Vindiciæ sabbathi, or, An answer to two treatises of Master Broads the one, concerning the Sabbath or seaventh day, the other, concerning the Lord's-day or first of the weeke : with a survey of all the rest which of late have written upon that subject / by George Abbot.

Deare friend,

I Doubt not that God shall have honour by this Booke from o∣thers, let him have the honour of it from your selfe. When we come to give up our accounts, wee must acknowledge our receipts, first as from God,* 1.1 Master thou deliveredst mee five ta∣lents; then our gaine and improvement by and of them unto God, for wee trade for our Master and not for our selves. There is light in the Treatise, more then hath shewne in former times or Authors, as the declaration of Christ to the World was progressive, so is the illumination of the spirit, not only in particular Mens Soules, but in the whole Church, which must have her growth as well as particular Men, and what if somebody in after times may stand on your shoulders, and see further, let God yet be gloryfied, though he make the feete of po∣sterity to stand as high as our heads, so wee (blessed be God) have shorter shadowes then our predecessours, and still the more light ari∣seth the lesse shall bee the shadowes, till they be none at all. It was Gods providence that

brought M^r Broads Manu-script to your hands, and that thereupon stirred up your spirit to doe something against the fresh forces that should come in now of late, to fight against the Sabbath. God did not tell you his Errand when he sent the Booke to you, but the event is the finger that points to Gods providence, as Time is the Mid wife of Truth. God found out you who being vacant from other imploy∣ments might the better worke in this Vine yard, you, who being not ambitious of humane 〈◊〉〈◊〉 named learning, should keepe close to the Scripture, the spirit, and reason, without doting upon names of Fathers &c. which wee in these times are mad upon, and so hinder our owne growth by putting their old spectacles on ou•• Noses which dimme our Eyes, and thinke it not Scholler-like to go beyond Aristotle.

This I must needs say, the whole Booke savours of spirituall matter, and argues that it came from the Spirit, and promiseth to breed Spirit in the Reader, and truly all Scripture-knowledge should be written as the Scripture was, and that is by the carriage of the holy Ghost. Holy men wrote (saith hee) as they were carried by the holy spirit, so should, so are holy men carried now, not by selfe-hu∣mours and ends. Let the wilfull blind slight it,* 1.2 barke and scorne it, yet the spirituall man is judged of no man though himselfe discerne all things. God will most probably reveale his Sabbath,

to them that best keepe it here, and that shall enjoy his Sabbatisme hereafter, and they are his people. I verily beleeve thus much of the Booke that it overthrowes and confutes the Antagonists, and if they can produce no better reasons and records then they have, it will be Master of the field, for mee thinkes M^r Broad is very weake and loose when compared with yours. I could wish your Booke a speedy birth if any, that it might give pauze to others that intend any thing of that kind to the Presse. Commit it to Gods patronage, for he is the fittest Patron it can have. My Prayer shall be that your spirit may be such as may procure a blessing on the Booke, by giving it to God first, and then his Church, in a spirit of Humi∣lity and selfe-deniall; see Gods providence and his assistance, see your end in Writing, Printing; see what a seasonable time and op∣portunity of good; and be confident of this that in spirituall men it will breed spirituall knowledge and affection, whether it carry them in all points of judgment or no, Vale.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Matth. 25. 20.
• * 1.2

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 2. 15.