will reject a parte of it, and so become like those Priests, partial in God's Law? for a parte of God's Law they will have; another parte they will none of: the duties of rest and holiness in the 4th come. this parte of the 4th come. they will have, but the other duty of the Time, this parte of the same 4th come: they will none of. Were these Ministers of the lower rank for zeal, & of the Number of those which are not accounted so zelouse of God's Laws, it were the less to be wondered at; but being puritant Ministers, and such as would be displeased at him, who should say to them, they had not an indifferent respect unto all God's commandments without exceptions; that these I say should pick and choose, take & leave; & become like those profane Priests, partial in God's Law, it is to be marvelled at; Mistake me not good Reader, it is not purity that I mislike in puritans; for of all men I honor no men more, then such as are, & endeavor to be, of pure heart & holy liefe: but this I hate in them; to se their practice bely their doctrine & professiō: for they teach daily for universal obedience to all God's come. without exceptions & resernations; but Loe they are found here halting: one of the least (as they say) of God's Commandments, ratified by our Savior, they neglect and contemn.

Others there be of the same rank, which be not so impudent as the former, they preach & teach not against the Lord's Sabbaths, & therefore are not guilty of the Cursse of Christ, for breaking this least Com. & teaching men so: yet are they enemies to this least Comm. for having heard of my former book, which I wrote in defense of this least Com. and for the Lord's Sabbath; yea, and after they have seen it, & read it over, they spitt fire at it; & cry out, burn the book; tis a foul error, &c. These men like James & John, not knowing of what Spirit they are, would have fire come down presently; & although they know not, either how to prove their Lord's day to be a Sabbath day; nor yet how to disprove the Lord's Sabbath day; or to confute the book, yet they can cry, burn the book, tis a foul error, &c. Thus these are so far from teaching this least come. to the people; as that they use all their diligence, to scare & afright simple people, with great words; that so they might still remain caught in their snares, & in blind ignorance: if the Laws of this Realm, were fitted to these men's minds, it should be woe to him that toucheth this Lord's day Sabbath, the Diana of our time; but seeing they do it out of a good affection, I shall with Paul make it mine hearts desire, and prayer to God for them, that they may repent; for I bear them witness, that they have the Zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

They think it much, that they cannot prevail with the rude multitude, for the keeping Holy of the Lord's day Sabbath, but that, say they what they can, yet they will revel, riot & profane it: well the case is now become their own; it shall be seen, whither all that I have said, can prevail with them, for the sanctifying of the Lord's Sabbaths on the 7th day: suer I am I have said, & shall say much more, & more soundly, for the 7th day Sabbath, to move them to keep it; then ever they did, or could say, to profane persons, for the keeping of the 8th day Sabbath: if therefore, synister affections, prevail so with them, that they will not liften to me, no more then their profane hearers will to them; let them tell me then, what is the difference betwixt them selves, and their profane auditors.

An other sort there are, who are disobedient to Christ's will, by denial of the integrity, wholnesse, & perfection of God's law; in as much as they do not only refuse to teach the people, this least of God's commandments, namely, which is the proper day & time of God's worship & service; but if they find, that by the pains of any others, more faithful in this point then themselves, any of their flock are taught & instructed in this way of the Lord more perfectly, that they begin to see a further light into this Law of God, then they were wont; presently they be labor it, to extinguish this light in them: to these, I may fitly apply that word of the Lord, Ierem. 23.30. Therefore behold, I will come against the Prophets, saith the Lord, that steal my word, everyone from his neighbor. These then, be sacrilegiouse thieves, who will not sow the seed of God's word, in the hearts of their people, but will watch when it is sown, that they may come & steal it away again.

I trust God's Ministers, will bridle corrupt nature, and give me leave to lay the plaster, where the sore is; knowing it is their office, to do the like to others daily; they who teach others to take a reproof, are not to learn in this point.

Let me speak one word now, to all these 3 sortes of Ministers together: why are ye, you Tribe of Leuie, such enemies to the integrity, wholnesse, & perfection of the Law of your God? delivered with such majesty and terror, upon Mount Sinai Exod. 20? Why oppose you yourselves also, against those iotes & titles of this law, ratified by our Lord Christ, unto eternity, in his sermon on the Mount Mat. 5.1.8? Why do you not according to his will & mind, teach the people, this least commandment, touching the proper time of his worship and service? Nay, why are you so unlike yourselves? For it is a rule approved in expounding of the Scriptures, that things are to be taken in the largest sense, if nothing hinder. Now why then in expounding of this 4th come. do you abridge it, excluding the proper time thereof, as if nothing but the duties of rest and holiness, belonged unto us? Whereas you ought to expound it more largely, as including both the time of the 7th day, & the duties of rest & holiness also? since there is nothing that you can justly say against the time. Again, it is another rule in expouding of Scripture, & in special of the Moral law; that under one thing expressly commanded or forbidden, are comprehended all of that kind, with the least cause or occasion thereof: See here how they enlarge the law, to be understood, not only of the things there by name mentioned, but also, of things not mentioned, as of the causes & occasions: and yet the same men, being to expound the 4th come. are so far off, from enlarging it, as they will miserably curtaile it, and clippe it, and pare it, until they have quite pared away, the 7th day Sabbath: Why are you so inconstant, & so unlike yourselves? is it a rule with you, that things not mentioned in the Comm. are to be brought in, that so the Com. may have the largest scope & compass; and will you exclude and thrust out, things by name, mentioned in the Com. as the 7th day Sabbath?

Again, when we are to deal against Papists, then we are very zealouse for the integrity & perfection of the law: witness M. Perkins in his first Volume pag. 400. where he proveth that a Papist cannot go beyond a Reprobate; because they make the whole law vain: and this he affirmeth in these words, If one frustrate but any one point, of any one commandment, the whole law thereby is made in vain. Cannot a Papist go beyond a Reprobate, if he frustrate any one point, of any one commandment? & can a Protestant go beyond a Reprobate, when he doeth frustrate someone point, in someone commandment? as we do in the 4th comm.? Must the law stand, in every point, of every commandment, when we have to do with our Adversaries abroad, & is the case altered, when we be among our selves at home?

It is made a mark of sincerity, and of the truth of grace, when a man hath respect, unto all God's commandments, without exception of any: But come upon the matter with them, & then they that deliver this mark to others, can scarcely find it in themselves: For, albeit they seem by this mark, to justify the law, in the integrity and perfection of it; yet ask them what they think of God's 7th day Sabbath, commanded in the 4th come. and this they will baulke and except, under one pretense or other, by miscalling it Jewish, Ceremonial, and by saying falsely that it is abolished: and is this the respect they have unto all God's commandments?

It is a rule also, that the law it is wholly copulative; that is, the things therein commanded, are firmly combined & knit together, so as not any one thing can be severed from the law: and thus far they maintain the law, in its perfection & integrity; but how then cometh it about, that now you have made such a hiatus, such a gape in this law? one of the Linkes of this chain is broken, the commanded time of 7th day, in the 4th come. is taken out, and severed from all the rest: so now this copulation is vncoupled, and the law is not wholly copulative, it is but partially copulative.

Behold how the enēmies to the Lord's Sabbaths, & to the integrity & perfection of the Law of God say, and unsay it again: abroad with our adversaries, tis a point of reprobation, to frustrate but any one point, of any one commandment: at home, tis a point of Judaism, to maintain & defend them all. What should I say more? justly may the Lord lament over England, as once he did over Jerusalem, saying, O my people, they that lead thee, cause thee to err, Isa. 3.12.

SECT. XI.

Thus I have defended the Moral law, against both Anabaptists & Libertins: and also the integrity & perfection of this law, against Protestants and Papists: to this end I have opened & expounded one branch of this law, to wit, the 4th come. and discovered many foul & gross errors in the ordinary received exposition thereof: Now for conclusion, I purpose to add an Exhortation to the love of this law of God.

It is called a royal Law; But if ye fulfill the royal law, according to the Scripture &c. I am. 2.8. It is called a righteous Law; What nation is so great that hath ordinances and laws so righteous, as all this law, which I set before you this day? Deut. 4.8. It is as a light, in darkest night; Thy word is a lantern unto my feet, and a light unto my path, Psal. 119.105. Of all men, the Prophet David, excelleth in this argument, in his 119 Psalm: Thy Testimonies are my delight, & my counsailers, v. 24. My delight shall be in thy commandments, which I have loved, v. 47. Thy statutes have been my Songes, in the house of my pilgrimage, v. 54. Oh how love I thy Law it is my meditation continually, v. 97. I hate vain inventions, but thy law do J love, v. 113. Ye see here how David was in love with God's law: Now this his love he doth express partly by his desirs and prayers, and partly by comparisons: by prayers, Open mine eyes, that I may see the wonders of thy Law, v. 18. Hide not thy commandments from me, v. 19. Mine heart breaketh for the desire to thy judgments, v. 20. Giu • me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments, v. 37. J am thy servant, grant me understanding, that I may know thy Testimonies, v. 125. By comparisons, he setteth forth his love unto God's law: I have had as great delight in the way of thy Testimonies, as in all riches, v. 14. The Law of thy mouth is better unto me, then thousands of gold and silner, v. 72. Thy Testimonies have I taken as an heritage forever: for they are the • oy of my heart, v. 111. Therefore love I thy commandments about gold, yea, above most fine gold, v. 127. In a word, the law of God, it is the Churches inheritance & possession, Moses commanded us a law, for an inheritance of the Congregation of Jacob, Deuter. 33. • . & hence it was, that David had taken unto him, he law as his inheritance forever, Ps • 119.111. & hence no doubt it is, that our Church hath taken this law also unto h • r, as hir inhe • itance forever, causing it to be read publicly in the Congregation, in most solemn manner; the Assembly all upon their knees, praying to God, to incline their hearts to keep this Law.

