Iesus Christ upon which Notions he seems to lay great stress though it be nothing to the purpose I think it is a mistake For our Lord Iesus Christ is God and Man but he was not God and Man when the World was made or the Law given but onely God 'T is true Christ as God according to his Divine Nature is the same God who made the World and gave the Law for we have no other God but one but not as God and Man For Man he was not at that time but in the fulness of time became Man The Sabbath of the Lord our God in the fourth Commandment with equal respect to all the Three Persons doth not signify the same as The Sabbath of our Lord Iesus Christ God and Man The Lord our God there not the same with our Lord Iesus Christ in the New Testament But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lords Supper is the Supper of our Lord Iesus Christ God and Man the Founder of our Christian Religion And accordingly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lords day is the day of our Lord Iesus Christ a day appointed by him 3. I would have him consider further that the Lords day dominica or dies dominicus hath been all along in all ages of the Christian Church used as the proper name of what we otherwise call the Christian Sabbath and not for the proper name of any other day and therefore till somewhat do appear to the contrary I shall take it to be the same with what is called the Lords day in Scripture There is in the New Testament a place called Rome and there is at this day a place in Italy called Rome and which hath been so called all along ever since neither do I know of any other eminent place of called Therefore till somewhat do appear to the contrary I shall presume our Rome to be the same place with that which in the New Testament is called Rome We find in scripture there is an Island of the Mediterranean Sea called Melita or Malta where St. Paul suffered Ship-wrack not far from another Island called Crete Now we know also there is in the Mediterranean Sea an Island called Malta at this day and another not far from thence called Crete or Candy and we do not know of any other Islands so called then or at any time since and therefore we may safely presume till somewhat do appear to the contrary that those Islands now so called are the same Islands with those which were then so called And in like manner that Day which hath been ever since called the Lords-day as by its proper name we may and ought to presume to be the same day which was by St. Iohn so called as by its proper name in Rev. 1. 10. when he wrote the Book of the Revelation till it can be shewed that he did by that name mean some other day And we have the more reason so to presume because we find it so called by others very soon after St. Iohn's time and by those whom we have great reason to believe to have been well acquainted with St. Iohn's meaning and his manner of speech The first I shall name is St. Ignatius who was not onely Contemporary with St. Iohn but was a Disciple or Scholar of St. Iohn Now St. Iohn according to the best account we can have from Chronology wrote his Revelation in Patmos whither he was banished by Domitian in or about the year of our Lord 96 after which he wrote his Gospel upon his return from Patmos to Ephesus And Died in the Year 98 or 99 under Trajanus And Ignatius died a Martyr under the same Emperour Trajan in the Year of our Lord 107. So that there is no great distance in time And if we should miss a year or two it is not material How long before his death Ignatius wrote his Epistle to the Magnesians we are not sure nor is it material Now in that his Epistle to the Magnesians even according to the genuine Edition published by Bishop Usher out of an ancient Manuscript not that which is justly suspected to be interpolated he doth earnestly exhort them not to Iudaize but to live as Christians Si enim usque nunc secundum Iudaismum vivimus confitemur gratiam non recepisse And as to the Sabbath in particular Non amplius Sabbatizantes sed secundum Dominicam viventes in qua vita nostra orta est Not any longer observing the Iewish Sabbath but the Lords Day on which Christ our Life 〈…〉 is manifest therefore that within 8 or 10 years after 〈…〉 writing the Lords day did not signify the Jewish Sabbath but the first day of the week on which our Saviour Rose again and that it was then observed in contradistinction to the Jewish Sabbath I forbear to mention his Epistle ad Trallianos where again we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 applied to the first day of the week on which Christ rose again because it is in that Edition which is suspected to be Interpolated I might to this add the Testimony of Polycarp who was also a Disciple of St. Iohn and collected and published these Epistles of Ignatius and may be presumed to understand what St. Iohn meant by the Lords day But I shall add in the next place that of Iustin Martyr whom though I cannot call a Disciple of St. Iohn because he was not converted to the Christian Religion till about the Year of our Lord 129 about Thirty years after St. Iohn's Death yet he lived so soon after that he could not be ignorant of the Christians Practise and what they understood St. Iohn to mean by the Lords