should have applied that of the Apostle Rom. 14.21 22. to have deter'd him there-from Wherefore seeing this Piece is so dangerous and may do and already has done so much hurt it s very Expedient if not morally Necessary to endeavour a prevention of its evil Consequences and there especially where the Author is resident and it may most infect and it may well be deemed a Duty of some one of the Dressers of that part of the Vineyard of the Lord Christ where this Weed or Thorn is sprung up to endeavour it's eradication before it spreads any farther or wounds any deeper That Province therefore which I most unable for and Naturally altogether averse from Polemical Disputes shall undertake and with the best skill and faithfulness that God shall afford perform shall only be with all possible Brevity and Perspicuity to weaken all the Arguments the Author manages for his Notion and to confirm and Ratifie all these which he endeavours to weaken and evacuate for the ancient general Scriptural Doctrin of the Lords-day-Sabbath or Sacred Rest and herein to follow his own method Giving some transient Glances upon things that may occur some what Excentrical or Alien from the Great design of this Book Which I shall study to do with all Candor and due Deference to the Gentility Gravity and I hope real Piety of the Author THE CONTENTS Sect. I. SOme general Observations premised whether the World were made by Christ as Jesus Christ God-man page 4 Sect. II. Of Christ's being Jehovah and in what sense the Law was given by him p. 8 Sect. III. Whether after the Creation the Lord rested on the Seventh-day and so Sanctified and Instituted it and did himself observe it as that even Adam in a State of Innocence was bound by it and all Mankind without distinction before the Fall p. 12 Sect. IV. Whether the Ten Commandments were given by Christ to Jews and Gentiles p. 21 Sect. V. Whether Christ in the Flesh did confirm all the Ten Commandments and every tittle of the Fourth And whether Christ and his Apostles did enjoyn or did not rather speak against the Observation of the Seventh-day-Sabbath p. 24 Sect. VI. Of the Word Seventh in the Fourth Commandment the Sabbath not recommended by Christ to his Disciples Of Commenius's desire of Reformation c. p. 30 Sect. VII Of the Ceremonial Law and what is Moral and Positive what is truly Moral that the Saturday Seventh-day-Sabbath is not more may be pleaded for Circumcision p. 35 Sect. VIII Whether Christ in his own Person Observed the Seventh-Week-day-Sabbath and no other and what may be gathered from it The Arguments for the Seventh-day-Sabbath equally hold for all the Jewish Ceremonies Of the Pre-Antiquity of that Day and the falsity of that Argument p. 41 Sect. IX Whether Christ Rested on the Seventh-day-Sabbath while he lay in the Grave And what may be Argued from it p. 44 Sect. X. Vpon what day of the Week Christ ascended into Heaven whether the Seventh-day or Saturday p. 48 Sect. XI Whether after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ the Seventh-day-Sabbath was observed by the Apostles and First Christians How long the Apostles met the Jews in their Synagogues on the Seventh-day and for what Reason p. 51 Sect. XII The Argument from Christ's Resurrection for the First-day of the Week to be the Christian Sabbath Vindicated Circumcision not more abolisht than the Seventh-day-Sabbath That abolisht the First succeeds on the Account of Our Lord's Resurrection since that Time with equal or stronger Reason than the former continued till he Rose from the dead p. 57 Sect. XIII Other Arguments for the First-day-Sabbath Vindicated from the Objections of Mr. B. Of a Sabbath-days Journey After three Days may be understood on the third Day he rose again John 8.56 Psalm 118.22 Psalm 2.7 Acts 20.7 cleared and Vindicated Of the beginning of the Christian Sabbath p. 61. Sect. XIV More Texts cleared Rev. 1.9 10. of being in the Spirit on the Lords-day Math. 12.8 Mark 2.27 Jesus Christ Lord of the Sabbath Of the Lord Supper Christs Resurrection commemorated on the First-day of the Week by Institution p. 79 Sect. XV. Gal. 4.9 10. Explained What days excluded from binding Christians Col. 2.16 What Sabbaths meant as Shadows to vanish when Christ came Math. 24.20 no Argument for the Seventh-day-Sabbath p. 92 Sect. XVI Of the Morality of the Fourth Command The difference between Moral and Positive Between Naturally or Absolutely Moral and positively or secondarily Moral What the Fourth Commandment requires as Moral and Perpetual p. 101 Sect. XVII When to begin the Christian Sabbath and of the fit Time for Publick Worship on that day p. 116 Sect. XVIII The Argument of Tradition considered p. 118 Sect. XIX How far the Decalogue is in Force as to us Gentiles p. 125 Sect. XX. The Tradition of the lords-Lords-day's Rest or First-day of the Week from the Apostles time to the end of the Fourth Century Of Easter and its Observation The change from the Seventh to the First-day not introduced by the Bishop of Rome p. 127 Sect. XXI The Conclusion of the whole with a Summary of what hath been Proved for the Observation of the First-day of the Week as the Christian Sabbath p. 130 A REPLY TO Mr. Bampfield's PLEA FOR THE Seventh-day-Sabbath THE very Title of the Book is justly lyable to Exception as that which does not fairly state the Question the second Enquiry being whether the fourth Command be repealed or altered for he very well knows that these against whom he Disputes even those who acknowledge the Morality of a Sabbath-day do neither pretend to the Repealing of the Command nor yet to the Alteration of it as such for they strenuously assert the Ratification of the preceptive part of it though they allow a practical Mutation of a single Clause therein which was at its first Injunction added as a Motive for the observance of the Seventh Weekly-day And therefore he should rather have stated the Enquiry after such a manner as this Whether every Clause in the Fourth Commandment be Moral or whether every Clause of it be absolutely Immutable or so imposed from the beginning as to be so 'T is not Ingenuous nor Candid so to propose the Controversie as though the Dissenters from him were either Repealers or Alterers of the Fourth Command Moreover the Annexion of this Query to the former and the Subservience of the former to this For 't is very evident that that weighty fundamental Enquiry is made to serve this Hypothesis by his Connexion thereof Page 5. thereto as though the Immutability of every Tittle to this Command was founded upon the Deity of our Lord Christ his creating the World and giving the Moral Law and the Denial of the one were vertually and consequentially the Denial of the other and so those that are for the observance of the Lords day for so I take leave now to call it are really and consequentially Ebionites
