The Christian Sabbath defended against a crying evil in these times of the antisabitarians…

The Doctor indeed saith, that Calvin, Bullenger, Bucerus, ¹Brentius, Chemnitius, Ursine and others of the reformed Churches affirm, that still the Church hath power to change the Lords Day to some other; but he neither cites their words, nor quotes any place out of their writings. And as for Calvin, whom this Prefacer proposeth as chief, and the rest as thinking no otherwise thereof, then he did; I make no doubt but the passage in Calvin is instit. 2. cap. 8. sect. 34. ⟨p. 126⟩where thus he writeth, Neque sic tamen septenarium numerum moror, ut ejus servituti Ecclesiam astringerem, I do not so regard the number of seven; as to tie the Church to the servitude thereof; which considered in it self, might intimate that in his opinion, it is indifferent whether we keep holy one day in seven, or one day in fourteen; but the words immediately following do manifest his meaning to be far otherwise, as namely, that we are not so tied to a seventh, but that we may solemnize other days also, by our holy assemblies. For thus it follows, Neque enim damnavero qui alios conventibus suis solennes dies habeant. I condemn not them that keep other days holy: will any man suppose that some there were, well known to Calvin, who kept other days solemn, and not the Lords Day; and that these men Calvin would not condemn? And Gomarus, who is most opposite to us in this argument, professeth, that seeing not only a time, but a sufficient proportion of time is to be set apart for Divine service, therefore we must now under the Gospel, allow rather a better proportion of time for Divine service than a worse. And in this also Rivetus rests, in his answer to the first argument of Walaeus, contending for one day in seven, as necessarily to be allowed to the worship of God.² For Bullinger, I know not where to seek that which the Doctor aims at. As for Bucer, I have showed before out of him, that the Lords Day was by the Apostles themselves consecrated to Divine actions; which ordinance the ancient Churches observed most religiously, and that one of the chief causes hereof was, that they might celebrate the memory of Christs resurrection, which fell out on the first day of the week;

The Doctor indeed saith, that Calvin, Bullenger, Bucerus, ¹