Jehovah forgivest the iniquity of my sin To this agreeth that of Isaiah who brings in Jehovah himself thus speaking I I for my self blot out thy transgressions and remember not thy sin And the same Prophet doth record it of Hezekiah that he thankfully acknowledged this Thou O Jehovah hast cast behind thy back all my sins And that was the same which Isaiah had experienced in his own case Thus speaks the Prophet Micah in an holy triumphing manner Who is a mighty God like unto thee Forgiving iniquity and passing by the transgression of the remnant of his Inberitance Thou wilt cast all their sins into the bottom of the Sea And long before him this was revealed to Moses when Jehovah proclaimed this to be part of his Name He who forgiving iniquity and trespass and sin How often was this Truth preached over in the Sacrifices for Sin offerings and in their Typical Washings and Purifications and such like which held forth this in the spiritual meaning of them And Christ appointed some who in their Function by Office were to teach Jacob his Judgments and Israel his Law to shew them what those Truths and Things were that were so shadowed out by those Figures Thus also was not the Sanctification or Holiness of a Covenant-people The Declared Will of Jehovah Aelohim Is not the Command express in Moses's Book Ye shall sanctifie your selves and be holy for I Jehovah your God And ye shall keep my statutes and do them I Jehovah who sanctifie Ye shall set to it to be holy and ye shall be holy for I holy Has he not put that honour upon them by calling them Saints His Saints An holy People in Covenant with him How many ways did he preach this Doctrine to them The Priests must be Holy the Levites Holy the Prophets Holy the People Holy the Convocation Holy the Sabbath Holy the Place of Worship Holy the City Jerusalem is named Holy the House Holy the Mount Holy the Land Holy the Garments Holy the Tabernacle Holy the Temple Holy the Scriptures Holy the Law Holy the Covenant Holy Did not their whole Burnt-Offerings call upon them to be sanctified throughout their whole intire Spirit and Soul and Body to be kept unblamable Did not the Precepts to abstain from prohibited Pollutions and to use prescribed cleansings in case of contracted uncleanness speak the same Truth Was not the Law of the ten Words a comprehensive perfect Doctrine of all Holiness and Righteousness And are not the Sermons of the faithful Prophets full of Dehortations from sin and of Exhortations to Holiness If thou wouldest be instructed in the Doctrine of the Resurrection Did not the LORD Christ himself prove and teach this out of the saying of Jehovah Aelohim unto Moses in the Bush I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob God is not the God of the dead but the God of living From whence he doth infer that though Abraham Isaac and Jacob were dead as to their body yet they were still alive in their Spirit and Soul which bodies were parts of them and therefore their bodies should in time rise again For hereby it was evident that there is another life after this is ended which those departed Saints that were dead as to this life had their shares and parts in So that God not only was heretofore but still now is and will be their God after their death The Bodies of Abraham of Isaac and of Jacob shall rise and therefore the bodies of the dead shall rise they shall live again whereas now they are dead and therefore they shall arise For he is their God now they are dead and therefore they shall live again though now they be dead For God is not the God of the dead who are so dead that they shall never live again So that he declaring himself to be their God ever since they were dead it must unanswerably follow as convincingly concluding that their bodies shall live again With what a clear judgement and holy confidence doth Job speak the same truth I know said he that my Redeemer living and that the latter one shall rise upon the dust Therefore after I shall awake and that the worms have digged through this yet in my fiesh I shall see God Whom I shall behold to me and mine eyes have seen and not a stranger My reins are consumed within my bosom Was not Christ's Resurrection plaintly taught in the sixteenth Psalm Where Christ himself doth thus express his sure hope of rising again from death the third day My flesh shall dwell in considence for thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol Thou wilt not give thy gracious Saint to see corruption doth not Peter so interpret this And did not Paul so explain and apply this And if the head be raised must not the members of that body to which the head is so nearly related in union and in fellowship be raised also Hath not David left behind him a lively Testimony of his firm belief of this in his day and time When he set out the different apprehensions that he had concerning his expressed happiness in another better hâ—â— and world from what the unbelieving men of this World had They those mortal men of this transitory World they counted their good things to be their part and portion here in this life I saith he as if he all past into this this was his Belief this was Hope this his Portion this his Happiness I in justice shall view thy faces shall be satisfied when I shall awake with thy image There would be a day when he should awake out of the dust of the Earth from the sleep of death when he should see and know plainly and perfectly and bear the Image of the Heavenly The Psalmist speaks of a Morning when those that sleep in the dust of the Earth shall awake and rise He believed that Aelohim would redeem his soul from the hands of Sheol because he would receive him A glorious Testimony of his belief of a Resurrection Daniel in his Prophetick Spirit speaks of a time when many of them that sleep in the dusty Earth shall awake some unto everlasting life and some unto reproach and shame everlasting Which doth also point to a Day of Judgement following of this Resurrection Though Daniel in this place doth not seem to speak of the last general Resurrection yet hereby insinuating the Doctrine thereof According as Enoch also the seventh from Adam is recorded by Jude to have Prophetyed Behold the LORD hath come with his holy ten thousands to do judgement against all and convincingly to reprove all those corrupt Worshippers of them concerning all those their works of corrupt worship which they have impiously done and of all their hards which they have spoken against the LORD who sinners worshiping corruptly The wicked shall not stand up in judgement as is
