festum celebrarent; instituentque ut sicut corpora pascerent cibariis, sic animos divinis disciplinis reficerent?" We see then that the doctrine, which the true Ignatius received immediately from the hands of the apostles, was the very same with that which was delivered by the fathers of the council of Laodicea, about two hundred and fifty years after, (for the proofs produced by the authors, to whom my Lord of Ely referreth us, for having it to be held before the first Nicene, are nothing worth.) " Non oportet Christtianos Judaizare et in Sabbatho otiari; sed ipsos eo die operari, diem autem Dominicum præferentes otiari (si modo possint) ut Christianos:" the contrary whereunto pope Gregory' the first esteemeth to be the doctrine of the preachers of antichrist: "qui veniens, diem Dominicum et Sabbatum ab omni opere faciet custodiri:" which my Lord of Ely, rendereth; "upon the old Sabbath day or upon the Sunday," by a strange kind of mistake turning the copulative into a disjunctive. D. White, pag. 73. r In regist. lib. 11. epist. 3. PART OF A LETTER, &c. 66 For mine own part, I never yet doubted, but took it for granted; that as the setting of some whole day apart for God's solemn worship was juris divini naturalis, so that this solemn day should be one in seven, was juris divini positivi recorded in the fourth commandment. And such a jus divinum positivum here I mean, as baptism and the Lord's Supper are established by: which lieth not in the power of any man, or angel to change, or alter; wherein methinks your second position is a little too waterish, viz. 'That this doctrine rather than the contrary is to be held the doctrine of the Church of England; and may well be gathered out of her public liturgy, and the first part of the homily concerning the place, and time of prayer." Whereas, you should have said that this is to be held undoubtedly the doctrine of the Church of England. For if there could be any reasonable doubt made of the meaning of the Church of England in her liturgy, who should better declare her meaning than herself in her homily? where she peremptorily declareth her mind; "That in the fourth commandment God hath given express charge to all men, that upon the Sabbath day, which is now our Sunday, they should cease from all weekly and work day labour, to the intent that like as God himself wrought six days, and rested the seventh, blessed and sanctified it, and consecrated it to rest and quietness from labour, even so God's obedient people should use the Sunday holily, and rest from their common and daily business, and also give themselves wholly to heavenly exercises of God's true religion and service;" than which, what could you devise to say more yourself? For the further maintenance of which doctrine, I send you here with a treatise written by a learned man (now with God) against Theophilus Brabourn; who gave occasion to the raising up of these unhappy broils; which if it may conduce to the furtherance of your more exact treatise, &c. I shall be very glad, and be ready to, &c. Mr. Hely of Berry. |