A. That the Creation of all Things was finished, and the World entirely made; this refting of God being fpoken after the Manner of Men; and implieth not any Wearinefs in him, for the Ifai. 40. Creator of the Ends of the Earth fainteth not, nei- 28. ther is weary. It was by the Ancients made the Symbol of the Reft of the Just from all their Labours; when all Grief, Sorrow, and Sighing fhall fly away, and God fhall be all in all. Q. Why was that feventh Day, called Saturday, commanded to be obferved by the Jews? A. To be a Sign to teftify what God they Ezek. zo. worshipped, whereby they profeffed that Jehovah, zo. and no other was the God of Ifrael, and confequently was an admirable Inftitution to fecure Exod. 31. them from Idolatry. For by fanctifying the fe- 13. venth Day, after they had laboured fix, they avowed themfelves Worshippers of that only God, who created the Heaven and the Earth, and having spent fix Days in that great Work, refted the feventh Day; and therefore commanded this fuitable Distribution of their Time,' as a Badge that their religious Service was appropriated to him alone. And by fanctifying that feventh Day, namely Saturday, they profefs'd themselves Servants of Jehovah their God, in a relation and respect peculiar and proper to themfelves; viz. that they were Servants of that God who redeemed Ifrael out of the Land of Egypt, and Deut. 5. out of the Houfe of Bondage. For upon the Morn-15. ing-Watch of that very Day they kept for their Sabbath, he overwhelmed Pharaoh, and all his Hoft, in the Red Sea, and faved Ifrael that Day out of the Hand of the Egyptians. Q. How far, and in what manner, doth the 2. A. The Chriftian, as well as the Jew, after fix Days spent in his own Works, is to fanctify the feventh, that he may profefs himself thereby a Servant to God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth, as well as the Jew; but in the Defignation of the Day they differ. The Chriftian chufeth for his Day of Reft, the first Day of the Week, that he might thereby profess himself a Servant of that God, who on the Morning of that Day vanquished Satan, and redeemed us from our fpiritual Thraldom, by raising Jefus Christ our Lord from the Dead, begetting us, instead of an earthly Canaan, to an Inheritance incorruptible in the Heavens. Q. What Authority have we for the Change of this Day from the feventh to the first Day of the Week? A. The Authority and Practice of the Holy Acts 20.7. Apoftles, the firft Planters of Christianity, who 1 Cor. 16. therein followed the moral Equity of the fourth Commandment. For the Deliverance of Ifrael out of Egypt by the Ministry of Mofes, was intended for a Type and Pledge of the fpiritual Deliverance which was to come by Chrift. Their Coloff. 2. Canaan alfo to which they marched, being a 16, 17. Type of that heavenly Inheritance which the Redeemed by Chrift do look for. Since there-. fore the Shadow is made void by the coming of the Subftance, the Relation is changed, and God is no longer to be worshipped and believed in as a God forefhewing and affuring by Types, but as a God who has performed the Substance of what he promised. Q. Why is the first Day of the Week called the Lord's Day? A. Not A. Not only because it is immediately dedicated to his Service; but because on that Day our Lord Jefus Chrift arofe from the Dead, and refted from the Work of our Redemption; which he compleated on that Day by his Refurrection. Q. How did the Apoftles and the Chriftians at firft obferve this Day? A. It plainly appeareth from the Scriptures, that the first Day of the Week was their stated and folemn Time of meeting for publick Worfhip. On this Day the Apostles were affembled, Acts 2. 1. when the Holy Ghoft came down fo visibly upon them to qualify them for the Converfion of the World. On this Day we find St Paul 20. 7. preaching at Troas, when the Disciples came together to break Bread; whereby is understood the Celebration of the Sacrament, or their Feafts of Charity, which were always accompanied with the Eucharist. And the Directions the fame Apostle gives to the Corinthians, concerning their Contributions for the Relief of their poor fuffering Brethren, feem plainly to regard their Religious Affemblies on the first Day of the Week. Q. How was this Day obferved in the Primitive Church? I Cor. 16. 2. Plin. lib. A. It appears from Justin Martyr, an early Juft Mart. Convert to Chriftianity, and Pliny an Heathen, Apol. 2. that the Chriftians of thofe Times, both in City 10.Ep.97and Country, had their publick Meetings on Orig. lib. Sundays. In which Affemblies the Writings 3. cont. of the Apostles and Prophets were read to the Celf. People, and the Doctrines of Christanity were farther preffed upon them by the Exhortations of the Clergy. Solemn Prayers were offered up C to to God, and Hymns fung in Honour of our Saviour; the bleffed Sacrament was adminiftred to those that were prefent, and the confecrated Elements fent to thofe that were abfent. Collections were made for the Relief of the Poor, whether Widows or Orphans, Prisoners or Strangers, or others labouring under Sickness or any Neceffities. Q. Though the most proper Name of this Day of publick Worship, is, as St. John himself calls it, Rev.1.10. The Lord's Day, did the primitive Chriftians fcruple to call it Sunday? Tert. A Nation. 1. I. Juft Mart. A. No: Juftin Martyr and Tertullian both Apol. 2. call it fo; because it happened upon that Day pol. v. ad of the Week which by the Heathens was dedicated to the Sun; and therefore, as being best known to them, the Fathers commonly made ufe of it, in their Apologies to the Heathen Governors: And it feldom paffeth under any other Name in the Imperial Edials of the first Christian Emperors. Befides, it may properly retain that Name; because dedicated to the Honour of our Saviour, who is by the Prophet called the Sun of Righteousness that was to arife with Healing in his Wings. Mal. 4.2. Q. In what Senfe may the Lord's Day be called the Sabbath? A. In that we reft on that Day from the Works of our ordinary Callings, and all other worldly Employments, and dedicate it to the immediate Worship of God, whofe Service is perfect Freedom. But by Scripture, Antiquity, and all Ecclefiaftical Writers, it is conftantly appropriated to Saturday, the Day of the Jews Sabbath, and but of late Years ufed to fignify the Lord's Day; fo that though the Charge of Judaism, upon those that use it in a Christian Sense, appeareth too fevere, yet upon many Refpects it might be expedient but fparingly to diftinguish the Day of the Chriftian Worship by the Name of the Sabbath. Q. Was not the Sabbath antiently obferved as well as the Lord's Day? A. Though the Neceffity of observing the Jewish Sabbath was vacated by the Apoftolical In- Col.2.14. ftitution of the Lord's Day, and by our Savour's 16. having blotted out the Hand-writing of Ordinances; whereby it became as unreasonable for uny one to condemn a Chriftian for not obferving the Jewish Sabbath, as it was for neglecting their other Ceremonial Institutions: Yet, in the East, where the Gospel chiefly prevailed among the Jews, who retained a mighty Reverence for the Mofaick Rites; the Church thought fit fo far to indulge the Humour of the Judaizing, Athan. de Converts, as to obferve Saturday as a Feftival Sement. Day of Devotion, whereon they met for publick Socr. Hift. Prayers, and for the Exercife of other Duties of 6. c. 8. Religion, as is plain from several Paffages in Bafil. the Antients. But however, to prevent Scandal, ad Cæf. Epif. 289. they openly declared, they did it only in a Chriftian Way, and observed it not as a Jewish Sabbath; and this Custom was fo far from being univerfal, that at the fame Time all over the Weft, except at Milan in Italy, Saturday was kept as a Faft. Q. What particular Custom did the Primitive Chriftians obferve in their Devotions on the Lord's Day? A. They prayed ftanding; fymbolically reprefenting our Refurrection or Reftitution by the Grace of Chrift, by which we are delivered C 2 from |