Nature the King of Kings and Lord of Lords sitting on the glorious Throne of his exalted Majesty at the right hand of his Father negotiating all the weighty affairs of such more especially whom the Father hath given unto him There he continually presenteth himself and the All-sufficiency and full satisfactoriness of his sacrifice and oblation and the purchases of his passion and the merits of his death There he appears in a Court both of Justice and Mercy as an Advocate before the face of God making intercession for thee that all procured benefits may be made effectual for thee In that highest world there mayst thou see thousand times thousands ministring before the LORD and ten thousand times ten thousands of glorious Angels standing before Him these with the Spirits of just men perfectly sanctified worshipping before the throne of God and of the Lamb where his Servants serve him and see his face O my Soul be thou in the Spirit with those doing their work and enjoying their priviledg by improving a mystical Membership Lo there the new four-squared City Christ's Father's house which he is gone before to prepare that He and His good Disciples may be together there Enter in there and take possession of thy mansion Behold above this lower Firmament are the Treasures of Rain and of Dew of Snow and of Hail of all the upper waters when thou hast been there where thou hopest to be for ever come down a while and let thine Eye glance it self upon the visible objects of this middle world seest thou the yonder azure expanse O what a goodly Canopy hath the LORD spread over thy head observest thou what glittering spangles the starry studs are what shining balls the Sun and Moon are how glorious is their beauty how golden are their beams how operative their influences All that vast space of Heavens which my eye can compass the Sun the Moon and the stars these are thine a Part of thy Portion how useful a Creature is that light by which other visibles are discovered and discerned Here mayst thou see the cloudy bottles and the flying Fowls Here is the Air in which thou dost breath step one stair lower now and walk the earth a while If thou well observest it in its seasons in its springing verdure how lovely doth it appear in it 's garnished ornaments and green attire green a colour both pleasing and strengthening to the Eye whereas if it shewed its beauty only in white it would dazle thy fight into a blindness O what admirable variety is there here The grass I tread on how many are its kinds of how great benefit is this The herbs were made for my use and they have often served at my Table and have been both for food and for medicine how often have the flowers perfumed the Air for me and brought me in their sweetness in their way of natural perception taking some kind of delight that their maker has put any thing into them that might be pleasurable to me How many are the sorts of Fruit-bearing-trees and how often have their fruits dropt themselves to me and yielded themselves to my gathering and several of them have travelled scores hundreds and some of them thousands of miles to visit me and to let me know from Christ that much of the end of their being was to find out my hand and to fill my mouth How many springs have been flowing and Rivers running and wells filling to afford me water How often have I eaten of the kidneys of wheat of the finest of the flower How often have the well-fed both of the flock and of the herd parted with their lives to make meats and feasts for me What shall I say how many thousands of hands have wrought hard for me who never saw my face nor knew my name The Ploughman the sower the reaper the in-gatherer the thresher the winnower the seller the miller the kneader the baker the carder the spinner the weaver the dyer the clothier the taylor with multitudes of more and all these under my LORD Jesus Christ my Servants employed by him for a supplying good to me Shall I now dig deep and get into the bowels of this earth O what a hidden Kingdom of subterraneous minerals is here Here are the roots of those Trees which have afforded their beams of Timber for my habitation Here are the quarries of stone which have yielded materials to raise up walls for me to dwell safely within Here the Colliers dig hard to send in winter fewel to me Here the Searchers after the mines do find out the Tin and the Lead the Iron and the Steel the Brass and the Copper the Silver and the Gold which so often have brought me in some of their necessary Supplies If I go down to the Sea the great and wide Sea in a Ship there I may see the works of Jehovah and his wonders in the Deeps in the great waters which are under the earth How large and how deep a Subject is there here to swim and to fail in There are things creeping innumerable both small and great there the Whales the Sea-dragons do play in the troublesom Deep at the bottom whereof is the mire of Depth where is no