Day And how that day was observed in Iustin's time he tells us in what is called his Second Apology 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a little after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 On that day commonly called Sunday there is held a Congregation or a general Meeting together of all Inhabitants whether of City or Country and there are publickly read the Memorials or Monuments of the Apostles or the Writings of the Prophets c. And again The day called Sunday we do all in common make 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Meeting-day for that the First-day is it on which God from Darkness and Matter made the World and our Saviour Iesus Christ did on the same day rise from the dead In which places though it be not called dominica but dies solis yet how it was then solemnly observed in memory of our Lord Christs Resurrection is evident 'T is manifest therefore that the Lords day 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dominica or Dies Dominicus was the known name of a day so called when St. Iohn wrote his Revelation That it was a day of Religious Worship contradistinguished to that of the Iewish Sabbath so observed and so called by St. Iohn's Disciple Ignatius within 8 or 10 years at most after St. Iohn's writing that Book Which he would not have done if he
being Circumcised yet I know not any who doth therefore think they ought not We know that Children were reputed Members of the Church of God before Christ's coming and we have no reason to think that Christ did put them out and make them in a worse condition than they were before but rather would have them continue so to be and seems to favour it by that of suffer little Children to come to me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven Mar. 10. 14. and did accordingly embrace them as such And therefore as before they were Circumcised which was then the Sacrament of Admission So they should now be Baptized which is our Sacrament of Admission And when we find whole Families to be Baptized we cannot think but that there might be little Children in some of them and more likely so than otherwise And we are in such cases to practise according to what we may judge by what we find We find also that Women were Baptized though not Circumcised in the Jewish Church yet we have no Command for so doing And because there seems to be the same reason for Womens receiving the other Sacrament as for Men and we find nothing to the contrary therefore we do now practise it as the most likely to be God's Will according to the Light we now have though we find in Scripture neither express Precept nor Example for it In like manner it is no Argument that Christ or his Apostles did not make such a change because in Scripture it is not expresly said so 'T is enough if we there find so much as that we may thence reasonably Judge they did so and more likely so than not Now I meet with so much there to that purpose as makes 〈◊〉 judge they did And so much as I believe would make this Gentleman so to think if he were not otherwise prepossessed with prejudice and with a great fondness to find out somewhat wherewith to find fault I find that Christ on the very day of his Resurrection which was the First day of their Week did not only appear to the good Women at the Sepulchre who sought him there and declare to them the Resurrection which was then to Preach a new Doctrine of which they were not before aware and bid them tell it to his Disciples But did also the same day himself declare it to Two of them going to Emmaus Luk. 24. Preaching to them from Moses and the Prophets ver 25 26 27 the Doctrine of his Death and Resurrection which was to them a new Doctrine which till then they did not understand or as the Phrase there is did Expound to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself ver 27. which I think was Preaching and did open to them the Scriptures ver 31. concerning those points which was a Sabbath-days exercise though perhaps they did not at first so apprehend it and did I take it celebrate with them the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and perhaps the first time after the first Institution for so much seems to be implyed in those words ver 30. he took bread and blessed it and brake and gave to them and ver 35. he was known to them by breaking of Bread for that Sacrament used to be designed by breaking of Bread And if our Author could but shew so much as this once done in the first 2500 years from the Creation on the Seventh day it would be a better proof for the Celebration of the Seventh-day Sabbath in that time than all that he offers at to that purpose And the Effect of this Preaching was on them so much that their eyes were opened and their heart did burn within them while he talked with them by the way and opened to them the Scriptures ver 31 32. and they returned presently the same hour to Ierusalem to acquaint the Disciples who were there assembled with this good news If he tell us that this Journey from Ierusalem to Emmaus being about Threescore Furlongs near Eight of our Miles and back again was more than a Sabbath-days Iourney I confess it was unless upon an urgent occasion if they had known it to be a Sabbath-day when they undertook the Iourney but this then they knew not nor was it therefore on this occasion a breach of the Sabbath so to do If he say Christ knew it though they did not if it were now a Sabbath 'T is true he did so But Christ I presume in that estate after his Resurrection could Travel without Pain and therefore without breaking the Sabbath Or if it were painful he tells us Mat. 12. 