Here be arguments and reasons enough, without further amplification, to move every Godly heart, to love the law of God; for, it is a royal law: a righteous law: a light for our comfortable direction: a law most lovely, oh how love I thy law: a law to be desired, Mine heart breaketh for desire of thy judgments. It is better, then thousands of gold and silver: it is an inheritance; and the inheritance of the Church: What need of more?

As there is no Christian Church in the world, which enjoyeth this Law of God intirly, & in its perfection: So is there no member of our Church, that I know, who enjoyeth this Law, in its integrity, in his judgment, & practice both; albeit it were much to bewished, it being the Inheritance of the Church, wherein every member may challenge his share. I divide our Church & Congregations therefore, in to two sortes, purposing to make application of this doctrine, unto them both: the one sort, & that the fewest by infinite numbers, are such as are informed, in their judgments, & enlightened in this Law of God, in the integrity & perfection of the partes thereof: The other sort, & those the most, remain yet it darkness, & ignorance of this their Inheritance, the Law of God in its perfection. Touching the former sort, is it so, that thou lovest: his Law of God? then let this thy love to it appear: & that by hearty & firuent prayers unto Almighty God daily, that he would be pleased to infuse, the light of this knowledge, in to the minds & haerts of all men: & that it would please God, to incline the heart of our sovereign Lord & King, together with all the great governors, in Church & Common weal, to embrace this Law of God, in its integrity & perfection; that so a reformaiion being made, we may enjoy the Lord's Sabbath, in practice, as well as in judgment.

To this end, two things are required of thee, who art already enlightened, & doest love this Law of God in the perfection thereof: the one is, that thou further & disperse the knowledge thereof, as far forth as thy place & calling will peremit, unto thy friends & acquaintance; thus did David, Teach me thy Statutes, (saith he) & then he addeth these words, with my lips have I declared, all the judgments of thy mouth, Ps. 119.12.13. and again, I will speak of thy Testimones before Kings, & will not be a shamed, Ps. 119.46. Hereto accordeth S. Paul, wherefore exhort one another, & edify one another, even as you do, 1. Thes. 5.12. and, Exhorte one another daily, while it is called today, Heb. 3.13. he that loveth the Law, must not only love it in the knowledge of it, but also in the practice of it, & how shall he attain the practice of it, vnlese it be made known unto all, that so a general reformation may be.

The other thing required of thee, is that in love to God's Law, thou beest ready in thy place, to defend it, & the integrity & perfection of it, against all gainsayers: as the Apostle Jude saith, contend for the maintenance of the faith, which was once given unto the Saints, Iud. 3. so should we contend, for the maintenance of the integrity and perfection of the Law, which was once given unto the Saints and Church of God. This is that, which God laid to the charge of his Church long since, that, No man contendeth for the truth, Isai. 59.4. beware it be not laid to our charge also. Moses had many brethren, the Hebrews, yet would he not suffer any one of them, to suffer wrong of the Egyptianes, but rose up in their defense, and defended them so, one after another, that at last he was forced to fly for his own liefe, Exod. 2.11.15. so we brethren, if we love this Law of God, it will Kindle in us, an holy zeal of God's glory, & indignation against the enemies of God's truth, so as we shall rise up to defend & rescve any one, and everyone of God's commandments, against those that would be shredding & pareing something or other away from the same. David saith God's testimonies they were the joy of his heart: and again, oh how lou: I thy Law? think we that David, could with patience have seen this Law, which he so loved, mangled and hacked, and so defaced, as we now are forced to behold it?

I come now to the other sort of people in our Church, & they are those who be yet in darkness, & ignorance; who albeit they know much of this Law of God, yea the most of it, yet are ignerant of it in its integrity & perfection; for they are ignorant of God's 7th day Sabbath contained in his 4th come. and so they know not all the Law, they are not acquainted with the whole Law, and will of God; for number, these are the most, and therefore the case is the more lamentable: yea and by so much also the more lamentable yet, in that they are not fully instructed in a matter, which nearly concerneth them; for this they must take special notice of, to wit, that by this Law we shall be judged at that dreadful day of judgment, as many as have sinned in the Law, shall hr judged by Law, Rom. 2.12. and again, so speak ye, and so do ye, as they that shall beiudged by the Law of liberty, I am. 2.12. Now it is a fearful thing, for a man to be ignorant of any one parte ar percell of that Law, whereby he shall be adjudged: it concerns every man therefore, to study this Law, and to take in information of it, & of all the partes of it, & that with speed.

But you may say, how shall this exhortation, to love the Law of God, in its perfection, concern such as you say are ignorant of the Law, as touching its perfection? can a man love the thing unknown? for answer hereunto, we must know, that how ever a man may he be said to be ignorant of a thing, as by it self, & in particular: yet may he be said to know it, and so also to love it, by another, & in the general: I make it plain thus; he that loves one or more pieces of gold, as gold, he loves all pieces of gold; and as well those pieces in general, which he never saw, as those pieces in particular, which he hath seen: & by those particular pieces, which he hath seen, & found good & pleasant unto him, he comes to know that the other pieces unseen, being of like nature, they are also good & pleasant, and so he grows in love with them also: The case is a like, in him that hath the Inheritance of A Lord ship or Manner descended unto him, be it that he never saw nor knew, some particular Closse, Field, or Tenement of his Inheritance, yet he hath a love unto these unknown partes of his inheritance, in the general: & by the experimental commodety he finds, by some of the known partes of his inheritance, he grows in to love of the vnknowe partes also: So it is in this our case; tis true the most of men, they know not the Law of God, their inheritance, in all the partes of it, particularly, and by themselves; yet for all that, they have a knowledge & so a love to God's Law, and to the unknown partes of it, in the general, and by the other known partes; in so much as, many that are ignorant of someone or more points, in the particular, and by them selves, can yet truly say, that they love the Law of God, and the Law too, in its integrity & perfection; and out of this love in the general and by other partes, they unfeignedly desire to be made acquainted with those unknown partes in the particular, that they might, love them for themselves also.

To apply this, doest thou then love the Law of God, why make it appear then, both to thine own heart, and unto all men, by thy love unto the unknown partes of it; for he that loveth some pieces of gold in truth, he loveth all pieces of gold also, as well those unseen as those he hath seen; so must thou do, if thy love to God's Law be sound, thou must be in love with all the parts of God's law, in its integrity; as well with those unknown, as with those already known.

The way whereby thou must make known thy love, unto the unknown partes of God's Law, is in these two things: In an earnest desire to become acquainted in particular, with those unknown partes of God's Law; and, in a ready willingness to embrace the knowledge of them, when occasion by God's mercy is offered thee.

For the former, as David, desiring to be delivered from his sins, prayed not only against his known sins, but all so against his onknowne sins, saying, cleanse me from secret faults, Ps. 19.12. so we must desire & that ernestely, not only the contenuance of the knowledge of the known partes of God's Law, but also the knowledge of the unknown and secret partes of God's Law: we have the Prophet David a notable pattern in this point, how ernest a suitor, unto God was he in this case? Open mine eyes (saith he) that I may see the wonders of thy Law: & again Hide not thy commandments from me & again, give me understanding, that I may learn thy Commandments. And then, his heart bursteth again with eagre desire thereof, mine heart breaketh (saith he) for the desire to thy judgments. Thus if there be in us a firuent love unto God's Law, as there was in David, we will never be at rest, until we know God's Law yet better, and more fully, even unto perfection. The second thing, to wit, a ready willingness to embrace this knowledge, when it is tendered thee: this needeth no proof, for it followeth of it own accord; think you that after the Prophet David, had thus besought God by prayers, for further knowledge of God's Law, that then he would not have with both his arms, embraced him, that would have instructed him? how beautiful are the feet, of them which bring glad tydiuges! God's Law he called it, the joy of his heart: his inheritance; it was better unto him then thousands of gold & silver. Would not a man be ready to embrace the joy of his heart? an inheritance? and that which is better then gold and silver, when tis tendered him? Yis undoubtedly; why such is the law of God, & such also will be thy redinesse to entertain it when tendered, if truly thou lovest God's law, as David did.

I come now to apply the former of the two points: Is it so, that whosoever loveth God's law in truth, and sincerely, cannot but express his desirs to the unknown partes of it? Then hereby may men judge of their estate to Godward, to know whither they do indeed & in truth, sincerely & unfeignedly, love God's law, or not: doest thou desire the knowledge of all God's law, as well as of some of it? Doest thou desire the knowledge of the unknown partes, as well as thou lovest the knowledge of the known partes? then is thine estate good to Godward, and doubtless, thou lovest the law of God in truth of heart, and in sincerity: but if thou contentest thyself, with the knowledge of that thou doest know, not desiring to know more, if more may be known; thy case is dangerouse; it is to be suspected, that thy love to God's law, is but a feigned love, & hypocritical, & that thou art rotten at the Core, & not sound at the heart: For, he that loveth one piece of gold, he loveth all other pieces of gold; he that loveth one parte of his inheritance, he loveth every part and parcel thereof, known and unknown unto him.

