by the Light of Nature But much more say I was it clearly manifested to Adam in Innocency But furthermore saith he the outward means or matter of that Worship which would be acceptable to God was not known by the Light of Nature the Law for a spiritual Worship by the Faculties of our Souls was natural and part of the Law of Creation tho the determination of the particular Acts whereby God would have this Homage testified was of positive Institution and depended not on the Law of Creation Tho Adam in Innocence knew God was to be worshipped yet by nature he did not know by what outward Acts he was to pay this Respect or at what Time he was more solemnly to be exercised in it than another This depended on the Directions God as the Soveraign Governor and Lawgiver should prescribe you shall therefore find the positive Institution It is observable that this great Man is not here concerned to confute the Seventh-day Sabbatarians but about another thing yet affirms with many other Learned Men that Adam by the Law of Creation did not know in Innocency at what time God was more solemnly to be worshipped than another 2. No doubt but the substance of all the ten Precepts was wrote in Adam's Heart The Substance of all Moral Precepts written in Adam's Heart yet it appears the knowledg of the Seventh-day to be kept as a Sabbath was not written there tho that which was simply and naturally moral of the fourth Commandment was Secondly I argue thus If the precise Seventh-day was written in Adam's Heart The Law of the 7th day Sabbath not written in Adam's Heart there had been no need of an Institution or positive Law to make it known to him for what more need had he of an outward Revelation of this than of the other Commandments Take here what a Learned Man hath said * Mr. P. a Minister at Rouen in France p. 3. If the keeping of the Seventh-day were a Moral Duty our Father Adam by that Light of Nature God put in his Mind when he created him would have known it as well as he knew all other things in themselves good and necessary but he neither had nor should have had any knowledg thereof if God had not injoined it to him by a particular Command as those which maintain the morality of the Sabbath do avouch So that this followeth manifestly that the observation of the Seventh-day depends merely on Institution My Brethren Let this be considered well that if the knowledg of the Seventh-day wholly depended on the Will of God or on mere Institution and resulted not as all pure and simple moral Precepts do from the holy Rectitude of God's Nature it follows that the precise Day pertains not to the Essence of the Fourth Commandment but the simple Morality of that Precept lies only in a time of Worship And certainly if God by a mere positive Command had not given it to Israel they had no more known it their duty to keep it than the Pagan World did who were wholly ignorant thereof as I shall prove And be sure if God wrote not the Law or knowledg of the Seventh-day Sabbath on Adam's Heart the Seventh-day is not of the same nature with simply moral Precepts which God engraved on his Heart even the substance or tenor of all the Ten Commandments and made him know them naturally without any instruction by word of mouth But it appears by their own Assertion it was instituted c. Therefore the knowledg of the Seventh-day as a special time of Worship was not wrote in his Heart Our Opponents dare not deny but the substance of the whole Moral Law was wrote in his Heart and they foresee it is dangerous to deny it From whence it appears that all the other Precepts are simply moral and so is a time of Worship but the precise Seventh-day by their own concession was instituted in Man's Innocency and so depends wholly upon an express positive Command declared to Adam by audible Words resounding in his Ears Mr. Tillam says Tillam 's Book p. 7. It was instituted before the Fall and founded in Mount Paradise Answ Tho I believe no such matter nor can any Man prove it yet to grant it for Argument-sake then I say it follows it was not written in Adam's Heart for the being perfect he would naturally have known it without being told it was his Duty to keep it For consider that he was created on the Sixth Day and understood what was naturally and universally good i. e. all those Duties that were essential parts of Godliness and Righteousness or things belonging to good Manners Now if so why need he be told he must keep the Seventh-day or why must that Precept come under express Institution and none of the rest Object God saw good to bring all the ten Commandments under express Institution on Mount Sinai as well as he brought the seventh-day Sabbath in Paradise under express Institution Answ I deny it not God did then see good so to do considering how the Nature of Man was corrupted and his Law written in his Heart was blotted and blur'd by the Fall But let it be consider'd that the Law was not written in two Tables of Stone so much for a Rule of Life as for other reasons The Reasons why God added the Ministration of the Law wrote in two Tables of Stone 1. It was added and written there to aggravate Sin on the Conscience It was added saith Pual because of Transgression Gal. 3. 19. it was to make Sin appear exceeding sinful Rom. 7. 13. 2. It was written there to shew the Creature his sad and woful condition and to make known how unable fallen Man was to fulfil the Righteousness of God 3. And as a Schoolmaster to lead such as were under it to Christ in whom perfect Righteousness only is to be found Man being not able to keep perfectly that holy and just Law 4. And to shew them as I conceive that nothing but the Finger of God could write his holy Law in the stony Hearts of Sinners as shall be further demonstrated hereafter for that whole Ministration of the Law and Covenant I shall prove was a shadow and typical and so no standing Law or Ministration as there written but as it is in the hand of Jesus Christ 5. That whole Law and consequently the Seventh-day Sabbath was given on Mount Sinai as it suted the Judaical Oeconomy as well their Political as Ecclesiastical state There are many Additions made to the Seventh-day Sabbath together with other Ends annex'd and Designs and Uses thereto employ'd which is granted by such as assert it was given to Adam in Paradise * This gave a new state to it saith Dr. Owen p. 8 9. Secondly If it had been given to Adam in Innocency he not knowing without an Institution it was his Duty to keep it I argue from hence it follows that he had the
they should perform except it had by some positive Law or Precept been discover'd to them of which we read not When God gave to Israel a Sabbath he told them how they should keep it as well as the Reasons End and Causes wherefore Tenthly I might also add here what some learned Men seem to affirm i. e. that 't is doubtful whether the Patriarchs had the distinction of Days into Weeks but rather reckon'd by Months and Years so that the precise seventh day from the Creation cannot be certainly known and 't is thought that the Jews observ'd their seventh day from the falling of Manna six days The Jews reckon'd their Seventh-day Sabbath from the falling of Manna but none on the seventh No doubt but it is impossible for any to know that that was the precise seventh day from the Creation But it may not be amiss to answer our Opponents as to what they say about the Scripture not mentioning any Sabbath from Adam to Moses or any Precept or Remembrance of it and yet things of less moment are punctually recited 1. This they say that we read not of Circumcision perform'd during all the time of Israel's being in Egypt which was near four hundred years till Zippora circumcised her Son 2. Also say they we read not of the Sabbath in the Books of Joshua and Judges c. Answ This is no parallel case for after the positive Command given to Israel to keep it there needed no such constant relation of it for no doubt but after that time it was continually observ'd Let me close this with what I find recited by many learned Men concerning the Judgment of divers of the antient Fathers about the Patriarchs observing the Sabbath The Judgment of the anâ—ient Fathers Justin Martyr saith Just Mart. 〈◊〉 cum 〈…〉 that Melchisedec who it is supposed was Shem the Son of Noah was neither circumcised nor kept the Sabbath Irenaeus saith Iren. l. 4. c. 30. Abraham believed and it was imputed to him for Righteousness before he was circumcised and without observing of the Sabbath Tertullian saith Tert. adv Judaeos de praescr c. 2 4. Abel Enoch Noah and Melchisedec observ'd not the Sabbath And again he saith that not any of the Patriarchs kept the Sabbath neither Adam Enoch Noah nor Abraham for 2455 years And hence Tertullian saith Justin de verit l. 2. in Tryph. it is manifest therefore that that cannot be moral nor perpetual that began with Moses as Justin says and ended in Christ Eusebius saith Moses brings in Melchisedec Priest of the most High God Dem. l. 1. c. 6. neither being circumcised nor anointed with Oil as was afterwards commanded in the Law no nor so much as knowing there was a Sabbath Justin Martyr again saith Cont. Tryph. in the days of Enoch People observd not Circumcision or the Sabbath before Abraham there was no Circumcision and before Moses no keeping holy the Sabbath I might also add several of the Jewish Rabbins asserting the same thing But to proceed I infer from hence that that Text Gen. 2. doth not contain in it any present Institution of the Sabbath but signifies God's Destination or Purpose to give it as a Law to his People Israel in after times and was not given to Adam in Innocence for him to sanctify it God might sanctify that precise day to his own Rest after Adam fell with respect had to Christ in whom he took up his perfect Rest and afterwards appointed the seventh day as a sign thereof However it is one thing for God to sanctify or set apart a thing for this or that use and another thing to command that thing or immediately to put it into being Our Lord Jesus was long sanctified or set apart to be our Redeemer Joh. 10. 36. before he was sent into the World actually to redeem us Jeremiah the Prophet was sanctified or set apart to his Work and Office long before he was actually call'd to the execution thereof So that if these words Gen. 2. concerning God's blessing and sanctifying of the seventh day Mr. Sam. Grascom p. 18. are to be extended saith one to relate to any thing further than to that particular seventh day following the Creation it doth not refer to any immediate Institution of the Sabbath but is a historical Narration telling us what was done and not when it was done If therefore we can find out a certain time when the Sabbath was indeed instituted there is good reason to conclude this Text refers to that time as giving us the reason why God in the Institution of the Seventh-day Sabbath made choice of that day And to sum up what I have said take these Arguments 1. We may infer The Arguments against the Patriarchs keeping the Sabbath 〈◊〉 up that if the Patriarchs kept the seventh day they had the knowledg of it by the Light of Nature or by a positive Command but they had not the knowledg of it by the Light of Nature nor by any positive Command therefore they observ'd it not 2. If they kept it by virtue of an express Command and Institution they had no doubt some Directions about the due observation thereof and instituted Sabbath-days Worship but they had no Directions about it nor instituted Sabbath-days Worship therefore they did not observe it 3. Certainly if the Patriarchs were obliged to observe the seventh day as a Sabbath God would either have commended them or some of them for keeping it or else reprehended others for not keeping it but God neither commended any of them for the keeping it nor reprehended any others for profaning and not â—eeping it therefore none of them did observe 〈◊〉 Eleventhly Let me add one Argument more 〈◊〉 prove that the Patriarchs did not observe the seventh day as a Sabbath viz. If the Patriarchs and all Mankind from the beginning of the World were or had been obliged to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath certainly there had â—een some account given of the Penalty or Punishment due to Sabbath-breakers but we read of no Penalty or Punishment to be inflicted on Sabbath-breakers therefore we conclude they were not oblig'd to the observation thereof How can it be thought that the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath should be imposed upon them and yet God should hide the Punishment due to the breach thereof from the World for more than two thousand years Evident it is that they knew what Punishment was to be inflicted for the breach of other moral Precepts as Murder Adultery c. and if this were of like nature i. e. a pure moral Duty how came it to pass that God discover'd not the Penalty to them for violating this Precept Twelfthly My last Argument is this The Sabbath under the Old Testament had a respect to a stated and stinted instituted Worship in a National Church but the Patriarchs and all God's People from Adam to Moses were not brought into such an Ecclesiastical