for that of the First and well he may For 't is an eminent one and such an one as he will find very difficult to answer but yet we must expect the utmost of his Efforts to do it I shall track his Endeavours 1. He says we guess that he First day of the Week was that day we call Sunday as though this were but a bare Guess as a Blind Man shoots the Mark or catches the Hare as the other Three Guesses he says we make in the very next Paragraph But yet 't is such a Guess as he will not controvert and we think 't is because he cannot gain-say it But yet this great Condescension to us must be with a Grant from us to him that St. Paul was a Keeper of the Seventh day and an Observer of it as a Sabbath and so for his granting us what he cannot deny we must grant him what he can never prove Yea what we have denyed and still do viz. that Paul was a Keeper of the Old Sabbath-day We grant indeed as before that he Preached on that day usually to the Jews in their Synagogues because he could have no other such convenient Time and Place for it But that he kept that Sabbath we utterly deny For then he would have done it among the Gentiles as well as among the Jews which yet we never read he did Or if he saith he did let him prove it which we are sure from Scripture he can never do Nor after the former Chapter that ever he did go so much as to the Jewish Synagogue for this is all the Proof of his keeping it upon the Seventh day But here we find that the Disciples came together uon the First day and Paul came to them and associated with them in Religious Duties And why is the First day now named and the Seventh never after as the Solemn Dedicated Day to their Worship but because it was never so from that time But yet this is not all the Condition upon which he will be so exceedingly kind to us as to grant the First day of the Week to be Sunday or our Lords day but it must be bought with another Information even on what part of the Sunday 't was that this Assembly was and St. Pauls associating in them which he takes for granted and I am sure does but guess that his Opponents do that 't was in the Evening after the Seventh day Which he takes for the beginning of the First day and so Paul Preached till the Midnight and brake Bread and discoursed only till the Light of the First day but performed no Religious Duty upon the Morning of that day at all but as soon as ever the first Day-light began to dawn he betook himself to what was Profane and Travelled Which I think is a begging of the Question and in a scriptural Sense is to say that he performed no Religious Duties at all thereon for 't was the Light that God called day and the dakness he called night Gen. 1.5 and so to contradict the express words of the Text. Besides I would fain know of him which is the chiefest part of a natural Day either the dark part of it which we with Scripture call Night or the light part of it which with it we call Day If the light part as I think an unprejudiced Mind will grant why should he suppose that all the Religious Duties of that Day should be done in the Dark thereof and not in the Light Again we think that the Lords day did not begin at Even but rather in the Morning when our Lord rose out of the Grave that being the great occasion of its Sanctification to sacred Duties and its being imployed therein by those Disciples and Paul And for this we have express Scripture I mean for the First day of the Weeks beginning in the Morning as Mat. 28.1 in the end of the Sabbath as it began to dawn towards the First day of the Week where the Scripture determines the Sabbath to end with the Darkness of the Night before the First-day Morning and the Lords day to begin at the dawning of the Morning of the First day So far is it from Truth that the Evening and Night before the Morning of it were part of that day at least in this Scripture Phrase and hence we say that Paul began to Preach to them in the light part of that Day as the beginning thereof and continued with them till the following Midnight Yea throughout that Night and so the next Morning being the Second day on Monday took his Journy as a proper day for it And now we have another of our Guesses which is that the breaking of bread here spoken of was the Lords Supper and we would fain know what other breaking of Bread should be meant Can it be imagined that all the Disciples should come together to Feast it with Paul and that too in the Night-season as he would fain have it They had Houses of their own to Eat and Drink in and they would doubtless rather choose to receive the Consecrated Bread from the Apostle that day being the last he was to tarry with them having as 't is probable no other Apostle or Evangelist or Pastor with them at that time than to eat common Bread which they could do when they pleased in his Absence And the Sacrament is more suitable to the Society of Disciples as such to the Preaching of the Word of God by the Apostle than the feeding their Bodies Wherefore we say that seeing 't is clearly here implied that the Disciples gathered themselves together uon this day as upon the usual time and the Apostle ministerially served them then 't is very probable and more than a bare Guess that this day was the usual day and so to be the future day of their Solemn and Religious Devotions Dedicated thereunto As to what follows in the other Paragraph about Preaching and Reasoning we may with good reason pass it over seeing we can see in it but little to the present Case Next by way of Concession he tells us that though this were a Religious Assembly and the breaking of Bread was the Lords Supper yet then all this is but once But this is such an once as leaves the Seventh day for ever out of mention from being the day of Association Such an once as clearly seems to imply the Custom of the Disciples to be their Convention on the First day Such an once as the Holy Ghost is pleased here so particularly to mention after he had shewed us before that 't was the usual day of the Disciples Religious Association and our Saviours personal Presence with them and his gracious Discourse to them Such an once indeed now as no Meeting can be but once at a time as with the former makes more than once and such an once as with what hath been said and what may be said will be of force enough not to repeal a Law or
