4. Recordation and application afterward hearing of the word without recordation meditation and particular application after we have heard profits not much more then our meats do without digestion Adde unto all these 5. Instructions to the family 6. Works of mercy instructions to the family Works of mercy in visiting of the sick comforting the afflicted relieving the poor c. and we shall find little spare-time left on the Lords day for other then religious and holy employments As for the objection that the Jews are precisely restrained from going out of their places to gather Manna on the Sabbath day or kindle a fire throughout their habitations on that day Exod. 35.3 For the restraint from going out to gather Manna we know that must needs be taken away when Manna ceased and bound the Jews no longer who had liberty otherwise not only to go out of their places but to go small journies on the Sabbath daies as appears Acts 1.12 As for the inhibition to kindle a fire on the Sabbath day some conceive it respected only the building of the Tabernacle which work though God would have hastned yet he would not have the rest of the Sabbath violated for the furthering thereof nor so much as a fire kindled in any of their tents about that work to which they alleage that charge of building the Tabernacle and of forbidding work on the Sabbath day go both together both Gods direction to Moses Exod. 13.11 13. and in the delivery thereof to the people Exod. 35.2 3 4. Howsoever that inhibition of kindling fire was but temporary during the Israelites peregrination in the wildernesse The reasons by which it appears that this restraint of kindling a fire on the Sabbath day was only temporary Restraint from kindling a fire on the Sabbath was but temporary 1. It hath not the form of a continuing ordinance 2. It crosseth our Saviours rule The Sabbath was made for man 3. The loosing of a beast on the Sabbath allowed 4. Christ was at a great feast on the Sabbath which could not be without a fire are these First we find not the usuall clause which is added in most ordinances which were to continue added in this restraint that it should be observed throughout their generations Secondly this seems to crosse our Saviours generall rule Mark 2.27 That the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath he means for mans comfort and refreshing for which kindling of fire and dressing of meat may be and are in a sort necessary Thirdly our Saviour allows the loosing of a beast from the stall and leading of him to the water on the Sabbath day now we know the beast might be provided for by setting water in the stall over-night which would refresh it sufficiently and better then meat dressed overnight could comfort many men Fourthly we find our Saviour present at a great feast Luk. 14.1 where many and it seems persons of quality vers 7.12 were bidden now it is very unlikely that the provisions for that feast were dressed over night and if it were dressed on that day neither would the Pharisee have permitted nor our Saviour have countenanced the dinner with his presence if dressing of meat kindling of fires on the Sabbath day had been forbidden by the law Now why the dressing of Manna while the Israelites were in their peregrination in the wildernesse was forbidden though the dressing of other meats might be allowed afterwards there may be some reason given For Manna it may be might be as good and comfortable eaten cold as hot and the preparing overnight might be no inconvenience at all howsoever it is out of question that in that unsetled condition of the Israelites wandring in the wildernesse when they were enforced to pick up fewell where they could get it baking and boyling must needs be more troublesome and laborious then it was afterwards in Canaan where being setled in their dwellings they had all things whereof they were to make use for such works provided and ready at hand But to conclude suppose the strictnesse of the rest unto which the Iews were bound Howsoever such strictnesse of rest was not required of them by the fourth Commandement to have been as great as they imagine it must needs be granted that there is no clause in the fourth Commandement that enjoyns it which requires no more then a rest from our ordinary secular employments that we may be at leisure to attend wholly upon the duties of religious worship that we consecrate the whole day unto God as the words of that law do cleerly expresse it So the rest of the laws that enjoyn such strictnesse of rest being taken away the fourth Commandement may remain fully in force in every clause of it And as it hath been already intimated it concerns us to take speciall notice of Gods expression Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work by which he can mean nothing else but the works of our particular callings which only may be properly called our works for there be generall works which be proper to all callings and subordinate thereunto as to eat and drink and to cloath our selves and to make use of the rest of the comforts of this life by which we are strengthned and enabled to labour in our particular callings These cannot properly be called our works and are as well to be done on the Sabbath as on other days with this difference only that whereas