first day of the weeke from the worke of our Redemption and re-creation therefore did he blesse and hallow it by his example to his Apostles whom he had extraordinarily called that they by their example should doe the like to others with those many manifestations of himselfe and admirable blessings which he then bestowed on them Which practice of Christ doth wonderfully make good both the Morality of the Sabbath and justifieth the alteration of it also to the first day of the weeke For whereas God at the first blessed it that is appointed it to be a day wherein he would especially confer spirituall blessings We see Christ accordingly doth still on this day blesse and enlighten his Apostles by appearing to them being together glorifying God Now if you will say that Adams posterity whom in your first Chapter you say it is probable had they continued in Innocency should alwayes have followed Gods example in working sixe dayes and resting the seventh should have sanctified the last of seven by Tradition from God and Adâ—ms examples I will easily yeeld you that by the like tradition from Christ and his Apostles example we doe now keep the first day of the weeke Broad CHAP. II. The latter Opinion maintained THe Primitive Christians for the most part held the latter opinion as I gather by this that followeth Iustin Martyr in his second Apologie writeth after this manner * Apol. ad calcem We hold these assemblies on the Sunday because on that day God began to make the world and also our Saviour Iesus Christ arose from the dead Hereby it is manifest that Iustin knew not of a Commandement from Christ or his Apostles for should a Rabbin yeeld a reason of their meeting on the Sabbath would it not be because God had so commanded it who on that day rested after the Creation and sanctified it And so would Iustin no doubt had he tooke their meeting to be enjoyned by Christ or his Apostles we hold these Assemblies on the Sunday because Christ hath so commanded who on that day rose againe from the dead Thus I am sure some would be ready to write in these dayes Answer The opinion of the Ancients how-ever you may force them to speake was that one day in a weeke or the seventh day was still of force by vertue of the fourth Commandement and that the individuall first day of the weeke was from Christ or his Apostles or both as appeareth in that they call the sanctifying of the Lords-day a keeping of the Sabbath So Ignatius who ad Magnes chargeth those Christians to worke on the Iewes seventh day doth yet say Let every of us keepe Sabbath spiritually * 〈…〉 ad Magnâ—s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 speaking in opposition to the Iews manner of superstitious Sabbatizing so that he cryeth down both their day and manner of hallowing it * 〈…〉 of this page 50. in margin 〈…〉 temp â—51 if his and yet maintaineth the Sabbath to be yet still on foot and exhorteth them to the right keeping it S t. Augustine also saith So we also sanctifie the Sabbath the Lord saying Ye shall not doe any worke therein And as M t. Richard Byfeild saith The Apostle to the Heb. 4. 9. Doubted not to apply the name of Sabbath to the Christian people and our Reâ—â— saying That the people of God have their Sabbatisme left unto them For humane authorities in this point I further referre you to the 21 and 26. Chap. of M r. Richard Byfeild But to shew your leger-de-maine I proceed to that of Iustin Martyr In which I say he doth as Paul sometimes doth concerning his Apostleship Demonstrating it by such arguments as do properly constitute an Apostle So Iustin in his Apologie for Christians doth first shew the reason of the Christian Sabbath i. e. Our new Creation by Christ who by his resurrection brought light out of darknesse in the first day of the Creation But had you looked further as no doubt you did you might have seen his opinion to be more then you make it even witnessing Christ to have taught it to his Apostles as you shall finde it quoted by M r. Richard Byfeild Chap. 21. pag. 124. So that you deale with Iustin Martyr as men deale with Mag-pyes cut their tongues shorter to teach them to speake what they would have them And yet a Râ—bbin might have laid down the Reason and concealed the Commandement without solloecisme or errour unlesse you will say it was a fault in Rabbi Moses for so he proscribeth the Israelites to answer their children when they should aske them concerning the Passeover as you may see in the 12. Chap. of Exod. 26. 27. so also in the 13 Exod. 13 14 15 16. You shall see the reason of a dutie delivered from the parent to the children by precept from Moses without any specification of the Commandement it self Broad Si dies observare non licet menses 〈◊〉 lib. Com. 〈◊〉 Eâ—â—st ad Gâ—â— tempora annos nos quoque simile crimen incurrimus quartum Sabbati observantes parascenem diem dominicum ieiunium Quadragesima See the place and note that he doth not yeeld a peculiar reason for the observation of the Lords-day Constantinus imperator concessit rusticis Euseb. de vita Coâ—st lib. 4. Cap. 19. ut diebus dominicis agrorum culturae pro ut ipsi viderint fore necessarium inservirent Idoneum vero precationi tempus salutarem diem dominicum constituebat quippe qui tum verè praecipuâ—s est tum haâ—d dubie primus Note the reason Eusebius rendereth of this constitution of Constantine and consider withall that Constanâ—ine would not have so constituted if in his judgement our Saviour Christ had before appointed the Lords-day to this end Did ever a Christian Prince simply decree that the Lords Supper should be administred As many Christian Princes and Councels as have simply decreed the observation of the Sunday were doubtlesse of this opinion Answer For answer to this I referre you to M r. Richard Byfoild Chap. 29. where the Reader may herein receive satisfaction Broad As touching moderne writers Calvin saith 〈◊〉 lib. 2 cap. 8. sect 34. Veteres subrogarunt diem dominicum in locum Sabbati Zanchius saith In 4 Preceâ—t that the Lords-day Nullum habet Domini mandatum D r. Feild saith Book 4. Church Chap. 20. that the Lords-day is an Apostolicall tradition not precept The Book of Homilies not to stand upon other saith Homily of the place and time of prayâ—r That Christian people chose the first day which is as much in effect as that it is not Christs Commandement Will any man say that the people of Israel chose the seventh day Now of this opinion I am and these are my reasons 1. Had Christ or his Apostles commanded to sanctifie the Lords-day mention should have been made thereof in Gods word for the Scripture containeth in it all things
it selfe from Worldly works will bee then no part of our positive happines but onely a privative helpe to our absolute glorifying God there as it is to our better sanctifying of the Sabbath here And yet for all this as I have said before not to rest on that day but to imploy our selves worldlily in inward or outward works of mind or body in thought word or deed â—ill prove our sinne * To prove that the Lords day is to bee observed with the like strictnes of us as the ancient Sabbath was among the Iewes a neighbour Minister brings this argument If saith hee the reasons of the command of strict rest to the Iewes on the Sabbath belong as well to us as to them Then the command it selfe belongs as well to us as to them But the reasons rendered in the 4. commandement in the 58. of Isa. 13. Because it is the Sabbath of the Lord and because it is the Lords Holy-day and other reasons also as because carnall works anâ— imployments are impediments to the solemne and spirituall performance of Gods holy worship and service and againe all those duties which were commanded them as essentiall to a Sabbath such as were abstinence from carnall labours and pleasures which destroy the nature of a Sabbath which is 1. to rest 2. to rest a spirituall and holy rest to God These reasons saith hee belong as well to us as to them if any Sabbath or holy-day of the Lords remaineth to bee observed of us which there doth Revel 1. 10. Where by the way take notice it is called the Lords day and not the Lords time to answer an objection of some that say wee are not bound to keepe a whole day holy-day or Sabbath and therefore not to rest saving in the time of publicke assemblies besides wee find not any time in all the Scriptures set apart as holy-day to the Lord but a whole day was the space of time Therefore the commandement it selfe both in the negative part thereof not to follow labour not to follow pleasure and in the affirmative part to follow holy exercises is required of us Christians not onely by way of Analogy but as precise commands by just consequence For because hereby wee both falsifie our present duty which wee owe to the commandement which injoyneth it us as a significant privative meanes for sanctifying the Sabbath and also make void the usefull signification of the typicall sense which consisteth in our resting from all Worldly affaires that wee may the more fully devote our selves to things spirituall and heavenly such as are praising God meditating of the life and rest to come c. for of that nature shall bee our heavenly imployment Wee know the Israelites separation from the heathen did not make them the true Israel of God for they were made such onely by their faithfull and true serving of God and yet if they intermixed themselves with the heathen it was a prophanation and sin unto them So a cessation or separation of the Sabbath-day from Worldly imployments is no positive part of our sanctifying the Sabbath though it might bee in the time of the Iewes for that our sanctification consisteth in Spirit and truth not in the literall and outward performance of rest and yet must wee of necessity and duty cease that wee may sanctifie it For it is with the Lords-day as with all other things that if it bee sanctified to the end then it is sanctified to the meanes And as the Scripture saith a man cannot serve God and Mammon especially on this Day but wee should utterly forsake the one that wee may more compleatly cleave to the other By Mammon I meane as well our carnall pleasures all profits for on that day according to the Anti-type all should bee heavenly If ever wee did the will of God as it is done in heaven it should bee on that day And as Master Hildersham observes Lect. 51. Psalme pag. 710. Hildersham God hateth rioting on the Sabbath much more then hee doth working on the Sabbath as it is plaine by Isaiah 58. 13. where in one verse hee names and forbids twice the following of our pleasures as the chiefe prophanation of the Sabbath-day If thou turne away thy foote from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on mine holy-day and call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine owne wayes nor finding thine owne pleasure nor speaking thine owne words c. But Bishop White pag. 257. Obi. objects against Sunday Sabbatizers precepts as hee calleth them concerning the crying downe of carnall recreations and setting up spirituall duties to bee actually and without intermission continued the whole space of a naturall day which saith hee can bee no branch of the Law of Christ nor yet consentaneous thereunto for this reason Because the Law of Christ is sweet and easie Matth. 11. 30. and his commandements are not greevous 1. Ioh. 5. 3. I answer Ans. I never knew that this was to bee expounded after the flesh but after the Spirit By the same rule hee may cry downe all fasting all abstaining from beloved lusts and heavenly mindednes now under the Gospell and quite blot out the Apostles advice to use the things of this World as if wee used them not But may some say Obi. if rest bee no part of sanctifying the Sabbath how then are wee said to sanctifie it at night when wee goe to bed Not that your rest is any sanctification of it Answ. no more then your spirituall labour is a breach of it but because that in so doing thou dost an act of mercy to thy body when thou sleepest as well as when thou eatest at due times in a due measure And indeed thou oughtest to doe it with this or some such like consideration and not meerely sensually as an oxe or an asse for God should have speciall glory by every thing wee doe that day And whatsoever wee doe without a speciall and spirituall relation to God on that day that may properly bee called our worke and so our sin For though things necessary bee lawfull to bee done yet not as on the weeke day but with much more spiritualized affections and heavenly mindednes * To the same purpose speaks one that writ upon this subject saying men may not doe the lawfull works of their calling neither in providing meat drinke cloaths or other necessaâ—ies on the Lords-day with a bare respect of naturall good and worldly pâ—ofit because this is doing of his owne wayes and works and not the worke of God unto which Gods Holy-day it wholly consecrated and set apart So no bodily sports recreations and pleasures are to bee used meerely to cherish the flesh and refresh the body but only such as are in very deed needfull in themselves and used and intended by Gods people with this purpose and â—o this end that they may with more ability alacrity
