8. That there must be some peculiar thing in this day making it fit, yea more fit for such a purpose, as doing works of Charity on it; rather then on any other: And the Apostles commanding this (and that in many Churches) doth necessarily presuppose a reason why he doth it, drawn from some fitness of this day by another. Now, if we will enquire, no reason can be given but that the seventh-day Sabbath was expired, and that this first day was instituted in its place, for otherwise any day was alike; yea, the seventh-day being the last day of the week, and the day when men usually reckon their weeks success, it would seem more reasonable for this end, that men at the close of the week should lay up by them, as God had blessed them, then to reserve it, to the beginning of another week, were not the first day more especially to be sanctified then the last, and the last to be accounted but an ordinary working day: The fitness then floweth from this, that the first day of the week being the day of their solemn Communion with God, and with one another, and the day of their partaking most liberally of spiritual blessings from him, that therefore they should be most readily warmed in their affections, and be most liberal in their Communications to such as wanted, especially if we consider the Jews to be parties for whom that Collection or Contribution was; Its the Apostles great Argument, whereby he pleadeth for Charity to the poor Jews from the Christian Gentiles, Rom. 15. 26, 27. That the Gentiles were their Debtors in temporals, because they had received spiritual things from them; now this argument is most fresh and powerful, when Believers do on the first day of the week record Gods privileging them with his Ordinances, and giving them his day in place of the Ordinances and day, which the Jews once had, and yet deriving these unto them by the Jews, I say, this Argument will then be most fresh to incite to that duty in particular.
8. That there must be some peculiar thing in this day making it fit, yea more fit for such a purpose, as doing works of Charity on it; rather then on any other: And the Apostles commanding this (and that in many Churches) doth necessarily presuppose a reason why he doth it, drawn from some fitness of this day by another. Now, if we will enquire, no reason can be given but that the seventh-day Sabbath was expired, and that this first day was instituted in its place, for otherwise any day was alike; yea, the seventh-day being the last day of the week, and the day when men usually reckon their weeks success, it would seem more reasonable for this end, that men at the close of the week should lay up by them, as God had blessed them, then to reserve it, to the beginning of another week, were not the first day more especially to be sanctified then the last, and the last to be accounted but an ordinary working day: The fitness then floweth from this, that the first day of the week being the day of their solemn Communion with God, and with one another, and the day of their partaking most liberally of spiritual blessings from him, that therefore they should be most readily warmed in their affections, and be most liberal in their Communications to such as wanted, especially if we consider the Jews to be parties for whom that Collection or Contribution was; Its the Apostles great Argument, whereby he pleadeth for Charity to the poor Jews from the Christian Gentiles, Rom. 15. 26, 27. That the Gentiles were their Debtors in temporals, because they had received spiritual things from them; now this argument is most fresh and powerful, when Believers do on the first day of the week record Gods priviledging them with his Ordinances, and giving them his day in place of the Ordinances and day, which the Jews once had, and yet deriving these unto them by the Jews, I say, this Argument will then be most fresh to incite to that duty in particular.