they are done on other days to enable us to labour they are to be done on the Sabbath to strengthen us to holy duties These reasons which we have laid down before amount to little lesse then a Demonstration that the rest of the Sabbath must be the rest of a whole day or the seventh part of the week which we Christians have both as much cause and as much need to consecrate unto God as ever the Iews had in times past And that we may do it with as little detriment to our selves in our secular affairs and with as much assurance to have our labours of six days so blessed that they shall be sufficient for the dispatch of our needfull employments is evident by the reason which is annexed to that Commandement which proves it by the creation of the world by God in six days a ground of faith which concerns us as well as the Iews Wherefore seeing we have as great reason as great helps and as great encouragements by the assurance of Gods blessing upon our six days labour to sanctifie an entire day of holy rest unto God as the Iews had And seeing the expresse words of the law appoint the whole day to be consecrated unto God why should not we take our selves to be as strongly bound as the Iews were to the keeping of the holy rest of this whole day which we call the Sabbath seeing there appears no sufficient reason why we should judge any jot or title of this law
It is objected that the Rest commanded in the fourth Commandement was a figure of Christs rest in the grave and therefore is now banished with the rest of those shadowes We answer this typicall relation to Christ Answer was accidentall to the Sabbath not essentiall That was accidentall to the Sabbath it was a Sabbath before it was a Type for it was a Sabbath before Christ was looked upon as a sacrifice for sin that is before man had fallen and consequently before there was any need of our Saviours resting in the grave Seeing therefore it was a Sabbath before it was a type it may remaine a Sabbath though the type be taken away They will it may be grant that there must be a rest from labour upon the Sabbath day Objection 2 but the strictness of that rest such as the Jews observed The strictnesse of the rest enjoyned the Jewes is taken away is ceremonious and abolished The rest say they to be observed of us Christians is only for publike worship and no longer so that the remainder of the day after publike duties are ended is free and then men are at liberty to make use of the time remaining for recreations or for any secular affaires as occasion shall required In answer hereunto we have shewed already that although publike worship be principally yet it is not solely provided for in this Law which as we have proved out of Esay 58.13 reacheth to our private carriage also And the Law calls the whole day the Sabbath or rest of the Lord that is both commanded by him and consecrated to him For the whole week being distributed into seven parts sixe are allowed for labour and the seventh is consecrated unto God which therefore must be a naturall day as the other sixe are To replie that we are not bound by that Law is to begge the question But why should not Christians be bound to rest the whole day as well as the Jews The Jews not bound to rest but for holy duties Surely if the Sabbath were a type of Christs rest in the grave yet there could be no type in a whole day as there was in Jonas his three daies So the rest of the whole day having no type in it is not abolished for that cause What then was it a part of the burthen of those ceremonious observances from which Christ hath freed us To give the fuller answer hereunto let us examine what rest was enjoyned the Jewes that we may discover wherein the burthensomenesse of that rest consisted First I conceive no man will think that the Jewish rest was a totall cessation from all action like that in the Aegyptian darknesse Exod. 10.23 as if men after the publike exercise were to sit still and to do nothing Was it then a ceasing from labours to follow sports that the Sabbath might be like the feast of the Calfe Exod. 32.6 or was it rest from worldly labours to fit men give them the more leisure to attend holy duties Such a rest indeed the Law requires For which we have as much need of rest as they and the Sabbath to be kept holy Now if this were all that God required of the Jews to rest that they might be exercised in hearing reading praying c. Is this the liberty Christ hath purchased unto us that we may be lesse godly then they lesse frequent in prayer and other holy duties then they For if we are bound at least to equall if not to go beyond them in our exercise in those holy duties we have as much need of rest from ordinary employments as they had This will be made more evident unto us if we lay before us these five particulars First 1. As having a more weighty ground for observing this holy rest our ground of consecrating the Sabbath is as great and weighty and more cleer and evident to us then it was to the Jews seeing Gods mercies towards man are more cleerly represented us in mans redemption then they could be to them in the worlds creation and conservation Secondly 2. And are as much bound to advance Gods majesty as they 3. And more helps then they 4. And as much need to prevent distractions as they 5. And