Creation when they were finished this Conclusion And the Evening and the Morning were the sixth day Besides that it is likely God could not be said to be refreshed on the seventh day and Adam new fallen for whom all things were made and by whom all things were accursed which would have been a displeasure to God and would have taken of his refreshment Broad 3. And therefore it is Morall Answ. Suppose that it had been commanded Consider that there need not any Morall Commandement be given to Adam in the state of Innocency and in the state of Innocency yet would it not follow that this Commandement was Morall for Adam received a Commandement concerning the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill and yet was not that a Morall Commandment Answer To this I answer That all the Commandements which were given in Innoâ—encie were Morall they were both common to all mankinde and perpetuall to all ages * The Jewish â—awes were neither common nor perpetuall but expressely coâ—trary and so was that of the forbidden Tree Though M r. Dâ—w pag. 15. saith he supposeth no man will affirme it And therefore did Eve sinne a particular sinne in eating of it * The woman was first in the transgression and so should conceive whosoever of Adams posteâ—itie had eaten thereof though none but Adam could sin the publicke and Epidemicall sinne because the Covenant was made with him in the day that he should eat thereof c. but with this difference that some of them in Gods intention were proper to that state and were not to be renewed by Christ after the fall of which sort this of the forbidden Tree was one and therefore was Adam thrust out upon his fall by God from having to doe with any thing that is peculiar to that state But other Commandements there were which were intended to remaine as common to man falling or standing by meanes of Christ and of this sort was the created Law of nature in the mind of man the ordinance of marriage and then why not this of the Sabbath For this is most true that whatsoever God giveth as a law afterwards we have no reason to thinke that to be utterly abolished by the fall for from all such things we are kept by the fiery sword never to have commerce with them againe For thus we are utterly deprived of something which in Innocency signified Heaven to shew us our desert and Gods justice And something againe is renewed unto us which likewise did and doth signifie Heaven to manifest our hope and his mercy through Christ. So that then if the Sabbath be not abolished by the fall neither is it abrogated as a Type because not yet fulfilled For the Rest which it did signifie doth yet remaine to the people of God To your marginall note I answer That there was no need of a Morall Commandement to be given so farre as nature was capable but if Gods will extended further as it did in this particular of the Sabbath as I have formerly shewne then it was necessary it should be revealed as positively Morall and part of natures discipline Broad 4. To sanctifie one day in a weeke Answ. Nay rather to sanctifie the seventh day Note God commanded Adam to sanctifie the seventh day Arguments drawne from Gen. 2. Exod. 20. prove it morall perpetuall to sanctifie the seventh day wherein God created and which the Iewes sanctified or nothing ergo it is morall to sanctifie the seventh day is a neerer inference then thus ergo it is Morall to sanctifie one day of the seven or weeke And now if any deny the neerer inference the further of may better be denyed Why I marvell shall the sanctifying of one day of the weeke be rather Morall then of the seventh day What reason can they alleadge of the least moment As for Text of Scripture they can produce none Answer For your full answer to this I refer you backe to your first chapter Were the Sabbath morall naturall then the Iewes Sabbath were to be kept of us Christians but being morall positive it is alterable to the will of the law-giver For nature being one without change to all of necessity prescribeth no binding rule to any in particular but to all in generall No man being able to say This natures Lâ—w commands me to do and yet bâ—nds not another â—o do the like onely with this summary addition That the Sabbath being the Churches perpetuall Type it is to vary according to the constitution of the Church even as the shadow of a man doth according to the disposition of his body or the Sunnes shining The substance of the Commandement and the signification of the Sabbath being still kept inviolate though circumstances alter in this as in other Commandements as hath already been observed in the first Chapter And so it is with us Christians in whose time since the consummation of our redemption by Christs resurrection the last day hath been changed into the first of the weeke only to take in better loading and to fignifie how that by Christ we are assâ—redly possessed of that heavenly Rest even now in this life before our works be ended For whereas formerly by the Covenant of the Law we were to doe this and live now we must first live and then doe Broad ARGVMENT 2. THe Commandement of the Sabbath is placed among the Morall precepts in the Deoalogue therefore it is Morall like unto them Ans. Then must it be wholly Morall and then must the Iewes Sabbath be kept of us Christians Againe the Commandement of the Sabbath is placed among the Ceremoniall prâ—cepts Levit. 23. therefore be like it is ceremoniall like unto them also Answer You doe wrongfully conclude us necessarily to keep the Iewes individuall seventh day from the morality of the Sabbath For though they were bound to observe that order because they were under the Covenant of works like as Adam was when it was given him in Innocency in which time the work of Creation was the thing most worthy commemoration yet notwithstanding we being freed fâ—om the one are likewise freed from the other for as the â—ast day of seven was significative to them so is the first to us So that our new Creation being finished the first day of the weeke it hath priviledged us to sanctifie a new seventh day though an old Sabbath For in this case alteration is no dissolution no more then to adjourne the Parliament to another time is to dissolve it especially considering the Sabbath is not naturally but positively morall And whereas you say That the Sabbath is found in Scripture among the ceremoniall precepts and specially in that Levit. 23. where yet it is spoken of Paramount although because of Analogy it is reckoned amongst them I answer That I deny not but there may be found in Scripture a mixture of morall and ceremoniall Lawes without danger of confounding their natures after they had
Nay I thinke if the case were put to you of a man in a farre countrey who by some or other accident losing that computation of Mannah should notwithstanding have dedicated every seventh day which yet happily might be the first second or third of the week as well as the last to an holy rest in obedience to tho Commandement I thinke I say you would grant this man to observe the fourth Commandement in substance Broad 5. Opinion Others speake of the Morality and Ceremonies of the fourth Commandement By this opinion only the Ceremonies are mentioned in the Decalogue the fourth Commandement hath as it were a peece of Moses vaile on the face thereof when it is read in the Church by the Ceremonies they meane the seventh day and strict rest by the morality the sanctifying of some times or the having of set appointed dayes Ans. There is no Morality of the fourth Commandement as is said before Indeed I acknowledge the Law of Nature here Nature taught the Gentiles and doth teach Christians to set apart some times as places for the publike worship of God But there is a * Suppose that God had said to Sem thou shalt sanctifie some time to Ham thou shalt sanctifie one day in a week and to Iaphet thou shalt sanctifie the seventh day had he not given divers Lawes to them there Should Sem have kept the morality Ham the substance and Iaphet the ceremony or circumstance of one and the same Law this were presently doctrine I trow difference betweene the generall Law of Nature written in mans heart at the Creation and the peculiar precept of the Sabbath written since in Tables of stone Should God now say to the Iewes you shall sanctifie the seventh day wherein I rested and to us Christians you shall sanctifie the first day wherein my Sonne rose The Iewes sanctifying their Sabbath and we the Lords-day should doe that is enjoyned by the Law of Nature in a generall manner but as they should not doe that were enjoined by our particular Law so then neither should we doe that were enjoined by their particular Law Answer That there were some intervening Ceremonies befell the Sabbath in the Iewish Church you I thinke will not I am sure cannot justly deny which now like an old suit of clothes are dropt off * Nay even in the very time of the Iewes the extreame strict Rest ceased when Mannah ceased for Christ hath pruned the Law of her Mosaicall branches and the Sabbath remaineth naked and pure For as the Sabbath it selfe was a super-addition or handmaid to the Law of Nature that is of necessary use and service to preserve our obedience to the will of God revealed in it and especially to the first Table as I have observed in the beginning of this Tract So had it selfe also many additions which were proper to the state of the Iewish Church in which time it was reinforced as likewise had every thing else Which additions were some of them Ceremonies some meere occasionall circumstances and thus was the strict rest in the wildernesse and the stranger within thy gates mentioned in the fourth commandement some whereof were abrogative some changable according to the severall natures as appeares by their severall events in this new created Church of ours In the Commandement it selfe as it is laid downe in the Decalogue I know nothing properly Ceremoniall in a Iewish sence and to bee abrogated properly by Christ For whatsoever was abrogated by Christ was ordained by reason of Christ since the fall which the Sabbath was not Heb. 4. Yet is it no other then a Ceremony and for this cause it is so changable in diverse particulars upon occasion but of that nature and so annexed to the Church as the shadow to the body inseparable though alterable according to the condition of the party and degree of the Sunne Touching your first marginall note with which I will couple your conclusion of the fourth Opinion You say That by these two opinions Not substance but either circumstance or ceremony are only mentioned in the fourth Commandement and hath as it were a peece of Moses his vayle when it is read in the Church Answ. In the order there is included the substance * In the first Table it is ordinary to include the greater in the lesse the affirmative in the negative like as in the second Table the lesse is mostly included in the greater For the seventh day cannot be commanded but one of seven must necessarily and principally be intended as when God commanded the Tenth surely any man will thinke he hath more respect to the number then to the order Neither can the fourth Commandement be said any more nay not so much for the one was common and the other proper to have a peece of Moses his vayle over it for the seventh day being a Ceremony then all the Law hath by its preface of the Egyptian deliverance I wish you had considered what a vayle you cast upon the fourth Commandement when it is read with the Prayer As concerning your secōd marginal note I have formerly shewne in what relation the Sabbath and the Law of Nature stand And as touching the difference of the commanding of one day in a weeke and the seventh day I answer That in substance they are the same and the difference is only in manner of exhibition For Ham hath only the substance it selfe mentioned and commanded him and the order left arbitrary which if he of his own accord should designe to be every seventh or last day then I pray you what difference for substance But Iaphet hath both the substance and order assigned him of God so that the difference lyeth only in manner of exhibition Like as the Covenant of Grace was both one to the Iewes and us in substance onely as it was given to them it was cloathed with many circumstances and ceremonies though they were Lawes they were no better but to us naked All which circumstances I grant did bind during their significancy and though now the Ceremonies be annulled and the Sacraments changed which were Appendices to the Covenant yet is the substance of the Covenant the same and distinct from its circumstances So though the Sabbath admit an annulling of some additaments and a change of some circumstances or ceremonies yet may and doth the fourth Commandement in substance remain the same distinct and unconfounded Nay this very change doth discover to us the substance from the circumstances and ceremonies as well of the Sabbath as of the Covenant if we had not understood them before And though the Morality and Ceremonies of the fourth Commandement relish not with you yet your Partizans of later Edition passe it in Verbo Magistrî That it is abrogated in the speciality of it because it was ceremonious and so serve their turnes to pull downe the Sabbath and yet affirme it stands good in the morality or equity of it to