continue any longer And thus I close with the fourth general Argument viz. It is not the Duty of believing Gentiles to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath from the Law of the Decalogue given by Moses Exod. 20. Fifthly No Precept to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath in the New Testament It is not their Duty to keep it by any Precept given by Christ or Precedent we have in the New Testament 1. That which is urged concerning Christ's not coming to destroy the Law c. we have answer'd as also that of Paul we do not make void the Law through Faith That Text also we have answer'd and turn'd the Sword against our Adversaries which says the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath and the Sabbath was 〈◊〉 made for Man 3. And also their great Proof in that of James if ye fulfil the Royal Law Jam. 2. 8 10. This I have given a full Answer to in this Discourse 4. I proceed to another pretended Argument viz. Pray that your flight be not in the Winter nor on the Sabbath-day Mat. 24. 20. Answ This Text some learned Men have not I am satisfied given the right sense of But let us premise three things 1. That Christ gave the old Names to Jewish Ordinances very often and so did his Apostles 2. That our Lord well knew how superstitiously zealous the unbelieving Jews were and would remain for their Sabbath Now pray mind the scope of this Text Christ shews how sudden their flight would be when Jerusalem was to be destroyed ver 16 17. and v. 19. he saith Wo to them that are with Child and them that give suck in those days But pray that your flight be not in the Winter nor on the Sabbath-day for then shall be great Tribulation 3. It is evident there is the same reason they should pray that their flight be not in the Winter as not on the Jewish Sabbath-day Why not in the Winter because of the difficulties of the Ways they might be deep and unpassable then whereby their Escape might be hinder'd Why not on the Sabbath-day because say some their Consciences would not admit them to fly then further than a Sabbath-day's Journy It is strange to me that our Lord should tell them a little before that it was lawful to save the Life of a sorry Animal a Brute on the Sabbath-day and bid a Man take up his Bed or bear a Burden on the Sabbath and now hint that it was not lawful or that they would so think to save their Lives by flying on the Sabbath-day believe this who will Was it not lawful to pull an Ox or Sheep out of a Pit on the Sabbath-day or for Men to carry their Goods out of their Houses on the Sabbath-day if a Fire should then happen I do not think they were ever so superstitiously blind Nay to preserve human Life our Lord shew'd was much more lawful on that day than the Life of Beasts But say some it would be grievous and uncomfortable to them to fly on that day in which they used to find so much delight Answ Our Lord gives a direct contrary Reason i.e. for then will be great Tribulation the unbelieving Jews should they fly on their Sabbath would severely handle them may be knock them on the head on this account our Lord bids them so to pray therefore this could not be the meaning of it Moreover he knew his own Disciples before that time came would be convinced that the Jewish Sabbath was ceased with other Legal Rites Therefore this I take to be the direct meaning of our blessed Lord viz. Because on the Jewish Sabbath-day the unbelieving Jews among whom you will remain or many of you when the Destruction of the City comes may be so strict and superstitious as to keep watch and ward at every Gate and Way that you will not be able to escape at least not above one of their Sabbath-day's Journey therefore pray your flight be not on that day This is all I can see in this Text. Both David and Elijah were fain to fly on the Sabbath-day See Pet. Heylin p. 137. Besides some learned Men from this Passage argue for the Christian Sabbath as 't is not unknown to our Opponents as Dr. Twiss and many more and that our Lord alludes to that Sabbath that he knew his Disciples would observe after his Death but I rather adhere to the former Exposition Obj. But the Women rested on the Sabbath-day according to the Commandment Luke 23. 56. Answ The Men themselves I mean the Disciples before our Lord suffer'd were so ignorant that they knew not their Lord should die and some a great while after did not know that they should preach to the Gentiles and is it any wonder that these good Women should not know so soon that the Sabbath was abrogated Some after that were zealous for Circumcision c. and is that an Argument that Circumcision is our Duty Besides no new day for solemn Worship was then appointed nor till after our Lord rose from the dead Object Paul as his manner was and other Apostles observed the Jews Sabbath-day they preached in the Temple and Synagogue of the Jews on the Sabbath-day Answ 1. They never taught the Jews nor Gentiles to observe the Seventh-day Sabbath 2. No one Church as we read of ever met to celebrate any Gospel-Ordinance on the Jewish Sabbath-day 3. There is not one word of any Saint that ever kept it 4. All that is on Record is that the Apostles preached to the Jews on that day Why so because they could not preach to them but when assembled together and having a Commission first to preach the Gospel to them they went into the Temple and into their Synagogue and preach'd to them on that day and so did Paul at Mars-hill to the Athenians Acts. 17. 22. 16. 13. as well as to the Jews on their Sabbath 'T is said that Paul as his manner was went in unto them Act. 13. 14. and three Sabbath-days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures Acts 17. 2. Not saith one to solemnize the Sabbath after the Jewish manner from the observation whereof the Apostles Dr. Young p. 10 11. because of the Authority committed to them by Christ were far enough especially when Paul himself did most severely reprove the Colossians and Galations because some among them stood for the Sabbath and other Feasts of the Jews but because they then had a fit occasion of communing with the Jews met together that after the readings of the Law were over they might preach the Gospel with more fruit in such a concourse of People which upon other days they could not so easily obtain and for no other end as from the alledged Testimony is evident Which things let the Reader seriously weigh for at any time or in what place soever they could they preached the Gospel to the Jews therefore on the Sabbaths as well in their
c. of falâ—â— Brethren that went from Jerusalem and taughâ— the believing Gentiles that unless they were circumcised and kept the Law of Moses they coulâ— not be saved or that it was needful for them 〈◊〉 to do ver 15. 1. Pray observe the matter well for noâ— we may expect to hear if ever whether 〈◊〉 be the Duty of believing Gentiles or not 〈◊〉 keep the Seventh-day Sabbath because thâ—â— was none of the least Precepts of the Law 〈◊〉 Moses and this was one thing no doubt which these false Brethren taught them to observe 2. All the great and chief Apostles meet together abont this matter and consulted what Answer to send and they had the extraordinary presence of the Holy Ghost with them â—o dictated to them what to write 3. And this was the Result Act. 15. 29. viz. For it seem'd â—â—d to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you greater Burden than these necessary things that â—abstain from Meats offer'd to Idols and from â—ood and from things strangled and from Forâ—cation from which if ye keep your selves ye â—ll do well Fare ye well Note these things were forbidden in the â—â—w and these things they commanded them â—t to do but not one word that they should â—â—ep the Sabbath given in Moses's Law this is â—ne of those things they should observe therefore it is not the Counsel or Mind of the â—oly Ghost that Gentile Believers should keep at Day 6thly Act. 20. 27. Paul says positively that he had not â—â—nned to declare to the Saints all the Counsel of â—d Ver. 20. And how he kept back nothing that was proâ—able to them but had shewed them all things c. â—ow I challenge any Man in the World to â—ew that Paul ever made known or shew'd â—em this thing viz. that it was their Duty to â—â—ep the Seventh-day Sabbath therefore I inâ—â—r this is none of the Counsel of God nor â—ofitable to Believers in Gospel-days From â—hence I argue thus i.e. Arg. 1. Paul declared all or the whole Counâ—â— of God Paul did not declare the Seventh-â—â—bbath Ergo that is none of the Counsel of â—od 2. If he did declare the Seventh-day Sabbath 〈◊〉 make it known to the Saints to be God's Counâ—â— some one Man or another can shew us the â—ace where it is written but no one Man can â—â—ew us the place where it is written that he declared or made known to the Saints that the seventh-day Sabbath was the Counsel of God Ergo it is none of the Counsel of God to 〈◊〉 Saints or Gospel-Believers 7thly The holy Spirit saith our Lord 〈◊〉 receive of mine Joh. 16. 13 14. and shew it unto you Again 〈◊〉 saith The Spirit of Truth shall guide you 〈◊〉 all Truth But the Spirit of Truth neither guides Believers into the observation of the seventh Day c. in the Word or New Testament nor by his inward Motions Influence and Operations on their Hearts therefore it 〈◊〉 none of their Duty to observe that Day 8thly If not one Gospel-Church observed 〈◊〉 Seventh-day Sabbath in meeting together as 〈◊〉 Church to discharge the Duties of 〈◊〉 Worship then it is not the Duty of Believerâ— in Gospel-days to observe it But not onâ— Gospel-Church c. observ'd the Seventh-day Sabbath c. Therefore 't is not Believers Duty in Gospel-days to observe it Let them shew us where one Gospel-Church did observe that day in meeting together as 〈◊〉 Church to discharge the Duties of Gospel Worship and I will give up the Cause So much in this respect there is in an Apostolical Precedent in my Judgment for what was the Practice of one Church as a Church was the Duty and Practice of every Church 9thly Gentile Believers ought not to observe the Seventh-day Sabbath because the Churches in the Gospel time observed in Religious Duties and Worship the first day of the week and we are not required to keep two days in every week in God's solemn Worship 10thly Because the Law of God written in the Hearts of all Believers doth not teach them to observe the Seventh-day Sabbath And this brings me to the last general Argument Sixthly No Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath written in the Hearts of God's New Covenant Children If it be not the Duty of believing Gentiles to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath from the Law written by the Spirit of the living God in the Hearts of all his New-Covenant Children it is not their Duty to keep it because by no other Law I have proved it is their Duty and now I shall prove that it is not their Duty to keep it by virtue of this Law 1. If it was their Duty by this Law to keep â—â—t the holy Spirit besure had left it written in the New Testament for whatsoever Law is written in our Hearts it is but the same in substance in respect to all simple moral Precepts with what is written in the New Testament 2. Consider that God expresly says in the new Covenant Jer. 31. 33. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their Hearts Saith Paul 2 Cor. 3. 3. Written not with Ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in Tables of Stone but in the fleshly Tables of the Heart This shews we are not to go to the Tables of Stone to Mount Sinai for the Law of God now the Antitype of that is come God's Finger has wrote his Law in better Tables tho naturally our Hearts were like Stone yet his Spirit can and hath written his Law there What is God's Law but a Transcript or a gracious Impression of his holy Nature or his Divine Image stampt on our Souls Now then read this blessed Book ye New-Covenant Saints look within ye holy and renewed ones and see if you can find the knowledg of the seventh Day or that you have this Precept written in your Hearts and inward parts Were you ever by this Law led to know or reproved for not observing the Seventh-day Sabbath Let me close this with an Answer given to Tillam by Mr. Warren 1. Tillam saith Warren on the Sabb. p. 18 19. It was written in Adam's Heart and for this he quotes Rom. 2. 2. That it was written afterwards in Tables of Stone for which he cites Gal. 3. 19. 3. That it is written in the fleshly Table of renewed Hearts To which Mr. Warren answereth speaking to the latter The Experience of almost all renewed Hearts in Heaven and Earth doth contradict it for to speak in the Language of Eliphas â—ob 5. 1. Call now if there be any that will answer thee and to which of the Saints wilt thou turn either Scripture-Saints or Church-Saints ask St. Paul St. Cyprian St. Chrysostom St. Augustine and they will tell you that your antiquated Sabbath was so far from being in their Hearts that they have wrote against it with their Pens Turn over the Works of the eminent Fathers Add