standing And now my Soul thy meditations have led thee to the lowest world to Hell beneath a place out of which the Creator will fetch the glory of his Justice a place full of terrible confused darkness a place of torment Here I see the two-leafed-doors unfolding and opening of themselves before my thoughts through which passage when the damned are entred these doors do close themselves over such and they are left to sink and to fall down into the gulphy empty space a dark dreadful deep where are no walls to hang by nor any stay to rest on where the black passengers bound hand and foot are thrown down being amazingly surprized with overwhelming horrour full of fears they sink lower and lower till the bottomless pit of Hell do open its mouth upon them gaping wide to swallow them down into a foul and hideous prison a doleful place where are yelling Complaints and howling noises woful out-cries and frightful shrieks Thus have I taken a short view of the manifold marvellous works of Jehovah Aelohim as made in admirable wisdom How ample and large how clear and splendid how illustrious and magnificent is his name in all the earth who hath given his glorious Majesty above the Heavens who or what am I that he hath given me such an excellent formation as to behold and admire to acknowledg and confess his incomparable perfections in his gracious words and in his glorious works That he made me a tongued Trumpeter to proclaim and to commend his power and skill in so wonderful a Creation and that he has not taken me hence before I left behind me some written printed Testimony of his Royal Excellencies I was now passing into a Sabbath-enjoyment as
the last and best day of the Week to take my sweet repose in him who formed all these things and who had brought forth such a world somewhat for me vile unworthy sinful me But that which was and is through the Grace of God an Holy Rest to me has been and is like further to be through the corruptions of men a troublesom Controversie from them Must I now be made a man of contention who have so much desired and endeavoured to be a man of Peace My LORD is going forth in his comely Honour riding upon the word of his Truth and he will prosper His Truth is victorious for this must I be valiant and earnestly contend in his strength For this end was he born and for this cause came he into the world that he should bear witness unto the Truth Every one that is of the Truth heareth his voice Happy is he who has a good report of the Truth it self In the Order of my pursuit after the refining and raising of useful Arts and profitable Knowledges I am now led to that day the Seventh which is the last day in the week wherein Aelohim the Creator himself did Sabbatize on this day he rested to contemplate his own Works For having now framed and disposed the glorious Fabrick and the goodly structure of the whole Universe and having put it into its beauteous ceconomy and regular Polity he closeth the week with a day blessed above all the other foregoing days of the Week The righteous cause of which sanctified Day I am now to plead against the many Contenders against it Having thus in a former Treatise attended followed and walked with Aelohim in some of his great Works on the several distinct six foregoing days of this created World I am now brought to Sabbatize and rest with and in Him on his Weekly-seventh-day-Sabbath There are divers profitable Disquisitions that might be made with respect to the Seventh which is the last Day of every Week For the advancement of this Holy Art and for the Improvement of this Spiritual Science which would be a great promoting to this useful Learning As Q. Whether every Day of the week be of equal length Particularly whether the Seventh-day which is the last day in every week be not longer in time and have more minutes in it than the First day of the week If the Seventh-day be found longer in time it has a concreated Excellency in nature unchangeable dignoscible to Sense Q. Whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be from Shabath or from Jachab If from Shabath there are many Truths and Duties which that word would clear up and also demonstrate the Observation of the weekly-seventh-day-Sabbath before the Promulgation of the Law of the Ten words at Mount Sinai Q. Whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do point out the daily and weekly seasons of created instituted time for daily-evening-and-morning-Worship and for weekly-Sabbath-Worship Q. Whether 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do not in divers Scriptures set out the Seventh the last day of the Week and this in some places before Aelohims proclaiming of the Ten words at Horeb Q. Whether the LORD Jesus Christ having risen again the Third day according to the Scriptures that Third day be the Full complete Third day from the time of his burial and what that particular large day of the week was and what the certain hour of that particular large day was in which He did actually arise and what Scripture-evidence there is of this which is queried not at all in the least to question the Truth of his Resurrection which we firmly believe but rather to strengthen our Faith therein and to promote Scripture-knowledg of the Doctrine of Christs Resurrection upon which the whole of the Christian Religion doth so much depend and for some other good ends For the present there are some weighty reasons why I do not interpose my own Apprehensions about these Quaeries but leave them to those who are of studious inquiring Spirits who by a deeper search into the word of Truth in the Supplies of the Holy Spirit may make those Discoveries that will at once both convince and shame the ignorant-mistaking-World Whilst for the better satisfaction