5 that the Priests in the Temple profane the Sabbath and are blameless that is they take as much pains or labour in killing dressing and offering the Sacrifices as a Butcher would do in killing and dressing his meat which would in the Butcher be a culpable Profanation of the Sabbath but is not so in the Priests because theirs is Religious Service Nor doth this Author think that in Preaching though it be a Labour the Minister doth thereby break the Sabbath And such was Christs imployment here And then whether he Preach Standing or Preach Walking 't is all one And if he say farther that the Disciples at Ierusalem not then knowing this could not be thought then to have met upon a Sabbatical account I grant this also that their then meeting was Providential as was that of the Two other meeting Christ in their Journey yet they might before they parted as did those others know more of it than at their first coming together And Christ knew before what he meant to do though they did not and did accordingly so order it by his Providence And though they did not know that it was thenceforth to be kept as a Sabbath yet may they well be supposed to be imployed on Religious Work upon what Tidings the Women had before brought them of Christs being Risen waiting for what directions they should farther receive from Christ. To this purpose let us consider what was further done at this meeting While these Two were telling the rest what had happened to them As they thus spake ver 36. Iesus himself stood in the midst of them and said Peace be unto you And did by shewing them his hands and feet and their handling of them and seeing him eat before them convince them that he was indeed Risen from the Dead and that it was not only a Spirit that appeared to them ver 37 38 39 40 41 42. And did again to them Preach the same Doctrine which he had before preached to the Two That it was what he had told them while he was yet with them though they did not understand it That this was but what was written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning him and opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures That it was thus written that it behoved Christ to suffer
and to rise from the dead the Third day and that Repentance and Remission of Sins was to be Preached in his Name among all Nations whereof they were to be his Witnesses and Apostles ver 44 45 46 47 48. And did renew his Promise of sending the Holy-Ghost and Power from on high v. 49. He did moreover at the same meeting not only upbraid them for their unbelief Mark 16. 14. but did Authorize them with a solemn Commission for the Work they were to be sent abqut to Go into all the World and Preach the Gospel to every Creature that he who believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he who believeth not shall be damned ver 15 16 and a Power to work Miracles ver 17 18 in confirmation of that Doctrine And to the same purpose Iohn 20 19. The same day at Evening in which he before appeared to Mary Magdalen and the rest being the First day of the Week the very day of his Resurrection where the Disciples were assembled at a private meeting for fear of the Iews the door being shut Iesus came and stood in the midst of them and gave them his Solemn Benediction saying unto them Peace be unto you And in Confirmation of his Resurrection shewed them his hands and his side ver 20. And then a Second time gives them his Solemn Blessing together with his Ordination or Commission for Preaching the Gospel and Planting the Christian Church Iesus saith to them Again Peace be unto you As my Father hath sent me even so send I you And when he had said this he breathed upon them and said unto them Receive the Holy Ghost Who 's soever Sins ye remit they are remitted to them and who 's soever Sins ye retain they are retained ver 21 22 23. All which being put together seems to me very like the Celebration if not the Consecration of a Christian Sabbath or day of Holy Rest and Religious Service 'T is all of it Sabbatical Work and there is a great deal of it 'T is not indeed expresly said That he did bid them thus to meet on such other First day of the Week as neither is it expresly said Gen. 2. 3. that God did then bid Adam and Eve to keep a Weekly Sabbath or that he did bid them to offer Sacrifice but it is very likely Christ might so order it and more likely than that he did not For that they did so meet we are sure and therefore 't is very likely if not a strong presumption that they were bid so to do For so we find it Ioh. 20. 26. After Eight days that is as we commonly speak in English on that day Sennight his Disciples were again within and Thomas with them who before was absent the door being shut then Iesus came and stood in the midst and said Peace be unto you as he had done the Week before and satisfyed Thomas who before doubted So that we have here Two Solemn meetings of the Disciples Two Weeks together the Two first after his Resurrection on the First day of the Week and Christ with them on both And I am sure we have not more for the First Sabbath Gen. 2. 