for no day at all and what then would become of the publick and private Worship of God That Notion therefore that every day is alike is most hateful to God no doubt for as soon as he established a visible Church giving a stinted stated Worship Laws and Ordinances he appointed himself the precise time of Worship under the Law and the equitableness as well as the Divine Authority of one day in seven is as I have proved perpetually obligatory upon all his People For the further clearing of this pray consider that 1. Christ is Lord of the Sabbath and of that Day God would have observ'd under the Gospel and tho he hath dispensed with the observance of the seventh Day or abolished that yet as Lord and Lawgiver he hath instituted a weekly day of Rest for his People and for his solemn Worship in Gospel-times And none have this Power but himself alone For shall the Servant appoint what precise time his Master's business shall be done or set the times when his Master's Family shall have their distinct Meals or be fed No certainly Therefore Christian Sabbath p. 127. as Reverend Dr. Twiss observes if any pretend that Christ hath delegated this Power of his to his Church it stands upon them to make it good What times God himself took to work in or to rest after Creation the same proportion of time as Dr. Lake hints did he assign to Men and made his Pattern a perpetual Law So then of our time God reserves a seventh part for his Service The reserving saith he a seventh part I hold to be God's Ordinance who is not variable in his choice but as everlasting as the World And so should the hallowing of the Seventh-day from the Creation have been had it not been for Sin for what could have altered it but a new Creation 2. But Man having sinned and so abolished the first Creation de jure tho not de facto God was pleased to make by Christ an instauration or renewal of the World he means as I conceive God so abolished the old Creation that no precise Day remains to be observed in the remembrance of it and by Christ in redemption hath made a new Heaven and a new Earth and old things being passed away all things are become new Yea every man in Christ is a new Creature or of the new Creation And as God when he ended his Work of the first Creation made a Day of Rest and sanctified it So Christ when he ended the Work of Redemption made a Day of Rest and sanctified it not altering the proportion of Time which is perpetual but taking the first of seven for his portion because it sutes with his new Creation and with his entring into it thro him that old being a Legal Rite and suting with the Covenant of Works which is abolished with the Covenant it self but the new the first of seven remains for ever 3. For the further clearing of this matter consider that under the first Creation God required one Day in seven for himself The equity of Precepts may abide But the precise Seventh-day being a Judicial Law is gone yet the equity or equitableness of one Day in seven as due to God to be improved to his Glory for ever remains 4. God then gave poor Servants and Cattel Servants and Cattel still have one day in 7. to rest in one Day of Rest in seven the last Day of seven is gone but the equity or equitableness of one Day in seven for a day of Rest for Servants and Cattel remains for ever 5. God required his People to give his Ministers under the Law the Tenth of all their Increase the Law of Tithes is gone but the equity or equitableness that his Ministers under the Gospel should have as sufficient a maintenance remains for ever 6. Under the Law God required his People to meet together in his material Temple the Temple is gone but the equity or equitableness of assembling together in some place or another for Publick Worship remains for ever 7. Under the Law God's People in their Prayers offered Incense Incense was typical and is gone but the equitableness of our Duty in making our Prayers to God and confessing our Sins remains for ever 8. They under the Law had Instruments of Musick when they sang God's Praises Instruments of Musick were typical and only served the Jewish Worship but the equitableness of the Duty to sing God's Praises with Grace in our Hearts remains for ever 9. Also note that the second Commandment as given by Moses injoined the Jewish Nation to observe the whole Ceremonial Law and all other Precepts of the Mosaical Oeconomy But as the Moral Law is in the hands of Christ the second Command doth not injoyn on us the observance of those Precepts because abolished but it injoyns on us the observance of all Ordinances whatsoever Christ hath commanded us Also that Clause in the second Commandment viz. Visiting the Iniquities of the Fathers on the Children to the third and fourth Generation doubtless belonged to the Covenant of Works and was a temporal Punishment Doth God do thus under the New Covenant Moreover the Promise annexed to the fifth Commandment shews that the Law as given by Moses only appertained to the People of Israel as also the Preface to them all Exod. 20. 2. doth the like 10. So the fourth Commandment as in the hand of Moses injoyned the People of Israel the observance of the Seventh-day But as the Law is in the hand of Christ it doth not injoyn us to observe that day but being a Shadow is abolished But it doth injoyn us to observe the first day of the Week which Christ as the Lord of the Sabbath hath instituted under the Gospel in its room tho not to be observed with that legal strictness and penalty as the old Sabbath which was a sign of the Covenant of Works and gendred to bondage Object But where is there a Divine appointment of the first Day of the Week and by whom was it required Answ This is the cry of our Adversaries and I answer that I doubt not but our Lord and Saviour at this time did institute it and also gave command to his Disciples to observe it I know some others have cryed Where is laying on of hands either upon Elders or baptized Believers as such commanded and so of divers other things as if every Precept of the Gospel must be laid down in express words of command because some of them are 1. But to proceed Let it be well considered that as I have proved from the fourth Command that a Time a sufficient Time for Rest and in the solemn Worship of God is a simple Moral Duty 2. And that God also hath there by an express positive Law laid claim to one Day in seven as perpetually obligatory on his People And as I have also proved that the last Day of seven was only given to the Jews
Circumcision but also observation of Jewish Days Ye observe Days c. he doth not mean the Gospel or New Testament days of Worship but Jewish days he could not be afraid of them if they had only observ'd the first day of the Week because he had given charge to these Churches as well as others religiously to keep it as appears 1 Cor. 16. 1 2 3. but they observ'd the Jewish Sabbath and other Old Testament days nay and they laid such stress upon them as to make the observation of them necessary to eternal Life as some do now by affirming the keeping of the Seventh-day or old Jewish Sabbath is a Moral Duty being of the same nature with the first Commandment viz. Thou shalt have no other Gods before me or any other simple Moral Precept True such at Rome as did esteem some other day besides the first Day of the Week and lookt upon it as an indifferent thing were not reproved as Rom. 14. 5. The converted Jews perhaps thought they might keep the Jewish Sabbath as well as the Lord's-Day and Paul dealt with them for a time as Children or Babes in Christ But when any came to plead for it as a Moral Duty or as necessary to Salvation how sharp was he with them I am afraid of you From hence by the way observe That Jewish-day and shadowy Ordinances under the Law in comparison of New Testament Ordinances are but weak and beggerly Elements The Explanation 1. By Days The Terms of the Text explained I understand the Jewish weekly Sabbath-days 2. By Months is meant their New Moons or monthly Sabbaths which were every new Moon 3. By Times the Feasts of the Passover the Feast of Pentecost and that of Tabernacles 4. By Years every seventh Year and every fiftieth Year which was their great Jubilee I find divers learned Men thus explaining these Terms Perkins on Gal. p. 285. and tho Mr. Perkins seems to go astray afterwards yet he speaks much to the same purpose Now my Brethren the reasons why I conclude by Days here are meant the Jewish weekly Sabbath-days are First Because when Moses speaks of their Feasts and Holy-days he brings in first of all their Seventh-day Sabbath Levit. 23. Secondly If Days Months Times and Years comprehend all Days Months Times and Years which the Jews observed then their Seventh-day Sabbath is comprehended here but Days Months Times and Years comprehend all Days Months Times and Years that the Jews observed therefore it comprehends their Seventh Day here If the Minor be denyed let our Opponents or any Person shew where Days Months Times and Years are mentioned and yet the Seventh-day not comprehended Perhaps it may be objected by some who keep the Jewish Sabbath Object That the Seventh Day is every where in Scripture expressed in the singular Number i. e. Day not Days That is not true Answ for in several places the Seventh-day is expressed in the plural Number i. e. Days the Jews themselves called it Days And they asked him Mat. 12. 10. saying Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath Days see Matth. 12. 5. My Sabbaths ye shall keep 't is a Sign c. Deut. 31. 13. In the Greek 't is read Sabbaths Exod. 28. 8. and Deut. 5. 12. as the Learned in that Language shew and all Men of note both Antient and Modern Expositors of Holy Scripture saith my Author Dr. White p. 165. expound St. Paul Col. 2. 17. of Weekly Sabbaths as well as Annual Sabbaths Again it is objected Object 2. That the Days Months Times and Years were not Jewish but Heathenish Days c. Thus Coppinger in his Dispute with Mr. Ives because 't is said they did Service to them who by nature are no Gods That there were Jews among these Galatians is evident Answ Yet if otherwise i. e. tho they were Gentiles 't is clear they desired to be under the Law Tell me ye that desire to be under the Law do you hear the Law You that desire to be circumcised and to observe the Jewish Sabbath and other Mosaical Times and Seasons Do you hear the Law i. e. do you not know that the Bond-woman and her Son are cast out that the Sinai Covenant that gendered to Bondage is abolished and the Law given on Mount Sinai as a Rule of Righteousness is put into the hands of the Son of God considered as Mediator Heb. 12. 2. Ye are not come to Mount Sinai but to Mount Sion and are not now to hear him that spoke of Earth but him that speaketh from Heaven as if Paul should have said Do not you know that Circumcision the Seventh-day Sabbaths and other Jewish Times 2 Cor. 5. 17 18 19 20. Seasons and legal Rites are gone even all old things and that all things are become new My Brethren these Christians did not desire to be under the observation of Heathenish but of Jewish Days They are called the Elements of the World Object 3. therefore not Jewish days 1. The Jewish Rites were called the Elements of the World Answ for does not Paul say We when Children were in bondage under the Elements of the World Gal. 4. 2 3. 2. Besides they were such Rudiments as the Jews were to observe till the appointed time of the Father Now the Father never appointed his Children Gentile idolatrous Rudiments therefore they could not be Heathenish Days 3. What Heathenish Nation kept the seventh or the fiftieth Year as a Sabbath For by Years in our Text our Antagonists confess are meant those Years and I am sure by all Expositors 't is so understood 4. The Jewish Sanctuary is called a Worldly Sanctuary see Heb. 9. 1. Then verily the first Covenant had also Ordinances of Divine Service and a Worldly Sanctuary 5. It is evident the Apostle means Mosaical Rudiments by blaming of Peter who would have the Gentiles live after the manner of the Jews Gal. 2. 14. Moreover he refers as all may see to the Jewish Yoke Gal. 5. 1 2. 6. To put it quite out of doubt what Days he intends read Col. 2. 16. Let no man judg you in Meats or Drinks or in respect of a holy Day or of the New Moons or of the Sabbath Days which are a Shadow of things to come but the Body is of Christ I. Now were any of the Idolatrous Days among the Heathen shadows of things to come or of Christ was he or that Rest he hath brought in the Antitype of them II. He speaks of a Holy Day as a Term given to the Seventh-Day in the Old Testament and of Sabbath-Days and do any think he means by neither the Seventh-Day Sabbath and yet speaks of Sabbath-Days distinct from New-Moons Times and Years Certainly he must intend in one or the other the Jewish weekly Sabbath days I find a very Learned Man writing on this Text speaking thus viz. for which also he cites St. Hierom Paul writ this Epistle in the
Command concerninâ— it * He alludes to Adam in Paradise where we can find no express positive Command and if it be not seated morally in thâ— fourth Commandment it is now certain thâ— the necessary observance of it is taken away 10. On the other extream whether thâ— seventh day from the Creation of the Worldâ—â— be to be observ'd precisely under the New Tâ—â—stament by virtue of the fourth Commanâ—â—ment and no other The assertion hereâ—â— supposeth that our Lord Jesus Christ 〈◊〉 Lord of the Sabbath hath neither chang'd 〈◊〉 nor reform'd any thing in and about the reâ—ligious observation of an holy day of Rest unto the Lord whence it follows that such an Observation can be no part or act of Evangelical Worship properly so call'd but only a moral Duty of the Law †Let our Jewish Sabbatarians consider well what the Doctor positively asserts here 11. Whether on the supposition of a non-obligation in the Law unto the observation of the seventh day precisely and of a new day to be observ'd weekly under the New Testament as a Sabbath of the Lord on what grounds it is to be observ'd 12. Whether from the fourth Commandment as one Day in seven or only unto some part or portion of Time or whether without any respect unto that Command as purely Ceremonial For granting as most do the necessity of the observation of such a Day yet some say that it has no respect at all to the fourth decalogical Precept which is totally and absolutely abolished with the rest of the Mosaical Institutions Others say that there is yet remaining in it an Obligation to the Sacred Separation of some Time or portion of Time unto the solemn Service of God and some say that it precisely requires the sanctification of one Day in seven 13. If a Day be so now to be observed it is enquired on what Ground or on what Authority there is an alteration made from the Day observed under the Old Testament to that now in use that is from the last Day to the first Day of the Week whether was this Translation of the Day of the solemn Worship of God made by Christ and his Apostles or by the Primitive Church c. 14. If this were done by the Authority of Christ and his Apostles whether by an express Institution of this new Day or whether a direct Example be sufficient no Institution being needful for the First Day for if we