foure sorts of works lawfull on the Sabbath 1. Works of holinesse 2. Works of mercy 3. Works that are in their nature servile yet doe directly respect the present worship of God as our travell to the places of Gods worship for these works become now holy workes and are not ours but Gods workes 4. Works of common honesty that is works that make to the comely decent and orderly performance of Gods worship and our carriage and behaviour therein Such are the tolling of a bell for the calling of the assembly the comely and modest dresse of the body provided that it be not vaine curious nor aske much time but be thrust into the narrowest roome that may be The spreading of our table so that state be not taken up and all things be prepared before as much as may with the like By works of mercy I meane not onely necessary labours in the help of the sicke and of women in travell and of beasts out of a pit with the like But also all those which are called works of necessity which I rather call workes of mercy because they are therefore necessary as they tend to the preservation of things not from feared or suspected but from eminent and imminent and present danger and the worke it selfe must be done in mercy not in covetousnesse or other respects Now of this sort are these workes labour in provision of convenient food tendance of cattell fight for defence of our countrey being assailed riding of posts on the affaires of the state in causes of present and imminent danger In all these the Master hath power to command and so hath the superiour oveâ— him that is under his charge and the servant is bound to obey The Master may command him the workes of mercy and the works servile which directly looke to the worship of God or to goe with him to the Sermon though many miles off if it cannot be had neerer hand and as his Master may take his horse and ride thither his servant going on foot so may he command his servant for this purpose to saddle his horse as in 2 King 4. 22 23. the question of the Shunamites husband sheweth who to his wife desiring one of the Asses to be made ready and a servant to be sent her that she might goe to the man of God saith on this wise wherefore wilt thou goe to him to day It is neither new Moone nor Sabbath It was then their custome so to doe on the Sabbath and new Moone In like manner the Master may enjoyne the servant such works as tend to necessary provision of food and tending of children in the family c. Yet here againe some things seeme to fight with the sanctification of the day First if the Master shall strictly stand upon his state and distance for if the family-necessities in respect of young children should necessarily require the presence of some constantly at home the Master may not hereby keep his servant constantly from publike worship but rather sometimes change turnes with him Much lesse may he desire such unnecessary superfluities as may cause absence from the Assemblies for this is to feed the carkasse on the life-blood of the soules of thy servants Deale in all plainnesse of heart and know that thou hast to deale with God The servant must be sure the worke is unlawfull before he offer to withdraw his obedience but thou mayest sin in that in which thy servant sinneth not because thou art bound to search more into the nature of thy necessities Secondly if the Master set not his businesse in so wise and discreet an order that without all unnecessary hinderances he and all his household may sanctifie the day and keep it holy Thirdly if the Master remember not that he is a God and that both by communication of name and power to provide for and see to the servants and his housholds rest and therein respect the mercy which God would have shewne to his servants yea to cattle on that day Broad CHAP. IX The Doctrine of the Primitive Church AFter the Doctrine of the Primitive Church the fourth Commandement is ceremoniall and abrogated and for proofe hereof â— say 1. That I have seene many sayings of Fathers and others shewing this to have been the Doctrine of the Primitive Church whereof I will set downe some in this place more may be found in my other books Tertull. lib. adversus Iud. Denique doceant Iudaei Though the Iewes cannot prove this yet some Christians can in their imagination Adam sabbatizasse c. Lastly let the Iewes prove if they can that Adam Abel or Noah kept the Sabbath or that Melchisedech received the Law of the Sabbath in his Priesthood But the Iewes will reply and say since this precept was given by Moses it was to be observed It is manifest then that the Law of the Sabbath was not an eternall nor spirituall but a temporary precept which at length should cease and have an end By this and other like sayings in his booke against the Iewes it may not onely appeare what was Tertullians owne judgement in this matter But also what was the judgement of the Christian world in his time If Christians then had bin Sabbath-keepers Tertullian would not have written as he hath in that booke Euseb. hist. lib. 1. cap. 5. Eusebius there speaking of Adam Abel Noah and other godly ancients hath these words Nec corporalis itaque circumcisionis rationem habâ—erunt sicut neque nos nec sabbatorum observantiae quemadâ—odum â—eque â—os Aug. de spir lit cap. 14 In illis igitur decem praeceptis excepta Sabbati observatione dicatur c. Among the ten Commandements except the observation of the Sabbath let any man tell me what is there that is not to be observed of a Christian whether of not making or not worshipping Idols or any other God besides the onely true God whether of not taking the name of God in vaine whether of honouring parents whether of abstaining from fornication murder theft false witnes-bearing adultery and coveting that which is our neighbours Which of these Commandements * Will any man say that a Christian ought not to observe the fourth Commandement it seemeth so and that August will not gain-say it will any man say that a Christian ought not to observe In the 15. Chapter following he tearmeth the fourth Commandement Praeceptum figuratum a figurative precept Chrysostom in expos secund super Matt. Homil. 49. Legis iustitia prima salutaris decem habet mandata Primum cognoscere unum Deum secundum abstinere ab Idolis tertium non peierare quartum colere sabbatum spirituale quintum c. Note that our fourth Commandement after Chrysost. is to keep a spirituall Sabbath There are two sorts of Sabbaths the one literall or carnall and the other figurative or spirituall the former belonged to the Iewes the later to Christians This I doubt not was the doctrine of the
Primitive Church 2. That I never saw to my remembrance any saying of Father Councell Ecclesiasticall writer cited by any in their Sabbath discourses whereby it might certainly be gathered that so much as one learned man in the Primitive Church was ever of other judgement and took himselfe bound by this Commandement to sanctifie the Lords-day one day in a weeke or any day or time whatsoever note it and search their books Answer M r. Cleaver in his booke called the Morality of the Law hath there given you your answer to this particular objection of the Fathers opinions in this point where the Reader may see the true meaning of the ancients in this particular and how Saint Augustine is wronged and perverted by you I say for plenary satisfaction to the Reader I refer him in this particular of the Fathers opinion in this point to peruse these pages of M r. Cleavers booke aforesaid 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136. Broad 3. That M r. Calvin speaking of the fourth Commandement hath these words â—nstit lib. 2. cap. 8. Sect. 28. Vmbratile veteres nuncupare solent The ancients not onely some of the Ancients accounted it shadowish not onely partly shadowish Of what judgement M r. Calvin was may partly appeare by that he writeth afterward sect 34. It a evanescunt nugae Pseudo prophetarum c. D r. Field excepteth the fourth Commandement out of the number of the Morall Commandements Booke 5. of the Church Chap. 22. pag. 101. Answer In the beginning of this worke you gave occasion to manifest M r. Calvins opinion and so I did As for D r. Field he doth not except the fourth Commandement from the number of the Morall but from the number of those that are connaturall with man and therefore is more subject to change then the rest His words are these These Lawes saith he are imposed upon men by the very condition of their nature and creation as the very condition and nature of a man created by God requireth that he should honour love feare and reverence him that made him and therefore touching the precepts of the first Table that concerning the Sabbath excepted it is cleare and evident that they cannot be altered Broad M r. Rogers in his Cathe Aâ—l 7. propos 3. Doctrine of the Church of England blameth D. B. for teaching as contrary to the seventh Article that the Sabbath was none of the Ceremonies which were justly abrogated at the coming of Christ Note well what hâ— writeth I write no more againe that the Commandement of sanctifying every seventh day as in the Mosaicall Decalogue is naturall morall and perpetuall Answer It is true that M r. Rogâ—rs blameth D. B. for teaching that the Sabbath was none of the Ceremonies which were justly abrogated at the coming of Christ for which he is much to blame himselfe till he can evince it to be one of them which he doth not Broad Who so readeth what M r. Rogers hath written in the Preface to his booke See the Preface beginning at the â—0 Section shall understand that I am not the first or onely man that have stirred much in this matter God grant I be the last that hath need to stir much herein and that the day of Rest to the Iewes be not the cause of contention among Christians any longer The end of the first Treatise Answer Here you fulfill the Proverbe you wish all were well so you were not the cause of it if you may be suffered to speake the last word you care not though all keep silent I did wish though it be now unseasonable when I first framed this answer that it might come to the notice and knowledge of authority the disturbance of the peace which M r. Rogers and you have brought into the Church by endeavouring to discover a shamefull nakednesse of contradiction in your Mother by labouring to set the Articles and the Liturgy at odds one with another For how cometh it to passe that we are commanded by the church to pray Lord encline our hearts to keep an abrogated Ceremony of the Iewes even in her opinion as he and you would have it But the contrary is apparent not onely by the Liturgy but also by the Homily * Of the place and time of prayer parâ— 1. established and received for the Doctrine of our Church as you may see it quoted to this very purpose by M r. Richard 〈…〉 in answer to M r. Breerowood He 〈◊〉 thus You come in with the Edicts of Princes as one that would have the Lords-day depend upon the constitutions of the Church and Edicts of Princes onely and so not to differ from another Holy-day Most wicked popisâ—â— and worse then popish and against all famous lights ancient and moderne Or doe you mention Princes Edicts and Churches-Constitutions to glose with ours Ours deâ—est your Tenet and you seeke herein to wound Church and Prince For how they hold of the Lords day that it is directly grounded on the fourth Commandement appeareth in the 〈◊〉 in the booke of Homilies and in the Statutes and godly provisions for redresse of prophanations This is the doctrine of the Church * Homily of the place and time of prayer part 1. pag. 125. By this Commandement speaking of the fourth we ought to have a time as one day in the weeke wherein we ought to rest yea from all lawfull and needfull works For like as it appeareth by this Commandement that no man in the six dayes ought to be slothfull or idle but diligently to labour in that estate wherein God hath set him even so God hath given expresse charge to all men that upon the Sabbath-day which is now our Sunday they should cease from all weekly and work-day labour to the intent that like as God himselfe wrought six dayes and rested the seventh and blessed and sanctified it and consecrated it to quietnesse and rest from labour Even so Gods obedient children should use the Sunday holily and rest from their common and daily businesses and also give themselves wholly to heavenly exercises of Gods true Religion and service So that God doth not only command the observation of this Holy-day but also by his owne example doth stirre and provoke us to the diligent keeping of the same Good naturall children will not onely become obedient to the Commandements of their parents but also have a diligent eye to their doings and gladly follow the same So if we will be the children of our heavenily Father we must be carefull to keep the Christian Sabbath-day which is the Sunday not onely for that it is Gods expresse Commandement but also to declare our selves to be loving children in following the example of our gracious Lord and Father Thus farre the words of the Homily which saith M r. â—yfeild to M r. 〈◊〉 Crosseth all that you hold in this your Treatise and fully speaketh what we hold Consider it 1. Our Christian Sabbath is Gods expresse
an opposer of the Sabbath and therefore it must needs be upon the first day of the weeke or Lords-day Again in the same place he quarrels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the 1 Cor. 16. 1. to intend the first day of the weeke under some authorities quoted to countenance his acceptation But Bishop White being in print before him might have given him better satisfaction saving that it seemeth he loves to vary who pag. 196. saith In the holy Gospel this day is styled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first day of the weeke following Matth. 28. 1. Mark 16. 2. Iohn 20. 1. likewise Acts 20. 7. 1 Cor. 16. 2. Besides his quotation of sundry authors to confirme this translation which phrase is an Hebraisme thus to expresse the first day by one day and so used in the 1. Gen. and the word Sabbath for weeke Levit. 25. 8. Luke 18. 12. as M r. Sprint affirmeth pag. 101. And sure I am the same phrase is used by the Evangelists to signifie the day of Christs resurrection to be on the first day of the weeke Moreover pag. 211. Bishop White in positive tearmes upon the argument in hand saith That the Apostles themselves at some times observed the Lords-day and brings with a for it is written these very places to prove it Acts 20. 7. The first day of the weeke c. and 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. Concerning the gathering for this Saints even as I have ordained in the Churches of Galatia so do ye Every first day of the weeke c. In that you say Every Apostolicall Ordinance doth not bind I grant it if the Ordinance be circumstantiall proper either to times or persons it cannot be properly said to be cominon but if it have for substance a Morall Law for order a Prophecy for confirmation an Apostolique ordinance and example me thinks this might be very well allowed to be binding And all this is as hath been proved true of the Christian Sabbath Some ordinances I confesse there are of the Apostles that are not of perpetuall obligation for that they were done only occasionally and to an exemplary end for to authorize their successours the Governours of the Church to order things of an indifferent nature to the benefit of the Church all which things the Church had and hath authoritie as well occasionally to abolish as occasionally to institute but this Ordinance of the Sabbath is beyond the authoritie of the Church to abolish or alter as much as it is to adde or detract from the new Testament And therefore is it not of those sorts of Apostolique Ordinances which bind not in perpetuum For the foundation of it is so laid in Scripture as aforesaid as neither time nor authoritie can expire nor alter it Broad 2. Because the Disciples at Troas being come together to breake bread on the first day of the weeke Saint Paul preached to them Answ. Granting that the Disciples assembled every first day and also by Pauls own ordinance neither of which can be proved yet doth it not follow that they kept it Holy-day and abstained altogether from works of their Callings Saint Augustine saith Tom. 2. Epist. 