3. On how many more such Sabbaths he so met with them I cannot tell That he oft appeared to them during the Forty days of his abode on Earth after his Resurrection we cannot doubt and its like it might be on these days The Cavil which here he makes to this place is so weak that I am sorry to see it from one who would seem to be serious As if Eight days after or after Eight days were not the same as what we would say a Week after or that day Sennight after For he must needs know that 't is not only the Common Scripture Language but the general Language of Latine and Greek Writers to reckon Inclusively that is to take in both the extreams and so it is even at this day I think in most Languages except English What we call a Sennight the French call huict jours Eight days and what we say a Fortnight is with them Quinze jours Fifteen days and so in all manner of reckoning A Fourth a Fifth an Eighth a Fifteenth and other Intervals in Musick are always so reckoned What we call a Third-day-Ague the Latins call a Quartan and what we call every other day they call a Tertian So they call Secundo Calendas i. e. Secundo die ante Calendas what we would say one day not two days before the Calends and they call tertio Calendas what is with us two days not three days before the Calends So nudius tertius is what we would say two days ago and nudius quartus is in our Language Three days ago not Four So Mark 8. 31. where Christ speaks of himself that the Son of Man should be killed and After three days rise again that is on the Third day after inclusively taken or after the Third day is come whereas according to the sense this Author would put upon the words it should rather have been said after one day for there was but one day between his Death and Resurrection And it is the same in sense with what he says Ioh. 2. 19. Destroy this Temple speaking of his Body And in Three days I will raise it up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or as Mat. 26. 61. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Third day after inclusively And Mat. 27. 63. they tell Pilate This Deceiver said After Three days I will rise again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 meaning thereby the Third day after inclusively and therefore they pray that the Sepulchre may be made sure till the Third day Whereas if as our Author would reckon upon his fingers by after Three days were to be understood when Three whole days after that should be past they need not set their Watch before the Fourth or Fifth day Thus Christ's Ascension is said to be Forty days after his Resurrection speaking of a Scripture Computation in Scripture Language which in our ordinary manner of Speech is but Nine and Thirty For Ascension-Thursday if Easter-day be not reckoned for one is but 39 days after Easter Upon a like Account that Christ tells us Mat. 12. 40. that as Jonas was three days and three nights in the Whales Belly so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth Not Three whole days and Three whole nights but till the Third was begun For by day and night is here understood the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or what we now call the Artificial day consisting of 24 hours day and night and till such Third day or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was begun Christ rested in the Grave otherwise though he were in the Grave part of Three days yet but Two nights So Luke 2. 21. When Eight days were accomplished for the Circumcision of the Child they called his name Iesus that is upon the Eighth
had not thought it to be so meant by his Master St. Iohn 〈…〉 manner it was observed in their solemn religious assemblies Iustin Martyr tells us within â—0 years after that and that it was otherwise called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sunday And that Dominica or Dies Dominicus hath been so used not onely by the Ancient Christian Writers Ignatius Clemens Irenaeus Origen Tertullian c. but by the Councils and Church History all along hath been so often shewed by divers and is to be seen by any who please to consult them as is not to be doubted by any unless we would under the notion of Tradition deny all History which in a plain matter of Fact were very unreasonable Nor can he shew that the name of the Lords day ever was however it might have been as he thinks attributed to the Iewish Sabbath And therefore to tell us that this name is stollen from the Iewish Sabbath to be applied to ours is such a Fansy as may be laughed at but doth not deserve a serious Answer Sure we are that the Christian Sabbath hath been long in possession of that Name but that ever the Iewish Sabbath was so there is no evidence Therefore the Theft must be on his side who steals it from us to give it to the Jewish Sabbath But he tells us that our Saviour himself observed the Jewish Sabbath And I suppose he did so And that he was Circumcised also and did observe the Ceremonial Law But