Let the most men, both Ministers & people, be examined by this rule, & their love to God's laws, will be suspected: tis true indeed, they pray daily, both in public & in private, that God would increase their knowledge, & open their blind eyes; as David did, Open mine eyes that J may see the wonders of thy Law; but do they pray with David's heart, sincerely? Do they not pray with secret and reserved exceptions, and reservations? do they not indent with God secretly in heart, how far they will be enlightened, & how far not; how far they will know of God's will, & how far they will be ignorant still? Let us try both Ministers, & people. For Ministers, have they not such a distinction as this, nourished in their minds? to wit, that there be some things unknown of God's will, the knowledge whereof would make much to their praise and applause, & would be well approved of by all their brethren, and would be a meanse to establish them in their livings, if not to enlarge them; and would not cross, but rather be upholden by Antiquity, & universality &c? & there be other things unknown of God's will, the knowledge whereof would but tend to their reproach and shame, and would be generally distasted of all the Ministry, and might be a meanse to deprive them of their livings, they crossing all Antiquity & universality &c? in so much as if God should now demand, of these petitioners, what they would have of him, whither that he should bestow vpō them the whole knowledge of his will intirly, whither it make with them or against them; or only that part thereof, which might tend to their present commodety, it is to be vehemently suspected, they would choose this latter only, albeit they would blush to say so: I appeal to their consciences examined, if I hit not the mark: the reason of my such suspicion is this, in part, The knowledge of this part of God's law, touching his Sabbaths, it is not put upon them to study it out, with great pains, but it is brought home to their doors, ready studied for them. 2. The point is most easy & familiar to be understood, no difficulties in it, save what themselves do voluntarily & unnecessarily put upon it, by their vain distinctions, & frivolous objections (as something may be objected against anything): that it is easy, I know it myself, for I have fathomed it, & diued good deep into the bottom of it. I know it also by others, both of the Ministry and private men, who can see it clearly and without difficulty. Wherefore I can impute their ignorance, to nothing else, but that they are willing to be ignorant, & have no desires to be acquainted, with that unprofitable & incommodiouse part of God's will: for what is there in this controuercy of the Sabbath, that exceedeth the capacety even of the meanest? but especially if you speak of Ministers, who have a dexterity (when they will) in understanding questions of Divinity, it is not possible for them to be ignorant, had they a willing mind. I am very confident, that if they prayed to God, out of an unfeigned sincere love to God's Law, that he would inform them, in the vnproffitable part of his will, as well as in the profitable part, that God would soon send them a clear light thereof, especially, since the way is now made so open & easy. I wish they would but make experience of God in this case, according to my counsel & desire, and if they do not, it will be bitterness first or last: In a word, Ministers have heard that God's Sabbath is now in question: but which of them have gone into their studies, and deeply minded the point, out of a desire to find it & defend it, if it might be found and defended? I appeal to their consciences.

Let us now try the people by this rule, and see if there be not, like Priest, like people: it is true, these pray for an increase of knowledge in God's laws also: but do they mean to obtain a knowledge of all the law of God wholly? or of so much only as may serve the time, and please their Ministers? what their desire is shall appear by their practice; tis voiced abroad, that the Lord's Sabbaths are profaned, the 4th commandment. weekly transgressed; and that there is a book newly come forth to that effect: well, how do people now behave themselves upon these tidings? If a man should cry fire, fire, in the night, so in love men are with their housen, and so desirouse to preserve them, that instantly they startle, leap out their bedds, make inquiry where? and search round about their housen, without and with in, and will not be persuaded to bedd again till they be suer all is safe: Did men love God's laws, as they do their housen and possessions, they would not be at rest till they had scanned the point, and examined the book over again and again.

But I shall tell you one of the ordinary questions, they move upon these tidings, to wit, what think you Sir, may not a man go to heaven in the old opinion though he be ignorant of this parte of God's word, touching his proper Sabbath? to pass by what I think of heaven, let me tell you what I know of hell: I am suer a man may go to hell in the old opinion: these questions way intimate, that men resolve to give to God, no more service then what neglected, they plung body & soul in to hell fire; this is no filial but a servile mind & affection: this is far from David's prayer, open thou mine eyes that I may see the wonders of thy Law.

Let me tell you also, the success which these tidings produce with most others: say they it were much to be wished, this book had never comne forth, that this point bad never been questioned; I wish the Author had been better advised; it will cause much stir in the Church, before we were finly quiet, & this now will cast rubs in our way, our consciences will be checking of us, &c. All the answer these shall have from me, is to advise them to see to it, that by such objections, they be not like to those rebelliouse Jews, who would not receive instruction, when God would have taught them, children that would not hear the Law of the Lord: which say unto the Seers, see not: and to the Prophets, prophesy not unto us right things: but speak stattering things unto us, &c. Isa. 30.9.10. to conclude, let these their common objections speak for them, if thereby they do not bewray, that in their prayers, they intend to obtain no more of God, but a partial knowledge of his Law; and this their partiality, may breed a shrewd suspicion, their love to God's Law, is not sound and sincere: for if it were, they would not reject the means of knowledge, before they have tasted it. So much be spoken by way of use, from this, that an unfeigned love of God's Law, cannot but desire the knowledge of the unknown partes thereof.

I come now to make some application of that other property: is it so, that who so loveth God's Law in truth, he will with all redinesse, cherefulnesse, and willingness embrace the knowledge of the unknown partes thereof, when the same is tendered unto him: if we shall put men upon the trial for this point also, here we shall in the first place find many in the Ministry guilty: how unwilling they are, that the knowledge of this parte of God's Law, touching his Sabbaths, should come abroad into the world, or into their own heads; both their own consciences are privy to, and the world takes knowledge of: were the knowledge of a good living tendered them, I dare say it, few or none of them, but would have run and rid about it, with all diligence, long before this: could any man inform thē, though but doubtfully, of some Tyeth unpaid, belonging to their livings; if Lawyers would not bring them Counsaile, they would ride & make out to them for counsel about the matter: and all their wites, & friends should be employed for to find it out, as they would have it, if it were possible: but now the Tyeth of God's Law, or a portion of the tieth at least, is detained from God, and from themselves, by themselves; and here they will neither run, nor ride, nor ask for Counsaile, in this case; no nor accept & welcome it, when it is brought, & thrust in to their heads: it gives a man to suspect, that these love more unfeignedly a good living, then God's law: Nay I cannot but think, that if I had tendered unto some Ministers a living of 50 ^l . or 60 ^l . a year, & that upon no better evidence & title, then in my former book I tendered them the Lord's Sabbaths; I cannot think I say, that any man in the kingdom could wrest it out of their hands: In a word, these that are so mindelesse of God's law, when they are so mindful of their own livings, like as God said, unto his people the Jews, when they neglected the building of the Temple, & yet were diligent to build themselves houses, Is it time for you to dwell in your seiled houses, and this house lie waste? Hagg. 1.4. So may I say unto them, Is it time for you ye Ministers, to enjoy your livings, when the Lord's Sabbaths lie waste? God must have a rekoning of you for these things.

This rule being applied to common people, will detect them also: Is it so, that whosoever loveth God's law in truth, he will with all redinesse & willingness, embrace the knowledge of the unknown partes thereof? Then, if I shall make it appear, that most men are unwilling, to embrace the knowledge of the unknown partes of God's law, it will follow very suspiciously, that most men do not love the law of God in truth, what ever they say, & think to the contrary: Thus I make it good against them: The doctrine of God's Sabbaths, is a parte of the law, & it is the unknown part of God's law: Now the knowledge of this, being tendered unto men, they bewray their unwillingness to be taught & instructed in it, & that two ways; the one is, in that when the matter cometh to trial, they admit of insufficient Artificial arguments; for, they prefer feeble and weak reasons, before strong and able reasons: the other is, in that they admit of insufficient Inartificiall arguments; for they admit and allow of dissallowable and insufficient Testimonyes to decide this controuercy by: when these two things are made plain, the case will go clear against them: for a foundation, first of all, suppose we, the point in controuercy, to wit, this unknown parte of God's Law, touching his Sabbaths, is as disputable, contingent, questionable, & as doubtful as you will; in so much as in your very consciences you think, it may be, & it may not be a truth; and that it is as likely not to be true, as to be true; let all this be granted; perhaps there is some reason it should be granted, seeing that it is a point not heard of before by common people, neither have they ever spent any time in the study of the point. Well be it so, I proceed then.

For the first, to wit, that when the point of God's Sabbaths comes to be argued, people, yea Ministers also, admit of insufficient arguments, preferring them before able & strong reasons; and this shall appear, by comparing together, the reasons brought onboth sides: the reasons brought for the Lord's Sabbaths, among others are these, 1. God's express Com. Exod. 20.8. Remember the Sabbath day: and, In it thou shalt not do any work: 2. Christ ratified it, when he with so vehement an Asseueration, auowched the duration of every jot and title of the Law, unto the worlds end, saying, Verily, I say unto you, until heaven & earth perish one jot or one title of the Law shall not escape, until all things be fulfilled. And again, whosoever therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach men so, he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven, Mat. 5.18.19. On the other side, the reasons brought against God's Sabbaths, by those which are the enemies thereof are these, Gal. 4.10. ye observe days, and months, and times, and years, &c. and Col. 2.16. let no man condemn you in meat, & drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new Moon, or of the Sabbath days. Now let these arguments on both sides, be laid into the balances; they, for the Lord's Sabbath, in to the one ballāce; they, against the Lord's Sabbath in to the other balance, and then judge thou good Reader, whither hath the greater weight.