suppose there is no Obligation to the observance of one Day in seven indispensibly abiding and on the supposition that an Obligation to keep one Day in seven doth abide then no Institution is necessary or can be properly made as to the whole nature of it * No express Institution is needful for the observance of the first Day but Examples only if the 7th part of Time or one day in seven do abide in the 4th Command Thus far the Doctor who says many other things necessary to be considered about the observation of a Day of Worship whether as to the Work of the Day it ought to be kept with the like strictness as the Jewish Sabbath in all respects and what Duties are to be performed on it as also as to the proper Limits of that Day some pleading it ought to be from Evening to Evening as the Jews kept it or from Morning to Evening that is from after twelve a Clock in the Morning to twelve the next Evening c. From what the Doctor notes it appears that the Case in controversy calls for much study and diligence and it may be accounted an Act of great weakness in any Persons to observe the Seventh Day to the disturbance of the Church without enquiring of such as God has enlightned in these things and to whom the care of their Souls are committed to see what can be said against it Is it wisdom to advise with those only that are for it and not with such also as are directly against it This shall suffice for the Propositions I first proposed I shall endeavour to clear most of those things that seem difficult which may have been the occasion of some Persons if not all going astray and falling into the Error I purpose clearly and largely to detect This brings me to the next general Head of Discourse proposed Secondly I told you I should lay down diveâ—â— Arguments to prove the Truth of our Proposition That it is not the Duty of Gentile Believers to keep the Seventh Day as a Sabbath iâ— Gospel-times First The General Proposition I shall lay down one General Proposition to discover the Method I shall pursue foâ— proving what I have taken in hand 1. If the Law of God written in Adam's heart in Innocency did not oblige him to keep the Seventh Day as a Sabbath that Law cannot oblige Gentile Believers to keep it 2. If a positive Law or express Institution supposed to be given to Adam before or just after his Fall doth not oblige Gentile Believers to keep it 3. If the Law written in the Hearts of the Gentiles or the most refined and enlightned among them doth not oblige Gentile Believers to keep it 4. If the Law of Moses or the Law written in the two Tables of Stone doth not oblige Gentile Believers to keep it 5. If the Gospel by any Precept or Example doth not oblige them to keep the Seventh Day as a Sabbath 6. And lastly If the Law written in the Hearts of all Gospel-Believers by the Holy Spirit doth oblige them to keep the Seventh Day as a Sabbath to the Lord Then I infer it is not their Duty to keep the Seventh-Day c. for I know no other way or means whereby Gentile Believers can pretend to know they are obliged to keep the Seventh-Day as a Sabbath or a Day of Rest and solemn Worship But by none of these ways or means believing Gentiles are obliged to keep the Seventh-Day as a Sabbath c. therefore it is not the Duty of Gentile Believers to keep it To proceed 1. Let it be considered that if the keeping of the Seventh-Day as a Sabbath i. e. that precise Day from the Creation of the World were a purely natural or simply moral Precept no doubt but it was legibly written in Adam's Heart I mean as a Law of Creation and so part of the holy Image of God or of the same nature with all other moral Precepts that result from the Perfections of God's holy Nature and not from the Soveraignty of his Will only And if it was so written in Adam's Heart in Innocency he needed no positive Law to make it known to him What was any thing that was purely or simply moral even that which belonged to good Manners or to true natural Godliness or Righteousness not made known to Adam to perfect Adam this certainly cannot be That spiritual Worship which is due to God Charnock on the Attributes p. 131. saith Mr. Charnock is known
same need of knowing what special Worship he outht to be found exercised in on that day What a Sabbath instituted and no Sabbath-Service appointed on that day But this I shall further handle when I come to speak of the pretended Institution and express Command given to Adam in Innocency Thirdly If the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath was wrote in Adam's Heart some Remainders of the knowledg of that day would have been left in the Heart of his Offspring as there is of all other Precepts that are simply moral tho much blur'd and almost quite obliterated in some yet there were many Heathens who retain'd or recover'd much knowledg of God's Law first written in the Heart of Man yea they were led to the knowledg of all pure moral Precepts i.e. that there was but one God and that he was to be worshipped and his Name not profan'd that they should not murder commit Adultery steal c. nay and also to the knowledg of the fourth Commandment as to what was simply moral in it viz. a sufficient time to worship that God yet they were none of them led to know that they ought to keep the seventh day as a Sabbath Fourthly Moreover if the Seventh-day Sabbath had been a simple or pure moral Precept and written in Adam's Heart it would have been written in the Hearts of all God's New-Covenant Children as he promised he would write his Law there in Gospel-times and evident it is that all Believers in Christ whether Jews or Gentiles have the Image of God restor'd to them it being stampt upon their Hearts by the Spirit of God hence it is said who after God are created in Righteousness and true Holiness Eph. 4. 24. nay they are all said to be renew'd in Knowledg after the Image of him that created them Col. 3. 10. But in the second Impression of God's holy Law and Image thus written on our Hearts there is not one line nor lineament of any knowledg that it is our Duty to keep the seventh day as a Sabbath to the Lord which I shall further evince hereafter Fifthly Take what a learned Man saith If Adam was bound to keep the Sabbath I demand by what Law by the Law written in his Heart Why then he was bound to keep a Sabbath before there was a Sabbath to keep for the Law was ingraven on his Heart on the sixth day as a branch of that Divine Image of God concreated with him whereas the Sabbath to be sure could not be instituted till the seventh day if then Sixthly Before I close this let me note here what is said concerning this very thing by the Antient Fathers and Primitive Christian Writers who it appears deny'd the knowledg of the Seventh-day Sabbath was written in Adam's Heart Just Mart. Respon ad qu. p. 69. Theod. on Ezek. c. 20. See Justin Martyr Theodoret saith that these Commandments Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit Adultery Thou shalt not steal and others of that kind were generally implanted by Nature in the minds of Men but for the keeping of the Sabbath it came not in by Nature but by Moses's Law Chrysostom affirms saith my Author that neither Adam nor any Man liv'd without the Law imprinted on the Soul of Man as made a living Creature but neither he nor any other of them say the seventh day was one of those Laws Also Rivet and others who plead for the Antiquity of the Sabbath dare not saith he refer the keeping of it to the Law written in Adam's Heart So that I may from what has been said positively affirm the Precept of keeping the seventh day was not written in Adam's Heart in Innocency and therefore that believing Gentiles are not oblig'd to keep the seventh day from that Law From hence also I infer it could not be written in the Hearts of any of the Jews or Gentiles for doubtless Adam by nature knew that which corrupt Man never so perfectly knew and it were great Presumption in any since Sin was so generally prevailing to say they knew in a natural way that which Adam knew not Besides is it not great folly for any to say this since the Law in Adam's Heart was the original And shall a blur'd Copy be deem'd more perfect than that or the muddy Stream be clearer than the Chrystal Fountain Therefore since it appears the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath was not written in Adam's Heart but that he needed an express positive Law to know it or discover it to him I infer much more need there was for poor Gentiles nay for Believers to have an express Law to discover it to them And since our Opponents affirm that the Commandment of the precise seventh day as a Sabbath is of the same nature and quality with the first Commandment and all other simply moral Precepts i. e. not only a time of Worship or one day in seven but the precise seventh day from the Creation I infer then what a woful condition are all we in that break or violate in the very Letter a simply moral Command nay and teach Men so to do may and how could our Saviour then be without Sin who made Clay on that day and did many other Works and commanded a Burden to be born and also commended Acts of Mercy which was but a moral Duty above keeping of the Seventh-day Sabbath Matth. 12. comparing the strict Observation of that with Sacrifices which all know were but mere positive Laws to Israel under that Legal Dispensation But more of this hereafter Object But tho it was not written in Adam's Heart that he should keep the seventh day as a Sabbath yet it was given to Adam in Innocency by a positive Institution Answ This is sooner said than proved No positive Law given to Adam to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath but let me tell you that the Law of Nature our Opponents acknowledg was antecedent to the Institution of the Sabbath and that all purely moral Precepts were certainly written in Adam's Heart Now can the precise seventh day be Adam's Duty to keep before it was sanctified to that end this is to say a thing was before it was and that the Law of Creation teaches that which it was impossible to teach and also that Revealed Religion may be known by natural Dictates or Principles which is absurd to affirm besides all confess that mere positive Precepts or Commands in instituted Worship may be alter'd or chang'd as the great Lawgiver pleaseth But to proceed to answer what is affirm'd about its Institution in Paradise as given to innocent Adam we will come to and well weigh the words of this pretended positive Precept given to Adam in Paradise Gen. 2. 2. And on the seventh day God ended his Work which he had made and he rested on the seventh day from all his Work which he had made Ver. 3. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because that in it he had rested from
the precise seventh day being there a positive Precept SERMON III. Proving the Patriarchs kept not the Seventh-day Sabbath That the knowledg of the seventh day was not written in the Hearts of all Mankind by Nature Gal. iv 10 11. Ye observe days and months c. MY Brethren there are three sorts of Persons I have little hopes of doing good to in preaching on this Subject 1. Such as thro self-conceit are so fond of their own Apprehensions that they resolve not to regard the strongest Arguments against what they believe thus it is with some who have sucked in dangerous Errors who if a Book be presented to them presently cry away with it we will not read it they are not like him that said What I know not teach thou me nor like the great Appollos who was ready to receive further Light by a poor Man and his Wife much inferior to him both as to Parts Knowledg and Learning Acts 18. 2. The second sort are such as thro the weakness of their Capacities are not able to take in the strength of an Argument and therefore let never so much be said do intimate it is all little or nothing to them 3. The third sort are such as seem indifferent whether they keep the seventh or the first day or perhaps any at all as a special day to the Lord these not seeing the danger of observing the old Jewish Sabbath nor of their indifference about keeping any day at all trouble not themselves at all about this matter But to â—â—ass this and proceed I have proved 1. That the Command for or knowledg of keeping the Seventh-day Sabbath was not written in Adam 's Heart 2. That there was 〈◊〉 positive Command given to him to observe that â—ay above any other either before or immediately after his Fall A time to worship God was wrote in Adam's Heart no doubt and indeed all his time while in Innocency he was naturally led to give up to his blessed Creator All Adam's time in Innocency taken up in adoring his blessed Creator What had he to do but to adore and contemplate the Perfections of his bountiful Creator and could he have done it better on one day than another The best and highest Acts of Worship he was capable of performing would have been his work and delight for ever had he abode in that state for Perfection admits of no greater Number Measure Degrees or Additions Now I may infer from hence If the Command of God to observe the seventh day was not wrote in Adam's Heart then it is not written in the Hearts of any of his Offspring by Nature For as I have said the muddy Stream cannot be clearer than the Chrystal Fountain But our Brethren who keep the seventh day and some others affirm that the Patriarchs from Adam to Moses did keep that day Answ This I deny and if I put them to prove it The Patriarchs did not keep the seventh day Sab. they can never do it First I grant that from Adam to Moses the holy and pious Patriarchs not only discharged all Duties of natural Religion but all Duties given by express Command to them yet we read not that God commanded them to keep the seventh day or reminded them of a former Precept given to Adam and in him to them And no doubt they observed a sufficient time for the Worship of God it may be a part of every day or more than one in seven for they not only improved their natural Light and Knowledg but had a special Revelation of the Will of God to them yet we find not the least intimation that any of them kept the seventh day Abel we read sacrificed and this of offering Sacrifices could not be known by the Light of Nature God therefore commanded him so to do or revealed it some way or another in a supernatural way to him because him and his Offering God had respect unto besides he did it in Faith and Faith must have a Rule to act by but we do not read he offer'd Sacrifices on the seventh day or kept that day as a Sabbath had he kept one Sabbath-day tho no mention is made of any Command he had so to do we should no more doubt of it but conclude he had such a Command as we believe he had for his offering Sacrifices but if he or any other of the Patriarchs had kept the seventh day as a Sabbath would it from thence follow it was a moral Precept and obligatory on us any more than their offering Sacrifices obliges us so to do We read of Men who began to call upon the Name of the Lord Gen. 4. 