it was before his Death and Resurrection I do not find that he observed it afterward But he says after Christs Death when he had said It is finished he kept the Sabbath in the Grave Be it so if that were keeping a Sabbath And the good Women rested on that day according to the Commandment And why not Since Christ was not yet risen nor was the day yet changed or pretended so to be This therefore is but Whimsey and nothing to the purpose We all agree that till the Resurrection of Christ the Jews observed the Jewish Sabbath on what they called the Seventh-day of their Week But whether or no it were a Seventh from the Creation we cannot tell 'T is more to the purpose what he tells us that Paul and other Christians did after Christs Resurrection seem to observe the Jewish Sabbath Going to the Temple and to the Synagogues on the Sabbath-day meaning thereby the Iewish Sabbath And it is true They did so go But I answer 1. So they did on other days as well as on the Sabbath and in other places as well as in the Synagogue and the Temple Act 5. 42. Dayly in the Temple and in every house or from house to house 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 they ceased not to preach Iesus Christ. And Act. 2. 46. they continued dayly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with one accord in the Temple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and breaking bread at home or from house to house As to such duties of Worship as were common to them with the Jews they took the opportunity of joining therein with them whether on their Sabbath or on any other day but as to what was peculiarly Christian this they performed in separate meetings from them breaking their Bread at home 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or from house to house The Sacrament of the Lords Supper being peculiarly a Christian service they did celebrate in their houses or separate places of meeting And so we find it at Troas and on the first day of the week Act. 20. 7. on the first day of the week when the Disciples were met to break bread Paul preached c. Their meeting for this Christian service was in a separate place and on another day from that of the Iewish service And Paul at Athens Act. 17. 17. he disputed in the Synagogue with the Jews and with the devout persons and in the Market Dayly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He took the opportunity of publick meetings whether in the Synagogues or elsewhere whether on the Sabbath or any other day to preach Christ to them whether Jews or Greeks Which doth not prove that they did then take the seventh day to be the Christian Sabbath any more than our going to Hear or Preach a Week-day Lecture suppose on Thursday would prove that we take Thursday to be our Sabbath or Paul's Preaching on Mars-hill or in the Market-place would prove that he took these places to be the Temple or Synagogue He knew these to be Times and Places of concourse and therefore took the opportunity of Preaching Then and There and would so have done at any other time and place as there was occasion In season or out of season as he adviseth Timothy 2 Tim. 4. 2. He doth not deny p. 122. but that Paul did keep the Feast of the Pass-over after the Resurrection of Christ Because of what we have Act. 18. 21. He bids them farewel at Ephesus saying I must by all means keep this Feast that cometh at Jerusalem but I will return again unto you if God will Which Feast he thinks to be that of the Pass-over though it be not named But whether that or whatever Feast of the Jews it be it is all one as to our business How great a proof would this have been for the Seventh-day-Sabbath if it had been said I must by all means keep the Sabbath 'T is said indeed he did on the Sabbath-day go into the Synagogue but so he did on other days but not that he kept the Sabbath-day much less that he must by all means Keep it Or that he must by all means take a journey from Ephesus to Ierusalem rather than not keep it though he were to return thither again Yet this Author doth not for all this think the Law for the Iewish Pass-over to be then in force But onely that Paul took occasion to be there at that publick great concourse of People to preach Christ to the multitude For that the Apostles were under no obligation to keep that feast of the Pass-over after the death of Christ is to him he says past doubt And why may not we say the same of his going into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day rather than miss such an oportunity of a publick concourse which was a less journey than from Ephesus to Ierusalem though under no obligation to keep the Iewish Sabbath more than to keep the Iews Pass-over 2. But I answer further The Jews who were not Christians did yet continue to observe the Jewish Sabbath as a matter of duty And there was no reason why they should not For while they did not acknowledge our Christ to be the Messiah nor the Mosaick Law to be at an end but Circumcision and the Jewish Oeconomy yet in force there was no reason why they should not think themselves obliged to the Jewish Sabbath And many of the Christian Jews who were not yet satisfied of the Abolition of the Mosaick Law did comply with them therein