Market Day of the Soul

196 Pages·1983·38.675 MB·English

by  James T. Dennison Jr.

The Puritan Doctrine of
the Sabbath in England,
1532-1700
J ames T. Dennison, Jr.
UNIVERSITY
PRESS OF
AMERICA

T H E
A R K E T D A Y
F T H E CJL
The Puritan Doctrine of
the Sabbath in England,
1532-1700
James T. Dennison, Jr.
UNIVERSITY
P,RESS OF
AMERICA
! !
l.ANHAM • NEW YORK• LONDON
Copyright© 1983 by
University Press of America~IK.
473> Boston Way
Lanham, MD 20108
3 Henrietta Street
London WC2E 8LU England
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publiaation Data
Dennison, James T., 194~
The market day of the soul.
Revision of thesis (Th. M.~Pinsburgh Theological
Seminary, 1973.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
I. Sabbatlr-Histol)'. 2. Puritans-England-Histol)'.
I. Tille.
BVI 11.046 1983 263'.4'0942 8~990
ISBN 0-8191-3204-7
ISBN 0-8I91-3205-5 (pbk.)
To Sharon
J . T., Kristin , Bryan and Autumn
Isaiah 58:13 , 14
Hail thou that art highly favored of
God , thou map of heaven, thou golden
spot of the week, thou market-day of
souls , thou daybreak of eternal bright
ness, thou queen of days, the Lord is
with thee , blessed art thou among days.
All the graces triumph in thee, all the
ordinances conspire to enrich thee;
the Father ruleth thee, the Son rose
upon thee , the ·spirit hath oversha
dowed thee. On thee light was created,
the Holy Ghost descended, life hath
been restored, Satan subdued, sin
mortified , souls sanctified, the grave,
death and hell conquered! Oh how do
men and w~men flutter up and down on
the weekdays , as the dove on the waters,
and can find no rest for their souls,
till they come to thee their ark, till
thou put forth thy hand and take them
in! Oh how they sit under thy shadow
with great delight, and find thy
fruits sweet to their taste! Oh the
mountings of mind, the ravishing hap
piness of heart, the solace of soul
which on thee they enjoy in the blessed
Saviour.
-- George Swinnock (1675)
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book is the revised version of a Th . M.
thesis submitted to the faculty of Pittsburgh Theolo
gical Seminary in 1973. Professors John H. Gerstner,
Robert S . Paul and the late Ford L. Battles offered
encouragement and criticism. Whatever faults remain
are my responsibility alone. A special word of thanks
and affection is due Miss Mary Semach who typed the
draft of the original thesis . Without her careful
attention to detail , the revision would have been
unlikely . Steven M. Baugh has assisted in the final
proof-reading . Finally, my family has patiently
endured my absence on many an evening in order that
the work may be retyped. Soli Deo Gloria !
Escondido, California 1983
V
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface ix
• •
Introduction xi
•
Chapter I : The Formative Years: the Sabbath
and the Desire for a Pure Re
formation , 1532- 1603 . 1
Chapter II : The Restless Years : the Sabbath
in the Era of the Book of
Sports , 1603-1633 43
•
Chapter III : Years of No Rest: the Sabbath
Pamphlet Wars, Laud and the
Revolution, 1633- 1650 71
Chapter IV : Years of Relative Rest : the Sab-
bath as an English Custom,
1650-1700 117
Conclusion 139
• • • • •
Appendix I : Articles of Visitation 142
•
Appendix II: The Puritan Attitude Toward
Recreation 144
Table Illustrating Doctrinal Differences
and Similarities . . . 147
List of Sources Consulted 149
Index 165
•
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