26. or to call themselves by the Name of the Lord as one reads it See Ainsw Annot. on the place but not a word of such a Sabbath observ'd by them Ainsworth reads it thus Then began Men profanely to call upon the Name of the Lord and one of the Rabins * Rabbi Maimon saith in those days Idolatry took its first beginning so that from hence there can no Proof be taken that they kept the seventh-day as a Sabbath Enoch walked with God three hundred years and certainly if he had kept the Sabbath we should have had â—ome account of it but as we read of no such matter so Justin Martyr as I find him cited by approved Authors declares Enoch was one if those that was not circumcised neither kept the Sabbath Lib. 4. c. 30. Ad Judaeos And Irenaeus mentioning Enoch with my Author speaks thus viz. Enoch that righteous Man being neither circumcised nor a Sabbath-keeper was by the Lord translated And as it cannot be proved that the seventh day was observed before the Flood so we have â—o reason to believe it was kept by Noah in those days the Flood overflow'd the World 〈◊〉 is said Noah was only righteous in that Generation and therefore a true Worshipper of God but we read not of his keeping the Seventh-day Sabbath I know some would catch at that Expression Gen. 8. 10 12. that Noah stay'd seven days before he sent out the Dove as if this might reâ—er to the Sabbath But in Answer to this which indeed needs â—one at all take what a learned Man hath â—id for a reason why Noah stay'd seven days and again other seven days Abulensis Noah saith he desired to know whether the Waters were decreased Now the Waters being regulated by the Moon Noah was most especially to regard her Motions for as she is either in Opposition or Conjunction with the Sun in her increase or wane there is proportionably an increase or falling of the Waters Noah then considering the Moon in her several quarters which commonly we know are at seven days distance sent forth his Dove to bring him tydings for the Text tells us that he sent out the Raven and the Dove four times and the fourth time the Moon being in the last quarter when both by the ordinary course
of Nature the Waters usually are and by the Will of God were then much decreased the Dove which was sent out had found good footing on the Earth There is greater reason to believe this than to suppose it refer'd to the Sabbath * De Emendat Temp. l. 5. Scaliger saith my Author one while thought the day on which Noah left the Ark and offered Sacrifices to be the seventh day but in the next Edition he fixed that day to be the fourth day of the week Now after the Flood we find God gave to Noah and his Sons some express Laws and Commands i. e. not to eat Blood and forbidding Murder c. Now this is the time doubtless to hear of a Sabbath and of the charge about it if God had given it either to Adam before or after the Fall but not one word is mention'd for 't is not said Remember the seventh day c. or ye shall observe my Sabbath Gen. 9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Now from Shem Ham and Japhet both Jews and Gentiles proceeded even the whole World and to me it seems not probable had the Sabbath been commanded that Jehovah should not at this time have given them a charge about it there being then so few positive Laws instituted here is Blood forbid to the whole World and Murder but not one word of a Sabbath or seventh day to be observ'd Seven Precepts given to Noah but no Sabbath The Rabbins speak of seven Precepts given to Noah and his Sons but exclude the Seventh-day Sabbath out of that number If we have it not mentioned here besure we shall not meet with it till we come to Moses but here we have it not nor indeed was it possible for some of them to keep that precise day being scatter'd to the furthermost ends of the Earth We read of Abraham that he kept all God's Commandments yet he kept no Seventh-day Sabbath he built an Altar and sacrificed which were mere positive Precepts and 〈◊〉 the Seventh-day Sabbath is not mention'd â—or commanded him nor a hint given to remember him to keep it Job liv'd also Job liv'd 't is thought about Abraham's time it is concluded about Abraham's time which may be gather'd by the number of years he liv'd which was about two hundred years which few attain'd to after Abraham Joseph liv'd but a hundred and ten 'T is said Job liv'd a hundred and forty years after his sore Trials were ended Job 42. 16. the Jews speak of his living in all two hundred and eighty years â—ow as one observes when he pleads his Inâ—â—grity and Innocence even to very minute Particulars he neither alledges his strict observation of the Seventh-Say Sabbath nor apologizes for the neglect thereof nor do this Friends who rak'd up every thing against him speak a word about this nor of the Sabbath throughout the whole Book which treats in a manner wholly about Worship and Devotion towards God the Sabbath therefore no doubt had not â—â—â—ap'd as he minds if it had been known 〈◊〉 been a Duty in his days As to Isaac he was a most devout Man and 〈◊〉 Life was taken up in a continual course of â—â—ety his custom was to go into the fields to meditate but it is not said he did it on the â—eventh day or that he kept this day as a Sabbath Jacob was a Man that fled from Idolatry 〈◊〉 God's Command and liv'd a godly Life and tho we read of his performing many Acts of Worship yet nothing of his keeping the seventh day as a Sabbath no tho we read of his hard Service when he kept Laban's Sheep both in Winter and Summer which might have caused him to complain of his being incommoded from a strict observation of that day had he known it as his Duty but in all his Complaints not one word of this We know among us how Shepherds are hindered in Sabbath-Observations of which many have complained or may have occasion to do Moreover during Joseph's being in Pharaoh's Court nor before do we read of his observing this Sabbath and when Jacob came into Egypt we read 〈◊〉 of his observation thereof nor of the Egyptian keeping of it or had they forgot it besuâ— there would have been some notice taken of Jacob's keeping it nor would he have avoided iâ— that he might please Pharaoh and his Servants Nor can it be thought on any good grounds that the Children of Israel kept the Seventh-day Sabbath under their Taskmasters in Egypt thâ— some would infer they did from these words that you make the People rest from their Burdens Exod. 5. 5. they would have these words to mean you make them keep a Sabbath where as no such thing seems to have the least countenance because Pharaoh's Officers complain not of their resting or being idle on one day only but two days together see Exod. 5. 14. Wherefore have you not fulfilled your Task in making of Brick both yesterday and to day as heretofore Now since there is no mention that any 〈◊〉 the Patriarchs kept the seventh day as a Sabbath we infer this as the first reason why they observ'd it not Secondly Let it be consider'd that we read 〈◊〉 many positive Commands given to Noah to Abraham Isaac and Jacob but none to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath nor no reminding them of any former Institution or Precept to observe it wherefore we may conclude they kept it not Thirdly The Patriarchs not commended for keeping the Seventh-day Sabbath We read how the faithful Patriarchs were commended for doing whatsoever God commanded them but not of any of them being commended for keeping the seventh day as a Sabbath yet after Moses's time when the Sabbath was instituted and given by God's express Command to Israel he took we find as much notice of their observing his Sabbaths as of any other Duty injoined on them and this to their great Commendation Therefore had the Patriarchs been oblig'd to keep it no doubt they had as faithfully discharged their Duty therein as any of God's Servants did in after times and God besure would have left something on Record to their Commendation Fourthly The old World not charg'd with Sabbath-breaking We read of divers Sins the old World was guilty of which provoked God and brought the Flood upon them but not one word or hint given that they were guilty of Sabbath-breaking Now if it had been known either by the Light of Nature or by any positive Precept given to Adam and handed down to them by Tradition or otherwise they being so universally corrupted and polluted no doubt had profan'd that day and if so the sacred Record had mention'd that great Sin doubtless as well as others Fifthly Sodom not charg'd with Sabbath-breaking Moreover we read of the crying Sins of the People of Sodom c. and no doubt but they had violated all God's Commands or whatsoever were their known Duties but nothing of breaking
the Sabbath is charged against them Now can it be imagin'd they should not have fail'd in this case or that God would overlook or take no notice of it Sixtly We have a Catalogue of almost all immoral Evils before and after the Flood as Idolatry Gluttony Drunkenness Lasciviousness Incest Murder Lying Covetousness Theft c. and how Sin had possessed the Thoughts Hearts and Lives of Men but no account of their Violation of the Sabbath-day Seventhly None from Adam to Moses reprehended for not keeping the Sabbath Let it be consider'd that since God so severely reprehended the Jews for profaning his Sabbaths and hardly reproved them more sharply for any one Sin than for this certainly in his enumerating the Sins 〈◊〉 his People and of the Wickedness of those that liv'd from Adam to Moses he would have reproved them for Sabbath-breaking and not have utterly passed it by in silence had they been guilty of it or can it be rationally supposed that tho they fail'd in all other respects yet that they did not in this No doubt had it been a known Duty and that some of them had been guilty of the breach of it as in all likelihood they would but God would have severely reprehended them for it Eighthly Since we read of no Sabbath till Moses's time Exod. 16. only that God sanctified the seventh day what makes our Brethren so boldly say that Adam in Innocence kept it and all the Patriarchs from Adam to Moses This may seem strange to any thinking Man i. e. that they should affirm this seeing they require an express Command from us for the keeping of the first day or else all is nothing with them Brethren this I will say that had we no more ground to keep the Lord's day in solemn Worship as a day of Rest than they can find for the Patriarchs keeping of the seventh day as a Sabbath we should not say one word more for it I challenge them to shew us one place where a Sabbath is so much as once mention'd or any express or implicit Command given to any to observe it or one Example from the Creation of the World that any Man or Woman ever kept the seventh day as a Sabbath until we come to Moses Exod. 16. I shall God assisting shew that we have more than meer Examples of the Gospel Primitive Churches for observing in a solemn manner the Lord's-day or the first day of the week when I come to that part of my Work Now let them produce but one Example that â—ne tho but one of the Patriarchs did keep the â—eventh day as a Sabbath I will conclude it might be given to Adam after his Fall for before his Fall it could not be a Law to him for the reasons I have urged but if they could produce such an Example yet say some learned Men it doth no more prove that precise day is a moral Precept or that it from hence follows that it is our Duty in Gospel-times to observe it than it proves 't is our Duty to offer Sacrifices which we read before the Ceremonial Law was given they frequently did But since there is not one Instance to be given of any one Person that kept that day till Moses's time but that the Word of God is wholly silent about it we must and may say according to that common Maxim used by Divines i. e. Where God hath not a Mouth to speak we ought not to have an Ear to hear Ninthly The Proofs of the Learned for the Patriarchs keeping the Sabbath Let us now consider what some learned Men have produced for their pretended Proofs that the Patriarchs kept the seventh day as a Sabbath which I fear hath imboldned the Jewish Sabbatarians to affirm with such Confidence that all the Patriarchs did keep it But by the way Dr. Owen who is one that asserted what I utterly deny doth yet confess that many of the Jewish Masters or Rabbins ascribe the original of the Sabbath to the Statute given to them in Mara Exod. 15. and others of them to Exod. 16. yet the said Reverend Doctor cites some of the probable grounds to prove that the Patriarchs kept it Dr. Owen on the Sab. p. 72. 1. The first and chief place I find he mentions is that in Gen. 18. 