gather but find it all ready in the publick Ecclesiastical Treasure I am sure he can bring no Demonstration from the Text for his or against my Interpretation But then I have the Testimony of the most ancient Fathers that on the first day they publickly assembled and then they made Collection for the Poor in these Assemblies Moreover If the Apostle here enjoyned such a profane or worldly Task as he supposes why does he enjoyn them to do it on the First days seeing it might have been done as well n every day of the Week and better on the Sixth day If the Seventh were then their Sabbath that so they might know at the end of the common days what they might well and gratefully spare of that weeks Gains and so lay it up against the ensuing Sabbath for the Poors Stock Whence we see that this supposed Solution to this Argument has no ground at all from the Text and to be sure from no other Topick And therefore conclude that the General Collections and so Associations of the Galatian Church being on the First day And the Appostle commanding the Church of Corinth to make the same Collections on that day in Imitation of them or as they did is with the former a very good Evidence that that day was the instituted day for Worship and so consequently the Seventh excluded Page 60. That Proof for the First-day-Sabbath in Rev. 1.9 10. where that day which St. John calls the Lords-day we say was that day of the week which we will by no means grant but tells us what the Opinions of some singular Persons were concerning it that it was Annual not a weekly day either the day of Christ's Birth or of his Resurrection either Christmas-day or Easter Others say 't is a great providential day to vindicate his Kingly Authority and others the last day of his coming but how this day whereon St. John was in the Spirit should be a future day can hardly be conjectured but every thing must be hinted that may seem to serve to an Undermining of the First day of the week from being the day of this glorious Vision But at length it is granted that some take this Lords-day to be a weekly day But then again these some are crumbled into a Sub-division and some of them assert it to be the First day and some the Seventh day thereof and this is written as though the Assertors of the First day were as small a some as those of the former annual Opinion of a future day to John's Vision and of the last day of the Week Whereas I dare to say put them all together they will not amount to the hundredth part of those solid and learned Authors which understand it of the First day of the week but withall these some for the Seventh day as inconsiderable for number as they are in comparison of the other yet they are far better founded and proceed upon more certain and undeniable Grounds than the First-day-Men do for they proceed upon Scripture but these have only Tradition if they have that for their Opinion Now the Tradition which is pleaded for the First day to be the Lords-day is constant uninterrupted and universal from the days of the Apostles The Generality of Christians acknowledging the Dominical day to be the First day whatever Opinion they had of the Sabbath till of late Years some Sabbatarians have thought fit to question it and virtually if not expresly to deny it Which is such a Tradition as upon which their very Scriptural Proofs are grounded for 't is from Tradition that they know the meaning of the very words of the Scripture Whether the Original Languages carry the Sense they are interpreted in and whether we have the genuine and proper Significations of the Originals can be known by nothing but Humane Tradition for either it must be had from Translations or Lexicons or oral Traditions Wherefore if the Sabbatarians will renounce here such a Tradition as is pleaded they must withall renounce their own Scriptural Authority which course will make wild work in the Church He very well denies it to be Christmas-day or any annual one but the great Query is What day of the Week this was and here in the entrance of his Discourse he endeavours to invalidate the universal Tradition of the Churches for 1600 Years by an Induction of other unlawful Traditions as that of Polygamy among the Patriarchs of whom the Scripture mentions but a few particulars and what is that to the Universality of Christians And which was condemned by our Saviour as alien from the first Institution of Marriage And how does this resemble the First days being the Lords-day which was never blamed by him The like he mentions in the Omission of the Feast of Booths and the Custom of the Profanation of the Seventh-days-Sabbath before the Captivity But these were against express Injunctions and Commands still in force and obliging which we deny the Seventh-day-Sabbath to be and avouch and may yet more prove its Abolition as of other positive and ceremonial Commands without any express or literal Prohibition of them in Scripture What therefore he saith in the following Paragraph would be very cogent and undeniable If he could prove the Seventh day of the week to be still enjoyned by the Fourth Command which he hath not yet done by his positive Proofs for his own Opinion as we have seen nor by his Negative in denying of ours as has been in some measure seen already and may be more hereafter At length he comes to give us his own Judgment concerning this Lords-day what day of the Week it was and if he had not told us we should have presumed that it determined for the seventh-Seventh-day which in all things till the end of the World must have the Preheminence according to his thoughts but withall 't is grounded upon Scripture which we will candidly and fairly weigh and examine 1. That the Lord Christ instituted the Seventh-day-Sabbath just after the Creation he means too before the Fall quoting Gen. 1. begin which we utterly deny because Jesus Christ then was not nor could be we speak of his Existence not Gods Foresight and Decree for then Man was Guiltless and Sinless and so needed no Jesus nor could have had one But in all these Old Testament Proofs he runs upon that former Fallacy of Ill Composition taking for granted that whatever Jehovah did the Lord Jesus Christ did Jehovah the Godhead of our Saviour did create and institute the Seventh-day-Sabbath but not Christ himself which necessarily includes both the Godhead and the Manhood And therefore the Premises being false the Conclusion cannot be true nor the consequential Discourse thereupon of any Moment His second and third Arguments laboring under the same Mistake admit of the same Answer Besides we know that the positive and ceremonial Precepts of Jehovah before his Incarnation were to be abolished by himself after his Incarnation that