For breuitysake, we will compare only these two texts, Exo. 20.8. and Col. 2.16. The one, thou seest is a Commandment, and a Moral Commandment, & it toucheth the very point in question, to wit, the 7th day Sabbath: yea that the 4th Com. intendeth the seventh day Saturday Sabbath is so plain, as was it never doubted of by any. The other, thou seest is a disuasion from Sabbath days, indefinitely, that is, from some Sabbath days, for the Apostle saith not, all Sabbath days in general, but Sabbath days, as of some Sabbath days, in special: so then this text toucheth not the point in question, to wit, the 7th day Sabbath: but other annual ceremonial Sabbaths, if this Text, did make ought against the Moral 7th day Sabbath, it must speak of all Sabbaths, generally in the largest sense; that so the Moral Sabbath might be included & condemned too, but the text doth not mention the note of generality (all) neither is it necessarily to be collected: for 1. their own expositers as Perkins, Dod, Greenham, Elton, Ames, with diverse others (as shall be shown) do limit this text, unto some Sabbaths, as unto the ceremonial yearly Sabbaths; and. 2. The text giveth light unto it, for it condemneth only such things as never were wrote in the Moral Law, as meat, and drink, and new moons, &c. and therefore we judge the Sabbaths condemned in this Text, to be only such Sabbaths also, as were never wrote in the 10 Commandments, as their yearly Sabbaths: so the weekly Sabbaths in the 4th Com. stand still untouched, by this text. 3, suppose we, that the Apostle had spake not only of Sabbaths plurally, but also of Sabbaths generally, & had used the particle all, saying, all Sabbaths; yet we know, that the particle all, is often times restrained in Scripture, & is not taken in the largest sense that may be, witness these Scriptures, 1. Cor. 6.12. 1. Cor. 9.25. 1. Corint. 10.23.33. 1. Cor. 13.2.7. 1. Cor. 15.22. whereby we see, that this their text Col. 2.16. may be understood of some Sabbaths only, as namely of the yearly Sabbaths, and so thers no necessity it should touch the moral weekly Sabbaths at all.

Judge now good Reader, whither of these two texts are more for the purpose; for, the 4th come. it is understood directly of the 7th day weekly Sabbaths: but the text Col. 2.16. is, and may be understood of the yearly Sabbaths: and forasmuch as none ever doubted, that the 4th come. was for the weekly Sabbaths; and many have wrote it, that this text Col. 2.16. speaketh not of the weekly Sabbaths, it is partiality to choose Col. 2.16. before Exod. 20.8. Whither is the more safe think you, to embrace the Lord's Sabbaths, from the 4th Com. or, to reject them, from this text Col. 2.16? Ponder it well in your minds, whither of these two texts of Scripture, should most prevail with you, to wit, Exod. 20.8. or Col. 2.16. & this note also, that if this text Col. 2.16. prevail with you, then it must eat out the very heart & bowels of the 4th Com. If you embrace the text in their sense, to be understood of the 7th day weekly Sabbaths: therefore beware what you do: but if you understand this text Col. 2.16. only of the yearly Sabbaths, such as you read of Levite. 23.24.32.39. So you may retain both texts still, & one Scripture shall not shoulder out another. I have the rather incisted upon this text of theirs Col. 2.16. because it is their Master, chief, and choicest text against the Lord's Sabbaths.

2dly that you may the better judge of these two texts Exod. 20.8. & Col. 2.16. note, that not these two texts are compared together, as Scripture, with Scripture; but the collection & exposition of one of these texts, is compared with, and set against the other Text it self: for, as for the Text Exod. 20.8. this commandeth the 7th day, weekly Sabbath expressly, in so many words, without collection, or consequence, of ours: the 4th come. hath ever been understood of the 7th day & weekly Sabbaths, by all the Prophets, & by Christ him self, witness their practice: but the Text, Col. 2.16. doth not disswad from the 7th day weekly Sabbath, expressly, and in so many words; but it must be drawn, hailed, and wrested to the 7th day, weekly Sabbath, by feeble blind reason, collectiones, & consequences: so that whosoever doth embrace the Text, Col. 2.16. against God's Sabbaths, rather then the 4th Com. Exod. 20.8. for God's Sabbaths; he chooseth consequences before Scripture; collections before God's express word; and preferreth man's blind reason, before God's express will and pleasure: I desire the Christian Reader, to mark this last passage, with double and treble diligence: for in all my book, there is hardly anything of greater consequence: the sum whereof is this, that menes collections, reasons, & consequences, made out of some text of scripture, are not of that divine nature & infallibility, that they should countermand & overturn an express Cōmandement of Almighty God. And this is the very case, betwixt my adversaries & me: for, I bring an express Commandment, for the Lord's Sabbaths; and against them, they bring nothing else, but their own reasons, collections, & consequences fetched out of this text, Col. 2.17. & unnecessarily fetched also.

Thus by the comparing of these two texts of Scripture together, it appeareth to every eye, that whosoever refuseth the Lord's Sabbaths, upon that text Col. 2.16. rather then embraceth them, from this text Exod. 20.8. he preferreth weak & insufficient arguments, before able & strong arguments: the which whosoever doeth, after fufficient notice given him, he bewrayeth that he loveth not God's law in truth of heart, & for it self, but out of by respects: for, by his preferring this weak text Col. 2.16. before that strong text Exod. 20.8. he overturneth & razeth to the ground, a parte of God's law: & who can overthrow a parte of God's law, & yet love God's law? Suppose we that the Title of A Ministers Living, or of any man's Inheritance, were to be tried, & he could show but as good Evidence for it, as the 4th come. is for the Lord's Sabbaths; think you he would fear to leese the day, to one that eould show no better Evidence, then is the text Colos. 2.16. against the Lord's Sabbaths? no undoubtedly: or, suppose we the Title of A Ministers living, or of any man's Inheritance, were to be tried, & there were 2. Kinds of Evidence at his choice to plead, the one as strong as the 4th comand. is for the Lord's Sabbaths; the other as weak as the text. Col. 2.16. is against the Lord's Sabbaths; if now this Minister, or other person, would make choice of this weaker Evidence Col. 2.16. would not every man say, surely this Minister or this other party, care not for their Living or Inheritance, they do not love them? just so, it is an argument that men love not God's Law, nor his Sabbaths therein commanded, when they will parte with them so easily & so growndlesly: it is a sign they are unwilling to know & acknowledge the unknown partes of God's Law, when they go thus partially to work, in the trial of the point: did men love God's law, above Gold & Silver, as did David, they would not parte with his commanded Sabbaths, so lightly: a man shall find something to do to wring men's gold & silver from them; but for God's Sabbaths, you shall have them from them, without strife; where then is the love to God's Sabbaths, where is the love unto God's laws? Ministers & people may say & talk much, & make them selves & others believe, that they stand for God's laws, & love his commandments; but let them selves & all men judge, whither they speak truly or not, by this mark: is this a love to God's Law, to overthrow a parte of it, which was ever understood by all the Prophets & Apostles, of the weekly Sabbaths, by a text Col. 2.16. which doth neither mention the weekly Sabbaths at all, nor yet speak of all Sabbaths generally, so as the weekly Sabbaths must be included necessarily? this is to supplant a certainty, by a text which is doubtful & uncertain, is this love? Thus much of the first way, whereby men bewray their regardlesnesse & their unwillingness, to be taught & instructed in the perfection of the law, & in the vnkowne partes, there of; & that by preferring weak arguments, before able & strong arguments.

The 2d way whereby men bewray their unwillingness, to be instructed in the perfectiō of the Law, & in the unknown partes thereof is, in that they admit of insufficient & disallowable Testimony, for the trial of the point: that this is so, is plain by this, that all people well nigh put all their trust& confidence for the trial of this point, in their Ministers, saying our Ministers say, the 7th day Sabbath, commanded in the 4th come. is a Ceremony, & abolished; & they are men of learning, & honest godly men; & therefore we rest in them; & renonwce the Sabbath day, though it be commanded by God in the 4th come: they have studied the point, & they are a multitude of them, & this contenteth me: I know they durst not speak otherwise then they think, they be such godly holy men &c.

I must confess, the priests lips should preserve knowledge, & they should seek the law at his mouth Mal. 2.7. & therefore I have hitherto advised people, to repair to their Ministers, for direction & information in this point; but upon better aduisment I shall recant that, I will do so no more: for; I find their Testimonyes, & affirmations, & protestations, in this point false: tis true, the Priests lips should of right preserve knowleg, but I find they do destroy knowledge; it may be said of them, as the Lord said of those Priests. But ye are gone out of the way; ye have caused many to fall by the law: Mal. 2.8. just so, our Ministers now a days, if the people go to them for instruction in this 4th come. they shall have destruction; the law shall be so expounded as they will cause men to fall by the law, saying the law commandeth the Lord's day for Sabbath, & not the 7th day, which is as false as false can be. 2. I find their Testimony insufficient, & therefore, I shall no more advise peopleto take their Ministers counsel in this matter.

I come then to show the insufficiency, of our Ministers Testimony; In an approved & alowable testimony, 3. things are required the want of any one whereof doth nullify the testimony, as all Divines will confess: the first is wisdom, for how can he be thought to give a right & true verdict, that is ignorant? the 2d is, honesty, for how can we hope he should give a true verdict, that is dishonest? the 3d is Good will, for how can we expect, that he should spake that truth which he knoweth, which is an enemy to it? this evil will to the cause, will not permit him to utter his, knowledge, to the furtherance of it: or if he doth speak it, he will deliver it in such equiuocall & doubtful words & manner, as a man shall be never the better for it.

For the 2d of these properties, to wite, honesty (for I will begin with the second) I grant it to be in our Ministers; be it they be all godly & religious, yet this is but one of the properties of a warrantable Testimony. Nevertheless, because many people plead much the honesty of their Ministers, saying, they are godly, holy, & very zealouse men &c. for my parte, if I could be moved to question their honesty, here is cause enough: for what greater cause can there be, to move one to suspect their zeal to be ignorance, & their holiness to be hollowness & & feigned, then to hear them speak or dispute against God's word, & ordinance, & against an express come. in the moral law? a man would think, that man cannot be sound at the core & heart, that dares oppose god, & that unnecessarily: the which they do, that oppose his commanded Sabbaths.