19. For I know him that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the ways of the Lord and do Justice and Judgment Answ That Abraham had this Charge and Commandment given to him is granted but what little reason there is from hence to conclude he kept the Sabbath or gave charge to his Children so to do I will leave to all Mens Consideration God gave to Abraham Commands we find that evident enough and some of them not very easy to Flesh and Blood as that of offering up his only Son Moreover none doubt of the faithfulness of the Patriarch Abraham but if the Sabbath was not then instituted nor any Command given to him to keep it there could not be any such Command meant or comprehended in that Charge given to him The truth is my Brethren learned Men who are Men also of great natural Parts can put a fair gloss on any thing and make that seem to be a Truth that there is not the least ground to believe is so Abraham did all he did in Faith and therefore he had Divine Authority for all he did in God's Service Dr. Twiss's main Argument to prove that the Patriarchs observed the Seventh-day Sabbath is this Dr. Twiss on the Christian Sab. p. 57. viz. The Lord blessed the seventh day and sanctified it therefore saith he the Patriarchs did observe it Answ I answer God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it but did not give any Command to Adam to keep it therefore the Patriarchs from thence could not know or see they had any ground to observe it Dr. Twiss saith in the same place i. e. And the truth is until the coming of the Children of Israel out of Egypt we read not of any Church of God any where but in single Families neither do we read of the Patriarchs before the Flood or a long time after that they kept any day consecrated to God's Service But we say with him that it doth not therefore follow that they kept no day at all in God's Service They owned the True God and worshipped him and knew that there must be a time a sufficient time to discharge that Homage or Worship to him and tho perhaps they observ'd one day in seven yet as I conceive they did not know what precise day they ought to observe above any other until God by some express positive Command made it known which was not till he constituted the whole House of Israel into a Typical Church-state and gave them an instituted Worship and commanded their Legal and Typical Sabbath Besides how could the Patriarchs know what Duties proper for Sabbath-observation
Morality of it is 〈◊〉 more holy naturally than any other day of 〈◊〉 week Object If they say but God sanctified thâ—â— Day 1. I answer they will not say that God added any inherent Holiness to that Day 2. But if they should say he did then 〈◊〉 would overthrow the Morality of it i. e. as 〈◊〉 this first property of a simple moral Precept for then it will follow it was made holy 〈◊〉 an Act of God's Arbitrary Will and Pleasure and that it was not so naturally as that Day was created or proceeded from the Holiness of God because as we have shew'd all puâ—â— moral Precepts as to the matter of them are not good merely because God commands them 〈◊〉 are in themselves good as resulting from the Holiness of his Nature For evident it is that every Day of the 〈◊〉 had one and the same efficient Cause namely Divine Creation and all days and things Goâ— made were very good and God's sanctifying the seventh Day was but his setting it apart foâ—â— some holy use Dr. Owen on the Sab. p. 82. the Day saith Dr. Owen was not capable of any inherent Holiness God then sanctified says he this Day not that he kept it holy himself which in no sense the Divine Nature is capable of nor that he purified it and made it inherently holy which the nature of the Day is not capable of nor that he celebrated that which in it self was holy mark that well but he set it apart to holy use So that from hence it follows if the Morality of the fourth Commandment lay in the precise seventh Day it wants the first Character of a simple moral Precept God might have set apart at first any other day if he had pleased as well as the seventh Secondly The seventh Day never known universally to be a Sabbath Every Precept or Law simply moral which obliges all Men to Obedience perpetually must be made known to all Men either by the Law of Nature or by Revelation from God himself in some supernatural way the Righteousness of God requires this because the Violation of simple moral Precepts is damnable 1. Now were there such a Law written in Mens Hearts I mean to keep the seventh Day some one Man or another would that way have known it But no Man hath ever so known it therefore no such Law is written in any Man's Heart and if not one Man that way ever knew it then not all Men universally besure 2. And as the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath is not revealed to all the World by the Lord this way so he never gave any Commission to Moses nor to any of his Prophets to promulgate it or reveal it to all Mankind therefore I argue it wants the second Character of a simple moral Precept Thirdly That Law which upon urgent necessity may be omitted or laid aside or be broken can be no Precept simply moral but the keeping of the Seventh-day Sabbath upon divers urgent necessities might be omitted or broken Josh 6. 15. the Jews themselves might war and go to battle on that day 1 King 20. 29. and our Saviour shews they might pull a Sheep or any other Beast out of a Pit or Ditch on the Sabbath-day Joh. 5. 10. nay our Lord wrought with his Hands and made Clay on that day did many Miracles and commanded the Man he healed to bear a Burden i. e. to carry his bed on that Day But Precepts simply moral in respect of the negative part oblige perpetually and by no means must be transgressed for as a Divine saith A Man must not tell a Lye to save the World Can any pretended necessity make it lawful to worship another God or prophane his Name or steal murder or commit Adultery I know what is said about the Israelites borrowing of the Egyptians and of God's commanding Abraham to slay his Son but those actions are to be accounted for as being extraordinary cases Obj. Works of Mercy may be done on the Sabbath-day and Christ speaks of Works of Mercy Answ Of what nature are works of Mercy I hope not of a higher concern than the discharge of a simple moral Precept And can one simple moral Precept have more Sanctity in it than another What violate the very letter of one moral Law to do that which is but implyed as the necessary consequence of another nay break a Command of the first Table to keep a Command of the second Table This is a hard case Fourthly That Law or Precept which is equalled to or compared with Sacrifices is no simple moral Precept but such is the Law or Precept of the Seventh-day Sabbath therefore 't is not a simple moral Precept That our Saviour himself doth equal it to or compare it with Sacrifices see Mat. 12. 3 4 5 6. 1. Our Lord justifies his Disciples in plucking the Ears of Corn on the Sabbath-day and compares their so doing to David's eating the Shew-bread vers 3. which was unlawful by a mere positive Law 2. He shews them how the Priests in the Temple prophaned the Sabbath and were blameless vers 5. Some think they slew Beasts on that Day however our Lord saith they prophaned the Sabbath c. But then says he If ye had known what that meaneth I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice ye would not have condemned the guiltless vers 7. What can he intend less than this viz. If ye had known the difference between a pure moral Precept and such a Precept as is nothing more than a Sign a Shadow like those of Sacrifices or a mere positive Law that I am Lord of and can take away and give another at my pleasure you would not have condemn'd the guiltless For tho all God's mere positive Precepts have great Sanctity in them and ought carefully to be kept yet when a simple moral Duty comes in competition with such as are but positive or ceremonial the lesser must give place to the greater as we commonly say Of two evils choose the least But if the precise Seventh-day Sabbath was a pure moral Precept equal with and of the same nature of that Precept of shewing Mercy there had been no ground for our Lord thus to have answered the Jews for if it had been so no doubt he would have said I must indeed blame my Disciples because they have broke one of God's righteous Precepts whose Nature and Quality is above that of David's eating of Shew-bread or Sacrifices But he who was the great Expounder of the Law knew best the vast difference between a moral Precept and such as their Sabbath and Sacrifices were Our late Annotators on this place express themselves to this purpose The meaning is that God preferreth Mercy before Sacrifices where two Laws in respect of some Circumstances seem to clash one with another so as we cannot obey both our Obedience is due to the more excellent Law Now saith our Saviour the Law of Mercy is the more
apart long before Eleventhly Whatsoever is a simple moral Precept or one of the ten Commandments as materially so the Holy Ghost doth convince all Believers of now under the Gospel as I have shew'd before and also he reproves them for the neglect or breach of all such Precepts but the Holy Ghost doth not convince Believers 't is their Duty to observe the Seventh-day Sabbath for reprove them for the neglect or breach of â—t tho they work and bear Burdens on that as well as on any other day of the week therefore 't is no moral Precept Twelfthly That which is a pure moral Precept is written in the Hearts of all true Believers by the Holy Ghost God promised in Gospel-times he would not write his Law in Tables of Stone put in the fleshly Tables of our Hearts now the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath is not written in the Hearts of Believers by the Spirit therefore 't is no moral Precept Tillam saith the moral Law is written in the Hearts of all Believers and so saith Mr. Soarsby and they say right yea even the whole moral Law we being created again in Christ Jesus in the Image of God but no Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath is written in our Hearts Ergo To conclude we may hereby learn to distinguish between those parts contain'd in some of the ten Commandments that are simply moral and oblige us as the Law is in Christ's hand and what was judicial For 1. The Preface to the whole Ten was Judicial 2. The second Command obliged the Jews to observe the whole Ceremonial Law and that part of God's visiting the Sins of the Fathers on the Children unto the third and fourth Generation belonged to the Covenant of Works and not to us 3. That in the fourth Command also of the seventh precise day belonged to the Covenant of Works and so to them only 4. The Promise annexed to the fifth only belonged to the Israelites that inherited the Land of Canaan 5. In the tenth Commandment Vsury or Interest of Mony Houses c. was forbid to the Jews from their poor Brethren but that was only a Judicial Law and is no Law to us Thus we may see that the moral Law is only a Law to us as in the hand of Jesus Christ SERMON VI. Proving that the Law of the Decalogue was given to no People but the People of Israel That the Moral Law is transferr'd from Moses into the Hand of Christ as Mediator Gal. iv 10 11. Ye observe days and months c. THat it is not the Duty of believing Gentiles to keep the old Seventh-day Sabbath I have proved by many Reasons The fourth was it is not their Duty by virtue of the Decalogue given to the People of Israel in Exod. 20. First Because the precise Seventh-day Sabbath is not the moral part of the fourth Commandment this I have proved by Twelve Arguments I shall now proceed and give you the next Reason why it is not the Duty of believing Gentiles to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath from hence Secondly The Decalogue given to none but the Jews as written Exod. 20. It cannot be their Duty to keep that Day from thence because the Law of the Decalogue and particularly the Seventh-day Sabbath mentioned therein was given to no People or Nation but the People of Israel only and the proselyted Stranger 1. I shall prove this directly from express Texts out of the Old Testament 2. From direct and express Texts out of the New Testament 3. I shall answer some of the chiefest Objections brought by the Seventh-day Sabbatarians against what I shall say But before I proceed let me premise two things 1. That all the World were under the Law of the first Covenant as made with the first Adam All the World under the Law of Works in the first Adam the common Head of all Mankind and that the substance of that natural and simple moral Law is written in the Hearts of all his Off-spring tho much darken'd by the Fall and actual Sin especially in some 2. That whatsoever is naturally or simply Moral contained in the Decalogue is given forth by Jesus Christ anew in the New Testament as I have proved and as so consider'd the sum or substance of those Ten words are obligatory on all Mankind Now First As to the Proofs out of the Old Testament 1. The very Preface to the Decalogue declares to whom all the Commandments contained therein was given Exod. 20. 2. viz. those very People God brought out of the Land of Egypt that People which he sanctified or set apart for himself above all People on the Earth as also by the promise annexed to the fifth Commandment viz. That thy days may be long in the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee This shews the Laws of the Decalogue were only given to the People of Israel Again 2. 'T is said Deut. 4. 8. What Nation is there so great that hath Statutes and Judgments so righteous as this Law which is set before you this Day Now if this Law was given to all People in the World or to any one Nation or People besides Israel then the whole World or that particular People as well as the Israelites had Laws and Statutes as great and righteous as Israel had tho they might not have them in so clear a Revelation or manner as they had 3. It is expresly said Psal 147. 19 20. He shewed his Word to Jacob his Statutes and his Judgments unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any other Nation and for his Judgments they have not known them Praise ye the Lord. How vain as well as sinful is it to go about to contradict God's Word Here it is laid down Affirmatively and Negatively It was given to Israel and not to any other Nation c. Dr. Chamberlen saith See Mr. Ives's Saturday no Sabbath p. 18 19. It was given to Israel as a Privilege only and to other Nations by way of Punishment to judg them by it Answ Men may say what they please after this manner But I shall prove that no Nation or People but that of Israel who were under that Law shall be judged by it 4. How often doth God by Moses and other of his Servants Exod. 31. 17. declare that the Sabbath was given to Israel It is a Sign between me and the Children of Israel Neh. 9. 14. c. Also Nehemiah speaking of Israel saith God made known to them his holy Sabbath To them and the Psalmist says not to any other Nation Take two or three Arguments further to evince this 1. The Law of the Decalogue was given only to a People in covenant with God The Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai given only to the House of Israel and because the whole House of Jacob were taken into that legal typical Covenant which peculiarly referr'd to that People therefore God gave them that Law and the Sabbath as a