118. that in some places they communicated every day and in others on the Sabbath and Lords-day Socrates saith Hist lib. 1. cap. 21. that in all Churches of Christians two excepted they communicated every Sabbath-day Sozomenus saith Lib. 7. cap. 19. that at Constantinople and almost in all other places they came together on the Sabbath and the day following that is the Lords-day yet no man I trust will hence inferre Certainly such as communicated every day did not keep every day Holy-day that these who met and received the Communion both on the Sabbath-day and the Lords-day kept them both Holy-dayes and forbare worke altogether Adâ—e that in likelyhood they came together at Troas late in the Evening about that time of the day Consider that many Christian servants had heathens to their Masters who would not suffer them to keep the Lord-day Holy-day Againe this had beene 2 meanes to bewray Christian Masters wherein Christ did institute the Sacrament otherwise Saint Pauls preaching till midnight should have been very long and this they might well doe though they kept it not Holy-day The Disciples at Troas assembled on the first day to breake bread ergo Saint Paul ordained that all Christians should assemble on that day to breake bread is a likelier inference then this ergo Saint Paul ordained that all Christians should keep that day Holy-day If any thing may be inforced from their meeting at Troas this may as well or rather better that the Lords Supper must be celebrated every first day Answer That on that day the Disciples abstained from the workes of their callings exercised on the other sixe I have even now more then probably proved by a just and proper deduction or collection from 1 Cor. 2. 16. I have also quoted the authority of Ignat ad Mag. and Aug. serm de temp 251. And is it probable that the lewes were to abstaine from workes on their remissest Holy-dayes and that we must make a worke-day or a mixed day of our Caâ—itallest And as for the time of the day when they metâ— though it might bee in the Morning for ought the Scripture saith to the contrary it is not so materiall to us to know considering the Natures of those Times It sufficeth that that was the only day being also paralel with consonant places of Scripture of the same nature that they imployed solemnely in their sacred affaires And if there were diverse observed as you say it was because for a time Christians were diverse consisting of Iewes and Gentiles As touching your conclusions whereby you argue hence rather the practice of the Sacrament then the Sabbath I answer That if it was an ordinance yet it was but temporary for from those words of Christ So often as ye shall â—at it the times of celebrating the Sacrament are at the disposition of the Church and it was in the Churches then occasionally celebrated for the Christian Sabbaths sake as a means of its sanctifying and not the Sabbath for its sake whereas the time of the Sabbath and Lords-day is by Precept and practise determined Broad 3. Because Saint Iohn telleth us that he was in the spirit on the Lords-day Answ. I acknowledge that whereas Christians in many places used to assemble on the first day of the weeke Christ hereby may seeme to approve of their meetings on this day and this is the most that can be gathered from Saint Iohns being in the spirit Now whereas from the name Lords-day some would inferre that therefore the Lord himselfe enjoyned it Let them consider that this name might well be given because that upon occasion of Christs Resurrection the Churches held their meetings therein Psal. 74. 8. The Synagogues in Canaan are called the Synagogues of God and yet we finde not that God
of his worship consist in the observation of times or places neither did Christ or his Apostles command us Christians to any day whatsoever yet this generall Commandement we have 1 Cor. 14. Let all things be done to edifying decently and in order yea and Nature teacheth that there should be Times and Places set apart for publike meetings as we see the Gentiles had by the very light of nature 2. This order to assemble on the Lords-day had his beginning in the time of the Apostles and was approved by them neither is there the least doubt to be made but that were Saint Paul now alive he would approve of it in like manner onely he would be much more earnest then I have been aâ— or can be to have all superstition cleere weeded out of mens minds After the Apostles time the succeeding churches observed the same order as partly appeareth by these sayings of Iustin Martyr and others before alleadged and thus it hath continued ever since and no doubt shall so continue to the second coming of Christ. Some of late have made it a question whether the Church may change the Lords-day into any other day of the weeke but in my judgement they might well have spared their pains therein for what can be imagined wherefore any Church should attempt such a matter unlesse it be to withdraw some from a superstitious conceit they have of the day Let this errour be reformed and there is no feare of a change Answer To this changing of the Lords-day into another I answer That as the order of the last day in the weeke was significant in the time of the Iewes So is the first day now as I have observed before and as therefore that was commanded so was this prophecyed by Isaiah * I have formerly shewne how both by Isaiah and David this was cleerly foretoâ—dand promised in the old Testament and accordingly practised in the new and therefore can no more be altered now without contradiction of divine authority then the other could in the time of the Iewes Except you can imagine God hereafter to bestow a benefit on us as much greater then our Redemption as our Redemption was then our Creation Besides the Church hath no liberty to alter any day the which hath a cleare ground and warrant in the word which the Christian Sabbath or Lords-day hath And moreover you say Christ is Lord of the Sabbath if so then sure the priviledge and authority of altering belongeth only to him Broad The Apostle Hebrews 13. giveth this charge Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves and againe Rom. 13. Wherefore ye must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for conscience sake Some peradventure hearing that God hath not immediately commanded us Christians to sanctifie the Lords-day as he did the Israelites to sanctifie the Sabbath will be ready to demand what need we then forbeare any worldly businesse on the Sunday for answer unto whom though unworthy of any let me also demand what need you repaire to the Church the place of prayer That you may so doe must we teach that God in expresse termes hath commanded to build Churches and in such places in every Parish Had these men lived in the time of the Law though they had forborne worke on the Sabbath yet certainly they would not have repaired to the Synagogues when they had been called they would have answered with Dathan and Abiram we will not come for God hath not bidden us come to such a place nor at such a time of the day Even in the time of the Law some things were lest to bee ordered by the Magistrate Should thy soâ—â—e being sent of thee into the field thinke with himselfe I need not goe for it is not written in the Scriptures that I should goe plow to day As God in generall termes hath charged thy sonne to obey his father so God in generall tearmes hath charged thee an inferiour to obey thy Governours both spirituall and temporall by whose joynt Commandement thou art bound to sanctifie the Lords-day and if thou wilfully breakest this double bond know that it is by the comming of another spirit upon thee then came upon Sampson heretofore even such a spirit as the man had that brake the yron chaines and setters in pieces Mark 5. Answer Pray you turne the point of this Argument into your owne breast and consider if the same authority which commandeth you to sanctifie the Lords-day doe not likewise in the Liturgy command you to pray for inablement to keep the fourth Commandement * Have a better nion of your 〈◊〉 then to think she wil command you to pray for that which you oâ—ght not to beleeve and practise but it sâ—emeth whosoever is in authority you will be supreme binding that authority that should rather bind you But if the authority be thus as you would make it in the hand of the Magistrate onely to appoint the time of Gods solemne worship and that the fourth Commandement is now of no force nor yet the prophecy or Apostolicke practice to bind us then you may say with Ames in his Medulla pag. 355. ut si ipsis videatur diem 〈◊〉 ex viginti aut triginta huic usui assignare non posint hoc nomine argui alicuius 〈…〉 aut scripturae Nay rather we may hence argue it as a fault in the Apostles and primitive times that they would take upon them of their authority to create so neere a semblance to the Sabbath and not rather an annuall remembrance of the Resuâ—â—ection and by an humane institution to shoulder out a divine one anâ— yet the substance thereof to wit the benefit of the Creation still remaineth to be remembred But it is strange that the Church should either assume this liberty or that we should give it to the Church 1. Seeing the fourth Commandement doth dictate to us both the proportion of time which we are to celebrate to God and the reason of that celebration the Time is the seventh day the reason is Gods resting from or consummating his greatest and beneficiallest worke which Christ the author and actor of the new Creation God and Man hath now fulfilled by his Resurrection and so pointed and appointed us the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the particular seventh day nothing dissenting from the Commandement nor destroying it but fulfilling and establishing it upon better tearmes 2. Seeing God commandeth to labour six dayes and to rest a seventh And Christ hath not exempted us from labouring in our calling to the end of our lives therfore a seventh day is to be kept for Sabbath weekly to the end of the world And it is not left in the power either of the Church or any humane authority doctrinally to shorten or enlarge this proportion of dayes for our labour and holy Rest or any way to abrogate or alter this Commandement Broad  Gal. 5. 13. For brethren ye
from other works on that day that hee might bee vacant to works pertaining to the service of God And saith hee yet further servile works as they respect either the service of sin or the service of man doe contrary the observanâ—e of the Sabbath in so much as they hinder mans application to divine things For a closure to perswade the spiritualizing of the Sabbath observe what one speaking of the word remember as it is prefixed to the fourth commandement saith To remember the keeping of the Sabbath saith hee is so to keepe it in mind as to prevent worldly busines falling on that day to desire after it to prepare for it to delight and glory in it as wee doe in those things wee keepe much in remembrance for when hee speaks of remembrance hee cals on us for such affections and actions as become remembrance therefore when God bids you remember the Sabbath hee commands you to desire it Thus David still explainâ— himselfe by the word remember in the Psalmes as Psalme 44. 4. and in other places For it is a rule amongst the Hebrewes in eâ—pounding of Scripture that verbâ— seâ—suâ— cum affectâ—◠〈…〉 so that by remembring the Sabbath wee should desire it delight in it and account the busines and imployment thereof honourable to us glorifying God in the consecrating it to him being joyfull in it and the duties of it both as the soules market day to provide it necessaries like as the Husband man is glad of the market to buy and sell in and as the soules holy-day for to procure it refreshing as Schoole-boies joy in a play-day and not bee weary of the day nor heavily doe the dutieâ— of it Broad CHAP. IV. Wherefore God ordained the Sabbath THe ends and purposes for which God ordained the Sabbath were many 1. That the Israelites might celebrate the memoriall of the Worlds creation as Exod. 31. 〈◊〉 It is a signe betweene me and the children of Israel for â—ver for in â—ixe dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth and on the seaventh day rested and was refreshed 2. That they might remember their deliverance Consider whether God commanding the Israelites to keepe the Sabbath because hee had brought them out of Egypt this bee an Argument that the Sabbath was then first enjoyned out of Egypt where 〈◊〉 doubt they might not rest any day from their burdens And remember that thoâ— wâ—st a servant in the Land of Egypt and that the Lord thy God brought theâ— out thence through a mighty hand and outstretchâ—d arme therefore the Lord thy God 〈…〉 3. â— That Servants and 〈◊〉 might rest and bee refreshed after their hard labour in the weeke before as Exod. 23. 12. sixe dayes thou shalt doe thy worke and 〈◊〉 the seaventh day thou shalt rest that thine Oâ—e 〈◊〉 Asse may rest and the Son of thine hand 〈◊〉 and the stranger may bee refreshed 4. That the Israelites might have more leisure to serve God who on this day as also on festivall dayes commanded them to have an holy convocation Sixe dayes shall worke bee done but the seaventh day is a Sabbath of rest and holy convocation Levit. 23. 5. That they might know how that hee was the Lord that did sanctifie them as Exod. 31. 