But that which we bring this text for is but to know what day is notified to the world by this title of The Lords day, and consequently was then accounted his separated peculiar day. Now the signification of words is known but by use: They are not Natural signs, but Arbitrary: You know not the sense of one word of Hebrew, Greek, or Latin, but by the History of their use, by Dictionaries, Authors or other Tradition. Now it is unquestionable to any man versed in antiquity, that all the Churches, and Authors, Greek and Latin, Syriac, Ethiopic, Persian, Arabic, that have been known among us, and speak of such things, do unanimously call the first day of the week by the name of the Lords day, as being so called from the beginning, even from the Apostles; And all old expositors so interpret this present Text. And you may as well question what day the word Sabbath signified in the Old Testament ⟨p. 162⟩almost, as what day the name of [The Lords day] signified in the new; Or what sort of people they were that were called Christians first at Antioch, when only one sort hath ever since been notified by that name; Even the Disciples of Christ. The Greek, with the Syriac Translation, the Arabic, the vulgar Latin, have all [The Lords day;] and the Ethiopic as equipollent, hath [the first day] And Dr. Heylin (who would find something against it if any thing were to be found) speaking of some of late that otherwise expound it, is so ingenious as to say (Par. 2. cap. 1. p. 37.) Touching this we will not meddle; Let them that own it look to it: The rather since St. John hath generally been expounded in the other sense, Aretas, and Andr. Caesariensis on the place, and by Bedae de rat. temp. c. 6. and by the suffrage of the Church, the best expositor of the word of God; wherein this day hath constantly since the time of the Apostles been honoured with that name above other days] And I know no one man (nor many) that at 1600 years distance almost, is so worthy to be believed for the bare sense of a word, as the constant use and universal testimony of all ages from that time till now.
But that which we bring this text for is but to know what day is notified to the world by this title of The Lords day, and consequently was then accounted his separated peculiar day. Now the signification of words is known but by use: They are not Natural signes, but Arbitrary: You know not the sense of one word of Hebrew, Greek, or Latine, but by the History of their use, by Dictionaries, Authors or other Tradition. Now it is unquestionable to any man verst in antiquity, that all the Churches, and Authors, Greek and Latine, Syriack, Aethiopick, Persian, Arabick, that have been known among us, and speak of such things, do unanimously call the first day of the week by the name of the Lords day, as being so called from the beginning, even from the Apostles; And all old expositors so interpret this present Text. And you may as well question what day the word Sabbath signified in the Old Testament ⟨p. 162⟩almost, as what day the name of [The Lords day] signified in the new; Or what sort of people they were that were called Christians first at Antioch, when only one sort hath ever since been notified by that name; Even the Disciples of Christ. The Greek, with the Syriack Translation, the Arabick, the vulgar Latine, have all [The Lords day;] and the Ethiopick as equipollent, hath [the first day] And Dr. Heylin (who would find something against it if any thing were to be found) speaking of some of late that otherwise expound it, is so ingenious as to say (Par. 2. cap. 1. p. 37.) Touching this we will not meddle; Let them that own it look to it: The rather since St. John hath generally been expounded in the other sense, Aretas, and Andr. Caesariensis on the place, and by Bedae de rat. temp. c. 6. and by the suffrage of the Church, the best expositor of the word of God; wherein this day hath constantly since the time of the Apostles been honoured with that name above other daies] And I know no one man (nor many) that at 1600 years distance almost, is so worthy to be believed for the bare sense of a word, as the constant use and universal testimony of all ages from that time till now.