For the first of these properties, to wit, wisdom: I grant they have wisdom & learning enough to understand this point; but have they employed this their wisdom & learning, in the impartial search of this point, for the finding of it out? for take a wise & learned man's testimony in any Art, or in any point about Druinity, wherein he is not studied, & he is like an unlearned man; as Sampson, when his Lockes were cut, he was weak like another man: Now be it that they have never so much learning, & wisdom, yet since they have not employed their wisdom & learning for the finding out of this point what availeth it that they are wise & learned? for in this matter, they are neither wise, nor learned; because they have used neither of thē in this study: that this is so, appeareth from their own cōfessiō; for some, & of the very chief & principal of thē, have confessed unto me, & others unto my friends who have related it truly to me, that they have said that they have studied indeed to maintain A Sabbath day, out of the 4th come. but whither it should be vpō the 7 day; or the 8th day, on the Saturday, or on the Sunday, this point never came into their minds to study it: well then, if it hath not been studied by the chief of them, that have bone the most studious & serching, it must be yielded, that the residue of them, have much more ouerskipt it: tell me then, if the sayings of these men, against this point of the Lord's Sabbaths, be to be regarded; when as it is a point, which never so much as came in to their minds to study it: Let people no more boast of the wisdom & learning of their Ministers then, nor yet of their Multitud &c. & that they all with one voice, have cried out & spake against the Lord's Sabbaths, as ceremonies; can a blind man judge of cullers? or a wise man speak of what he is ignorant of let people no more therefore rely upon the wisdom & learning of their Ministers in this point; but let them imitate those noble Bereans Act. 17. Let them search the Scriptures daily, to see if these things I tender unto them, be so or no: and this is one cause, why I reject the verdict of our Ministers in this point, because it wanteth one of the properties of a warrantable testimony, to wit, the use of their wisdom & learning: & hereby it appeareth also, upon what poor grownds, our common people have hither to gone, in relying their souls in this matter, upon their Ministers zeal, holiness, & learning; what if they be never so zealous, holy, pure, & learned, it is but a zeal without knowledge, which speaketh of things not soundly studied.

And so I come to the 3d property, namely good will: this property of a warrantable testimony our Ministers want; for they have no good will at all to the cause, but all evil will that may be; witness all their words and deeds in & about this matter: if a man hath a cause to be tried before the Judge, by 12 Jury men; if he suspecteth someone of the 12, to be his enemy, they say, it is lawful for him to except against that mā, for that cause; & the Judge will cause that man to be drawn, and another to be sworn in his room: which declareth, that a man suspected to have no good will, is not esteemed a sit man to determine of a controuercy: Now that there is cause for us to suspect most Ministers to have evil will to this cause of God's Sabbaths, appeareth 1. by their words and deeds to the contrary: among others, let those many slanders, & reproachful speeches, and hard usages, which they have used against me, for defending this cause of God's, let these I say testify whither they be friends or enemies to the cause. 2. There is great cause to suspect they will be no friends to the cause; because all their lives long hitherto, they have taught the people to the contrary, to wit, that the 7th day Sabbath is abolished: and if now they should be friends to this cause, they must vnteach what they have taught, and this they cannot bear: for so the people (as some of them have said) would never believe them again; this is such a discredit, as they that have ever lived in credit, and never denied themselves, in such a point as this, cannot tell how to bear it; & therefore can bear no good will to the cause. 3. That they should receive this point from so vile and contemptible a person as first brocheth it, this cannot be borne: it cannot be thought, their high spirits will stoop so low. 4. That the profession of this truth, may endanger them the loss of their fair livings. 5. It crosseth supposed Antiquity. 6. It crosseth universality. 7. It is impossible to be reformed. These & the like reigning & ruling in their minds, how can it be but suspicious that they have no good will to the cause? why then should it not be lawful for me, to except against these men's testimony, to have them drawn, so as they may pass no verdict touching the Lord's Sabbaths? For their testimony is quit disabled, as you see, & therefore to be rejected.

Furthermore, parties we say are no fit Judges: Now Ministers in this case are parties: for, they are violent against the Lord's Sabbaths; wherefore they are no compitent Judges: if therefore people will have any knowledge of this part of God's Law, they must get it themselves, by their own study of the point: they must search my books for God's Sabbaths, and their books & sermons against God's Sabbaths; & impartially weigh the arguments on both sids, without any regard had at all to the Authors.

Thus yousee, that if a man hath knowledge of this truth, & hath Honesty also, yet if his goodwill be wanting his opinion & judgment is of no worth: yet fruther I argue, if that a man's testimony be worth less, for want of goodwill to the cause, when as he once by wisdom knoweth the truth first; then much more worth less is it, when he was stuffed with a prejudice of the point before he knew it, that is, when he had evil will to the point before he knew it: now this is the case of our Ministers, as may be conjectured by the consideration of those 7. arguments before mentioned: for at their very firsthearsay of the point, before they had read the book, or studied the point, thes stumbling blocks appeared instantly, to wit, if they embrace it, there followeth loss of credit, loss of living, & the rest; so as their minds are so forestalled with fears of these dangers, as they cannot regard what they hear, nor what they read; their judgment is quite overthrown for the most part: & in this case, say that they read the book about the pointe, they read rather with a mind desirouse to carpe & cawill at everything, as joyful to make false, what they fear to embrace; rather then to be further enlightened in the point, as I appeal to their consciences, if I say not true of them: further, the truth hereof appeareth, that their minds & judgments are forestaled, against this point, before they read or study the point: for, many Ministers, yea the most who never studied the point, no nor ever saw so much as the outside of my former book, yet at the first hearsay of it, cry burn the book, & the like: wherefor, if people shall say, I, but now our Ministers have better studied the point, they have seen & redd his book, & are yet as violent against it as before &c. why what marvel, seeing they set upon reading it, with a forestaled opinion? they resolved by reading it, to get no good by it, but to see where it was weak in their conceit, & so to blaze that a broad: for they want that property of an allowable witness, to wit, goodwill.

And what though people say, their Ministers are many, who are of the same mind? for the opinions of 10000. of them, are not worth a rush in this case: the opinion of someone Minister, who speaketh for the Lord's Sabbath, with hazard to loose his living, and credit, with the rest, is more to be esteemed and prized by the people I auowch it, then is the opinions of 10000. Ministers, who speak against the Lord's Sabbaths, not daring to do otherwise, for fear of loss of living, credit, and those other discommodities forementioned; the Testimony of one Martyr, is of more worth, then of all his persecutors: for the witness of these many, is to be suspected, to speak for their profit rather then for a good conscience, but the witness of that one, is to be thought to speak rather for his conscience, then for his profit. Wherefore if people will be led by the judgment of others rather then by themselves; or if they will lean anything at all to other men's judgments, let them choose to follow the opinion of him that looseth by his judgment, rather then of them who make again by their opinion

That this point may be yet clearer, see what a power carnal fear hath over a good conscience: in the days of Christ, it is said John. 12.42. Nevertheless among the chief Rulers, many believed in him; but because of the pharises they did not confess him, lest they should be cast out of the Synagogue: loe here what a carnal fear will do, it can make men afraid to speak and confess, what they belecue is a truth! the fear of being excommunicated, made them that they durst not confess Christ him self: you know also, how some of the Martyrs through fear, have for a season denied the truth: you know also, how Peter, through fear denied his Lord & Master, yea and forswore him too: wherefore, be it that Ministers have wisdom & learning & do know this truth; be it also, that they be godly & make conscience; why all this may be, & yet of fear they may deny God's truth when they do know it; & also much sooner, of fear they may refuse to learn to know this truth, when it is tendered them: for Peter knew Christ, & Peter was a godly Minister also, and made conscience: & so the Martyrs, & yet you see how far fear to displease men, & fear of damage may prevail.

The consideration therefore, of these many stumbling blocks in the way of Ministers, whereof they cannot be ignorant, should me think strike them with a fear, that they speak partially and corruptly, when they speak against the Lord's Sabbaths; knowing how easy a thing it is, for men's minds to be forestaled with a prejudice, when a point is tendered unto them, attended with so many discommodities as this is; I wish they would stay upon the meditation of this point a while, that it may do them good.

Now as for people, since they have heard at large, how insufficient the opinion & judgment of their Ministers is, whilst they speak against the Lord's Sabbaths, if hereafter they will still cleave, unto their judgments for the trial of this truth, they shall bewray their unwillingness to be instructed in the integrity & perfection of God's Law, & consequently, that they love not the Law of God in truth. Yea, a worse matter; they bewray that they make Idols of their Ministers, equalling them to God, if not advancing them above God: for many people, yea zealouse professoures, do set more by what their Ministers say, then by what God himself saith: for God saith expressly in that Moral Law, Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it. No saith the Minister, you must not Sanctify it: & to culler his speech, he cales and miscales it a ceremony & Jewish &c. now of these two, that is, of God or the Minister, who is obeyed? are not the Ministers words regarded, & God's word neglected? who cold think, that men professing godliness, should so sleight their God?

Did men love God's Law, above gold and silver, as David did; and did they account it as their inheritance, as David did; they would never hazard the loss of any portion of it, upon such sleity shifts as these, to say our Ministers speak against it: And our Ministers say it is a ceremony, & the like: when the Title of A man's Inheritance is in question, be it that one Lawyer saith his title is not good, yet the Heir will not so rest in his judgment, but he will try another: & if an hundredth Counsailers should tell him one after another, that his Title is naught, yet if among them all, but someone whom he thinketh an honest man, should tell him his Title is sound & good; would not he retain him for his Counsailer, & cleave unto his judgment? so, if you were in love with the ways and Laws of God, though an hundredth Ministers should all speak against them, or against any branch or portion of them: you would reject them all, suspecting their zeal, holiness, & judgments, that dare speak against any of God's Laws, & you would cleave unto that one, who speaketh for God, & for his Laws.