to these the most judicious pious and zealous Ministers and Martyrs of Christ who have liv'd and dy'd within the compass of these sixteen hundred years and most if not all of them will tell you that they never owned your Saturday Sabbath they liv'd without it dy'd without it and are I doubt not gone to Heaven without it Besides how many faithful Witnesses of late years has the Lord raised up to bear Testimony against it of whom I suppose the greatest part are yet alive tho some are fallen asleep In a word how many precious and gracious and pious Christians are yet upon the Earth Men and Women redeem'd from the Earth and crucified to the World of whom the World is not worthy who look upon your Sabbath as a Cypher can freely labor and travel upon it buy and sell upon it and this after accurate Inquiry about it and to this day their Consciences never reproach them their Hearts never smote them for it What will you say Are all these Hypocrites unrenewed unsanctified ones this were to condemn the Generation of God's Children and canonize your self with your few misled Associates for the only Saints in Christendom which I would hope you dare not do tho I know * Meaning Tillam you dare as much as another Well the Adversary is brought to this Dilemma either God has no People in the World but such as are of his Perswasion or his moral and immutable Laws are not written in their Hearts or the Saturday Sabbath is none of those Laws Thus this Author If the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath be written in the Hearts of Believers some one Man or another can produce some one Believer that was by the Law written in his Heart convinc'd of it without reading Moses's Law or any Book or Books compiled by Men about the Sabbath But no Man can produce any such Believer that will or can say this therefore it is not written in the Hearts of Believers Thus it appears that it is not the Duty of Gentile Believers to keep the seventh Day from the Law of God written in the Hearts of God's new Covenant Children which was the sixth and last part of the general Argument first proposed The last thing in speaking to the Seventh-day Sabbath I promised to do The dangerous Consequences of the Sabbatarian Principles was to shew you that as some hold and maintain it it is a dangerous Error 1. Is not that dangerous which caused Paul to fear he had bestowed on the Persons he speaks of Labor in vain Was it not because they observ'd Jewish Days laying stress on those things 2. Is not that a dangerous Error that leads Men to ratify or sign the Covenant of Works which binds them to keep the whole Law This I have proved is the natural tendency of this Practice Owen on the Sabb. p. 149. and the same thing Dr. Owen you have heard positively affirms also 3. Is not that dangerous that magnifies the first Creation Work above Redemption It magnifies Creation-work above Redemption or the new Creation Work when God began to create the new Heavens and new Earth which refers to the Gospel or new Creation What saith the Lord the old Heavens and old Earth shall be remembered no more that is in a day kept to that end for otherwise sure the great Works of the first Creation ought not to be forgot but the new Creation excelling the old the new Day must be kept in remembrance thereof and not the old day 4. Is not that a dangerous Error that tends It eclipses the Glory of Christ as the necessary Consequence of it to eclipse the Glory of Christ as the only Lord Head and Lawgiver to his Church and that gives part of this Honour to Moses 5. Is not that dangerous that tends to intangle and bring into Bondage and under legal Terror poor weak Christians as some who have kept the Seventh-day Sabbath have confessed till God open'd their Eyes they fearing they broke the Sabbath in some way or another for indeed no Man can perfectly keep it any more than he can keep the whole Law as has been hinted I was always in a trembling state saith one so long as I kept it c. or to that purpose Brethren it is not to be thought what Bondage it brought the zealous Jews under they not knowing when they had answered the strict observance of that day and if they brake it they must die without Mercy as the poor Man that gathered Sticks on that day they were not to speak their own words c. How should they know when they did this On Mat. 12. 2. p. 361. Nay live and sin not They would not Mr. Trap saith spit nor ease themselves on that day which is hard to believe tho some were superstitiously zealous 't is true yet others who were piously zealous by means of the strictness of the Precept continually were in fear and bondage And sad it is for any to be entangled again thereby 6. Is not that a dangerous thing Jewish Sabbath genders to Bondage that by the necessary consequence of it leads men to observe other Legal Rites and Ceremonies as not to eat Swines-flesh nor wear a Garment of Linen and Woolen nor mar the corner of their Beards Nay some of the chief of them formerly were led to Circumcision and to worse than that also I saw a Book published many years ago by two of them in which they called themselves the Ministers of the Circumcision That these things are the necessary Consequences of their Notion about their Sabbath appears because they go to Moses for it as the Law was in his hand and believe many other things that were meer Judicial Laws to be in force now They are for Moses's Law with the Statutes and Judgments and have declared that that Law is in force to stone to death such as break the Sabbath And no marvel for if that Sabbath be in force the Punishment is in force also Nay they believe I hear that a rebellious Son ought to be put to death 7. Is not that Error dangerous It renders all that keep it not guilty of horrid Immorality and of an evil Nature the necessary Consequence whereof renders all that keep not that precise Seventh-day as the Sabbath nor can be convinced 't is their Duty to observe it to be guilty of Immorality i. e. in breaking a moral Precept in the very Letter of it nay one of the Precepts of the first Table For it must be thus if the morality of the fourth Commandment lies in the observation of the precise Seventh-day Sabbath and it must be as great an Evil to violate it as 't is to have another God or to bow down to a graven Image or to swear or profane the holy Name of God or commit actual Adultery Murder c. and thus their Doctrin renders all true Christians to be guilty of a most
come in the Flesh at least of his being King and Law-giver to his Church And to lay the Foundation of all religious solemn Worship in the observation of a Day as the Seventh-day precisely had no relation to any natural or moral Precept nor was instituted or approved by Jesus Christ cannot but be unpleasing to them who desire to have their Consciences immediately influenced by his Authority in all their approaches unto God But Christ herein is supposed to have built the whole Fabrick of his Worship on the Foundation of Moses and to have grafted all his Institutions into a Stock that was not of his own planting 11. Moreover it is evident that the Consequence of their Opinion concerning the necessary observation of the Seventh-day Sabbath as the Doctor saith It tends to Schism tends to the increasing and perpetuating of Schisms and Differences among Christians And those are the worst saith he and most pernicious which occasion or draw after them any thing whereby men are hindred from joining together in the same publick solemn Worship whereby they yield unto God that reverence of his Glory But now upon a supposition of an adherence by any unto the Seventh-day Sabbath all Communion among Professors in solemn Gospel-Ordinances is rendered impossible For if those of that Perswasion do expect that others will be brought unto a relinquishment of an Evangelical observance of the Lord's Day Sabbath they will find themselves mistaken The evidence which they have of its appointment and the experience they have had of God's presence in its religious observation will secure their practice in this matter c. The Seventh-day Sabbath men on the other hand supposing themselves obliged to meet for solemn Worship on the Seventh-day which the other account unwarrantable for them to do on the pretence of any binding Law to that purpose and esteeming it unlawful saith he to assemble religiously with others on the First-day on the plea of Evangelical Warranty do absolutely cut off themselves from all possibility of Communion in the administration of Gospel-Ordinances with any other Churches of Christ And whereas most other breaches as to Communion are in their nature capable of healing without a renunciation of those Principles in the minds of men which seem to give countenance to them the distance is here made absolutely irreparable while the Opinion maintained is owned by any I will press this saith he no further but only by affirming that Persons truly fearing the Lord ought to be very careful and jealous over their own Understanding before they embrace an Opinion and Practice which will shut them from all visible Communion with the generality of the Saints of God in the World To which let me add How can they have Communion with us if they consider and observe the Consequences of their Principle Are not we guilty of absolute Immorality i. e. the literal breach of one Precept of the first Table Can they or we have Communion with such as bow down to a graven Image or profane the holy Name of God or are guilty of Murder c. And thus you may see what the natural and genuine Consequences of this Principle are and that it not only tends to lay the Generation of the Righteous under the guilt of the breach of a moral Precept and renders them guilty in their sense of the breach of the whole Law but hath other bad Consequents attending it also And this may tend to convince all that consider of what I say that the Morality of the fourth Commandment doth not consist in that precise Seventh-day Sabbath and discovers how blind these Men are Brethren tho I believe many who keep this Day and affirm it is a moral Precept are very pious and good Christians Some of them are for free Grace c. and do not affirm what I say nor may be see it not to be so or will not say thus What then yet I will appeal to all thinking impartial Persons whether I do not infer the direct natural Consequence of their Principle Moreover let me ask here this Question how it can stand consistent with a good Conscience for a Minister to forbear preaching in any Congregation some part of Morality or a moral Precept I grant that Love Wisdom Charity Peace c. may prevent some Men from preaching some Duties of mere positive right for a short time at least that are disputable and not Essentials of Salvation But what are such things to a simple moral Precept both materially and formally one of the Ten Commandments as they affirm their Sabbath is Suppose a Minister preaches to a Congregation that he knows are generally guilty of worshipping a Graven Image or of profane Swearing or of Adultery or of killing their innocent Neighbours would not he preach against these horrid Evils for fear he should offend the Congregation or if he forbear so to do would he not be shamefully guilty of great Sin and of their Blood also Happy is the Man that condemns not himself in the thing he allows I know what some have said about Polygamy if they answer me let them use that Argument I am prepared to reply But let none think I speak thus to expose any of them out of Prejudice for I can appeal to Almighty God I have none against any of their Persons But it is to expose their Principle and Practice in love to their Souls and to the Souls of other Persons But before I conclude with this old Sabbath I must add one dangerous Consequence more of their Principle 12. Is not that a dangerous Error that reflects nay casts Contempt upon the Holy Ghost in respect of his Work and Office which is to convince Believers of all Sin especially of all immoral Evils under his most clear and glorious Ministration since our Saviour's Ascension into Heaven Now I ask our Opponents Whether the holy Spirit doth convince all Believers that they ought to keep the old Seventh-day Sabbath or reprove them for Immorality in the non-observance thereof Sirs as these things aggravate their Evil in what they affirm so it clearly tends to overthrow the pretended Morality of that precise Seventh-day Sabbath for the holy Spirit never convinces Believers of any such Duty nor reproves them for working on that day or for bearing of Burdens on it any more than on any other day in the week to their dying day But it lets them silently fall asleep without the least sense of any such pretended immoral Evil. Besides the generality of Believers after their utmost inquiry search and seeking to God in all sincerity cannot be convinc'd it is their Duty to keep this Day Would the Holy Ghost thus leave the Generation of the Godly under Sin and such Ignorance think you were this a moral Duty And as to such as do observe it I am satisfied the Spirit of God never taught them so to do But they in this are left to themselves and have a Zeal