13. Verity my Sabbaths yee shall keepe for it is a signe betweene mee and you throughout your generations that yee may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctifie you 6. By some mens Doctrine the legall Sabbath served to put the Israelites in mind of keeping a spirituall Sabbath as the legall circumcision served to put them in mind of the spirituall circumcision of the heart hereof now in their understanding the Prophet Isaiah speaketh Chap. 58. 13. truly this spirituall Sabbath is the onely Sabbath in the judgement of Augustine Tertullian Chrysotome c. which Christians ought to keepe 7. The legall Sabbath was a type of the heavenly Sabbath it was a shadow of the blessed rest to come of which matter in the next Chap. Answer To the first of these I answer That the Israelites were a people contenting themselves with the outward part not savouring the inward and spirituall strength of things which is naturally the fault of all men till they bee better taught of God and for this reason God ever and anon made the Sabbath to follow as a Counter-checke to their carnall zeale And therefore when the making of the Tabernacle was commanded the Sabbath was even then exempted from its very worke to shew them that it was other worship that hee expected and that they were not to repose their happines and confidence in outward things but in God And as therefore in the time of Mannah hee commanded his Sabbath to shew them how that it was hee and not that which nourished them So likewise when the Tabernacle was commanded the Sabbath was urged upon them in this 31. Exod. to shew them how that it was God and not it that sanctified them And therefore did the one give place to the other So that the end of the Sabbath as it is expressed in this portion of Scripture betweene the 12. and 18. verses seemeth rather to consist in these words of the 13. verse for it is a signe betweene mee and the children of Israel for ever that yee may know that I the Lord do sanctifie you Those words which in the 17 verse make mention of the Worlds creation and Gods rest being rather added as a reason in this place to enforce this end For here it is not the meaning of the holy Ghost to discourse of the Sabbath simply but onely occasionally as appeareth by the coherence of the 11. 12. and 13. verses where the Sabbath is urged with a verily or a notwithstanding as it is in the Geneva that though hee had commanded the making of the Tabernacle yet hee would not have them repose their Religion or content in this outward Tabernacle or Temple for God dwelleth not in things made with hands but that they should looke to the spirituall part the Temple of their hearts that they should bee more carefull to build up and keepe that in repaire which did more properly distinguish them to bee the sanctified Israel of God Whosoever therefore is an Israelite indeed let him looke to make good this signe of his sanctification the sanctifying of the Sabbath by spirituall worship and service which doth excellently approve it to his conscience that God hath sanctified him that is chosen him to bee his and thus it is made holy to him as it is phrased in the 14. verse that is a day of blessing and sanctification for therein God bestoweth the best of his blessings because on that day wee are or ought to bee wholly imployed in the best of his ordinances such as belong to our soules and not to our bodies Therefore ought not this day to bee defiled with bodily imployments by such as are the Israel of God but to bee dedicated from earthly
say of the precepts of the new Moone and Holy-dayes Answ. and would it not trouble them to shew by the Scriptures how much is blotted out and what is left uncancelled The received division of Moses Law hath beenâ— into morall ceremoniall and judiciall That any commandement should bee partly ceremoniall and partly morall partly an ordinance and partly not partly nayled to the Cresse and partly remaining in the Arke partly blotted out and partly left to be read and observed I could never yet find in any part of Gods word Master Dod and Master Cleaver on the com And this no doubt some of late perceive well enough and therefore teach that the precept of the Sabbath is wholly morall or as their words are no more ceremoniall then all the rest They see plainely that hee which will have it partly blotted out and partly not had need bee greater then an Angell as teaching in part another Gospell then Saint Paul did Consider that Saint Paul here saith as much of the Sabbath and the precept thereof as hee doth say of the New-moone and the precept of the same and againe that hee saith as much here of the New-moone and its precept as is said of them in any other place Though the precept of the Sabbath bee wholly blotted out Obi. as the precepts of the New-moone and Holy dayes ioyned with it yet not the fourth commandement in the Decalogue Wee grant the fourth commandement is ceremoniall and blotted out so far forth as it Touching the supposed substance and morality of this commandement see chap. 8. sect 4. 5. enioyneth the Sabbath not onely the seaventh day and strict rest but this commandement is of a larger extent then this commeth to The fourth commandement and the commandement Answ. of the Sabbath are the same after the Scriptures so that Saint Paul here saying the commandement of the Sabbath is blotted out it is all one as if hee had said the fourth commandement in the Decalogue is blotted out you have no colour of proofe to the contrary As touching the fourth commandement being blotted out so farre forth as it enioyneth the Saboath consider that the fourth commandement must needs enioyne the Sabbath Such as â—each and this is the common Doctrine that the fourth commandement is partly ceremoniall doe say in effect that it is partly blotted out so farre forth as it is contained in these words Remember the sabbath-Sabbath-day to sanctifie it c. If God had made this Law bath for Iewes and Christians is it credible but that hee would have set it downe in words fitting both sorts so that Christ at his comming should not have blotted out any part thereof Certainely Christ would not have written that againe which hee had once blotted out suppose that hee also had left Tables In a word the Sabbath is the onely thing spoken of in the fourth commandement and no Law of God or Man ever stood in force longer then it bound to doe the thing mentioned in it * Many in England so doe yea the last Parliament may well bee thought to dislike it for neither in their title of the act forkeeping the Lords-day nor yet throughout The body thereof is this name used although the heathenish name Sunday bee in both yea and although the commandement read in the Church of speaketh of sanctifying the Sabbath as many as dislike the name Sabbath for the Lords-day have cause to dislike this commandement for the Law thereof for the one is as well Iewish as the other Answer By Sabbaths in that 2. Col. 16. is to bee understood the Iewish ordinances which properly belonged to them and their time such as were their solemne fealts * Seâ— Isa. 1. 13. compared with the 14. verse which although they were Iewish Holy-dayes yet did they also carry the name of Sabbaths and holy convocations because of the Analogy they had with the weekely and morall Sabbath as wee may see Levit. 23. In the beginning of which Chapter you shall find the weekely Sabbath most gloriously intituled THE SABBATH OF THE LORD and remarkeably paled out from among those Iewish Holy-dayes Feasts and Sabbaths For God in that Chapter instituting his solemne Feastes or Iewish Holy-dayes in the first place noteth out his weekely Sabbath in the third verse to bee none of them by a glorious and sublime title and pregnant difference which sâ—emeth to bee distinctly penned by the holy Ghost to prevent confusion and unequall mixture * Which very thing is your fault and labour And having first done this then hee in the rest of the Chapter proceedeth to shew what Feasts hee meaneth which hee also calleth Sabbaths but in a farre different sense And thinke you that the Apostle would so carelesly and slightly have jumbled together in this place of the Col. what God even in the time of the Iewes was so carefull to distinguish as in this 23. Levit. appeareth as also in the exhibiting of his Lawes which were of severall natures ceremoniall and morall amongst which this was one and which with the rest was put into the Arke And as in your answer to the first objection you say that you cannot find in any place of Gods word why any * Indeed the Sabbath is both wholly ceremoniall and wholly morall as was signified by its double exhibition to the Iewes once by the hand of Moses and another time together with the Law shewing that though it was of a typicall and ceremonious signification yet notwithstanding it was of equall condition with the morall Lawes by Gods speciall appointment For when I say the Sabbath is ceremoniall I meane not in an abrogative but in a significative sense commandement should bee partly ceremoniall partly morall partly nailed to the Crosse and partly remaining in the Arke partly blotted out and partly left to bee read and observed I affirme the same of the Decalogue or ten commandements as Moses numbers them Deut. 4. 13. Not but that in the delivery and exhibition of this Decalogue this rejoyneth upon your following answer to the second objection there were things as I have said before which were more proper in regard of circumstance to the Iewes then to us and yet God made the Decalogue as a Law both for Iewes and Christians and hath set it downe though not altogether in words and letters yet in sense and substance fitting both sorts So that the Law may still bee truly said to remaine although Christs comming and the state of the Church differing may vary some circumstances as by changing the Egyptian deliverance into the antitype thereof to wit our spirituall and the Land of Canaan meant in the fift commandement into England where wee dwell and so likewise the memory of our creation into the memory of our redemption and their gates into our jurisdictions and thus though there is an alteration made yet doth the Law remaine the same in sense Broad ARG. III. IN
regard of their superstitious resting which they used upon the Sabbath as that they would rather endure to dye then fly especially considering the Religion they put in that tradition of a Sabbath daies journey which was but two miles as they accounted it So that had they fled â—ut two miles further then their stint they would have thought themselves more to have violated the Sabbath then if they had spent the whole day in contentions and seditions within the City For of such force is zeale when it is not according to knowledge of Scripture as that through our corrupt nature it bindeth the conscience more straight then any command of God rightly understood As we may see by those souldiers who when they were besieged rather then they would drinke of the well into which a dog was throwne they would starve or render the City * Turkish History And so doubtlesse would many of the Iewes chuse to dye before they would fly further then their superstitious tradition gave them leave But as I have given truth its due in commending your exposition so give me leave to discover the fallacy of your marginall sophisme by comparing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 already spoken of in the 2 Col. 16. There because it maketh for your advantage you will have it to be meant the weekly Sabbath and yet the Article is not prefixed and in this place you will have it to be meant the lewish Sabbath because the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not prefixed This is scarce good dealing But I pray you let one and the same defect beget one and the same sense in both places and so let them both passe alike for the Iewish extraordinary festivals and so your Argument shall not only prevaile with us but evince the truth Broad CHAP. VIII VVHat would follow were the fourth Commandement morall or perpetuall Such as give a different sense of the same Law at sundry times make it like a nose of waxe Were the fourth Commandement morall or perpetuall it would follow that we Christians ought to keep the Iewes Sabbath for the meaning of this Commandement must needs be the same as heretofore it was A Law cannot say one thing to day and another to morrow though a Law-giver may And now the meaning of the fourth Commandement heretofore was * God sanctified the seventh day Gen. 2. not one day of seven or the like the fourth commandement enjoyned the same that the seventh day wherein God rested should be sanctified other meaning this Commandement could have none as the words thereof doe manifestly declare they import this and nothing else Such I know among us as urge the perpetuity of the fourth Commandement will have it bind now to sanctifie the Lords-day but they cannot agree among themselves show this strange matter â—hould come to passe I say this strange matter for there being an old statute for fasting on the Friday if it should be said that hence forward we should be bound thereby to fast upon Saturday would it not seeme wonderfull strange A strange matter it is that the fourth Commandement should bind to sanctifie the Lords-day and how it may come to passe many strange opinions there are which I thinke needfull here briefly to examine 1. Opinion There are who teaching that the fourth Commandement bindeth to sanctifie the Lords-day will have it thus to come about They say that those words in the beginning Remember to sanctifie the Sabbath are for substance the whole fourth Commandement that which followeth being only an explication and a reason and here they take the word Sabbath in a generall sense so that this with them is a more generall Commandement then if God had said Remember to sanctifie the seventh day Ans. I acknowledge that these words are for substance the whole fourth Commandement as you teach but whereas you put a difference betweene Sabbath and seventh day Consider further 1. That once onely before mention is made of the Sabbath and that Sabbath was the seventh day 2. Remember saith God to sanctifie the Sabbath and what Sabbath should they remember to sanctifie but that before mentioned 3. That the word Sabbath is not to be taken againe in such a generall sence throughout tâ—e Scripture this I cannot approve of for these reasons 1. Because then the word Sabbath should be taken in one sense in the beginning of the Commandement and in another towards the end for towards the end by Sabbath must needs be meant the seventh day onely And rested the seventh day wherfore the Lord blessed the Sabbath and sanctified it Here Gods resting on the seventh day is the reason why he sanctified the Sabbath and can it be a reason of sanctifying another day besides the seventh day especially seeing he laboured on all the other Suppose that we had the like speech in the new Testament as thus He rose again on the first day wherefore he blessed the day of resurrection and sanctified it Who would not take the day of resurrection here for the first day only Reas. 2. By this your Doctrine the fourth Commandement should be of larger extent then that Commandement in the beginning suppose it were a Commandement as you would have it for there it is said God blessed the seventh day not the Sabbath Answer In stead of answer to this in this place I referre you to a review of your first Chapter and mine where the selfe same point is largely discoursed Onely a word or two more 1. Touching your consequence of the unchangeablenesse of the Iews day into ours if the fourth Commandement be admitted morall See for this Eatâ—nus de Sabbato pag. 40. de Moralitate Sabbathi Neque enim saith he mutâ—bile cum ceremoniâ—li bene est coniunctum aut cum eo convertendum Quamvis enim omne ceremoniale sit mutabile non é contra tamen Multa enim sunt positiva â—â—â—tabilia quae non sunt Ceremoniâ— huius generis sunt leges Iudiciales Exod. 21. c. Sic etiam totuâ— Decaloguâ— aliquo modo mutabilis fuit ut disertè Apostolus expriâ—it in 3 ad Gal. 13. Christus redemit nos ab execratione legis cap. 4. 30. Ejice ancillam filium eius quâ— ancilla ut vers 25. apparet moâ—â— Sicai erat qui est in Arabia Hoc est lex quae ibi pronunciata fuit Hisce liquet quod lex maleâ—â—ctio eius in Christo sunt abrogata quatenus aliquo modo erant murabilia totam autem legem ceremonialem esse nemo est qui dixerit 2. And touching your instance or similitude of fasting Friday by Statute I answer That indeed it were strange to turn Friday into Saturday by vertue of the letter of the same law Rebus sic stantibus but put case we had some extraordinary Deliverance fell out on Friday as the Gun-powder Treason and were to keepe it weekely as we are the Sabbath then if either
the Parliament sedente curia should alter the law or the King by a non obstante should for this cause publish an alteration or by his and the Courts example should change the day from Friday to Saturday in memory of that Deliverance Friday being made thereby rather a Day of Feasting then Fasting I thinke no wise man will say that the law was repealed or suffered any detriment by this So c. Christ came not to give new lawes but to renew the old upon a new condition and in this sense was it a new Commandement to love one another And thus is the Lords Day a renewed Sabbath not given as a new law but altered by example For ours is a new Sabbath as the Covenant is said to be a new Covenant which is only in exhibition not in substance For there was nothing but by the coming of Christ it was ground under one of these two wheeles either it suffered abrogation or qualification But the Sabbath suffered not abrogation Therefore Qualification And which was proper to Christ who though he came not to give new lawes yet he was to qualifie and renew the old upon Evangelicall tearmes Broad 2. Opinion By this first opinion though the fourth Commandement bindeth to keep the Sabbath yet not the seventh Day but others teach that it bindeth to keep the seventh day as heretofore it did Those have then to prove that the Lords-day is the seventh or last of the weeke Now how can they prove this They deale wisely herein for they have not the least shew of proofe Nay I know not any that hath so much as gone about it hitherto and to save their pains hereafter I would have them know that the Scriptures Fathers and Reason are against them in this matter 1. The Scriptures are against them for they terme the Lords-day the first of the weeke in two places Act. 20. 2 Cor. 16. It is imagined that Christ before his Ascension or the Apostles presently after commanded to keep the Lords-day for Sabbath which if Christ or his Apostles had done and it had been needfull that the Lords-day should be the seventh day Either the Sabbath was not so soone changed into the Lords-day or it was not then needfull that the Lords day should be the seventh day doubtlesse order should have been taken for this also and then Saint Paul would not have tearmed it the first of the weeke well-neere twentie yeeres after this time writing especially unto the Gentiles 2. The Fathers are against them for they tearmed Wednesday the fourth of the weeke Si dies observare non licet Origen Nicephorus have the like saying menses tempora annos nos quoque simile crimâ—n incurrimus quartum Sabbati observantes parascenem diem Dominicum c. Hieron in Gal. 4. 3. Reason is against them for if the Iews Sabbath untill the change were the seventh day how should the next day be the seventh also Consider that the name seventh hath reference to other dayes going before Either there must be once two seventh dayes together or there must be one monstrous weeke consisting of eight dayes or else one day must be in no weeke Answer It is not needfull to prove the Lords-day to be the last day of the weeke It is enough to hold correspondencie with the Commandement if we prove it to be the seventh day not in order but in number For though the Commandement bindeth perpetually to the number it was and is the present condition of the Church in regard of our benefit from God and Gods Covenant to us which bindeth us to the order first or last In which adjournment we as is requisite retain and observe the scope and equitie of the Commandement since God hath afforded us sixe dayes for the dispatch of our own businesses that we should willingly dedicate the seventh to his worship For the altering of the circumstance of time doth not abolish the substance of the Commandement This difference is evident and usuall in other matters as for instance It was one thing to have the Tridentine Councell translated to Bolonia and the ending of it was another thing So there is a difference between the adjourning of the last to the first and the dissolution of the Sabbath day And although the Sabbath be now the first day of the weeke in one respect to wit according to order yet it remaines still the last in another respect to wit as they are seven in number And that it was thus even in the Christians account the last as well as the first appeareth in the 1 Cor. 16. where Paul biddeth them that every first day of the weeke every one should contribute as God had prospered him to wit in the sixe fore-going work-dayes And as touching your reason I answer that every thing must have a time of institution and beginning Had God made Adam the first day then had he kept Gods seventh day Sabbath but God making him the sixth day and he being first to spend sixe dayes in one kinde of imployment and the seventh in another thereupon it is more then likely he was to keepe the thirteenth day from the first day of the Creation as his first Sabbath and not the fourteenth day as his second * Had Adam kept Gods seventh day Sabbath then had he kept a Sabbath in Innocency for it was instituted before his fall Againe if to be God did raine Mannah on the first day according to the computation of the Creation then they kept that seventh day Sabbath But if he did not begin to raine Mannah on that day but on some other in the weeke then was that computation broken and yet the Sabbath rightly kept So had Christ risen on the last day of the weeke but then had not Isaiah his prophecie been fulfilled 65. 17. then had we observed that day but the Sonne of man as you say being Lord of the Sabbath its fit the Sabbath should waite on him and not he on the Sabbath and therefore as he chose the first day to rise on as likewise the morning and not the evening to rise in so have we done well after Saint Pauls rule in imitating him as he imitated Christ in keeping the Lords-day Sabbath ever since which as I have noted before was not darkly prefigured in the keeping the first and seventh day in the time of the Passeover As like wise to being the Sabbath in the morning and not in the evening which yet cannot be done without some losse of time being that the Iewes Sabbath ended at the evening for if we change the day because of Christs resurrection and by Pauls example why not then the terminations of the day according to the time of Christs resurrection and example of Paul in his practice at Troâ—s I speake this as an argument against some that are of opinion the Sabbath still beginneth at evening as in the time of the Iewes and first
Commandement in the fourth precept of the Law enjoyned 2. That it is given of God in expresse charge to all men 3. That all men are charged to cease from all weekly and worke-day labour and rest from common and daily businesses and give themselves wholly to heavenly exercises of Gods true Religion and service 4. That all this standeth in force upon all men for the Lords-day from the example of God himselfe who wrought sixe dayes and rested the seventh and blessed and sanctified it and consecrated it to quietnesse and rest from labour which example bindeth us to imitation * when the Lord 〈◊〉 said the seventh day is the Sabbaâ—h of the Lord hee enjoyned our Sabbath which is also the seventh day And that this was the proper meaning of our Church besides the former words take these that follow in the Homily also they are these This Example and Commandement of God the godly Christian people began so follow immediatly after the ascension of our Lord Christ and began to chuse * From these words Christain people chose the first day M. Broad elsewhere â—ath argued that the doctrine of our Church granteth the observation of the Lords day to be an Ecclâ—siasticall ordinance and not an Apostolical precept which objection or argument you have fully answered in M. Cleaver his Morality of the Law pag. 137 c. whither I refer you them a standing day of the weeke to come together in yet not the seventh day which the Iewes kept but the Lords-day the day of the Lords Resurrection the day after the seventh day which is the first day of the weeke Ten times is the sanctifying of the Lords-day in that part of the Homily called the Commandement of God in all meaning no other then the fourth Commandement Now why should some be bold to say and be suffered to put forth this wicked doctrine to the casting an aspersion on our famous Church That to establish the Lords-day upon the fourth Commandement is to encline too much to Iudaisme This also layeth the like aspersion on the Scottish Church * Preface of the assembly at 〈◊〉 which teacheth that the sanctification of the Lords-day is of diuine institution as well by reason of the divine precept commanding the seventh day in generall to be observed as of the practise of Christ which hath the force of a divine precept Broad A Treatife of the Lords-Day CHAP. I. THe Church of Christ hitherto consisted of Iews and Gentiles And as touching the beleeving Iews at Ierusalem The Church of the Iewes Acts 〈◊〉 10. it is out of question that for many yeeres they observed the same day as before for they were zealous of the Law one part whereof was the observation of the seventh day If Baptisme would not serve them in stead of Circumcision who can beleeve that the Lords-day would serve them in stead of the Sabbath Yea Iames and the Elders did not so much as teach them Acts â—1 â—4 that the law of Commandements contained in ordinances was abolished as it is manifest in that they desire Saint Paul to make it appeare by his practice that the report of him was nothing and that he himselfe also walked orderly and kept the Law John 5. But were they zealous of the Sabbath or not when the unbeleeving Iews were so much offended w th Christ afore time for the carriage of a bed on the Sabbath Acts â—1 28. and at this time with Saint Paul for prophaning the Temple as they supposed it cannot be that they would suffer their Sabbath and other Holy-dayes to be prophaned by Christians as long as their Common-wealth stood It is then out of question that the Church at Ierusalem a long time observed the Sabbath and now Mention is thrice made of the Lords-day but alwayes among the Gentiles that besides the Sabbath and other Holy-dayes enjoyned in the Law they sanctified the Lords-day and so rested from worke two dayes in every weeke I cannot beleeve without some proofe and 〈◊〉 I have seene none at all Answer Here in you fight with your own shadow for it is easily yeelded all you say but what you would conclude hence I see not or what you can well conclude from the weaknesse of the beleeving Iewes to disprove the Lords-day to be the Sabbath no more then you can prove Baptisme to be no Sacrament because many of them held themselves still to Circumcision in all which Paul was â—aine to comply with them that by becoming all to all he might win some Yet still keeping the Doctrine of Christian libertie whole among the Gentiles * Verse 21. of that 21. Chapter where there was no stumbling blocke though in his practice he warped towards the weak Iews amongst them at Ierusalem And therefore did those that advised him to comply with the Iewes declare their faith in the point and shew him that it was meerely done to winne upon their weaknesse as appeareth in the 25. verse which I would have you take notice of as well as of the 20. and 24. verses * Of thâ—t â—1 Acts. where they tell him as touching the Gentiles that beleeve we have written and determined that they observe no such thing So that from the practice of the Apostles among the beleeving Gentiles we are to gather conclusions for our directions and not from the practice either of the Iewes or of the Apostles among the Iewes For you your self will say that the Iewes 〈…〉 observing the Sabbath because you say it was then abrogated And I say they erred in observing that day Sabbath for as Iames and the elders said to 〈◊〉 in the 25 verse of that 21. Chap. of the Acts 〈…〉 say I concerning the Sabbath That they had taugâ—t the Gentiles to observe no such thing as to keepe the 〈◊〉 seventh day nor yet did they â—each to keepe no day Sabbath but instituted the Lords-day there where they know they might doe it usefully Broad As touching the Church of the Gentiles The Church of the Gentiles I see no likelyhood that for some yeers the beleeving Gentiles came together rather on one day then on another but esteeming every day alike and assembled as often as they could with conveniency And thus it continued as may be thought untill neere twentie yeeres after Christs resurrection for the text of Scripture were first we finde mention of any such matter is â— Car. 16. which Epistle was written above twentie yeeres after Christ arose as is said by some learned The Epistle was written before the meeting at Troas againe for a time after the Gospel was preached to the Gentiles there was no need of an appointed day some few only in a Citie imbracing the faith of Christ. Answer Happily this is true which you say concerning the Church of the Gentiles also That for a long time they used no such Sabbath but assembled as they could conveniently But what doth this argue against
the Lords-day being the Sabbath no more then that of the Iews aforesaid For we are not to judge of the Church of the Gentiles in their worst but in their better estate This new Creation had at first its Chaos as well as the old without forme till things were perfected by degrees now a little and then a little It was no little while before they were perswaded that fornication was a deadly sinne The Lords-day received its Institution at the consummation of this new Creation as the Sabbath did at the consummation of the old though perhaps this by reason of the Churches non age had its intermission like as that had being also set a foot in its season as that was But let us not pitch either upon the rudenesse of the Iews or the rawnesse of the Gentiles to take example by but see the disposing providence and directing hand of God in the Apostles them selves in those times who were ordered by the speciall instinct of the spirit and we shall see that in the 20 th of Iohn where in the 19 th verse it is said that the same day at night which was the first day of the weeke and when the doores was shut where the Disciples were assembled for feare of the Iews came Iesus c. and so again in the 26 th verse it is said That eight dayes after againe the Disciples were within and Thomas with them Then came Iesus c. Which sheweth Gods speciall hand in assembling them on the day of Christ resurrection and the Spirits care to record it for our learning together with Christs approbation and blessing thereof by his presence Neither is there the least mention made of the Iewish Sabbath but it is reckoned in the Text as the rest eight dayes after and so Paul he passeth over the Iewish Sabbath as an ordinary day in the 20. Acts 6. and honoureth only the first day of the weeke when he saith That he abode at Troas seven dayes and the first day of the weeke the Disciples being come together c. D r. Heylyn Part. 2. pag. 22. to make the matter good biddeth us take notice that Paul had tarryed at 〈◊〉 seven dayes before this meeting But we may do better to take notice that he wrongs the Text which implies no such thing but that his stay was but seven dayes in all for the 6. verse having briefly told us Pauls journall from Philippi to Troâ—s it also sheweth us the number of dayes that he spent there which were but seven in all where we abode seven dayes saith he and then the 7. verse historizeth to us the remarkeable example of Paul and the Disciples touching the first day of the weeke only being silent of the rest And upon the first day of the weeke when the Disciples c. And as touching that 1 Cor. 16. which you mention The words of Paul there seeme to take for granted the foreknowledge and acquaintance that the Christian Coriâ—ths already had of that day to be the Lords And if so be the Lords-day be not the Sabbath why was it kept of them and is it now kept of us in paralel to the Sabbath weekly and not anniversarily or yeerely as Easter-day and other remembrances of Christ are and as all the times of Commemorations which the Church of her own accord dedicated have ever and only been as we see by the feasts of Puriâ— and of dedication among the Iews and so now amongst us Christâ—â—â— and Easter c. Broad We read that the Disciples weré called first Christians at Antioch though by whose meâ—â—â— it be not said in the Acts but as touching the meeting on the first day of the week Acts 11. 26. we neither find where it began nor by whom This in my judgement is very probable if not certain that this manner of assembling on the first day of the weeke was approved by the Apostles as was the name of Christians Yea and Christ himselfe may seeme to approve it likewise in as much as on this day he revealed those mysteries to the beloved Disciple So long it was between the writing of the first Epistle to the Corinths and the Revelation About fortie yeeres after this order began the name Lords-day was given to the first of the weeke which name had it been given when Saint Paul wrote his first Epistle to the Corinths and Saint Luke the Acts it is probable that one of them would have used it and yet it is not improbable that this name Lords-day was given as soone as the day began to be in any great account Answer It is true that in Antioch the Disciples were first called Christians and be the meanes what it will it was not without the speciall hand of God nor without a speciall prophecy and promise as appeareth in the 65 of Isaiah 15. Where the name of the Iews is cryed down and the name of the Christians set up * D r. Hall upon the place Ye shall leave your name as a curse unto my chosen for the Lord God shall slay you and call his * Marke God himself was the Father and gave the name who â—ver was the God-father servaâ—â—â— by another name And as thus God prophecyed the alteration of the old name into a new in the 15 th verse so in the 17. verse he prophecyed the alteration of the Creation from old to new together with the forgetfulnesse of the old by reason of the joyfull remembrance of the new which was yet further prophecyed by the Psalmist in the 118. Psal. 22. 24. The stone which the builders refused that is crucified and cast off is the head of the corner that is is raised again of God and made our salvation for this is the sense thereof as you may see in the 4 th Acts 10 11 12. And what followeth in the Propheâ— of David That this worke of raising up Christ againe by his mightie power is a thing marvellous in our eyâ—s And that therefore this is the Day which the Lord * Is not this divine institution and a sufficient reasâ—n for the denomination of the Lords-day Dr. Andrews is exprâ—sse for it in his 13 Sermon upon the Resurection pag. 529. Sayes he How came it to be the Lords day but that as it is in the Psalme the Lord made it And why made he it but because on it the stone cast aside that is Christ was made the head-stone of the corner that is because then the Lord rose hath made for us to rejoyce and be glad in it as it followâ—th in the 23 and 24 verses of that 118 Psâ—lme Obiect But it will be objected that hereby is no particular day denoted but indefinitely the time of the publication of the Gospel Answ. To which I answer That the promise of the accomplishment of our 〈…〉 3. 15. on the very particular day of Christs 〈◊〉 is eminently meant hereby as is evident by compâ—ring this place with
received for the Christian Sabbath As the name of Christians was then given when Christianity was generally professed and received and yet was there a Sabbath before professed by many as well as there were Christians and Christianity before they were so called So that what you say of the one you may as well say of the other Broad Now I have before acquainted thee with the agreement betweene divines touching this day namely that ordinarily some necessary businesses excepted it is to be spent wholly in religious exercises The difference beâ—ween them standeth in this point Some will have the Lords-day to be the Commandement of Christ or his Apostles as the Sabbath was of God heretofore Others will have it to be only an Ecclesiastical tradition or constitution yet such an one as is of greater authority then many other Zanehius hath this saying Traditionum enim Ecclesiasticarum quaedam sunt Apostolicae quâ—dam mere Ecclesiasticae * He instanceth in the Lords-day Certe quas constat ab Apostolis fuisse profectas hae plus habeant authoritatis quam relique Red. de trad Eccles. Answer It were to be wished that how-ever Divines differ in opinion concerning the Morality that yet they agreed in the divinity or holy practise of the Sabbath But there are of your opinion that sticke not to say how that the Sabbath is but an ordinary Holy-day and that the vacant hours which are besides the publike imployments ordained by the Church * For number and season are of the same nature with working dayes and their practise is accordingly So that if we may judge the tree by the fruit then may we judge their opinions by their practise which savoureth of the flesh and not of the spirit whose furthest progresse in the practicke part is like some of the choisest heathens to regulate their actions by the light of Nature And happily they have the lanthorne of notionall divinity shining in their heads * And so take up a forme of godlinesse but deny the power thereof for seeing they see not and hearing they heare not but are wholly ignorant of the understanding with the heart which Christ speaketh of Matt. 13. 15. They see the Law but Gods end in it to bring the soule sensibly sentenced under sinne and wrath to need and seeke a Saviour and to keep the soul restlesse till it enjoy him and accept him on any termes God doth offer him by the sence of the depth of their filth misery they experiment not in them as appeares by their pride and I shmaelitish persecuting the sonnes of the free woman They being flesh which lusts against the Spirit and of carnall minds which is enmity against God do persecute him that is borne after the Spirit as was prophecyed Gal. 4. 29. For the flesh despiseth and opposeth spirituall worship and spirituall worshippers and being spiritually blind sticketh not to speake evill of things they know not And professing themselves to be wise they become fooles It was ever the lot of truth to be rejected of the builders Many great Rabbies professing the key of knowledge were greatest enemies to the truth as the truth is in Christ that is to the sincere proâ—ession and practice of Christianity Christ must be set as a signe and butt of contradiction Offences must come but woe be to them by whom they come For carnal Protestants are held off from the true embracing of Christ because they see the truth and sincerity of Christ every where so resisted and hated by those that are great and wise in their Generation For Holinesse in the forehead was a chiefe grace but now with us it was become a chiefe disgrace in so much that the despised members of Christ received extreme discouragement except they have such a measure of grace as raiseth them above contempt to professe holinesse to the Lord openly the Devill spewing out after the Church a flood of poison to drowne her But be it as it will I pray both the scorner and the scorned to peruse considerately the one for terrour the other for encouragement 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21. verses of the Epistle of Iude. a cold clymate for Religion to dwell in which they imbracing this present world use as workemen doe their tooles to get money and preferment under the colour of an outward calling for the inward they looke not after But for the knowledge of that wherein the life and soule of Religion consisteth to wit Christ and him crucified in a saving sence they are as ignorant in it as Nicodemus was in the doctrine of Regeneration which though he had read it before in the new Covenant Ezek. 11. 19. yet seeing he saw not no more doe these and therefore no wonder if they cry downe the authority of the Lords-day that have no acquaintance with the Lord of the day but instead of serving him as their Lord and Master they serve themselves of him making his Gospell wherein they should labour in season and out of season to be their stalking horse to convey them the more plausibly to their prey of preferment here on earth and leave that of Heaven for such fooles as they call Puritanes I meane not non-conformists except they be such as they meane that is Men that make not Religion to consist in knowledge but in living according to their knowledge in inward and outward holinesse not being vainly puffed up by a fleshly minde with a voluntary obedience of will-worship or meere formall holinesse or morall excellencies or civill and naturall righteousnesse but holding the Head labouring to increase with the increase of God and to grow in the excellent and humbling knowledge of the simplicity of Christ to the praise of the glory of his grace in a word such as the Scripture calleth Saints and prophane men Precisians No men greater enemies to preaching A conscionable Minister that is painfull in the discharge of his calling labouring to save the soules of his flocke preaching twice a day and the name of a Lecturer so called for distinction sake stinks in ther nostrils as they doe in Gods I wonder how such men come to be called Divines or Preachers that thus defile their owne nest accounting soule-saving preaching foolishnesse and in a spitefull pride calumniating those that with conscience and diligence labour in the worke of the Lord. How necessary is it thinke we then to maintaine the Prerogative of the Sabbath when men of this Coate like swine tread holy things under their feet But let such ponder that place of the Evangelist and apply it Matt. 5. 19. Whosoever shall breake one of these least Commandements and teach men so he shall be called the least in the kingdome of heaven But to come to the difference it selfe I answer That I know no Divines that doe affirme Christ to have left it in expresse mandatory tearmes that that day should be kept Sabbath nor yet Holy-day for indeed there is no such Commandement
probable Answer These words of Iohn after eight dayes Paralel places to this are Mark 8. 31. after 3. dayes idâ—est the third day and Ieâ— 25 12. when 70. yeares are accomplished i. e. in the seventieth yeare or as it is in the Geneva eight dayes after what do they intend more then if I should say Eight dayes hence I will doe such a thing Surely according to this propriety of speech the eighth day is the fittest to be understood So here after eight dayes is as much as if he had said after eight dayes were come or after the eighth day was come signifying thereby that it was the first day of the weeke and not the last And M Sprint pag. 138. observes that it is as if he should say The eighth day after by an Hebraisme quoteth further the like speech in Luke 2. 21 and 1. 59. which as I observed before from comparing the 1. and 19 verses of this Chapter he is câ—â—ious and sure not without cause to notifie unto us againe his Disciples were within c. Thus Eâ—tâ—nusâ— pag. 71. saith Parum obstat obiâ—ctioilla 〈…〉 The two Evang. speake of 6. daies and Luke 8. dayes after Six inclusive and eight exclusive non ipsoâ—â—ctavâ— esset sed non sâ—â—bsequente Obiectio inquâ—â— haeo parâ—â—â—alet quia vel Synechdochicè exponenda 〈◊〉 verba illa â—t alibi saepiuâ— in scriptura There are 6. dayes in the week and Sabbath and Sabbath make eight on the former Sabbath he appeared and the next succeeding sic â—t Luk. 2. 21. 〈…〉 Broad 3. 〈…〉 〈…〉 Supper in memory of his Passion and 3. of the Evangelists together with Saint Paul make mention thereof what the least shew of Scripture or reason can be alleadged where fore if Christ would have a day kept in memory of his resurrection he should not command so by word of mouth or commanding so the Evangelists should not commit it so to writing but leave us to picke out his meaning in such a sort Answer So in the instance that you gave even now from the expression of the Evang. Matt. 17. 1. After sixe dayes had it not been as easie for him and the rest to have said the seventh day if they had meant the seventh day as after six dayes But it seemeth had you been in those dayes a follower of Christ you would now and then have stopped before him and have given him occasion to have plucked you back with a Come behind me Or his councellor Then alwaies when the Iewes had asked a Miracle he should have shewed them one and not have suffered them to have gone so farre about as to finde their desire in the miracle of Ionâ—â— nor have bid the man carry his bed on the Sabbath but he should also have given satisfaction to the Iewes in the point nor have turned the water into wine after they had well drunken but withall he should have preached sobriety to them Doe you preach it to your selfe Indeed if there had been no footsteps nor grounds for this in the old Testament or that the Apostles had not had the assistance of the holy Ghost then it had been somwhat which you alleadge But as there is nothing so cleerely expressed but wrangling and perverse spirits will finde some matter of controversie thence so some things are left purposely to try mens spirits whether they delight more in sobriety or disturbance It seemeth you cannot satisfie your selfe with crying downe the fourth Commandement or old Sabbath but you would also perswade that the sanctifying of the Lords-day the day which as the Psalmist saith the Lord hath made for us to rejoyce and be glad in is against Christs will or at least not with his will when you say If Christ would have a day kept in memory of his resurrection c. Broad 2. The Apostles did not command us to sanctifie the Lords-day That the Apostles commanded us to sanctifie the Lords-day some goe about to prove 1. 1 Cor. 16. 2. Because Saint Paul ordained that upon the first day of the weeke collections should be made in the Churches of the Corinthians and the Galathians Answ. If they met usually upon the Lords-day it may seeme strange that Saint Paul had not rather ordained that a collection should have been made in the Congregation then that every one should lay by him in store at home as God had prospered him thus we would thinke that their benevolences would have been in greater readinesse But be it that they met every first day yet by whom this manner began is uncertaine They themselves will have it begun long before Saint Paul tooke this order about the Collection Further See D. Field of the Church booke 4. Chap. 20. Zanch. de red chap. 10. de trad Eccles. let Saint Paul be the author thereof yet every ordinance of an Apostle doth not bind us in these times yea this very ordinance doth not Were there the like collection to be made who would take himselfe to be bound every first day to lay up by him in store as God had prospered him Answer Certainly this Ordinance of Saint Paul doth wonderfully commend this day and argue the point in hand For first they were hereby prompted to give to the poore members of Christ as they had received from him a worke becoming an holy day and conducing to the pious hallowing thereof like as did those charitable cures which Christ wrought on the sabbath-Sabbath-day If they met usually upon the Lords-day say you it may seeme strange c. Bishop White telleth you page 211 212. That although this Text of Saâ—nt Paul maketh no expresse mention of Church assemblies on this day yet because it was the custome of Christians and likewise it is a thing convenient to give almes upon the Church dayes It cannot well be gain-said but that in 〈◊〉 and Galatâ— the first day of every weeke was appointed to be the day for almes and charitable contributions The same was also the Christians weekely Holy-day for their religious assemblies Secondly it argueth their rest on 〈◊〉 day from the labours of the 〈◊〉 dayes with a recoâ—â—ection and thaâ—kefull calling to minde the blessing of God upon their foregoing week-day labours and what can there be more Sabbath-like D r. Heylyn parr 2. pag. 26. 〈…〉 prove this laying up to be appointed by 〈◊〉 on some Sabbath day or other and to a little before doth he labour to make then meeting at Troâ—â— to be on the Sabbath 〈◊〉 too and not on the first day of the weeke and yet pag. 27. he 〈…〉 Acts. That as concerning the Gentiles which beleeve we have written and determined that they observe no such thing as the Law of Moses whereof the Sabbath was a part saith he Now these things are very inconsistent That Paul should countenance the Sabbath even among the beleeving Gentiles at Troas and command this laying up thereon also to the Corinthians and Galatians and yet be
13 Acts 32. 33. These words 32. And we declare unto you glad tidings how that the promise which was made unto the fathers 33. God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children in that he hath raised us Iesus againe as it is also written in the second Psalme Thou art my â—onne this day haâ—e I begotten thee As touching the meeting on the first day of the weeke which you say we neither finde where nor by whom it began I have even now shewed you the originall of it both for time and persons to wit on the day of Christs resurrection by the Apostles and the day fennight after Had they only met the day of his reâ—urrection we might have thought it had been only accidentall and not of speciall providence or if it had been recorded that they had met any other day besides it might somewhat have weakened the force of this argument But meeting twice and it being recorded to be on the same day together with the effects thereof it doth wonderfully prove the thing to be of purposed providence both on Gods part in assembling them then and on Christs part in appearing to them thereby to give originall to this Ordinance which accordingly hath been so observed ever since And therefore it is not likely that the Apostles tooke it up by approbation from inferiour Christians nor yet that Christ honoured it only by way of approbation but also of institution for we see what honour he gave to it a principio by his often appearings thereon and the gift of the Holy Ghost Iohn 20. 22. on this day which you so Sophister like passe over and only instance in that which seemeth to serve your turne but that it was taken up from them Though this confessed approbation of Christs granteth it to be of the same authoritie with Baptisme which was brought in by Iohn Baptist and ratified by Christ. And if the people of the Iews held the Baptisme of Iohn to be from heaven and not of men though they had no expresse command for it but only his practice and though the chiefe Priests and Elders beleeved him not only for this reason because they held Iohn as a Prophet Matth. 21. 25 26. and this their beliefe of Iohn and his Baptisme producing sutable fruits of grace and holinesse in them was approved of Christ vers 32. I wonder how any dare deny the Lords-day to be of divine institution and affirme it humane that know and acknowledge Paul to be an Apostle the least whereof was greater then Iohn Baptist and the thing of such great consequence and benefit to the Church and otherwayes so backed But let us labour to imitate these contemned Publicanes and harlots in beleeving this point of the Lords-day to be from heaven by divine institution and not of men by humane ordination suffering Pauls practice as an Apostle to overrule 〈…〉 as Iohn Baptist as a Prophet did them and framing our practice to ouâ— faith like them And so obeying him and his Ministers let us not doubt in like case the approcation of Christ in our behalfes above the over-wiâ—e unbeleevers be they 〈…〉 And you shall 〈…〉 second Treatise pag. 22. 〈…〉 that oâ— taken 〈…〉 the Lords-day is in some sort de iure divino in some sort namely not by personall but by delegate authority that is not prescribed personally and immediatly by God himselfe but onely by vertue of that authority which by God was committed to the Apostles for the ordering and governing of his Church but being taken for divine Ordinance or Commandement it is not de iure divine And further he saith To entitle a Commandement divine is required 1. That the authority be divine wherby it is ordained 2. That the Author himselfe that ordaineth be so also that is that both the power whereby and the person that doth immediatly establish it be divine Which divine authority is confessed to be in the Apostolicall constitutions but the immediate Authors are denyed to be divine Now as all other events and actions receive their denomination from their immediate not remote causes so the constitutions of the Apostles although they proceed originally from the instinct and aspiration of the Holy Ghost Gods spirit yet proceeding immediatly from the institutions of the Apostles themselves which delivered them unto the Church in forme of Commandements they are to be tearmed humane constitutions and not properly divine Thus you have M r. Breerewoods opinion of the divine authority of the Lords-day much more Orthodox then yours only in answer to this later part where he saith that Apostolicall actions are to be tearmed humane from that principle That all actions are to receive their denominations from their immediate not remote causes He might have considered how that all the new Testament is called the word of God from the remote Cause the Spirit of God which inspired it though the Apostles and Evangelists writ it which were men and that by no expresse Commandement that we finde Bishop White averreth against T. B. pag. 91. That our weekly observation of the Lords-day in the time of the Gospell is an holy and godly practise for it is warranted by the example of the Apostles and those Primitive Churches which were planted by the Apostles and which received their Ecclesiasticall precepts and constitutions by tradition from the Apostles so that the Apostles first founded it as he further affirmes pag. 97. saith he It is an ignorant speech to tearme it a popish tradition for popish traditions had not their beginnings from the Apostles So also pag. 189. We beleeve saith he that the holy Apostles ordained the Sunday to be a weekly Holy-day because the Primitive Fathers who lived some of them in the Apostles dayes and others of them immediatly after and who succeedeth them in Apostolicall Churches did universally maintaine the religious observation of this day So againe pag. 192. It is probable that in the Churches at Corinth and Galatia the Lords-day was made a weekly Holy-day by the Apostles for they principally governed those Churches at this time 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. And yet Doctor Heylyn laboureth to prove this ordination of Paul to the Galathians to be upon a Sabbath-day and not upon the Lords-day And againe pag. 192. It could not possibly have come to passe that all and every Apostolicall Church throughout the universall world should so early and in the beginning of their plantation have consented together to make the Sunday a weekly Service-day unlesse they had been thus directed by their first founders the holy Apostles themselves c. Lastly it is a true that a long time after Christs Resurrection was the name of Lords-day given to the first day of the weeke * I have shewed before the significant use of the Sabbath paffing under the name of the first day of the week in scripture before it come to be stiled the Lords-day to wit when the first day of the week began to be most currantly