concerning Worship are abolished by the coming of Christ Why should this then solitarily be excluded and stand in its Strength and Vigour when all its other Companions are thrown to the Ground and vanish I know no reason but because this was written by the singer of God upon stone But this altereth not the nature of the Command it self neither can it from hence plead a greater Privilege for all the former had God for their Author as well as this and God's Mouth is as Authoritative as his Finger Wherefore we may well conclude that seeing there is no reason can be given why the Seventh-day-Sabbath should not recede and give place as well as all other Ceremonial and Positive Precepts to our Lord Christ at his coming and his new and more glorious Administrations that it is and ought to be excluded with them and give place to a more glorious day in Commemoration of a more glorious work and Gods resting from it Even the first day our Lords glorious triumphing day The other two reasons of this Fourth Command follow which are Gods Blessing the Sabbath day and Hallowing it Where 't is worthy our Observance though this Author deems it a Triffe that 't is the Sabbath day not the Seventh day of the Week that is here blessed and hallowed As if God would hint that the Sabbath upon what day soever of his own Appointment should be Blessed even the first as well as the Seventh day of the Week when in the latter days his Sons glorious Rest should Authorize that day and as it should alter all other Ceremonial and positive Ordinances of his own Appointment so also this Ceremonial and Positive day into that other which with all the other Ordinances and Institutions of the Blessed Redeemer should last to the end of the World From which Discourse concerning the Nature of the Fourth Command all that follows in his third or fourth Pages after is sufficiently answered and so his next answer to another Objection against his Opinion P. 82. SECT XVII THUS by God's Help and I hope his Guidance I have considered all his Arguments that he urges for his Sabbatarian Opinion and have shewen their Invalidity and Weakness And all the Solutions that he brings to disannul all our Proofs for the Dominical Tenet and suppose that I have vindicated ours from all his Attempts and shewen how they remain solid and substantial Other things which follow being but Appendixes to this Discourse and not of so great Moment I shall but touch upon them As Page 83. about the Beginning of the Sabbath He would have it to begin at Even and we willingly grant him that the Seventh-day-Sabbath did so for it began when God had ended his Works of Creation which was the Evening before the Sun-rising of the Seventh Day But I judge that now the best Time to begin our Lord's Day with is in the Morning because 1. 'T was on that Time of the Day early in the Morning about Break of day that our Lord Jesus rested from his Work of Redemption Wherefore if the foregoing Evening of the Old testament-Testament-Sabbath was its most convenient Beginning because then God ended his Work of Creation and rested then So he Morning-Light of the First Day is the most convenient Time for its Beginning because then God rested from his much more Glorious and really in his Humanity Laborious Work of our Redemption 2. Because the Holy Scripture expresly begins it thus placing the Conclusion of the Seventh Day at the beginning of the Morning of the First Day Mat. 28.1 In the End of the Sabbath as it began to dawn toward the First Day of the Week and consequently then that Day began 3. Because 't is the most convenient Time because most observable less lyable to Prophanations upon the account of Mistakes and so to turbulent Spirits less obnoxious c. but this is not so substantial a Dispute Let every Person give up and consecrate the whole Lords-day to the Service of God I mean the whole Artificial Day or rather the whole lightsome Part thereof and then let him begin either at Even or Morning I doubt not but if it be conscientiously done in the Name of Christ God will accept him But there he must not scandalize others by doing Common or Mechanick Works upon the following Evening of that Day which the Generality of Christians among whom he lives account as Sacred He seems Page 84. to imply that there should be Morning and Evening religious Service every Day in publick But there is scarcely any preaching Minister can have so much Leisure beside his own personal and domestical Devotions And beside our People will not attend it every day and then the proper publick Duty of the Sabbath to be but once and begin about Noon I for my Part believe the Times of publick Worship on the Lord's-day are most conveniently ordered already Twice once in the Morning about Nine and so in the Evening about Two An Interval being for the Refreshment of the outward Man and Recruits of the Spirit for a more vigorous and enlarged serving of God in the Evening Beside we know in the Country 't is convenient to keep some Persons at home or one Person when Houses are solitary and lyable to Injury by those who should know them totally destitute of an Inhabitant and in Country and City Families that have Children which must be kept at home either through Weakness or such as would disturb the Congregation by their Presence must have some one or other to take care of them Now in such Cases one Servant or Person may be at home in the Morning and another in the Evening and so all partake of the publick Worship every Lord's-day which could not so conveniently be done by one single assembling the Congregation But however to meddle herein would be very impertinent and would rather savour of a restless Fancy to say no worse than of a peaceable and prudent Spirit The other Pages home to the 90th I overlook because in them I find either such things as do not belong to the Sabbath nor to this Controversy at all Or if they do they are such as are written already at least the Substance and answered SECT XVIII HE produces Page 90. the Argument of Tradition from the Apostles in the universal Church these 1600 Years for the Observance of the Lord's-day Whereto his Answer is that no Tradition can add to take from lay aside or alter any Word of Christ or Duty of Man But yet such a perpetualand epidemical Tradition may serve for a good subservient Proof for that which is founded upon and deduced from Scripture as the case is here for we have proved by many Arguments from Scripture the Abolition of the Seventh-Day-Sabbath and the ratification of the Lord's-Day He answers to such a general and lasting Tradition for the Sanctification of the Lord's-day That he has already proved that the Seventh Day is the Lord's-day