our duties are as many or more then theirs the majesty and greatnesse of God to whom we consecrate this day is as fully manifested to us as to them Thirdly our helps and means for the raising up of our spirits to an holy rejoycing in God are greater and more effectuall then they were unto them Fourthly we need as much as they all helps to prevent the distraction of our minds and to the quickning of our spirits Lastly our exercise in spirituall and holy duties is in all respects as much or more then theirs So that if all be laid together the observing of a whole day of rest for our exercise in holy duties is as usefull and as needfull to us Christians as it was heretofore to the Iews To cleer this point yet more fully 1 Private prayer and reading let us lay before us the right manner and order of performing the duties in which the Sabbath day is to be sanctified First therefore all men must needs grant that the private exercises of prayer reading Gods word and meditation which are constantly to be used on other daies are not to be neglected but ought rather to be enlarged on the Sabbath day 2. Recordation of Gods mercies generall and Particular Again as the Sabbath ought to be a day of gladnesse and rejoycing in God Psalm 118.24 for all his mercies to man in generall so it is a time of recounting his extraordinary favours to our own souls in particular which will be of speciall use to quicken and fill our hearts with the love of God by tasting the sweetnesse of his goodnesse and to carry us on with more cheerfulnesse and life of spirit in the performance of all the duties of that day both private and publike Thirdly 3. Preparation to publique duties for the publike duties themselves they can never be rightly performed without precedent preparation David will wash his hands in innocency and so compasse Gods Altar Psal 26.6 and Solomon tels us we must take heed to our feet when we enter into Gods house Eccles 5.1 and bethink our selves of the majesty and greatnesse of that God before whom we present our selves and of our own vilenesse that are but dust and ashes Gen. 18.27 nay which is worse unclean and filthy persons Isa 64.6 unworthy to stand before a God that hath pure eyes and the Apostle tells us of superfluity of naughtinesse that must be laid aside when we come to hear that we may receive the word with meeknesse Jam. 1.21 into an honest and good heart Luk. 8.15 Meditations by which we must prepare our hearts in our private exercises of reading Gods word and prayer much more in these which are more solemn and publike Again
mans heart differ in two respects First the terrour raised in a good mans heart by the Word is for sins of another nature then are those that trouble naturall men Secondly they are affected by them on different considerations of Gods revenging hand For the former a naturall man is usually sensible onely of sins against the law of Nature 1. Discovery of the sins of infidelity pride c. and especially sins against the second Table But the Word of God represents unto a man chiefly more secret and inward evils infidelity pride self-love sensuall affections hypocrisie hardnesse of heart and the like and causeth them to appear unto him the foulest and most abominable of all kinds of sin that can be committed In the second place that which affects a naturall man in sin is either something that accompanies the sinne as shame or danger of wrath and vengeance of which Cain complains Gen. 4.14 or the sin as it is a trespasse against man and a wrong done to him which affects him more then the sense of any dishonour done to God as Judas was sensible of nothing but betraying innocent blood Mat. 27.4 But when Gods Word smites the heart it represents to the guilty person his trespasse against God his Majesty 2. And those as trespasses against God and Holinesse which affected David Psal 51.4 His unkinde and causlesse trespassing against the God that made sustaineth and carrieth him upon Eagles wings Deut. 32.10 11.15 His frowardnesse in trespassing out of perversenesse of spirit against often warnings and against the secret checks of his own conscience His folly that thus perverts righteousnesse to no profit Job 33.27 forsaking the fountain of living waters to hew broken cisterns that hold no water Jer. 2.13 whereby he hath abased God in his heart Deut. 32.15 and set him at a lower rate then the transitory things of this life yea then his own bare lusts By all which he hath defiled his own soul is become like the beasts that perish Psal 49.20 nay worse then they Isa 1.3 so that he loaths and is ashamed of himself Iob 42.6 Ier. 31.19 Now as the considerations in sin 3. And fear of Judgement certain intolerable eternall that affect men naturally and spiritually are divers so are the apprehensions of the danger that comes by sin A naturall mans fears are like that of Belshazar Dan. 5.6 something he trembled at but what it was he understood not or like those terrours threatned Deu. 28.65 66. wherin they shal fear day night they know not why But the Word of God shews one the cause of his fear representing the purity of those eyes of jealousie which he hath provoked makes it evident that God will by no means pardon the guilty Exod. 34.7 that he cannot be beguiled will not be intreated is