of any hour to be the bounds of the Sabbath as it sooner or later riseth or sets Were not the Mariners of the men of Iudah bound to observe the seventh day in all the several coasts where they made their voyages Did God limit them to the rising or setting Sun of Indea onely c. Thus far New Englands answer to that argument taken up by Mr. Ienison against them into whose treasury I shall cast my mite upon consideration of 1. Act. 2.5 15.11 13.14 17.1 The Proselytes of Ierusalem out of all Nations under heaven whose undoubted observation of the Sabbath in their several Countreys is a full confutation of this aiery argument 2. There will probably be granted some variation between â—â—ai and Sion yet the Sabbath punctually observed in both places Captain Ienison is not ignorant of four hours difference in the rising Sun between England and the American Colonies and yet the same first day observed both here and there But by the way we may observe that the wounds he would give unto the seventh day Sabbath fall as heavily upon the first day whereunto he pretends great devotion with his Brethen for if the seventh be uncertain the first must needs be so and thus whiles he would weaken the true Sabbath he opens a gap to that impiety of rejecting the authority of the fourth Commandement which sober spirits abhor But our God hath not bound us to the obedience of such hours but of such a day the Clock is not to be our guide but the Sun Here they object That in some though scarce any habitable Regions the Sun for many moneths leaves not their view whence they suppose an impossibility of observing the sabbath The answer is That in all parts the Sun is ever upon motion his Eastern Western circuits are not onely observed but exactly measured familiarly each four and twenty hours so as not onely to know their times of repose but possibly to shame us in the abuse of ours should the clouds or other meteors in ercept their sight of the Sun or ours the fowls of the heaven would give information 〈◊〉 8.7 And as sleeping and working time is easily discerned each four and twenty hours with like facility may the six working days be distinguished from the Sabbath If once the heart be free to yeeld obedience it will cease to create * Prov. 22.13 and invent difficulties and the renewed nature will no less breath after the souls weekly Sabbath than the old nature will expect its accustomed repose The Suns daily circuit and weekly revolution is no such difficulty to a devout soul But whither are we roving Will not our own Climate contain us Joh. 21.21 22. Are we not more inquisitive with Peter to know what other Nations shall do then to study our own duty We should even shame to slight Gods Sabbath whiles the Heavens declare his glory and whiles we fancy Bugbears of uncertainty in observing the exact time Lo day unto day uttereth speech Psal 19. night unto night sheweth knowledge there is no speech or language where their voice is not heard What beter directions can we desire then this faithfull witness of Heaven by his several circuits exactly measuring out our time and informing our eye as words instruct our ear When his fix days light leaves our Land 't is then time to leave our labours For then doth the glorious Lamp of Heaven like a Herald proclaim the approaching Sabbath that Saints may set open the everlasting Gates for the King of Glory I would not leave this scruple wherewith the self condemning adversary reproached his own principles till the path rendred so abstruse and intricate attain its promised perspicuity Isa 35. even to the weakest sight that so way faring men though fools may not erre therein Wherefore observe that in the beginning when Heavens bright Eye declined the sixth Evening in Eden the holy God gave unto man not onely a precept but a fair president also in ceasing from the work of Creation to sanctifie and observe his holy Sabbath Howbeit at the same hour it was impossible for other Climates of the World regularly to begin the Sabbath for the more Western parts must wait for the Suns warning or else they should not sanctifie the seventh day exactly as measured and regulated by the Sun which God hath purposely set for signs and for seasons Gen. 1.14 and for days and years Having therefore proclaimed rest in Paradise leaving man with his Maker to sanctifie the Sabbath away he posts as a Bridegroem from his Chamber Psal 19. rejoycing as a Giant to run his race and so coursing in his circuit through the Heavens he declares to the Regions sooner or later as fast as he can sly when to cease from their six days servitude to sanctifie the exact seventh day Sabbath Yea when mounting the other Hemisphere the interposition of the terrestrial Globe makes their Meridian the Antipodes Midnight yet is the seventh day as measured by the Sun punctual and certain in each Region God hath not engaged us to the same hours but to that assured seventh day or seventh part of time regulated by the glorious Lamp ordained for times and seasons for days and years Where then lies the difficulty of the seventh days certainty which was suggested to the people with such a cloud of confusion But lastly the difference between out Summer and Winter Sabbath in this little Island is as evident to every A B C Christian as is the certainty of the seventh day in the midst of such variation for who knows not that our Winters Sabbath begins four hours sooner then in Summer and ends upon the same account making full eight hours difference between Summer and Winters Sabbath But though the hours so much differ yet the seventh day surrounded by the Sun is unalterabiy the fame and the Sabbath certain as in Summer and Winter season with us so in each Climate and Countrey throughout the world And therefore 't is but an aiery flourish borrowed from the Bishops and perhaps a vaunt of more Aâ— then suits education or capacity to compass the earth for an agument to prove the variation of time which is so obvious and familiar in our little angle and yet I suppose never begat the least scruple in any Christian neither is there the least cause But I hope the adversary sees great cause by this time to be ashamed of his cloudy speculation amusing the people and humbly to confess he did he knew not what against New Englands testimony and Scripture evidence and so obtain the benefit of Christs Petition Luk. 23.34 Father forgive them for they know not what they do Carnal hearts might with more reason contend against the Lords Supper in some Countreys for want of Wine then against the Lords Sabbath for want of Light But when Grace shall make Saints as zealous for the Sabbath as the Sacrament