rested in his works So that 't is clear from hence that 't is not a Pretence to honour the Lord Christ that is pleaded for the first day but 't is really an Honour a great Honour to the Redeemer that it should be dedicated to a holy Commemoration of his Rest That the First-day-Sabbath hath the same Argument and Motive in this particular that the Seventh hath even God's Resting from his work and herein a stronger as far as the Glory and Profit of Redemption excels that of Creation I have been somewhat long here and the Subject is very Glorious Delightful and Profitable and the Argument with others weighty and convincing and ought not to be slightly passed over how little soever is said against it the Author seeming to fancy he could blow it out of door with a puff SECT XIII HE proposes Page 49. our Argument from our Saviour's appearing to his Disciples on the first day of the Week for its being the day of Christian and solemn Worship from John 20. to 26. To which he answers all this amounts not to an Institution but with other Arguments it bids fairly for it and shews the Honour our Saviour put upon this day beyond all others As to his other 't is replied that 't is probable that first day spoken of in v. 19. here may be the same with that spoken of Luke 24.13 c. and 't is probable 't is not so for our Lord appeared to his Disciples on several Lord-days But fairly to grant what he cannot get Suppose it were so could the two Disciples travelling to Emaus and our Saviour's coming to them walking and conversing with them any way disparage this day or weaken this Argument Not at all For 1. These Disciples were yet Unbelievers of Christ's Resurrection and so could have no thoughts of keeping a first-day-First-day-Sabbath to the Commemoration thereof 2. Their Journey to Emaus might be but a sabbath-Sabbath-days Journey It might be for religious Ends and we know many among us do go and ride or have gone or rid several Miles to hear Sermons and receive Sacraments and yet not be adjudged as Profaners of the Lords day And our Lord by several Discourses of his about and Actions of his upon the Sabbath might well take them off from too scrupulous and nice Observation of the Lords day 3. The Journey seems not to be so great nor the distance between Emaus and Jerusalem so many Miles as Geographers relate And therefore Beza saith as Mr. Warren informs me that they were mistaken And there seems a great probability thereof because 't is said Luke 24.33 That they rose up the same hour and went to Jerusalem and came to the Congregation of the Eleven and the other Disciples before ever they were dismissed And therefore 't is very improbable that it should be seven Miles and a half from that City and much more probable that it was but a Sabbath-days Journey 4. Our Saviour being risen and entred into his Glory at least the first degree thereof was now no longer subject to Sabbath Observance neither could he be a Profaner thereof whatever he did thereon And beside having a glorified Body he might be with them in an instant upon the way and so in a very small particle of time return to Jerusalem and all his Discourse to them was most proper for the Holy Sabbath opening to them the Scriptures reproving them for their Unbelief and making their Hearts to burn within them So that our Saviour's Discourses and walking with them do rather serve to confirm the First-days-Sabbath and their going to Emaus no way to infringe it As to that which is produced Page 50. from John 20.26 he replies that they might not be gathered together for religious Worship For what else then For fear of the Jews A very probable Conjecture indeed For if it had been only for fear it had been safer to have been divided and every one have hid and concealed himself in some Friends House or unsuspected and safe place or other But to be all assembled together in a suspected House for the Text plainly hints that was either in a Disciples House or some other usual meeting place would be rather to expose themselves and to do this without any design of religious Worship would argue them very indiscreet But now 't was their duty to meet together to worship God though with hazard and this they did and shut the doors upon them that they might not be disturbed by the Jews His denial of this second Appearing to be on the Lords day is taken from a Criticism about a Greek Preposition which we translate after Now all that know any thing of that Language know that their Prepositions are very Polysemous and admit of divers Interpretations or include many of ours and that two joyned to one Case of the following Noun as this Meta does for it might be rendred before the Accusative in within as well as after and it might have been so translated here but they would render it by after well knowing that even so rendred it would no way alter the Sense of the Holy Ghost but according to Scripture Phrase still intend the first day of the week following according to the Expression in Mark 8.31 After three days the Son of Man shall rise again Three days after he was killed he should rise again for so the Text says expresly where the meaning must needs be upon the third day and the English Translation of Queen Elizabeth render this place within three days he shall rise again And thought it well rendred according to the purport of Meta which the Criticks tell us is usually written and spoken by the Grecians in the meaning of in or upon Other Translation render Meta by an Adverb and not by a Preposition as afterward in three days and so in John afterward in eight days in which eight days are comprised the first Lords day and the second as compleating the number and so this second meeting of Christ and his Disciples was on the first day as his Circumcision was on the eighth day which the Scripture expresses by another such like Phrase as this When eight days were accomplished for the Circumcision of the Child Luke 2.21 As for his Evasion of that passage in Mark by telling us the same Expositors think that Mark reckons the time from his first being betrayed and apprehended This no way helps him for suppose he do so yet his after must signifie upon or on the third day for 't is clear that he was betrayed in the Evening late of the sixth day for St. John tells us chap. 18.3 that they came with Lanthorns and Torches to take him and 't is very probable that that young Man who followed him with only a Linnen Cloth upon his Body as he was immediately upon his Apprehension led to the High Priests Palace Mark 14.51 was one startled out of his Sleep and Bed by the rude Violence of the Souldiers
