Fides Catholica, or, The doctrine of the Catholick Church in eighteen grand ordinances referring to the Word, sacraments and prayer, in purity, number and nature, catholically maintained, and publickly taught against hereticks of all sorts : with the solutions of many proper and profitable questions sutable to to [sic] the nature of each ordinance treated of / by Wil. Annand ...

Quest. 9. Whether the first day of the week, may be termed Sabbath or Sunday?

This is a Question in it self scarce deserving an Answer, but by a Pharisaical generation of the sect of the Libertines, being counted a piece of prophaness so to call it, and a part of Religion to call it otherwise, we shall spend a few drops of Ink to Answer it: in brief it may be called Sabbath;

• 1. From the sence and signification of the word, it is their foolish mistake, that because it was on Saturday, therefore it was so called: whereas if it had been upon a Wednesday, so long as men rested upon it, it might have been called Sab∣bath••, that being the Hebrew word for rest. A Sabbath day is no more then a day of rest. Christians therefore resting from all their imployments, and doing no manner of work, they nor their Sons, nor their Daughters, nor their man-servants nor their maid-servants, &c. upon this day, may lawfully call it a Sabbath day.
• 2. From the equality of the Christian Churches practice with the Church of the Iews. That day that was held Holy by the people of God, under the Law, wherein they ceased from working, and therein did read upon the word of God, repaired to the Temple or Synagogues, and heard it taught, was called the Sabbath: the day therefore that is held Holy by the people of God under the Gospel, and wherein they cease from working, and therein read upon the word of God, &c. may receive the same denomination.
• 3. From the morality of the Law: the Law is moral, re∣quiring one day in seven to be kept Holy to the Lord, which day God himself calls a Sabbath; wherever therefore one day

• in seven is kept Holy, it may from the morality of the Law be named a Sabbath, providing it to be the Sabbath of the Lord God, that is, a day set apar•• by him for his own service, by which we conclude that the seventh day kept by the Iew, or the seventh day kept by the Turk, though they work not, are not morally Sabbaths, the Lord never chusing the one, and rejecting the other, constituting the first day of the week to be since Christs Resurrection a perpetual Sabbath to him∣self.

B••t what is all this to Sunday, this being a prophane name drawn from the Heathens? It is to be wondred at to see what canting language is in the mouthes of men, and how mystical∣ly they will speak to avoid ordinary expressions; in time our dip pers may new dip doublets, gloves, and give them new names, and by consequence set us all to schoole again, that we may learn to forget our selves to be men, and with authority pro∣nounce all our Ancestors fools, being they could not tell how to speak. The Heathens, it is true, named the days of the week according to some feigned Gods & real planets: one among the rest was called Dies Solis, the day of the Sun, the self same day that is our Christian Sabbath, naming or dedicating that day to that planet; if the day had been dipped in the fountain of the Sun, all had been well enough; tamen non ••bstante, we may call the first day of the week Sunday, any thing in this argument to the contrary notwithstanding.

1. From the practice of an Holy Evangelist; he that was in labours more abundantly for the Gospel, then any now can pretend to be, that is not past shame, was not so scrupulous as these men would seem to be (for it is but a seeming) be in his History of the Acts, Acts 28. giving us an account of Pauls dangerous voyage to Rome, shews us vers. 11. That they (viz. Paul and his company, whereof Luke who wrot this History was one) after three moneths departed in a Ship of Alexan∣dria, which had wintered in the Isle, whose sign was CA∣STOR and POLLUX; the Spirit of God made no scruple at these heathenish names, but writ them, and they

stand in the Scripture, and no reproof is given to the users of them, and yet in their own natures they are to be more stum∣bled at, then D••s Solis or Sunday either.

We shall interpret and open this story that these mens folly may appear: you must know that the great Heathen God who ruled all was called Iupiter: he was born at Crete, and when he came to be of age, he threw his Father Saturn out of his kingdom: having three Brothers, he gave the govern∣ment of Hell to Pluto, the government of the Sea to Ne∣ptune, and kept the government of Heaven and Earth to himself.* 1.1 This Iupiter according to Heathen Poets and Fa∣bles, would come oftentimes out of Heaven and play pretty pranks upon Earth, one of which was this. One Tyn∣darus had a handsome wife called L••da; she being with childe to her own husband, Iupiter in a merry pin turned her into a milk white Swan, and in that shape he being a God (a pretty one) got her with childe likewise; she grew mighty big, her hour of travel comes, she is delivered of two Sons, well shaped boyes they were. One of them is named CA∣STOR, the other POLLVX; the lads grew, and when they came to be of age, their coasts being pestred with Pirats, they got Ships, and destroyed the Pirats, in a short time they rid the Sea of them: for this they are worshipped as Gods of the Sea, and where they are together, it is a sign of a fortunate voyage: this is the reason that that Ship wherein Luke and Paul was, had the sign of Castor and Pollux upon Their stern; as some English Ships have Saint George: this Ship therefore being at her outrigging named by Castor and Pollux, foolish and heathenish Gods which had such a filthyoriginals this name being used by the Spirit of God, and that without a check, we may use the name Sunday though used by the Heathens (by a more ra••ional cause then the other) and not to be reproved, by any whimsical, sawcy, or Hypocritical rebel whatsoever, whose conscences in matter of sin we have no cause to suppose tender.

* 1.22. From the innocency and harmlesness that is in the using of it; there are some customes original∣ly heathenish, used too often, that are attended with sin; and whose being ought to be removed because of transgression, as may∣games particularly, which always is accompanied with sinful, and by relation shameful Acts, and once in seven year, a great occasion of the polluting of that day of which we are now speaking. But this word Sunday hath nothing in it that savours of evil, or that can be said to border upon that which is not right.

3. From the happy event, that God hath been pleased to give this name The Heathens gave one day to Mercury, ano∣ther to Venus, one thought a thief, and the other a whore; the first day of the week to Apollo or the Sun; Apollo they thought a God well skilled in Physick, Excellent in Musick, good to open Prophesies, always young; to such a one was this day dedicated, and after him named, he carrying about the Sun it was called Sunday; now this hath fallen out so well, as it deserves to be remembred. Christ is Sol Iustisiae, the Sun of Righteousness, Mal. 4.2. this day did the Sun of our souls break through the clouds of his winding sheet, and tri∣umphed over darkness, this day did he come out of the Cham∣ber of his sepulchre, and rejoyced as a bridegroom to run his race, he came with healing under his wings to cure our souls, he brought the sweet Musick of the Gospel of reconciliation: I ascend (said he, Iohn 20.27.) Vnto my Father and your Fa∣ther, to my God and your God; he is the true explainer of the Prophets: by this Sun•• rising we see what was meant by Ie∣nas lying in the Whales belly: he comes out of his grave, like a R••e or a young heart, Cant. 8.14. In a word he is the light that inlightens every one that comes into the world: our Sun the Son of God is risen, by him we see Heaven, by him we receive the fruits of the Earth; this is his day dedicated to him by the Spirit, set apart by himself; never be bafled therefore, but if thou

so please, call it Sunday it hath fallen out well that this day; was by them that knew not God dedicated to the Sun and not to any other, since in many points, it can quadrate with our Sun of righteousness, which with others it could not so well have done.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Charity here begun at home.
• * 1.2

  Witness their rebellion and murdeder at Lon∣don, for though they have different faces, yet they are all one blood.