chiefly engaged was a Tradesman a sad Omen to the decayed Clergy who silently admired his invenâ—on whiles he opposed his own Nâ—w England princlples manifestly sinning against his light in rendring the Sabbath ceremoâ—aâ— bâ—cause given to the Jewes for a signt over whose deplorable condition New England thus laments It may affect ones heart with great mourning to see the many inventions of mens hearts to blot out this remembrance of the Sabbath day Shep. Sab. they first cast it out of Parâ—dâ—se and shut it out of the world until Moses time when in Moses time 't is published as a Law and crowned in the same manner as all Moral Laws yet then they make it to be but a ceremonial Law continuing onely till the comming of Christ Jesus Thus New England mourns over such impieties and 't is cause of grief indeed that one of their own professed Members should so openly oppose their impregnable doctrine of the morality of the Sabbath It is truth that the Sabbath was given to the Jews for a sign Exo. 31.13 and so was Christ himself Isa 7.14 Euk. 2.11,34 but it followes not that either Sabbath or Saviour must be therefore ceremonial The Saints are set for signes so is the holy spirit 1 Joh. 4.13 Isa 8.18 Eze. 20.12 20. yea for the very same sign as the Sabbath is viz. That you may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctifie you There the same honour is put upon the Sabbath as upon the holy Spirit yea let the self-denying Disciple know that in the conscientious observance of Gods Sabbath he shall not long want the blessed sign of Gods sanctifying presence The Sabbath is indeed a signe of goed things formerly produced Exo. 20. 31.13 as the worlds creation or else of good things at present enjoyed as Gods sanctifying grace but never was it set for a sign of good things to come like the ceremonial * Compare Col. 2.17 18. with Lu. 4.18 19 21. Deut. 6.5 6 7 8. 13.18 c. Mat. 22.17 Sabbaths I might here retort the vaunting language of the Preacher of Peters of cutting off Goliahs head with his own sword for if the Morality of the Sabbath cease by being a sign to the Jews in their generations upon the same account must the whole Law cease to bee Moral since Gods spirit hath set it also for such a sign Thus while vain man findes out inventions to slight Gods Sabbath as a Jewish ceremony because given to that people for a sign he rejects the Holy spirit Scriptures Christ and all as so many Jewish ceremonies Neither is it possble to escape the Dilâ—â—â—ma by saying that the Sabbath is Moral but the seventh day Ceremonial for though the seventh day and Sabbath be terms convertible in the fourth Commandement yet even in the place mentioned the term seventh day is not set for the sign but the term Sabbath And whereas the same person puzzled the people by a third inwention but without the Book Object That if we observe the Jews Sabbath we must also offer the Jâ—ws sacrifices 1. Answ Now England Divinity might have instructed him That if sacrifices could make the Sabbath ceremonial then they may make that day and every day ceremonial but sacrifices make not the Sabbath ceremonial therefore not the day 2. Heb. 7. All sacrifices were recorded types of Christ and therefore abolished but the Sabbath did never type out Christ therefore never abolished nor changed 3. The seventh day Sabbath is part of the Law Moral where no syllable is found of sacrifices 't is therefore as absurd to conclude we must offer sacrifice if we will keep the Sabbath as to say we must keep the Ceremonial Law if we observe the Moral When these fancies fail and the Sabbath can neither be expelled Paradise nor confined to Canaan A third invention is found to make Christ a bolster to disobedience by proclaiming him a Sabbath-breaker Who never transgressed no not a tittle of the least Ceremony For had he failed of the smallest service he could never have been the Saviour of the world God must have a Lamb without spot or blemish The charge brought against Christ is 〈◊〉 1. That he justified his Disciples in plucking Ears of Corn as well he might when the Law expresly allows it Deut. 23 25. without restraint of time and where no Law is there 's no transgression If the Phariseos were righteous over much who had so deeply suffered for slighting the Sabbath formerly shall the Lord of the Sabbath be censured for allowing that to his hungry Disciples which even the Hipocâ—ites themselves did not deny their beasts that is Luk. 3.15 Necessary food If Professors are not ashamed to joyn with Scribes and Pharisees in censuring our Saviour as a Sabbath-breaker yet let not these continue bold whiles Christs words make the others blush Luke 13.17 And whiles our Advocate performs his office in pleading the cause of his Disciples let Christians learn to content themselves by the Apostles examples with a slender Sabbath days Dinner rather then prophane the sanctified feason to make provision for their perishing bodies Trust to his word who hath promised to such as first seek his King dome that all things needfull shall be supplied he will never leave thee nor forsake thee but rather then fail Mar. 6.34 he will put forth a beam of his Divinity to feed thee who dost faithfully follow him Wherefore resolve to serve him though he feed thee but with Ears of Corn and this also be grudged by superstitious Pharisees A second charge jointly brought by the Hipocrites of old and present Professours against our innocent Saviour is about the Cripples miraculous cure Jâ—â— â—â— 8 and carrying his Bed on the Sabbath Whereas they were no more capable of understanding the supposed violated Scripture then of discerning the person they quarrelled with The scope of the Scripture is onely to restrain traffick and travel for gain in our ordinary callings Jer. 13.21 Neh. 13 11 c. but not to obstruct any work simply for Gods glory and spiritual profit neither did the man transgress any letter of the Law for 't is Thy work the Law forbids but this was properly the Lords work to confirm the miracle wrought upon a helpless and almost hopeless creature The Word of God freely allowes bearing Mat. 12 5. of Burdens for his own honour even on the Sabbath Joh. 7.21 23. Josh 6.12 c. 1 Kin 20 28 29. as in Circumcsion and Sacrifiees in the miraculous taking of Jericho and in * Heb. 2.1 2 3 4. war And so lar was our dear Redeemer from slighting the Sabbath that he singled out that Sanctified season to honour it with his chief miracles Gods spirit enjoyns exact obedience to those truths that were confirmed by * Heb. 2.1 2 3 4. maricles and as the wo was greater to those ungratefull Cities where his chief maracles