particular Rite of the Old Testament more particularly spoken of in the New Testament by the Apostle towards its Exclusion from the Christian Church than Circumcision yet there is no express Command against it that I know of And I assert that let him bring what Argument he can from these Epistles against it I will produce the same against the Seventh-day-Sabbath and so they must either stand or fall upon the same Ground and so must the other Ceremonies that are not so much as mentioned in the Books of the New Testament Again here he recurs to the Danger and Presumption of Indulging to Conjectures and Humane Fancies in the things of God without any warrant from Scripture or against the Commands thereof under a pretence of honouring God and Christ thereby and unworthily applies all this to the Assertors of the Lords-day But to this we have answered already and doubt not but to be as Innocent in this Respect as himself and this is the summ of all his answer to this Argument for the First-day-Sabbath But we must not so leave it but speak what I hope God will direct to the Vindication of it And here we must know that this Argument is not the solitary Proof that we bring for the Lords-day's Holy Observation for then it might seem to carry no great weight with it But First We undertake to prove an Abolition of the Seventh day from the Word and then propose the First day as bidding fairest of all the other Week-days for it because we acknowledge one day of the Seven to be the substance of the Fourth Commandment and to be positively and secondarily Moral in it and that therefore there lies still an Obligation upon all the Churches unto the end of the World to keep one day in seven Holy unto the Lord at least all who may have the Commands intirely conveyed to them and duly taught them for there may be a case of Exemption in this particular as we may see in the progress and we say the Seventh day being cashiered the first day ought to be its successor and that because of the glorious Privileges of this day above all others of the Week whereof this of our Lords Resurrection from the Dead is chief because this was the day of God the Redeemer's entring into his Rest And our Argument for the Lords day is both a Pari a Majori from Equality and Eminence Equality with and Eminency to the Rest of God the Creator upon the Seventh day for as the Creators having finished the Sixth days work and rested the Seventh was made a positive Motive for the Observance of that day for a religious Rest during all the time that Jehovah rested from no other more eminent work of his So we say in like manner the Rest of God the Redeemer from that his greater work of Redemption on the first day may be as good a Motive for the Consecrating thereof to a religious Rest for here we suppose the Seventh day excluded Yea we argue a fortiori and say it may much more upon this account challenges its Holy Observation Because 1. The Rest of Jehovah after the works of the Creation was no proper Rest as has been proved but now his Rest after the work of Redemption was a real and proper one from the Labours Sufferings and Humiliation of his humane Nature 2. The Work of Creation cost God but six words of his Mouth but the work of Redemption cost him his Incarnation and in his Manhood his mean and contemptible Birth his poor obscure laborious Life for thirty Years together in his reputed Fathers House and probably at his Trade too and after that his itinerant wearisom tempted reproached persecuted and sad Life for 3 or 4 Years before his Sufferings and his compleat voluntary and sinless Obedience to his Fathers Will all his days and his fearful Sufferings and most dreadful shameful painful lingring and accursed Death 3. By the work of Creation God brought all things out of nothing and so could not possibly meet with any opposition thereto but in the work of our Redemption he waded through and overcame all Opposition all the Temptations of Men and Devils all the Rage and Malice the Revilings horrible Reproaches false Accusations unjust Condemnations of Men all the Rage Fury and Cruelty of Earth and Hell of Men and Devils Yea all the Wrath and Vengeance of his Father which was infinitely worse than all the former and at last Death and the Grave 4. By the Creation God brought our Nature out of nothing but by Redemption from Satan from Sin from Death from Hell from the Wrath of God and from the Grave 5. By the Creation God made us perfectly Holy and Happy planted Paradise for us gave us an Immortality and Abilities and Inclinations and infinite Obligations so to remain for ever but not the effectual Grace for we speedily fell and an animal Life for we were to eat and drink and sleep in Innocency to recruit the Decays of Nature but by Redemption God brings us again into a perfect and more glorious State of Holiness and Happiness conveys us into the third Heaven gives us an eternal Security there and makes us like the Angels for ever and ever and doubtless our Condition in the third Heaven where Redemption conveys and lodges us will be as far more Noble Glorious Blessed and Happy than our Condition in Paradise where Creation made and stated us as that is in Situation above this 6. God glorified his Power Wisdom and Goodness in the work of Creation but much more all these in the work of Redemption as might easily be displayed to the Reader and withall his Pity his Grace his Justice his Holiness his Truth his Jealousie for his own Glory more of Gods Glory shining forth in one Line of the Redeemers Face than in all the Creation both visible and invisible Wherefore seeing this work of Redemption does so unconceivably surpass that of Creation both as to Excellency as wrought out by God and as to its Vtility to us as wrought out for us we say with Reverence and without Offence that the first day hath more to shew upon this account for its Holy Separation from and Exaltation above the rest of the Week-days than ever the Seventh had or can pretend unto And we say withall that it is very Congruous that God the Redeemer should have one day of the Week consecrated to his Rest for 2000 Years in the latter days of the World as well as God the Creator have a day throughout 4000 Years consecrated to his Rest Especially seeing that the Honour and Glory of the Redeemer herein is the Glory and Honour of God the Creator for both are the same Jehovah whereas the Glory of the Creator herein is not the Glory of the Redeemer for the Redeemer was not when the Creation was produced neither should ever have been had the Creation stood in that Estate wherein God created it and
