A Golden Chain

Now in the third followeth mans calling before his fall: which is twofold: I. particular: II. general. Mans particular calling was to come into the garden of Eden, to keep it, and to dress the trees and fruits thereof. This shows unto us a good lesson, that every man must have a particular calling wherein he ought to walk: and therefore such as spend their time idly in gaming and vain delights, have much to answer to God at the day of judgement. This will not excuse a man to say then, that he had land & living to maintain himself, and therefore was to live as he list, for even Adam in his innocency had all things at his will, & wanted nothing; yet even then God employed him in a calling: therefore none must be exempted, every man both high & low must walk in his proper calling. Adans general calling, was to worship his ⟨p. 238⟩Creator, to which he was bound by the right of creation, considering the moral law was written in his heart by nature. Which is signified in the Decalogue; where the Lord requires worship and obedience of his people, because he is Jehovah, ¹that is, one which hath being in himself, and gives being to all men by creation. For the better understanding of this point, we are to consider three things. I. The place where Adam did worship. II. The time. III. The sacraments. For the first, God ever since the beginning had a place where he would be worshipped, and it is called Gods house, which then was the garden of Eden.² For it was unto Adam a place appointed by God for his worship, as Church-assemblies are unto us: where also the Lord at some time did in a special manner show himself unto his creature. Touching the time of Gods worship, it was the seventh day from the beginning of the creation, the Sabbath day. And here we must note, that the keeping of the Sabbath is moral. Some indeed do plead that it is but a ceremony; yet falsely: for it was ordained before the fall of man, at which time Ceremonies signifying sanctification had no place. Nay mark further: Adam in his innocency was not clogged with sin as we are; and yet then he had a set Sabbath to worship God his creator: and therefore much more need hath every one of us of a sabbath day, wherein we may sever our selves from the works of our callings, and the works of sin, to the worship of God in the exercise of religion, and godly meditation of our creation.