John Bastwick on the Puritans Sabbath practices

[Seeking_Thy_Kingdom]

“But I will yet in a few things more compare the old Puritans of England, and the Sectaries and Independents together, before I come to speake of the prayer of that Homothumadon brother, I first made mention of. It is well knowne, that the old Puritans of England were all of them very zealous for the sanctifying of the Lords day, and their whole imployments on that day sufficiently declared to all those that were familiarly acquainted with them, that they were heavenly minded men, and such as were truly mortified, and dead unto the world, who denyed unto themselves usually those ordinary necessaries on that day, that at other times they would more freely partake in; they dressed but little meat on that day, no more then very necessitie called for, not out of any penuriousnesse, but for this end, that their servants might be eased from all toyling workes, that they might the better attend upon the duties of the day; and they were especially carefull, that both they and their children, with the strangers that were within their gates, should sanctifie that day; they left none of them to ramble whether they pleased, they had well learned that Lesson, that they and their men-servants and maid-servants, with the stranger within their wals should keepe holy the Sabbath day, and did both by themselves and with their families take order, that no duty of the day should be omitted, the whole day being taken up either in prayer or meditation, or reading of the holy Scriptures, or hearing the Word, or repeating of Sermons, or singing of Psalmes, or instructing and catechising their Families, or in the works of charity, or visiting the sick, or in holy conference, or in reading godly books, or in performing of some duty or other that might bring glory to God, and honour to their holy profession, and their houses were generally so well ordered, and all things carried in such comelinesse and decencie, as he that had beene brought up in profane company, and had accidentally lighted into owne of their houses, would as much have wondred to see the excellent carriage of all things there, as the Queene of Sheba did to behold the ordering of Solomons house. I may truly speake this to their immortall praise, that I never saw in their Families the least disorder on those dayes; nor never saw a Feast on that day, though at other times they were very free in their entertainments, and much given to Hospitalitie, and nigardly in nothing, and commonly they caused their Table-cloath to be spread on the Saturday before they went to bed, and they were carefull that all that were well in the Family should go to Church with them, and they had a singular care that all their servants might have no hindrances or impediments by any worldly imployments that might in the least disturbe them or dictract them from the duties of the day; all these things I can witnesse with thousands more besides my selfe, were the practices of the old Puritans of England, and this was the way of Righteousnesse that they walked in, for the sanctifying of the Lords day.”

Bastwick, John, 1593-1654., 2008,
The utter routing of the whole army of all the Independents and Sectaries, with the totall overthrow of their hierarchy ..., or, Independency not Gods ordinance in which all the frontires of the Presbytery ... are defended ... / by John Bastvvick, captain in the Presbyterian army., Oxford Text Archive,
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12024/A26759.

 

[Seeking_Thy_Kingdom]

Some bonus Lords Day reading from William Bates:


“4. The Religious observation of the Lords Day is an Excellent means for the increase of Holiness. 'Tis worthy of our serious Observing, that the Fourth Commandment is enforc'd with a Note of Excitation, Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day, to impress the sense of our Duty upon Conscience, and to co [...] fine our transgressing Nature, that is so apt to alienate that time that is Sacred to God, and the Interest of our Souls, to Carnal and Profane Uses. 'Tis sanctified and set apart by the Lord of our Persons and Time, for the celebrating the most Excellent Works of his Power and Goodness in Creation and Redemption. He that gave us our Beings, and rais'd us from the Dust, to an Honour little lower than the Angels, those Heavenly Spirits, and has ransom'd us from our woful Bondage; he that dignified us with the Impression of his own Image, and the Assumption of ours. The Morality of the Command is perpetual that one day of seven be Consecrated and Separated for Divine Worship: but the designation of the Day to the Jewes, was in remembrance of their Deliverance from Egypt, and to Christians, in remembrance of our Deliverance from the Tyranny of the spiritual Pharaoh, Satan and his infernal Army, Benefits exceeding those of Creation, and rescuing from the Bondage of Egypt. Indeed every Day we should Redeem Time from business and pleasures for the immediate Service of God: but on the Lord's Day, we must be entirely Conversant in Holy Duties, Publick and Private, and abstain from Common Works unless of Necessity and Mercy. The Religious Rest of the Fourth Commandment, is to be observed by Christians so far as 'tis requisite for our attendance on [Page] the Service of God. 'Tis not only our Duty, but our heavenly privilege, that being tir'd in the dust and toil of the World, we have a freedom, and are call'd to draw near to God, with the promise that he will draw near to us, that when we pay our Homage, we shall receive infinite Blessings: for then in the Communion of Saints we present our requests with a filial freedom to God, and we receive his Precepts for the ordering our Lives to please him: and by a Temporal Holy Rest, are prepar'd for an Eternal Glorious Rest.

The observing this Command enables us to do the rest: for the Duties of it are Divine and Spiritual, and have a powerful influence in the Souls of Men: for the exercise of Grace, by a proper efficacy increases it, and in their sanctifying that day, God sanctifies them, and liberally bestows the Treasures of Grace and Joy, the consequent Blessing of the divine Institution.

The Profaners of that Holy Time, do vertually renounce their Allegiance to the Cr [...]ator and Redeemer, they will not attend upon his Oracles, but despise the Persons and Office of the Ministers of Christ, and their Contempt reflects [Page] upon him. They make the Sabbath their delight, in another sense than the Commandment intends: they make it a Play-day. Others who are call'd and counted Christians, who are good in every thing, but wherein they should be best; they are Just and Merciful, Temperate and Chaste, Affable and Obliging to Men, but wretchedly neglect the duties of Piety to God, and the sanctifying his day. That precious and dear interval to a Saint, from the business of the World, is a galling restraint to Carnal Men from their secular Employments. 'Tis true, they will go to the publick Worship either for seculary respects, Custom, or the Coertion of the Laws, or the impulse of Conscience, that will not be quiet without some Religion, but they are glad when 'tis done, and by vain discourses dash out of their minds, the instructions of the Word of God. They spend a great part of the day as if it were unsanctified time, in curious dressing, in Luxurious Feasting, in Complemental Visits, in Idleness, and sometimes in Actions worse than Idleness. The certain Cause of this Profaneness is, they are not partakers of the divine Nature, that inclines the Soul to God, and raises our esteem of Communion with him as a Heaven upon Earth, and from hence [Page] it follows, that they come and go from the Publick Ordinances, neither cleansed from Sin, nor chang'd into the divine Image. But those who conscientiously employ that day in Duties proper to it, in Prayer and Hearing, and Reading the Scriptures, and spiritual Books, in holy Conference, whereby Light and Heat is mutually Communicated among the Saints, and in the Meditation of Eternal things, whereby Faith removes the Vail, and looks into the Sanctuary of Life and Glory; as Moses by Conversing with God in the Mount, came down with a shining Countenance, so a divine Lustre will appear in their Conversations in the following Week.”

Bates, William, 1625-1699., 2005,
Spiritual perfection, unfolded and enforced from 2 Cor. VII, 1 having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God / by William Bates ..., Oxford Text Archive,
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12024/A26810.