There remaineth yet two uses more, to be made of this exhortation, to love God's Law: the former is this; is it so, that thou doest love God's Law, then thou wilt ever more side it, & take parte, not only with such partes of God's Law, as are already infalliblie known unto thee to be partes thereof; but also thou wilt take parte with such partes of God's Law, as are but suspected by common presumptiones, to be partes of the same: as if there be but probabilites, conjectural hopes; & liklihoods of it: thus an Heir will do with his Inheritance, if any man shall inform him after he is come to his Lands, that in all likelihood, such an Acre of Land is percell of his Inheritance, he will redily embrace this newse, forthwith he will search his Evidences, & he will to Counsaile upon this intelligence, and if there remain but a possibility or probale likelihood that it may be his, he will to Law for it, &c. The case is a like, if a man be but excequtor to his deceased frȳd, he will not only use means, for the gathering up of such debts, as in his own knowledge, are owing unto his deceased friend, but also, if there be but a brute & rumor, that such a one oweth his friend a some of money, or if he can get but any inkling or notice of such a debt, though it be but a bare likelihood, he will forthwith take parte that way, & use all possible means, to make it appear to be a debt, and to bring it out of doubt, and question.

Let us apply this then; the Lord's Sabbaths on the Saturday, are a parte of God's law, & plain enough too if men had minds to see; but because of their vnwillingenesse to side it with god, for his Sabbaths, therefore we must here suppose the matter doubtful, where no doubt is, & but probable, conjectural, & likely: that God's Sabbaths, are things probable, conjectural, & likely to be in force, I thus make it good; 1. because they stand written & in rolled, among the Moralles, in the Decalogue 2. because all the other 9. commandments, which were de • uerd at the same time, & in the same manner, they all belong unto us; & therefore it cannot be less then lykly, that this for God's Sabbaths also, should belong unto us: especially since also, they confess that the other duties, of rest & holiness, commanded at one breath with the Tyme of God's Sabbath, & in the self same commandment, these belong unto us; it cannot be then, but likely at the least, that the Tyme of God's Sabbaths also should belong unto us: it were very strange that 9. of the 10. come. should descend unto us, & not the whole 10. nay, more strange it is, that 9. & an half, or that 9. & the greatest parte of the 10th should descend unto us, & not all the 10. fully & completely; yet such strange stuff is delivered us now, if we will believe it: it is as if the kingdom of England, should descend to King Charles, with all the Shires, Counties, & Cities, save London, or Norwich: 3. it is likely & probable that the Lord's Sabbaths are ours, because, they were once in the possession of our Auncestores, the primitive Churches, who kept the Saturday Sabbath, for 300. or 400. years together after Christ's Ascension. 4. there is some probability in it, in that someone man (as myself) doth stand up to defend the Lord's Sabbaths: let but any one man in a County, rise up, & inform for theking, and forth with the Judges of Assise will admit his information, and Counsaile shall plead for the cause: albeit the Judges, nor happily, hardly any in the whole County, do know the matter to be so, besides the Informer and one or two more with him: so then, the information by one single man, may make the matter probable and likely to be true. It is a clear case then, that by common presumptions, it is not less then likely, that the Saturday Sabbath, is a parte of God's Law belonging unto us.

Is it so, what remaineth then, but that we exhort and persuade men everywhere, to side it, and to take parte with this parte of God's Law, touching God's Sabbath, whensoever it cometh unto trial, or into controuercy; but never to oppose it, or to take up arms against it: to this end, let me propound unto you sundry reasons and Motiues, as 1. the Law of God, with all the partes thereof, are the Inheritance of the Church Deut. 33.4. and so David made it his Inheritance Psal. 119.111. and our Church whereof we are members, hath also taken this law, to be our Inheritance, as hath been shown: now a man were unnatural, if he would not side it with him self, and take part in defense of that which is his own; the law of God, it is our own, in as much as we have a share in it as in a common Inheritance, being we are members of the Church; yet behold how unnatural many men are, both Ministers, and people! if God's Sabbaths come into question, they all forsake them, like as the Disciples did Christ, when he was apprehended: nay worse, they turn enemies unto them, they nickname them reproachfully, and smite them with the tongue, calling them Iuish, & Judaism, and ceremonies, & shadows: why be it that this parte of God's law, touching his Sabbaths, be not certainly known unto thee, to belong unto thee, only thou hast but some probabilities, conjectures, & common presumptions that it doth belong unto thee; yet, if thou doest not improve all these probable arguments, and manage these common conjectures and presumptiones, to the utmost for god and for his Sabbaths, it bewrayeth, that thou art not so faith full, in executing the will of thy god, as many Excecutors are in execution of the will of their deceased friend: for they will omit no debt that they can have any inkling of; but thou bast notice of a debt of the Sabbath day, owing to god, and yet wilt not side it with god, nor improve these tidings to the utmost, in behalf of thy god. It bewrayeth also, that thou takest not God's law to be thine Inheritance: for if thoudidst, thou couldest not sit still in silence, when thou hast notice brought thee, that some moitie and portion thereof is wrongfully detained from thee.

A 2d motive is, because a man's taking in with God's Sabbaths, will declare him to be a friend to the law of god: every man would be esteemed a friend unto God's law: well then, let it appear thou atte so indeed and not in name only, by taking in with this parte of God's law, which commandeth the Saturday Sabbath: use thy wites, employ thy study, thy tongue, thy friends, and what thou canst for the furtherance of this part of God's law, concerning his Sabbath: The Lord's 7th day Sabbath, it is lost, as was the woman's Groate luk: 15.8. she had 10. groates, and having lost but one of the 10. she never leaves sweeping and seeking till she hath found it; so should we for this one command, lost from the 10. if a man hath an 100. sheep, & looseth but one of them (saith our Savior) he leaveth the nynty and nine in the wilderness, & goeth after that one, until he find it Luk: 25.4. so should we take more pains and care & study, to regain this Command, touching the Lord's Sabbaths, then after all the other nine, and an half: but how can they be esteemed friends to God's law, who side it, with those, that side it against God's Sabbaths?

A 3d motive is from the worth and excellency of God's Law: the Prophet David telleth us, that it is to be loved above gold, yea above most fine gold, Ps. 119.127. and it was unto him, better then thousands of gold and silver, Ps. 119.72. if therefore thou knowest not the price and worth of God's Law, & the Sabbaths therein commanded, learn it of David who knew the value of it, it is better then gold and silver; yea, as good, as all riches put together, Ps. 119.14. no man will be an enemy to gold & to silver; be not thou then an enemy to God's Sabbaths; for they are better then thousands of gold and silver, we may beleene the Prophet David: every man will be a friend unto riches, why be thou a friend then unto God's Sabbaths, for they are as good as all riches in the world.

A 4th motive to stir the up to side it with God's Sabbaths, is because in so doing, thou shalt side it, & take parte with God himself: for the 7th day Sabbaths, they are God's; and therefore, he calleth them his, saying, mine holy day, Isa. 58.13. and the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, Exo. 20.10. &, they are God's because God commanded them, Remember the Sabbath day, Exod. 20.8. whosoever therefore taketh parte with the Lord's Sabbaths, he taketh parte with God also, whose those Sabbaths are: it is usual with God & man, to take that as done to them selves, which is done to that which by way of excellency they call theires: every man would be glad to take parte with God (they say) all though it were against all the world; for God is strongest, & wisest, & able to reward a man well for his pains, & his favor is better then liefe; well then, stand for God's Sabbaths, for they are God's, and so thou shalt take in with God, & fight under his Banner. But woe to that man that opposeth God's Sabbaths; for as the other bewrayeth him self to be a friend of God's, so this, bewrayeth him self to be an enemy to God, and God will destoy all his fees. If this argument will not avail with men I know not what will; if they had rather take parte with men, against God & that which is God's; then with God & that which is God's, against men, then let them go on; if it go well with such, I shall not care how I live here. It is holden good policy, to side it with the strongest, for my parte I know none stronger then God, I will therefore side it with him; For thats the safest: wherefore, I have resolved upon it, to take parte with God's Sabbaths, and with them to live, and to die.

The 5th & last motive shall be from the consideration of the Title whose it is; & this is to be regarded, for if the Title in controuercy, be but a common man's, then to oppose it, is but common danger; but if it be the Title of a King, then men had need take heed how they take parts against it: so the Title of the Sabbaths, now in controuercy, to be tried; if they were called man's Sabbaths, & of man's institution, then to oppose them the danger were not so great: But these Sabbaths are called God's Sabbaths, of his institution; therefore the Title here is not man's, but God's, the King of kings: here then take heed if ever thou tookest heed how thou oppose God's Title: if a father hath the Title of his land, in trial before the Judge, though the bastard regardeth not whither he wine or loose, because he knoweth that he shall never inherit; yet the true borne son, wisheth in his heart, that his fathers Title may have the day, so long as he seeth there is a probability that it is his fathers: So doubtless, every true borne son of God, cannot but wish from his heart, that the Title of God his father, touching his Sabbaths may prevail, rather then go down: but he that regardeth not which end goeth forward, as we say, he bewrayeth himself to be no son, but a bastard; but he that not only regardeth not which end goeth forward, but which is far worse, turneth himself enemy to his fathers Title, insomuch as he dareth with an impudent face dispute, and openly in Court plead against, and in pulpit preach against his fathers Title, what a one he bewrayeth himself to be, I have no names bad enough to give him.

