Luther himself, though he saw many things were without ground which he had received for truth, had yet work hard enough, as himself intimates, to get his conscience clear from all those roots and strings of inbred error.
But, I say, to an untainted and well bred Christian, we have good measure, shaken together, and running over, for our christian Lord's day. And I say again, that the first day of the week, and the spirit of such a Christian, suit one another as nature suiteth nature; for there is as it were a natural instinct in Christians, as such, when they understand what in a first day was brought forth, to fall in therewith to keep it holy to their Lord.
1. The first day of the week! Why it was the day of our life. 'After two days he will revive us,' and in the third day 'we shall live in his sight.' 'After two days' there is the Jews' preparation, and seventh day sabbath, quite passed over; and in the third day, that is the first day of the week, which is the day our Lord did rise from the dead, we began to live by him in the sight of God (Hosea 6:2; John 20:1; 1 Cor 15:4).
2. The first day of the week! That is the day in which, as I hinted before, our Lord was wont to preach to his disciples after he rose form the dead; in which also he did use to shew them his hands and his feet (Luke 24:38,39; John 20:25). To the end they might be confirmed in the truth of his victory over death and the grave for them. The day in which he made himself known to them in breaking bread. The day in which he so plentifully poured out the Holy Ghost upon them. The day in which the church, both at Jerusalem and those of the Gentiles, did use to perform to God divine worship: all which has before been sufficiently proved. And shall we not imitate our Lord, nor the church that was immediately acted[21] by him in this, and the churches their fellows? Shall, I say, the Lord Jesus do all this in his church, and they together with him! Shall the churches of the Gentiles also fall in with their Lord and with their mother at Jerusalem herein! And again, shall all this be so punctually committed to sacred story, with the day in which these things were done, under denomination, over and over, saying, These things were done on the first day, on the first day, on the first day of the week, while all other days are, as to name, buried in everlasting oblivion! And shall we not take that notice thereof as to follow the Lord Jesus and the churches herein? Oh stupidity!
3. This day of the week! They that make but observation of what the Lord did of old, to as many sinners, and with his churches on this day, must needs conclude, that in this day the treasures of heaven were broken up, and the richest things therein communicated to his church. Shall the children of this world be, as to this also, wiser in their generations than the children of light, and former saints, upon whose shoulders we pretend to stand, go beyond us here also.
Jacob could by observation gather that the place where he lay down to sleep was no other but the house of God, and the very gate of heaven (Gen 28:17).
Laban could gather by observation, that the Lord blessed him for
Jacob's sake (Gen 30:27).
David could gather by what he met with upon Mount Moriah, that that was the place where God would have the temple builded, therefore he sacrificed there (1 Chron 21:26-28, 22:1,2; 2 Chron 3:1).
Ruth was to mark the place where Boaz lay down to sleep, and shall not Christians also mark the day in which our Lord rose from the dead (Ruth 3:4).
I say, shall we not mark it, when so many memorable things were done on it, for, and to and in the churches of God! Let saints be ashamed to think that such a day should be looked over, or counted common, when tempted to it by Satan, when [it was] kept to religious service of old, and when beautified with so many divine characters of sanctity as we have proved, by Christ, his church, the Holy Ghost, and the command of apostolical authority it was.