had exactly followed the Pattern then the Sixth day of the week would bid fairest for the day of Rest of all the Seven because then Adam must have worked six days before his Holy Rest as God did and then being created as we may suppose about the latter end of the sixth day of the Creation he must have wrought the day following which is the Seventh and so the five other days following and rested upon the Sixth day as his first Sabbath for that would have been the day after his six days Labour or Work For 't is clear that the Seventh day after the beginning of the Creation though it were so with respect to Gods Works yet 't was the very next day after Adam was and could not but be within a very few hours if hours after his Creation seeing it begun in the Evening And so Adam and Eve were so far from an exact Imitation of God in the Observance of the first Sabbath that in his particular they were contrary thereto for God wrought six days first and then rested the Seventh but Adam rested his first day and then wrought the six days following God's Rest was in the Conclusion of his Work and Man's Rest was in the beginning of his Work in his first seven days which I think somewhat enervates this solitary Plea they have here for the last Week-day-Sabbath But yet we will Suppose that in this Clause God did there injoyn the last day of the Creation-week to be the Sabbath but then we say this is purely Positive and no way Moral at all neither Primarily nor Secondarily for it is were so the Morality thereof must arise from the Reason that is given for it viz. Gods Example even because he made his work of Creation in six days and rested on the Seventh But this is no way cogent or rather Moral not such a thing as the light of Nature would engaged us to For 1. God is not to be imitated by us in all that he does neither could the rational Creature conclude upon Gods Revelation of his having ended his work on the Seventh day that therefore he must work six and rest the Seventh without an express Injunction which therefore God gave here 2. If we could suppose that such a Collection of imitating God could have been apprehended by Man without Relevation then the Sixth day of the week would by him be pitched upon for his own Sabbath of Rest because the Sixth day of the following week would have been his Seventh day after his Six days working as before 3. Gods making of the World in six days was a pure Revelation for Man could never have known it of himself no not in the Estate of his pure Knowledge Because for ought he could know God might have made the World simultaneously all at once or by one word speaking for he knew he might so have done if he had pleased he could not know that God did gradually or progressively make the Creatures much less that he took up six days for it neither more nor less Indeed the Order and Method the Time and Duration of the work of Creation must be by Revelation to Man seeing he was created the last of all the Creatures So that in this respect 't is not Moral neither could it ever be the Dictate of Man's Mind 4. God cannot properly Rest because he cannot be said properly to Labour Rest properly is a Refreshment after Weariness Isa 40.28 The everlasting God the Creator of the Ends of the Earth fainteth not neither is weary Consequently neither resteth for he does all he does with an infinite Facility and perfect Immobility and takes no more pains in creating the World than in creating a Fly that is none at all And besides as before God works still in his works of Preservation and Providence which are altogether as Great and Glorious and some of them more Great Glorious than were the works of Creation So that in this respect this Argument is not Moral not such a Motive as could have been found out by the Mind of Man Lastly If this were such a cogent Reason in it self or a Moral Motive for the Sanctification of the Seventh day in the Repetition of the Fourth Command why is it not so much as mentioned For Deut. 5 13-15 there is not a word concerning it but whereas in the other Commands all the Motives that were used and adjoyned to them in their first Edition are here again repeated yet this is quite and clean left out in this second Edition of the Fourth Command and in lieu thereof their mighty and wonderful Deliverance out of the Land of Egypt is inserted that 't was therefore because he saved them that he commanded them to keep the Sabbath-day What this should signifie I cannot well see unless God would hereby teach us that the Salvation of his Church is a far more great and glorious work in it self and far more beneficial and happy to us than that of the Creation for the Deliverance of Israel out of Egypt by the hand of Moses was a Type of the Deliverance of the universal Church from the Devil from Sin from Hell from the Curse from Death and the Grave by our Lord Jesus Christ and that when this shall be compleated as we know 't was at our Savour's Resurrection it being the Conclusion of his Estate of Humiliation by which he purchased our Salvation and an entrance into his Glorification where he would procure it apply and effect it then the Reason annexed to the Fourth Command from the ceasing the Works of Creation should in a sense be lain by and that of the Redemption of the Church be substituted in its place And so consequently as the Seventh-day-Sabbath was observed in Commemoration of the works of Creation until a more admirable work of God should be accomplished so the first day ever after should be the Holy Rest when that Supream of all the works of God our Redemption should be rested from on that day I do verily believe Gods neglecting the works of Creation and substituting that of the Churches Redemption as the gread Foundation and Reason of keeping the Holy Rest here in Deut. declares this unto us But I refer it to wiser Heads Only from what has been here spoken I will conclude that this part is purely Positive both the Seventh Week-day-Sabbath and this Motive upon which 't is grounded God's working six days and resting the Seventh which is a Motive to us to observe it as well as it seems a Reason in God to require it Wherefore here I would fain demand of this Gentleman why he should be so exceedingly Zealous for the Perpetuity of the Seventh-day-Sabbath when 't is both a Ceremonial and Positive Precept Ceremonial as it signifies Gods own Rest from his Works past and as it signifies our future Rest in Heaven from all our Labours in this present Life And purely Positive seeing all the former Ceremonial and Positive Precepts
Command is of perpetual Obligation to the Churches therefore the first day must be that day and the Sabbath was excluded that the Lords day might succeed and that the Promises made to the Rest of one day in Seven in the Command are made to and entail'd upon the first day of those Seven now as they were upon the last of them before its Expiration and that a due Observation thereof shall have a gracious Acceptation with a bountiful Remuneration from our God and our Saviour according to all the Blessed Experiences of the strict and consciencious Observers thereof That there is a more express and peremptory Abolition of this Sabbath in the Scriptures of that Apostle than there is or can be found in them for the Cessation of many other particular positive and ceremonial Institutions which yet Christians in general and this Gentleman in particular disregard as dissolved and vanished And I profess if I could see but half so much in the Second Command to prove a Form of Prayer to be the Pesel there forbidden or at least included therein I should utterly deny all Forms as Idolatrous which now I dare not do but in some cases hold them not only lawful but necessary and Praise-worthy or but half so much in any Line or Sentence of the New Testament against the use of the Lords Prayer in the publick Congregation I would never so use it more but to my due power would endeavour its Banishment thence If I say but half so much as I find expressed for the Seventh days Deposal well may we wonder that in such things a Man sees what scarce no Man else ever did in the word of God and yet in this that he should not see what almost every Man else can plainly discover Wherefore I question not but all our Divines and Ministers of Congregations are sufficiently satisfied that they serve God duly as to the Circumstance of time on Lords days and may and do in Faith associate on the Lords day as the only Sacred day of the Week with all other Christians in the Apostles days since our Saviours Resurrection home to this very Generation And I cannot but hope that this piece how specious soever it be and with what confidence soever recommended however back'd with the Pretences of Divine Authority of Jehovah's Will c. with pathetical Inculcations of those in multitudes of its Pages for the Observance of the Seventh day will find but very few if any Proselites among our common Professors and I am confident none among our Wise Stade experienced Christians or if any be in danger of Infection I pray to God that this Reply intended for this end may be an Antidote to secure them Lastly it will be good Advice to this Gentleman who hath caused the Expence of so much time in this Controversie to bethink himself how his Opinion leads us to Judaize and this work of his tends only to divide the Church to stumble the Weak to imploy and please the Silly Fantastical and Giddy in matters of Religion to encourage the Profaners of the first day or rather of the Lords day to scandalize and grieve all and therefore to cease from farther Attempts of this kind And all I desire is that the Reader would impartially compare what he has written for his Seventh day against the Lords day and what I have written for the Lords day against his Seventh day and beg Wisdom and Understanding from God to have a due Insight into and draw a right Conclusion from both FINIS Books Printed for Samuel Clement at the Swan in S. Paul's Church Yard GOD's Revenge against Murther and Adultery expressed in Thirty several Tragical Histories Wherein are lively delineated the Various Stratagems subtle Practices and deluding Oratory used by our Modern Gallants in order to the seducing young Ladies to their unlawful Pleasures To which are annexed the Triumphs of Friendship and Chastity in some Heroical Examples and Delightful Histories The whole illnstrated with about fifty Elegant Epistles relating to Love and Gallantry By Thomas Wright M. A. of S. Peter's Colledge in Cambridge A Compleat History of the Late Revolution from the first Rise of it to this present Time in Three Parts The English Grammar setting forth the Grounds of the English Tongue and particularly its Genius in making Compounds and Derivatives with many other Useful and curious Observations Wherein are also explained the usual Abbreviations the several hands used in Writing and Characters in Printing the Variety of Styles the Art of true Pointing and the Way to understand Books With a Prefatory Discourse about the Original and Excellency of the English Tongue and at the end an Alphabetick Collection of the Monosyllables being a Treatise of Orthography for Writers and of Rhymes for Poets A Necessary Work in general for all sorts of Persons desirous to understand the Ground and Genius of the English and very proper to prepare Young Men for the Latin Tongue By Guy Miege Gent. Cerevisiarii Comes Or the New and True Art of Brewing Illustrated by various Examples in making Beer Ale and other Liquors so that they may be most Durable Brisk and Fragrant and how they may be so ordered as to yield the greatest Quantity of Spirits in Distillation To which is added the right way to refine and bottle Beer and Cyder and a Cure for those that are Sick and Ropy so as to return them to their internal Sanity as also the true Method of manuring Lands and the Art of making Salt-Water fresh All proved by Demonstration and Sound Philosophy to be more agreeable to Man's Body than otherwise and so not only sit for English Constitutions but also for Transportation Published for the fake of Variety and therefore recommend to all that esteem demonstrated Truths before Notional Theory By W. Y. worth Medicin-Professor