impossible to be escaped and yet cannot be endured as smiting with the arm of God and not of man whose breath as a river of brimstone kindles that pile of fire and much wood which God prepares for sinners Isa 30.33 whose worm dieth not neither doth their fire goe out Isa 66.24 So that by the Word the sinner sees the rod and who hath appointed it Micah 6.9 and feels it in his apprehension certain present intolerable and eternal which compasseth him so with terrours that he knows not what to doe unlesse he can make his peace with God and procure his pardon Hence it follows The consequents of these severasl kindes of passions In naturall men astonishment fretting hatred of God In spiritual mē shame grief for offending God fear of losse of his favour lastly deliberation what to doe that as naturall and spirituall terrours are raised upon different grounds so the effects and consequents of them must needs be divers which was proposed to be handled in the next place For naturall terrours produce nothing but astonishment and amazednesse so that such men lye down in their confusion fretting with indignation and murmuring in their hearts at their condition with Cain Gen. 4.13 and both fearing God and hating him On the other side the terrours raised by Gods Word in the heart produce withall a loathing of ones self as a filthy creature shame of ones own vilenesse griefe as much for his unkindnesse towards God as for his misery by sin fear of the losse of Gods favour as much as of his revenging hand indignation at ones own folly and wickednesse still acknowledging the Justice and Righteousnesse of God which produceth at last deliberation what to doe with the Prodigall son Luke 15.17 18. So then naturall terrours break these melt the heart naturall terrours are mixed with pride these produce abasement of the spirit Naturall terrours cause repining at God these indignation at a mans self Naturall terrours drive one from these unto God to sue for peace the former force him into the mouth of hell these cast him into the bosome of Christ with uncertain hopes at first and with a trembling heart as the Lepers adventured on the Syrians camp 2 Kings 7.4 yet with hope of some possibility to finde favour and with a resolution to cast himself upon God come what will Such kinde of heart-breakings which are wrought by the Word being impossible to be wrought by any naturall means argue that word that causeth them to be of God who worketh according to his own pleasure in all things what he will Thus the first work of the Scripture The secōd supernaturall effect of the Word conversiō 1 t The means whereof are manifested only in the Word shewing in pricking and wounding the heart manifestly discovers it to be the Word of God as working beyond the power of nature But the conversion of the soul by the same Word will make it yet more evident Now it appears first by the means of his conversion and secondly by the nature and kind of the work it selfe The means by which the Word draws on the heart towards this work of conversion are by proposing unto one cast down by the sight of sin and sense of Gods wrath two grounds without which that work of conversion cannot be brought to effect 1. The inability of all creatures to work our peace First the unprofitablenesse and inability of all creatures to help in that dangerous condition in which he findes himself Secondly the way of reconciliation and peace tendred by God himself to repentant sinners by the mediation of Jesus Christ his own Son The inability of the creatures to doe us good in this case is onely manifested by Gods Word 1. Of our selves to satisfie for sins passed which makes it evident that we cannot help our selves neither by flight from Gods presence which fils all places Ps 139.7 nor by resisting his power which would be like the encounter of the thorns with the sire Isa 27.4 nor by intreating making peace with him who will by no means clear the guilty Exod. 34.7 without satisfaction which we cannot
it had been so expressed And questionlesse the second Commandement had been plainer if it had been expressed in some such manner as this Thou shalt not worship me with any worship of thine owne devising but in such manner and in the use of such ordinances as I shall prescribe 2. And the Commandement for baptizing of Infants And it had been plainer if our Saviour in giving commission to his Apostles to baptize had exprefly named the Infants of beleeving Parents as he did in commanding them to be Circumcised Many passages in Scripture might have been expressed in plainer tearms then those in which they are delivered It is enough to satisfie any sober mind that God who was at liberty to expresse himselfe as he pleased thought it fit to speak to us in this manner We may adde farther if we observe it well God manifests great wisdome in penning the second The discovery of such changes to follow had brought the services into contempt and fourth Commandements in this obscure manner for if God had in the second Commandement expressed himselfe at full that the Iews should for the present worship him according to the ordinances which Moses gave them but after the comming of the Messiah they should in stead of them use such Rites as he should ordaine And if in the fourth Commandement he had thus expressed himselfe Your Sabbath for the present shall be the last day of the week but after the Resurrection of Christ you shall change it to the first day of the week the discovery of the changes to come in the Rites and form of Gods worship had in all probability bred in Gods people a contempt of those duties which they were to perform at present as being temporary and imperfect and such as were to give place to better ordinances that were to succeed them which they could not endure to heare of Acts. 6.14 It pleased God therefore to pen the Law in such a form that his people might understand out of it as much as concerned them to practise at present and yet we Christians might find in it farther directions when there should be occasion to make use of them Gods wisdome in concealing these changes illustrated by the policy of Princes Thus Princes sometimes to keep their Counsells secret send out their commands with sufficient instructions what to doe at present and with farther Commissions sealed up and not to be opened till they come to the place where those farther directions which are contained therein are to be put in execution Having now examined the reason of this Commandement For in the Law shews the equity of the proportioning of the time set a part for this rest and shewed how it must be deduced and applied let us next consider the words wherein it is expressed This particle For referres both to our labour of sixe daies and rest upon the seventh manifests the equity of the Law in requiring such a rest of us as if we deale providently in managing our affaires needs not to hinder them seeing God allows as much time to us for the dispatch of our business as he took up in the Creation of the world requiring no more of us but the setting apart one day in seven to be kept holy in remembrance of the Creation of the world and that too for our own comfort improvement in grace and for the farther quickning and strengthening of our souls In sixe daies God made all things and therefore by sixe daies labour can and will assist thee to dispatch all thy work as well as for his own honour and glory In sixe daies God made heaven earth c. and therefore both is able and as a faithfull Creator will be ready to assist and prosper thee so in all thy labours that all thy businesse shall be dispatched in sixe daies namely whatsoever thy calling and needfull occasions shall require to be done as God in sixe daies created whatsoever was needfull as is implied in these words All that in them is It hath been before observed that Gods creation of the world is often mentioned as a meanes to move men to depend upon him and it may be probably conceived is remembred here to stay our murmuring at the sparing of one day weekly from our implomyments And rested the Seventh day which must not therefore be the last day of the week And rested c. And 1. thereby established his work 1. And rejoyced in it but is mentioned here only as one of seven not as the last of seven This was not a totall cessation whereof God being a continuall Act is uncapable but only a resting from works of Creation and implies two acts of God The first the establishing and setling all his works to continue in himselfe according to his own Ordinances Psal 119.89 90 91. The other his rejoycing and delighting himselfe in the work of his hands This Rest of God was not as ours for a day only for he never wrought in the work of Creation any more and may perhaps point at our eternall Rest wherein we shall cease from all our labours for ever Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day Therefore the Lord blessed c. as declaring by his rest that the Creation was perfected and sanctified it because he had by his resting on that day manifested the perfecting of the Creating of the world all things being made that were needfull so that there was no cause to goe on with that work of Creation any longer wherefore in memory of this great work of the Creation of the world God sanctified this day as being dignified above other daies by perfecting of so glorious a work Gods blessing of the day is the ordaining of it to be a day of blessing a day of thriving in Grace and abounding in spirituall comforts a day of rejoycing in God and his goodnes and encouraging our selves by the remembrance thereof to serve the Lord with chearfulnesse and gladnesse of heart Sanctifying is a setting apart of the day unto God to be imployed in holy exercises as preaching hearing reading praying c. Thus farre then we find in examining the phrases and expressions of the fourth Commandement nothing that may enforce us to acknowledge any thing to be Ceremonious in this Law nor consequently mutable seeing the set day of rest being not commanded there in particular but onely assigned by a generall rule which is appliable to the Sabbath of the Christans as well as to that of the Jewes in changing of the first day of rest there is nothing altered in the Law It remaines only that we examine whether we finde any Ceremony in the rest which if we doe not we must acknowledge that the Church of God is for ever bound to the observation of this Objection 1 as much as to any other of the Morall Laws The rest of the Sabbath was a type of Christs rest in the grave and therefore abolished