If an informer cometh into the Court, & informeth for the King, albeit the Court knoweth not how he is able to make good & prove his information, yet it being a matter probable, seeing it is the Kings cause, both the Judge and all the Justices, even the whole Court, do countenance the cause: yea & so far forth take in with it, as that if it be possible, so as no injustice be done, nor any Law of the Realm thereby violated, he that informeth for the King, shall have the day, rather then a private subject; and good reason for it: Well, in the case of the Lord's Sabbaths, I inform for the King of kings, the King of heaven & earth; it is now the parte of all God's Ministers, both superior as Bishops, & inferior as common Preachers, to take in with this cause of God's Sabbaths, as God's cause, their Lord & King; & to countenance it to their utmost; yea, so far forth to back it, & take part with it, as God's Sabbaths may have the day, if no law of God, nor text in Scripture, be thereby violated, as I dare pawn my life for it, there shall not. If Ministers in the Church, both superiors and inferiors, do not thus honor God before the people, by giving his cause the preeminence; the Magistrates of the common weal, shall rise up in judgment against them, & condemn them.

I come now to the last use of the point; Is it so, that thou lovest the law of God; then take up a daily lamentation, for the lameness & imperfection of God's law; for the weekly violation of God's 4th come. and for the profanation of God's Sabbaths; if we have not God's Law, in its integrity, and perfection, as we have not, if we want his Sabbath therein commanded, then have we but a lame & imperfect law; and if the Saturday be God's Sabbath, as I have shown it is, and shall further prove hereafter, then is the 4th come. weekly broken, and God's Sabbaths weekly profaned.

As David hath been our President, showing us how we should love God's law; so let him be our President, to show us how we should mourn for the violation & transgression of God's Law: Mine eyes gush out (saith he) with rivers of waters, because they keep not thy Law, Psal. 119.136. And again, I saw the transgressors, & was grieved, because they kept not thy word, Psal. 119.158. It is a property then of a Godly man, to mourn, and to grieve, to see God's Laws transgressed; and the reason of that his sorrow & grief, is because he loveth God's Law, as David did: Oh then that all sorts of people, would bewray their love to God's Law, by their sorrow of heart, to see it transgressed weekly, in the profanation of God's Sabbaths? Again, & doest thou indeed love the Law of God? how canst thou but take it to heart, to see this holy and Divine Law of thy God so mangled & defaced, so lame & imperfect, as in these days it is, in all Christian Churches? It is, and ever hath been, a special favor of God, to betrust any Nation or people, with his word and Oracles; as we may see it in Rom. 3.1.2. What is the preferment of the Jew? &c. much enery way, for chiefly, because unto them were of credit committed the Oracles of God. Where the Apostle counteth it, a preferment of the Jew; and the chief preferment to have the word of God committed unto their custody: and it is reported of them, that they have been ever very faithful, in keeping the letter of the text uncorrupted. Among all Nations and people it hath pleased Almighty God, to prefer this our English Nation with this chief preferment, and to be trust us with the custody of his word and Oracles, those 10 Commandments, wrote with his own finger: our Church is now become the receptacle and House of God, wherein he hath laid up his word, for its conservation; it is the ground and pillar, to supporte and bear up this truth, as Paul. calleth it, 1. Tim. 3.15. hath God, thus in special favor to our Nation, preferred us above many Nations, and that with his chief preferment, to betrust us, with the custody of his Law and Oracles; and shall we prove so unfaithful to him, as to take care but of some pieces of these Oracles only? What Nation (saith Moses) is so great, that hath ordinances & Laws, so righteous, as all this Law, which I set before you this day? Deut. 4.8. hath God betrusted us with a righteous Law; and with a Law so righteous, as no Nation under heaven but such as know God, and such as have the very same, hath the like to it; Yea, not only are some pieces of this Law, so righteous; but all the whole Law, is of the same nature; so saith Moses, so righteous, as (all this Law) is which I set before you this day: and shall not we preserve then all this Law? the whole Law, intirly, in its perfection? we should blush for shame to do otherwise: we should lament & mourn to see it otherwise.

It is true, we keep these Oracles intirly in the letter, so do Papists; but whats the letter, when we weaken diminish and abolish the binding force of it? for we say, this parte of God's Oracles, (But the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work) doth not bind us Christians: In it, that is, in it 7th day, thou shalt not work, saith God: I but this prohibition bindeth not now say some Ministers: no? what do we with Laws, if they bind us not? as good take away the sense of the words of the Law, and so it shall be senseless; as to take away the binding of the Law, whereby it is made forcelesse: the binding power of a Law, is the life and soul of the Law, take away then its binding power, & it is but a deadlieflesse Law; it is but a Cipher, or a blank; and so the Church shall be but like the Lottery pot, which holdeth some blanks among the prises: suppose we should say of the other 9 Oracles, that we preserve the letter of them intirly, but hereunto we should add this, that they bind not us Christians now; what bauocke should we thus make of the Moral Law? it is all one therefore to reject the Law, as to reject its binding power, whereby it bindeth us.

We have already shown, how this Law of God is mangled and defaced; oh that all people would bewail this! oh that the King would take it to heart! so did the good King Josiah, when the Law had been lost for a time, he rent his clothes, 2. King. 22.11. oh that the Bishops of the Land would take it to heart! so did Eli the Priest, when he heard that the Ark of God was taken from them, 1. Sam. 4.17.18. he died for grief of heart; why the Lord's Sabbaths, were his hallowed times, as the Ark his holy place. Oh that the people of the land, would take it to heart! so did the people in Nehemiah's time; for saith the text, all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law, Nehe. 8.9. And is there not like cause for our people to weep also, when in the Congregation they hear these Tenn Oracles read, and yet but nine, or nine & a piece of them kept? for that which concerneth the 7th day Sabbath, is altogether by everyone neglected. Ezra the Priest when he took into consideration, the unlawful Marriages of the people, it is said, he rent his clothes, and plucked of the hair of his head, and beard, and sat down astonied, Ezra. 9.3. because of their strange Marriages: how should we then be affected to think of the strange Sabbaths, which now are kept? for we have diuorsed & put away from us, God's ancient Sabbaths, and we are married to a new Lord's day Sabbath, a strange Sabbath, never heard of in Scripture, for a Sabbath.

Great cause we have to lament: for, 1. the Sacred & holy day, which is of greatest antiquity, is profaned; this Holy day, being as ancient, as the world it self, Genes. 2.3. secondly, the most honorable Holy day, is unhallowed; For God him self made it an holy day, by blessing it, and sanctifying it, Genes. 2.3. Yea, and God himself rested on it, Genes. 2.2.3. Therefore it is two ways honorable. 3. That day which God expressly commanded, Exod. 20.8. is profaned, and by profaning of it, not only God's 4th Com. is violated; but also, God's example is profaned, and set at naught: for we do not now imitate God, by resting on the 7th day as he did, we have another day, to wit, the 8th day. And also God's reason, which he annexed to the 4th Com. to allure and persuade men to keep his 7th day Sabbath, this is nullified, and out of all use in these our days, & so God's reasons are profaned, as not worth the naming in our Churches: is not this to be lamented, when neither God's Com. nor God's example, nor yet God's reasons, can avail with us? sometimes things honorable, sometimes things Auncient are admired and esteemed; but here loe, neither the Antiquity, nor yet the Honourablenesse of the Lord's Sabbaths, can avail with us, and is not this to be lamented? what an iron age live we in, that none of all these cane move us?

A 4th cause of lamentation is, because by this neglect of the right day, and keeping of a wrong day; by setting a common & unhallowed day, to wit, the Lord's day, in room of a Sanctified and holy day, namely the Sabbath day, all our Religion in keeping this vnballowed day, (for God never hallowed it) in Conscience of the 4th come. is mere superstition; and God may say unto our people another day, who required this at your hands? thus are people abused; and is not this a cause of lamentation? some lament for the Ceremonies of the Church, as the Surplice and the like: some complain of Arminianism how it spreads: some complain of Popery used in corners of the land: everyone complains of his grievance, but I hear none of them all complain of the profanation of the Lord's Sabbaths, of God's example, of God's reasons, and of God's 4th come. no man takes these to heart, albeit everyone of them have their hands in these profanationes: I wish the current of men's complaints, would turn unto these things, which more neerley concerneth them, then those others.

A 5th cause of lamentation is, because unto the conscionable sanctifying of the Lord's Sabbaths, there are promises annexed, see Isa. 58.13.14. and on the other side, to such as profane them, there are curses annexed, se Numb. 15.32.35. Nehem. 13.1718. now inasmuch as we profane that very day, to wit, the Saturday Sabbath, unto which these promises were properly made; it followeth, that we are not now capable of any of those promises; because we keep not the day, unto which the promises were made: I confess that our Divines have and do apply these promises, unto a Counterfaite day, to wit, the Lord's day, & that they might do it with the less suspicion, & with the greater applause, they have like counterfaiters & dissemblers, called this Lord's day, Sabbath day: thus by their human imposition, of new names, upon the days of the week, the simple well meaning people are beguiled: but the day unto which these promises properly do belong, it is the day, called in a Divine accompt Sabbath day, not unto the day so called in an human accompt; not unto the day called Lord's day.

And is not this to be lamented, when people neglect their proffites, & commodites on the Lord's day; some loose their Corn, some their Hay, many poor men, their labor and work whereby they maintain their families; with many other losses and damages to their estates, which might be rekoned up; and all these the well minded people of the land, do willingly neglect and loose, & all in hope of these promises; trusting to make a better exchange, that for loss of erthly things in conscience to God's Command. they shall gain heavenly things, and interest into God's promises: but behold, they must fail of the promises, because they fail God in the Condition: for God's promises rune thus, if thou perform the condition, which is to Sanctify the day named Sabbath day, not the day named Lord's day: tell me now, is not this matter of just lamentation, to see the people of the land, thus beguiled and deceived, and that both in their temporal estate, & also of the promises of God? if men have any compassion & brotherly love in them, they cannot but sorrow and mourn for these things.

