A26918:700
The divine appointment of the Lords day proved as a separated day for holy…
The divine appointment of the Lords day proved as a separated day for holy worship, especially in the church assemblies, and consequently the cessation of the seventh day Sabbath : written for the satisfaction of some religious persons who are lately drawn into error or doubting in both these points / by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for Nevil Simmons, 1671
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.
IT is here further objected that the seventh day Sabbath hath the truest testimonies of Antiquity: that it is controvertible when and how the Lords day came in; but the Antiquity of the seventh day Sabbath is past Controversy: that the Eastern Christians long observed it, and Antichrist in the West did turn it into a Fast: that the Empire of Abyssinia keepeth it to this day.
IT is here further objected that the seventh day Sabbath hath the truest testimonies of Antiquity: that it is controvertible when and how the Lords day came in; but the Antiquity of the seventh day Sabbath is past Controversie: that the Eastern Christians long observed it, and Antichrist in the West did turn it into a Fast: that the Empire of Abassia keepeth it to this day.
Answ. There is enough said of this before, were it not that some Objectors causelessly look for more. I answer therefore, 1. That it is true that the Sabbath is more ancient than the Lords day; And so is Moses more ancient than Christ Incarnate, and his Law than the Gospel as delivered by Christ and his Apostles, and Circumcision than Baptism, and the Passover than the Lords Supper; And so every mans Conception, Nativity, Infancy and Ignorance was before his Maturity and Knowledge. And what can you gather from all this? Thus the Papists say that their way of Religion was in England before ours, and that the relics of it ⟨p. 221⟩in our Monuments [Orate pro animabus, &c.] is their standing witness, which we cannot totally deface: And its true, if by our way they mean the Reformation of theirs as such: For the Cure is ever after the disease: Though its false if they speak of our Religion it self; which was here before their errors, as Health is before sickness. But they should consider, that by this prerogative the Heathens excel us both: And that they may say, you have yet many Monuments of our more ancient Religion, which you have not been able to obliterate: You still call your Week days by our ancient names, Sunday, Monday, &c. Your adoration towards the East was fetched from us, and so were abundance of your Customs: Which we hope may recover the reputation of our Religion.