of the very day next after the Jewish Sabbath as much as one a Clock is the proper name of one hour which is next after twelve It must be great ignorance or somewhat worse thus to object I will appeal to himself * That is Mr. Bamfield whether ever he met with that Name in any other sense Object They must on that Day lay by them as God had blessed them i. e. then cast up their Accounts tell their Mony reckon their Stock compute their expences c. and not collect Mony or lay it together on that day A wise Objection saith Dr. Wallis as tho all this could not be done before so far as necessary and they on Sunday put so much into the Poors Box or give it to the Deacons c. 2. According to this childish Objection they were but bid as it were to take so much Money as they purposed to give out of one Pocket on that day and put it by it self into another But I will appeal to them whether this would have prevented any gatherings when the Apostle came to them and no doubt Paul here put them in mind of some extraordinary Occasion that they might have more Money collected and put together against he came than usually on that Day they might collect yet it is clear it was all the Churches practice by the direction of the Holy Ghost on every First-day when the Churches met together for solemn Worship to gather Money for their poor Brethren and Sisters 3. The constant day of the Churches solemn assemblings Owen on the Sabb. p. 391. being fixed saith Dr. Owen Paul here takes it for granted and directs them to the observance of a special Duty on that day Object But here is no mention made of any meeting that was or was to be at this Season or the least prescription binding the Conscience to the weekly observation of the First-day for a Sabbath by divine Appointment Answ As the Doctor saith this and other Churches were before fixed on the constant observance of the First-day of the Week for the solemn Worship of God and his directing them upon this Day to make Collections for the Poor even every First-day c. doth fully shew that it was the precise Day of Church-Assemblies and that among all the Churches 'T is enough that on this day the Churches met not to preach only and make gatherings for the Poor Act. 20. 7. but to administer the Lord's Supper and we read of none that met as a Church to do any of these things on the Seventh-day Besides it is called the Lord's Day our Lord Christ allows us all the other days to work in but this is his Day wholly to be sequestered to his Service and therefore of divine Institution Had it been said on every Seventh-day let every one lay by him c. our Opponents would have urg'd it as a great proof for their Sabbath What some except Owen p. 391 392. saith Dr. Owen that here is no mention of any Church-Assembly but only that every one on that day should lay by him what he would give which every one might do at home or where they pleased is exceeding weak and unsutable to the mind of the Apostle For to what end should they be limited to a day and that the first of the Week for doing of that which might as well and to as good purpose and advantage be performed at any other time or on any other day of the Week whatever Besides it was such a laying aside such a treasuring of it in a common Stock as that there should be no need of any Collection when the Apostle came And now if this Practice and Example of the Primitive Churches be no Rule to us or bind us not certainly nothing they did or practised as Churches can oblige us Nay if so worse will follow also for if their Example in observing the First-day be no warrant for us nor it is not our duty from any thing that has been said to observe the Lord's Day it will follow that we in Gospel-times are not obliged to keep any special weekly day at all seeing we are by no Precept nor Precedent obliged to keep the Jewish Sabbath So that these men from hence appear the chiefest Enemies to any Gospel-Sabbath or day of Rest and solemn Worship in the World Note also Dr. Wallis that this day was not observed or to be observed once only but as a thing in course and so presumed by the Apostle when he gave particular Directions concerning a Collection for the poor Saints to be made weekly on that day And in like manner in the Churches of Galatia with like direction to them And we have reason to believe that it was observed in all other Churches also for Paul in another case saith 1 Cor. 7. 17. as he ordained in all Churches of the Saints they all walked by one and the same Rule and observed besure one and the same day and discharged the same Duties upon that day The First-day of the Week therefore being that on which Christ rose from the Dead and upon which the Churches met together in one place to break Bread Acts 2. 1 2. 20. 7. and which is called the Lord's Day and on which they were injoined to make Collections for the poor Saints besure is that day which our Lord commanded them to observe while he was with them forty days giving Commandments to his Apostles about things pertaining unto the Kingdom of God and setling the Affairs of the Christian Church And no doubt the observance of the First-day was one thing he commanded because on that day they afterwards met together and were most eminently owned in so doing Acts 2. 1 2. And what signifies their Objection There is no express Command to observe this Day As if it must be expressed as one observes be it enacted My Brethren an approved practice in God's Worship frequently repeated attested by Miracles incouraged by Christ's own Example with that of the Apostles and Christian Churches and continued ever since is evidence sufficient that it is the Will of God that this Day ought to be observed and such as cannot see it must remain blind As to such as still question whether this was the First-day of the Week let me note one thing more Beza * One or two Learned Men mention this had an antient Manuscript where it is called the Lord's Day Let every one on the Lord's Day lay by him c. But enough was said to that before it was the First-day of the Week and therefore the Lord's day And if this day had not been more holy or more fit for this Work of Love than any other Shepherd on the Sab. p. 219. Paul durst not have limited them to this Day nor have honoured this Day above any other yea above the Jewish Seventh-day Moreover saith Mr. Shepherd the Apostle doth not in this place immediately
a Lawgiver abode no longer than till Christ put an end to his Ministration See Isa 33. 22 and Christ as Mediator is our only Lawgiver under the Gospel yet hath not commanded us to observe the Seventh-day Sabbath then 't is not our duty to observe it but Moses as a Lawgiver abode no longer c. Ergo. Arg. 9. If all Sabbaths given to the Jews without exception were shadows of things to come whereof the Body is Christ then was their weekly Sabbath a shadow but all their Sabbaths without exception were shadows c. Ergo. Arg. 10. Whatsoever Practice it be that opens a door to Judaism and genders to Bondage can be no Truth of Christ but the observation of the old Seventh-day Sabbath opens a door to Judaism c. Ergo * They plead for the Law as given in Horeb with the Statutes and Judgments Arg. 11. Whatsoever Principle and Practice reflects upon the Honour of Christ as Mediator King and Lawgiver to his Church who was more faithful than Moses can be no Truth of Christ but the Principle and Practice of the old Jewish Sabbath reflects c. Ergo. evident 't is Christ hath nowhere taught or commanded it so that if it be our duty we must go to Moses's Law for it and 't is foolish to say Christ as Mediator gave the Law of the Decalogue tho as God he gave not that only but the whole Ceremonial Law also Arg. 12. That Principle and Practice that has many evil and dangerous Consequents attending it is no Truth of God but the Principle and Practice of some who keep the seventh Day is so attended c. Ergo. To conclude Let no Christian any more doubt that the Lord's Day is that day we ought to observe to him in all Sacred Devotion and Piety Consider 1. God hath built all things upon Jesus Christ and so this Day of Rest wherefore it stands as fast as its Foundation 2. God the Father declared Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee that is from the dead and this was on the First-day of the Week 3. This was the First-day of Christ's Kingdom 4. This Day Christ rested from his Work therefore this day remains as a day of Rest to us 5. This Day our Redemption was finished and Christ received our discharge from Sin and Wrath for ever 6. On this Day the Typical Sabbath was ceased and all Shadows of the Law vanquished 7. In him whom the old Sabbath shadowed forth must we seek our Rest and a day of Rest we in him being freed from all legal Labour servile Fear and from the burden of all Sin and Misery 8. On this Day the Disciples met and Christ preached Peace to them and on this day millions of Souls have been converted 9. On this Day John saw Jesus Christ walking in the midst of the seven Churches in Asia 10. This Day was confirmed by the miraculous effusion of the Spirit 11. On this Day the Gospel-Churches met together to break Bread and to discharge all parts of Gospel-Worship 12. This is the Day when preaching the Word is in season 13. On this day Collections were made for the Poor in all the Churches of the Saints 14. This is the Lord's Day all other days he allows us to do work upon but this is wholly his own Day he lays claim to this only O give it wholly up to him 15. This Day all the Godly have observed in every Age of the Church to these present Times 16. For profaning this Day God hath inflicted many sore and fearful Judgments And thus I shall close what I shall say at present for the observation of the First-day of the Week as a Day of Rest and solemn Worship When the Lord's Day begins 1. Some think we ought to begin it at the time when the Jews began their Sabbath When the Lord's Day begins others from Midnight to Midnight others from Morning to Evening Take what Dr. Owen saith to this which I think is very full and clear Some Owen on the Sabb. p. 323. saith he contend that it is a natural Day consisting of 24 hours beginning with the evening of the preceding day and ending with the same of its own and accordingly so was the Church of Israel directed Levit. 23. 32. Altho that doth not seem to be a general direction for the observation of the weekly Sabbath but to regard only that particular extraordinary Sabbath which was thus instituted namely the day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month vers 27. However suppose it to belong also to the weekly Sabbath it is evidently an addition to the Command particularly suted unto the Mosaical Pedagogy that the Day might comprize the Sacrifice of the proceeding Evening in the Service of it from an Obedience whereunto we are freed by the Gospel Neither can I subscribe to this Opinion and that because in the Description and Limitation of the original Seven Days it is said of each of the Six that it was constituted of an Evening and a Morning but of the Day of Rest there is no such description it is only called the Seventh-day without any assignation of the preceding Evening unto it 2. A Day of Rest according to Rules of natural Equity ought to be proportioned to a day of Work or Labour which God hath granted unto us for our own use Now this is to be reckoned from Morning to Evening Psal 104. 20 21 22 23. Thou makest darkness and it is night c. Man goeth forth to his labour until the evening The day of Labour is from the removal of darkness and the night by the light of the Sun until the return of them again which allowing for the alterations of the day in the several seasons of the year seems to be the just measure of our Day of Rest 3. Our Lord Jesus Christ who in his Resurrection gave beginning and being to this especial Day of holy Rest under the Gospel rose not until the Morning of the First-day of the Week when the beamings of the light of the Sun began to expel the darkness of the Night or when it dawned towards Day as is variously expressed by the Evangelists This with me determines this whole matter 4. Meer cessation from Labour in the Night seems to have no place in the spiritual Rest of the Gospel to be expressed on this Day nor to be by any thing distinguished from the Night of any other day in the Week 5. Supposing Christians under the Obligation of the direction given by Moses before-mentioned it may intangel them in the anxious scrupulous Intrigues which the Jews are subject unto about the beginning of the Evening it self about which their great Masters are at variance which things belong not to the Oeconomy of the Gospel Upon the whole matter I am inclinable to judg and do so that the observation of the Day is to be commensurate to the use of our natural