On the contrary, as for those forementioned Curses, annexed to the Sabbath day, and the profaners of it: whereas our people hope to avoid them, by a religious sanctifying of the Lord's day; behold, the people to be pitied! for all that, they fall into the danger of these Curses; because they profane that very day, named Sabbath day, unto the profanation of which, these curses were poperly made: for these curses, were never made unto the profanation of the day named Lord's day, or unto the day nicknamed & counterfeitly called Sabbath day, as now the Lord's day is: for these curses were threatened long before ever the Lord's day, had any being, or could be kept for a Sabbath day, if it had ever so been kept: as for their religious sanctifying of the Lord's day in conscience of this 4th come. God may say unto them, who required it at your hands? & is not this also matter of just lamentation, to see well minded people, strive and endeavor with great diligence, to avoid God's Curses, and yet by reason of miseinformation, & corrupt teaching, to fall into danger of them? yea, it is the more pitiful, in that the self same labor & devotions, had they been performed both on the day before, they had for certain, & out of all doubt, both been liable to all the promises, made to them that keep God's Sabbaths; and also been freed from the least danger of the Curses, threatened to such as break the Lord's Sabbaths.

The 6th and last cause of lamentation, is to see the priests of the Lord, of all men, God's Ministers, turn enemies to God's Law: for they will needs without any necessity at all, make something in God's Law ceremonial and so abolished, Judaical & so to be hated; they cannot abide that God's 10. command. should be like a chain of 10. links, all of pure gold, one link as well as another: but though all the 9. be pure gold, yet someone of the 10. must be partly gold partly lead; partly moral partly ceremonial, as if snow could be partly white partly blake; or a shadow and ceremony placed in the heart of a moral Law! thus they make God's Law, like unto Nebukadnezzars Image, which he saw in his dream, Dan. 2.32. partly gold, and partly clay: surely this their fiction is but a dream, God's Law must be moral in every jot and Title of it, it must be all gold or none gold, all clay or none clay: but our Ministers will be partial in the Law; they will not endure it to be moral in all the partes thereof; they are enemies to the integrity & perfection of it: that servants should not take parte with the commandments of their Masters, but oppose them; that children should not take parte with the command. of their fathers, but turn enemies to them; that subjects should not take in with their King to defend his Laws, but set them selves against them; it is vndutifulnesse, disloyalty, and rebellion; but that Ministers, whom God hath taken so near unto him, as to make them of his Counsaile; and to make it their proper office to defend his Laws, & to this end hath allowed them large maintenance as the Tyeth of the Realm &c. that these kind of men, should refuse to defend his Law, and turn enemies unto it in whole or in parte, what should I say? it is high time the world were at an end: as the Sabbath is God's ordinance, so the Decalogue is God's Law: now were men professed enemies to God, then if they should do what in them lieth, to abolish his Sabbaths, & to reject as much of his Law as possibly they could with any color devise, it were but suitable to their profession; but that we, who are professed friends to God and to his Law, & therefore should embrace as many of his ordinances, and as much of his Law as possibly we could; that we I say, should reject, any of God's ordinances, and desire and endeavor to reject and abolish as much of God's Law, as possibly by any wite we can devise, this is monstrously horrible, and much to be lamented.

This I dare considently auowch, that if our Ministers pleased but to take parte with God, and would but speak for God's Sabbaths, what with a very little study, they are enabled to speak, both by partes of nature, and Art, that all the world could never be able to withstand them; they would victoriously bear down all oppofition: and is it not to be lamented, when Ministers will not do for God, what they can, or may do? but instead of their little study in defense of this cause, all their care and study is how they may be still ignorant of the point, lest by knowledge of it they should speak for it, and so endanger their livings & reputations and the like: for generally they do eschew the reading of my book, whereby they might be instructed in the point, without their labor, unless it be some few, who read it only to spy a mote in mine eye, and that they may pick out something to say against it: yea, they eschew also all arguing conferences, among them selves in private, whereby the point may be scanned and come to light: they permit not any of their brethren, to take up a defense of the Lord's Sabbaths, & to argue against the Lord's day, albeit he doth it but for argument sake, the better to boult out the truth; if any in the company will be more ingenuouse and true hearted then the rest, as desirouse by opposeing of our tenets to find out the truth, the shall be snibed & curbed; some man of eminency in the place will put all to silence with such words as these, no more of this point now, no more of this argument in this place; thus they are afraid least God should by their conferences enlighten them: these things have been related to me by credible persons: and are not these things to be lamented? any man shall have free liberty, heart and good will, to speak in their company, anything he can invent, against God's Sabbaths, & for the Lord's day, but not on the contrary, to speak for the Lord's Sabbaths, & against the Lord's day: take my word for it, you shall never hear 2. Ministers scann this point pro and con before any of the people, as you shall hear them in some other pointes of doubt: nay it were to be wished, that any 2. Ministers would by themselves when none hear, them, argue the point seriously pro & con, the one taking the one parte, the other its contrary, that so God's truth may be found out; but I fear me, a man shall as soon draw a Bear to the stake, to be baited with dogs, as draw them to any such course as may bring the point to light; they cannot but foresee, the issue of this course would be, what they would should not be: & is not this to be lamented, if I should not prevail with them in so reasonable a request as this is? I desire my brethren of the Ministri, to take into deepest consideration God's Sabbaths, to study the point seriously, to cast a side prejudice; & out of a love to this ordinance of God's, study but what may be found in its defense, to study but with a like good will to defend this point, as they do other pointes: and is not this to be lamented if I shall not prevail?

When Paul was to take his last farewell of the Church of Ephesus, he could say with a good conscience, that he was pure from the blood af all men, because he had kept nothing back, but had shown them all the counsel of God, Act. 20.26.27. But how many of our Ministers, when they lie a dying, shall be able thus comfortably to plead for themselves I know not: can they say they have kept nothing back of God's counsel, what not his Sabbaths? can they say to their flock, they have shown them, all the Counsaile of God; what all the Law, in its integrity and perfection? what every Iote & Title of the Law? have they baulked nothing for fear & carnal respects? or for want of that industry that might & ought to have been in them, in serching out every jot & title of God's Law in its perfection? for this let them know, that they must be countable to God, not only for baulking & concealing what they know; but also for not declaring unto the people, what by their study, they might and ought to have known; if therefore they have not been so painful & studiouse in the serching out of this parte of God's Law, as they might and ought to have been, they may acquit themselves before men, but before God they shall never acquit them selves, especially, if they have refused a light into God's Law, when it hath been tendered unto them: and is not this to be lamented, when Ministers will die with festered & guilty consciences?

Many fear that Popery may invade us again, and that were dangerouse; but sure I am Sabbath breaking doth reign amongst us, and that is more dangerouse: I mean it is more dangerouse to continue among us, then the other to invade us: for every man is ashamed to say ought in defense of Popery; but on the other side, every man is imboldened to speak in defense of Sabbath breaking, and no man is ashamed to speak against the Lord's Sabbaths, no not the Lord's Ministers; wherefore this sin, is a dangerouse sin, men may commit it with authority of their Ministers; men may commit it without blushing, no man may check & control them by the 4th come. for their Ministers will defend them in it: and is not this to be lamented, when men shall be boulstered out & defended in sin, & that by Authority of the Ministry? when I marvel then, will this sin be reformed? As it was in those unlawful marriages, the text saith, And the hand of the Princes and rulers, hath been chief in this trespass, Ezra. 9.2. So may I truly say, in this Sabbath breaking, the hand of the Ministers & Teachers, hath been chief in this trespass: by so much the more therefore to be lamented.

But some man may say unto me, what shall it profit a man to lament these corruptions of our time? he shall amende nothing thereby; for men are settled in their courses; & thers no stirring of them &c. Well, be it so, if needs it must be so; yet this know, that if by thy tears, thou canest not amend others, yet hereby is not thy labor lost to thyself, unless thou thikest that the Prophet David's tears were in vanie, when he said, Mine eyes gush out with rivers of waters, because they keep not thy Law, Psal. 119.136. God hath a bottle for such tears; for here by thou bewraiest thy love to God: and thy love to God's Law; & thy love to the welfare of the souls of thy brethren: and further, as God diliuered just Lot vexed with the sines of those times, 2. Pet. 2.7. so will God deliver thee, in the day of vengeance & of his hotest indignatiō; & to this end, God will give his Angels charge, to mark thee out for a son of Salvation, as he did those Jews in Jerusalem, who mourned for the sins of those times; And the Lord said unto him, go through the mids of the Citty, through the mids of Jerusalem, & set a mark upon the foreheads of them that mourn, & cry for all the abominations that be done in the mids thereof, Ezek. 9.4. our lamentation therefore, for the sins of our times, shall not be in vain.

For conclusion; let us make our daily prayers, unto Almighty God, that he would bring into the way of truth, all such as have erred, and are deceived: and again to confirm this prayer, say, We beseech thee to hear us good Lord.

Remember the Sabbath day, to sanctify it &c. But the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work &c. for, the Lord rested the 7th day, Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, & hallowed it.

Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this Law.

CHAP. III. A discovery of the weakness and insufficiency, of all those Texts of Scripture, and arguments, which are usually brought, to prove the Lord's day, a Sabbath day, by Divine institution.

I Have finished the two first partes of my book; the former whereof was in defense of the Moral Law: the latter was an exposition of the 4th come. together with a discovery of the horrible & abhominable corruptions & abuses thereof. My third task, and third parte of my book, shall be to discover the weakness & insufficiency of those Texts of Scripture, and arguments, which are usually brought, to prove the Lord's day, a Sabbath day, by God's ordinance & appointment.