N00107:318
Indian dialogues, for their instruction in that great service of Christ, in calling home…Indian dialogues, for their instruction in that great sevice of Christ, in calling home…
Indian dialogues, for their instruction in that great service of Christ, in calling home their country-men to the knowledge of God, and of themselves, and of Jesus Christ. : [Seven lines from Malachi]Indian dialogues, for their instruction in that great sevice of Christ, in calling home their country-men to the knowledge of God, and of themselves, and of Iesus Christ. : [Seven lines from Malachi]
Cambridge: printed by Marmaduke Johnson, 1671
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Ant. The doctrine of the Sabbath is a great Point in Religion. It is one of the Ten Moral, Universal Commandments of God, which are required of all Mankind; and the fourth Command, a chief Hinge of all the rest. By a religious keeping of the Sabbath, we act our obedience to all the Commands. By profaning the Sabbath, we turn all Religion and good Order out of doors, and set open a door unto all sin and wickedness, so weighty a matter is the good keeping of the Sabbath-day. For the opening of the Sabbath, I know not a better way, then to open (briefly) the fourth Command; w•ich I shall do, by laying it out into six parts. 1. Here is the Preface, in this word, Remember the Sabbath-day, to show the great weight and worth of the Sabbath, of our proneness to slight it; and to stablish a perpetual and careful preparation to the Sabbath, Neh. 13.19. And it came to pass, th•• when the gates of Jerusalem beg•n to be dark before the Sabbath. I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till •fter the Sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates▪ that there should no burden •e br••ght in on the Sabbath day. 2. Here is the Affirmative part of the Command, wherein we are commanded to keep the whole Sabbath holy, both in thought, word and deed, Is• 5•.•3 If thou turn away thy foot fr•• the Sabbath, from d••ng thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight▪ the holy of the Lord• honourable▪ and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words 3. Here is an exact distribution of all time betwixt God and man, wherein God hath appointed six parts or days to man, and the seventh part is dedicated to God: and hence it followeth that the Sabbath was capable of being changed, from the lst of seven, to the first of seven; and so the Lord hath changed it,