A14213:7
A very profitable and necessary discourse concerning the observation and keeping of the Sabbath…A verie profitable and necessarie discourse concerning the obseruation and keeping of the Sabboth…
A very profitable and necessary discourse concerning the observation and keeping of the Sabbath day serving as well to confute the superstition of the Jews, which obstinately urge the strict keeping of the seventh day, as also to overthrow the vain and godless reasons of others, that stiffly at this day maintain, that Christians ought to keep no set or appointed time to worship and serve the Lord in, in his church and faithful congregation. Written in Latin by Zacharias Ursinus, sometimes reader of the divinity lecture in the University of Heidelberg in Germany, and very newly turned into English, by John Stockwood schoolmaster of Tunbridge.A verie profitable and necessarie discourse concerning the obseruation and keeping of the Sabboth day seruing as well to confute the superstition of the Iewes, which obstinately vrge the strict keeping of the seuenth day, as also to ouerthrowe the vaine and godlesse reasons of others, that stiffely at this day maintaine, that Christians ought to keepe no set or appoynted time to worship and serue the Lord in, in his church and faithfull congregation. Written in Latine by Zacharias Vrsinus, sometimes reader of the diuinitie lecture in the Vniuersitie of Heidelberg in Germanie, and very nevvly turned into English, by Iohn Stockvvood schoolemaster of Tunbridge.
London: printed by T. East? for John Harrison the younger, 1584London: printed by T. East? for Iohn Harrison the yonger, 1584
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Being not ignorant (right worshipful and virtuous Lady) of the manifold disputations not only among the learned, but also of the great variety & diversity of opinions among the vulgar people and simple sort, concerning the Sabbath day, & the right use of the same: some with the wayward and superstitious Jews obstinately and stiffly maintaining the ceremonial observation of the seventh day,1 the which they hold in no wise to be mutable, or to be altered and changed: others with the Atheists and godless Epicures utterly denying, that there ought to ⟨image 3⟩be any observation and keeping of any day at all as wholly & dedicated unto the Lord his service: and yet moreover some others, who albeit they grant it meet & requisite that there should be some certain & set day of the week severed out from the rest for the use of the ministry & Church meetings, yea and the same also to be that day which we commonly call the Sun-day, or Lords day, yet holding it lawful as well on the same day, as any other day in the week, to exercise the customable & usual works, every man of his ordinary trade & vocation: I have thought with my self that I could not do better than to see: out a remedy for the staying of the consciences of the weaker number in this great variety and doubtfulness of assertions, tending to the overthrow of religion and impeachment of gods service. Meeting therefore with a godly & learned Work of one Ursinus a German in the which are profoundly & pithily handled many theological discourses and points of religion, & among the rest, this of the Sabbath, in his exposition of the 4. commandment, finding the argument sit for the circumstance of the time, I have turned the same into our mother tongue, for the further ⟨image 3⟩benefit of the godly & christianly disposed, that they may have in this point wherewith to satisfy both themselves and others. For in this small treatise is debated the right use of the Sabbath day,2 what exercises on the same are allowable & what to be refrained, wherein it is kept, & wherein it is broken: their argument confuted, that think it not lawful for Christians to keep the the Lords day, & their reasons also answered, which so stoutly contend for the Jewish observation of the seventh day: