authority of this command then that morality doth plainly perish when now there is not any other weekly Sabbath besides the Lords day without which as I said the Moral part of the Sabbath in the New Testament would not remain By right therefore as Alexander Hales hath it the vacation of the Lords day is the Moral part of the Decalogue in the time of grace as the seventh day in the time of the Law Moreover some may with great reason doubt why the Jewish Sabbath should be translated to the Lords day which yet we see hath been done for above one thousand six hundred years if so be that Christians be not obliged to observe the fourth Command as it is moral whenas otherwise there would be no need of any festival to succeed in place of the ancient Sabbath But because that Law doth perpetually bind all the worshippers of God to the observation of the Sabbath it necessarily follows that the day on which the Sabbath is to be observed must be determined by some positive Law and is designed by God for this purpose to be the seventh day in the Old Covenant and the the first in the New For it 's not for man saith Alexander Hales quaest 32. fol. 128. to determine but God when that time is c. It 's in Gods power only to define a fit time for performing his worship But we read this question of the Morality of the fourth Command discussed at large by divers amongst whom the famous Wallaeus doth it most excellently who to the great fruit of the Church hath copiously taught us what is Ceremonial and what Moral in writing of that Command of the Sabbath I will not therefore add any more about this question but do send the Reader to the learned labours of others in which this question is examined I will only add this one thing for a conclusion out of the observations of this Learned Divine namely an explication of the Sabbath's being a sign between God and men Since saith he it is in bred by nature in all Nations that in the external worship of that Deity which they take for supreme they should have some Symbole of Document which may shew to others whom they take for God as may be observed in the sacrifices of Bacchus and therefore in the Revelation they that worshipped God and the Lamb are read to have the mark of God in their foreheads Rev. 14. 1. and they that worshipped the Beast received his mark in their forehead or hand Rev. 14. 9. which were nothing else but external tokens by which they would plainly signifie that they worshipped either God or the Beast So of old we read that the Sabbath was instituted of God that it might be a symbole or sign to manifest to all the world who was the God of the Jews So Ezek. 20. 20. the Sabbaths are said to be signs between God and them that it might be known that the Lord was their God Now what it was that was shewn by that sign Moses tells us in divers places especially in Exod. ch 31. 16 17. Therefore the children of Israel shall observe the Sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetual Covenant It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever he speaks of the Sabbath for in six dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed As if he should say the pious observation of the Sabbath amongst them when every seventh day returns doth intimate that the Almighty Creatour of Heaven and Earth is their God In this sense Athanasius de Sabbatho Circumcisione saith The Sabbath is a sign whereby the day might be known on which the Creation was finished which being known they might ascend to the knowledge of the Creatour And by observing the Sabbath they attained unto that two manner of wayes First inasmuch as one day of the seven was solemn or because after they had ended their labours in the six dayes they must rest on the seventh Secondly by determining that rest on the last day of the weekly compass both wayes the Jewes signified that they worshipped none other than God the Creatour of Heaven and Earth because whereas they sanctified the seventh day after the six dayes labours were ended they openly professed that they were worshippers of that God who created Heaven and Earth and having finished his labour in beautifying that stupendious work on the seventh day he ceased from working for which cause he enjoyned them the observation of the seventh day that they might follow his fore-going example both in working and in resting He hath commanded saith Philo de Decalogo that whosoever received these Institutions as in other things so in this also they should follow God in working six dayes and resting the seventh and attending on the contemplation of things and study of VVisdome c. Afterwards Follow God thou hast Gods example and prescript in working six dayes And farther they set apart no other day in the weekly course but the seventh for the exercises of piety that they might profess they were the servants of that God which redeemed the Israelites out of the Land of Egypt and brought them out of the house of bondage which is collected from the repetition of the Decalogue Deuteronom 5. 15. where Moses omitting the argument taken from the Creation which he had used in the Decalogue doth excite them to sanctifie the Sabbath from their being freed out of the Land of Egypt namely because whenas they served in the Land of Egypt the Lord their God brought them out thence with a strong hand and stretched out arm and therefore he commanded them that they should observe the very day of the Sabbath in whose morning watch they came out of Egypt as the Learned Junius observes in his notes on Deuteronom 5. out of Exod. 12. 15. This seems to have been the cause of appointing this day rather than any other And thus much of the Jews Sabbath whereby as by a manifest document they professed to worship the Lord the Creator of this universe and their mighty Redeemer out of Egypt for which cause the Sabbath was had for a sign between God and them CHAP. X. A day in every week is to be sanctified under the Gospel which is not the seventh but first the celebrating of the Jewish Sabbath Col. 2. 16. and Gal. 4. 10. examined the places whereon the observation of the Lords Day in the New Testament is bottomed The Fathers acknowledge its Divine authority neither can the Church change that day and substitute another in its place A Stated Day in every Week being granted to perform Gods Worship on it remaineth now farther to find out what day is determined by God for his worship since the Light of the Gospel was up and down dispersed And whereas thus far we have spoken of the Jews Sabbath it remains in the second place to be considered Whether Christians or
them out furnished with special authority to gather the Church to lay whose foundations belong to the Apostolical dignity out of the promiscuous multitude of all nations and so they were sent out by Christ to all Nations without any exception for which cause when a Church was planted in any part of the world whither they came they fixed not but removed some other way Thirdly They were endued with that abundance of Grace of the Holy Ghost for the Ministry committed to them by the Lord that they preached the truth of the Gospel infallibly I know sayes Hierom how to esteem of the Apostles in one manner of other Doctors after another that those alwayes taught the truth these in some things did erre as men Whence the Doctrine commended to the Church by the Apostles was alwayes accounted for the rule and Canon of all Christian Religion Fourthly The Apostles at the beginning of the Church by the visible sign of imposition of hands conferred the gifts of the Holy Ghost upon others that were instructed of them in the Doctrine of the Gospel and they were endued with divers other gifts of Miracles by which their call was rendred clear both to themselves and others Matth. 10. 8. And these are the signs by which the blessed Apostle teaches us that he had executed the office of a true Apostle in the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 12. 2. Deservedly for these causes were they that were elected to the honourable state of Apostolical dignity preferred to other Ministers of the Church not only in the chief eminency of Order but of Power and hence it was that all questions respecting the affairs of the whole Church were propounded to be discussed by the Apostles whom all the Churches consulted in doubtful cases as may be seen Acts 15. 2. 1 Cor. 7. 1. and whatever they determined the whole Church every where embraced which made a conscience of departing a fingers breadth from those things that were committed to them by the Apostles If therefore the solemnity of the Lords Day was celebrated while the Apostles were living which the Scriptures testifie was done as we have seen chap. 2. it must of right chiefly be imputed to their ordination otherwise without doubt the Universal Church had not followed it Baronius thinks that all who are well in their wiâ—â— will say that since it is found that it was done in the Apostles times it could not be ordained and commanded to be kept of any other but of themselves Neither is any thing worthy consideration brought to the contrary except it be because the Blessed Apostles have left no singular command with the Church for the observation of this day although he that shall attend their practise may lawfully deny this since their example and practise hath the force of a precept But who will deny that some things were instituted of the Apostles in the Church whose use while they were alive I pass not for Traditions introduced into the Church when the Apostles were dead was grown out with the primitive Christians of whose first institution or necessary continuation afterwards no precept is extant in the Scriptures yet who will be bold to extenuate the authority of these commands or will affirm that the Church at this day is not obliged to observe them because their observation being mentioned in Scripture is as it were a command by vertue whereof the Church is bound to continue them The thing will be more plain by examples The Apostles ordained Deacons Act. 6. and Elders in every Church Act. 14. 23. In the Ordinations of all Ministers imposition of hands was used but where is there extant an express commanâ— from Christ for perpetuating the ordination of those the institution of these or for the use of this ceremony yet none doubts but that the Apostles in performing of these were acted by a Divine instinct of the Spirit and that the Church at this day is bound to them by vertue of Apostolical institution But that I may briefly shew that the blessed Apostles and no others were the authors of this solemnity that which follows may suffice If it were observed while they were yet living which the Scriptures do evidently enough manifest it is deservedly to be ascribed to their ordaining it for it was either instituted by them and their authority or by some other Doctors of the Church without their consent a third way is not given the latter whereof is absurd and never to be admitted of any exercised in the Christian Faith because the Apostolical authority as formerly we have abundantly enough shewn was supreme in the Church it belonged to them to declare to the Christian flock what was best to be done in all things and not to the Church to prescribe them Statutes and Laws Why therefore did it not appertain to the Apostles the faithful founders of the Church amongst other things to commend this also to the Church and not to the Church to prescribe it the blessed Apostles Moreover the general consent of all Churches in celebrating this festival evinceth the same otherwise they had dissented from one another as in other observations not received from the Apostles but observed for a time by the succeeding Church as in the Feast of the Passover in observing Fasts c. so doubtless it would have happened in celebrating the Lords Day if by Divine authority received from the Apostles its observation had not been used amongst the Christians Thirdly if the Christian Church had ordained that day to be celebrated without the advice of the Apostles either those that turned Christians from Jews or Gentiles had done this but not those to whom the cessation of their old Sabbath was not known but by the Apostles much less would they attempt to do this by themselves or on their own authority Neither will any wise man think that those whom the Apostles invited from Heathenism to embrace the Christian faith were the authors of this Festival because it is not usual with them to Sabbatize after the manner of the Church unless so far as they were instructed to it by the Apostles Fourthly if the Holy Apostles by authority committed to them from Christ had not instituted the Lords Day but had left its observation free to the judgment of the Church then we might on good reason have called the Church the Queen of the Sabbath which yet is a very clear argument of Christs Divinity as the Learned Dr. Paraeus piously for none is Lord of the Sabbath but he that hath instituted the Sabbath c. The Sabbath is of the Lord they God Lastly if its authority did depend upon the Churches institution then it may by it be again abolished when it shall think good but this was never hitherto since Christs ascension attempted because the Lords day being taken away the publick worship of God must of necessity fall Since therefore the observation of the Lords day was used while the Apostles were
by God for the use of the Ministers of the Church they must of necessity grant that God hath appointed a time in which they must attend his worship to whom in their opinion he hath granted Tythes because it is the same authority that must both define the Worship and a fit time for performing of that Worship Now for establishing the Divine institution of this day we must not have recourse to that spurious scroul that as it 's reported in the third tome of Councils was sent down from Heaven to Hierusalem because that what things the Holy Ghost hath revealed to us in Scripture they do demonstrate it to all to be Divine of those that embrace the truth and for the fabulous fooleries about this matter we leave them to the Papists whose Kingdome had long since fallen without their support and we will briefly according to our manner examine what light may be brought out of the New Testament to manifest the truth in this matter Here three things come to be examined First Whether in the compass of every week must the Church keep holy a certain day by Gods institution Secondly Whether the Jewish Sabbath be abrogated Thirdly What can be brought out of the books of the New Testament to confirm the keeping holy the first day in the week The first of these is more obscure the other two may plainly enough be observed out of the Holy Scriptures and Fathers and one of them depends upon another Of the last many things have been observed out of the Scriptures in our second third c. Chapters but the truth about the two former Questions being made manifest by the testimonies of the ancients it will appear with little ado what is to be enquired into in the third place CHAP. VIII Within the compass of a week one day was sanctified from the beginning of the world this is affirmed both by Jews and Christians How Adam had need of the Sabbath The mention of observing the seventh day amongst the Heathens The authorities are weighed wherein the observation of the Sabbath among the Patriarchs is denied Why the Heathens are not upbraided with the abuse of the Sabbath AS to the first Question namely That in the compass of seven dayes one is to be set apart for spiritual operation as saith Chrysostom why should I fear to affirm it Especially since this opinion is approved by the suffrage of the greatest Divines and clearly enough taught by the manifest testimonies of the ancients We shall see that the Church of God since the History of the Creation was known did alwaies set apart one day of the weekly systeme for his worship the verity of which thing may be observed in the three Epocha's or junctures of years the first whereof is from the Creation to Moses the second from Moses till the Gospel was preached by the Apostles the third follows to be considered from that time till the end of the world in all which we shall find that one of the seven was alwayes set apart for the publick worshipping of God We read it was so done from the beginning of the world till Moses from Moses till the Resurrection of Christ from thence to this very day The controversie at this day is chiefly about the first and last Epocha none doubts of the second In demonstrating the first that the Sabbath was observed before Moses yea from the first beginning of the world both the Holy Scriptures and the Reverend Fathers their faithful Interpreters do attest it to prove the truth whereof we will first bring the authority of Moses which is had Gen. 2. 2 3. of which places divers have given the genuine sense and especially the Learned Rivet in Gen. and doth Orthodoxly enough defend his Exposition against those that think otherwise in his dissertation de Sabbato chap. 2. and removes a Prolepsis that is devised by the modern in commenting upon Moses's Text for Moses in the foresaid place doth not relate what God did when he writ the History of the Creation but what God did after that the stupendious work of Creation was finished namely that he ceased from creating any new work and ordained by a Law promulgated that the seventh day should be set apart by men to his worship in memorial of the Creation This is related by Moses Neither was that fore mentioned prolepsis which the best amongst the Christians allow not known to the Jews And if we follow the simple and literal sense of Moses his words they all make for us For how unjust is it when all the Verbs are of the same Mood and Tense Vajecol Vaijsboth Vajebarech and be finished and ceased and blessed to restrain the two former to the present and to extend the latter as some do to a time to come two thousand years after this would be too harsh a construction of the words But let us see how the Jews understood this place Tertullian tells us of them that they affirm that God from the beginning did sanctifie the seventh day by resting on it from all the works that he made and thereupon Moses said to the People Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day c. Where Tertullian delivers the Jews opinion of the Sabbaths observation from the beginning of the world and then he affirms that according to the Jews the Command in the Decalogue for keeping it respects the original observation of the Sabbath namely because God at the Creation sanctified the seventh day This was the opinion retained amongst the Jews in Tertullians age which he produces when he disputes against them and no where doth Tertullian deny that the seventh day was sanctified from the beginning Neither do the Jews themselves deny this The title of Ps 92. apud Jonath who translated the Bible into the Chaldee is thus A Praise and Song which the first man spoke for the Sabbath day From which inscription it appears that the ancient Jews even before the first coming of Christ thought that Adam observed the Sabbath For. Jonathan lived according to Galatinus forty two years before Christs Nativity Josephus a very learned Jew acknowledgeth that God rested on the seventh day and ceased from his works and for that cause do the Jews celebrate a vacation on this day which they call the Sabbath Josephus therefore confesses that the Jews ceased from their works on the Sabbath because the Lord ceased from the Creation on the seventh day Of the same opinion is Philo the Apostles contemporary After saith he that nature was perfected in six dayes the Father added honour to the seventh day following which when he praised he vouchsafed to call it holy Also de vita Mosis lib. 3. he confesses that the Sabbath day had a priviledge by nature since the birth day of the world And a little before in the same book he saith Moses thought it sitting that all those who were enrolled in this City should following the law of Nature
celebrate the Sabbath He grants then that the Sabbaths observation was according to the law of Nature that is that it was constituted by God at the Creation of Nature St. Austin sayes also that the Jews acknowledge that God sanctified a day since which he began as it were to rest from his labours So Solomon Iarchi in Gen. 26. By whom is cited R. Simson in Is 58. Aben Ezra in Exod. 20. Da. Kimchi Manasses Ben-Israel in Deut. 5. and all the Doctors of the Jews excepting Maimonides These things shew that the Jews had knowledge that the Sabbath was observed from the Creation from whom the observation of the Sabbath was very well known to the inhabitants of the whole World Of the Christians also divers both antient and modern were of this opinion a few of whose testimonies we will lightly touch Theophilus Antiochenus lib. 2. ad Antolicum saith That God finished the work that he made on the seventh day and blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because on it he rested from every work he made c. He saith not that God did consecrate the seventh day that afterwards only it might be sanctified of the Israelitish Church but so soon as the work of Creation was consummate the seventh day was of God both blessed and sanctified Afterwards he acknowledges that the seventh day was solemnized amongst all men which the Hebrews call the Sabbath and Greeks the seventh day although most know not the cause of that name And what cause was unknown to the most namely the holy resting of God on that day and its sanctification whereof Theophilus made mention a little before Tertullian saith that Christ fulfilled the Law while he made the Sabbath day which was holy from the beginning by the blessing of the Father more holy by his own doing good on it Cyprian confesseth that the Seventh day Holy day from the Creation of the world obtained authority because in six dayes Gods works were finished and the seventh consecrated to rest as holy and sanctifying honoured with a solemnity of vacation and entitled to the sanctifying Spirit Lactantius is of the same opinion God finished the world and this admirable work of the Creation in six dayes space and then ordained the seventh day whereon he rested from his works This is the Sabbath day Lactantius therefore fetcheth the sanctification of the Sabbath from the Creation and not from the History of Manna St. Athanasius saith that God rested when he had finished the former Creation and therefore the men of that generation observed the Sabbath on the seventh day Where he acknowledges that the Sabbath was observed from the Creation till Christ for he saith that all men of that generation did observe the Sabbath where he speaketh of the whole time from the beginning of the world till Christ Greg. Nyssen Lo here is for thee the Sabhath blessed from the beginning of the world mark it by that Sabbath this Sabbath the day of rest which God hath blessed above other dayes Chrysost God hath blessed and sanctified that day What is it that he hath sanctified it he hath set it apart from other dayes After when he tells us the cause why he hath sanctified it he addeth because on that he rested from all his works which God began to make Now God intimateth to us this Doctrine from the beginning teaching us that within the compass of a week one whole day is to be set apart and spent in spiritual work Therefore according to Chrysostom the Sabbath Day since the Creation was set apart from other dayes and plainly it appears that for that ordination the world is bound to dedicate one whole day of the week to the worship of God Aug. ult cap. postrem lib. de Civitate Dei while he is describing that everlasting Sabbath which the Saints shall enjoy in heaven he referrs the institution of the Sabbath to the resting of God from the work of creation He doth the like in Epist. ad Casulanum where he saith that God sanctified the seventh day when he rested on it from all his works and afterwards gave command about its observation to the Hebrew people Augustine therefore doth acknowledge that the use of the Sabbath was amongst the ancients before it grew common amongst the Hebrews namely first at the beginning before Moses and afterwards in the Church of the Jews Theodoret. He hath bestowed a blessing on the seventh day instead of creating lesâ— that day only above others should want its hoâ— nour and he hath put Hallowed it foâ— set it apart And afterwards In blessing the seventh day he hath shown that he thought it not an unprofitable and superfluous day but hath ordained it to be applied to rest Who doth not see that in Theodorets opinion from the beginning the Sabbath was set apart for the worship of God from other dayes So when he answers the question why he commanded not the Sabbath to be celebrated on another day because the God of all hath created every thing in six dayes but on the seventh day he made nothing but honoured this day with a blessing as it is added in six dayes the Lord thy God made Heaven and Earth and rested the seventh wherein he teaches us that even then this day was consecrated of God to rest and sanctification from the beginning of the world Alexander Hales affirmes that the Sabbath before the Law was observed of the Fathers and of the same opinion are divers of the Schoolmen Now if any have a mind to reckon up the grave opinions of the aforesaid Fathers he will not deny that the Sabbath day was solemnly kept from the very beginning of the world because by the judgment of them all the Sabbath was sanctified by God nor do the Fathers speak of the purpose of God as though it was not then really set apart for the worship of God but according to his purpose it was only destined for this that after two thousand years it should be set apart for this end for say they when God had finished his work of Creation the Sabbath was sanctified from the beginning or from the creation of the world when he had rested from his works from the Creation till Christ c. and therefore they acknowledge that the Sabbath day was solemnized amongst all men or all men of the former generation that is from the beginning of the world till Christ a long time before its use was established amongst the Jews All these things are affirmed in round words by the Fathers Out of which it clearly appears that one day of the week was alwayes set apart to the worshipping of God publickly And as the best of the ancients were of this opinion so the chief of our late writers that have flourished in the Reformed Churches do affirm that God did from the beginning of the world sanctifie the seventh day for his