of serious seekers after Christs mind about the weekly-Sabbath I shall in a Word-way through the whole Scripture where this Case is spoken to and of treat of this one Enquiry returning a plain and as I judge a full Answer thereunto Q. Whether the Seventh Day which is the last Day in and of the Week in the weekly Revolutions and orderly Returns thereof has been from the beginning and so continued to be all the old-Testament-administration of Grace through and be so under the New Testament Dispensation of Grace all along to this Age of the Church and will be so to the end of this World the weekly-Sabbath-day A. The Seventh-day which is the last day in and of the week in the weekly Revolutions and orderly Returns thereof has been from the beginning and so continued to be all the Old-Testament-Administration of Grace through and is so under the New-Testament-Dispensation of Grace all along to this Age of the Church and will be so to the end of this World the weekly-Sabbath-day The whole Scripture is profitable for this Doctrine and for this Duty This closing part of the History of the Creation is express for it When Jehovah Aelohim had finished all his Works relating unto the six foregoing days of this one week The LORD Christ now on the Seventh-day actually perfected and will continue actually perfect in the whole and in every part of it His delegated-work which he had made adornedly-really to exist preparedly perfected and He did then Sabbatize and his will was is and will be that from thence his people shall Sabbatize ceasing resting from other motion and work of the fore-mentioned creating kind In a Day that Seventh from all his Work the which he had made and he did and will bless in word and in deed in a continued way in the weekly revolutions of it as long as weeks shall last in this world That day That Seventh and he did and will sanctifie by severing it from a common use and destinating it to an Holy Use accomodating it to instituted Ordinances of solemn Worship the same because in it he hath sabbatized and will Sabbatize from all his work the which he had created pure without spot or blemish of corruptness or uncomeliness for to make This Seventh is a Number completely perfecting the Week For when such a number of days hath filled up the week then we begin again with one second third fourth fifth and sixth till it comes to another seventh And there the Week in the continued revolutions thereof doth still receive a perfective end The Greek Interpreters here as in a many of other Scriptures else where are Corrupters of the Hebrew Text who do translate in the sixth day for the Seventh and
should withdraw our selves from such It has been great encouragement and sweet satisfaction unto me for divers years that I have Christ and his Word his Will and his Law for me in this Holy Contest His ten Words or Commandments how perfect and complete how standing and unchangeable a Rule of life are they in all and every of the matters of Duty to be performed and of Sin to be avoided It was Jehovah Christ himself who by his Spirit from his Father wrote upon the two Tables the Words of the Covenant the ten Words or Precepts This Scripture more especially I undervalue not any of the rest though this have its signal remark cannot be broken This is a perfect Law These words Jehovah spake and he added no more Christ would not have us so much as think that he came to destroy to dissolve the Law he came not to dissolve but to fulfill He confirms it by an high Asseveration that till Heaven and Earth do pass one Jod or Chirek one either Consonant or Vowel or any thing else originally belonging thereunto shall in no wise pass from the Law till all be fulfilled Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least Commandments and such do the most of men compt the weekly Sabbath though misjudgingly and will teach men so he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven but whosoever shall do and teach men the same shall be called Great in the Kingdom of Heaven This Law is established This Law or Testimony is sure or faithful or firm or constant it endures for ever it is standing-abiding continuing firm yet and perpetually This is the Rule of the New Creature by this must we walk This is to be bound up and sealed among Christs Disciples To the Law and to the Testimony must we refer all our Controversies in Religion for Determination and Resolution If any speak not according to this Word it is because No morning-light is as yet in them Here is the full comprehensive of what is our Duty to do Where or for what no Law is there is no Transgression or neither a Transgression Sin is not imputed where is no Law for Sin is a Transgression of the Law Then a Soul is guilty when it sinneth against any of the Commandments of Jehova in what ought not to be done and shall do against any of them This Law of the Ten words was put into the Ark and this alone and nothing else but this put there in which it was so closed as that it was not to be taken out or changed having a Crown of gold by Jehovah's own appointment put round about it This particular Law of the weekly-seventh day-Sabbath has a special mark of remembrance fixt unto it at the very entrance into it This must not be forgotten to be kept Holy and the Works of our particular Functions are expresly prohibited to be done on it This Seventh-day must be sanctified as the weekly Sabbath of Jehovah our God because all and every of those weighty Reasons which Jehovah Aelohim the Law-maker the Law-giver himself hath assigned and rendred and no Reasons can be so demonstrative and convincing as those which he doth give who is only wise from whence to inforce and perswade Obedience to his Command in observing of a Weekly-Sabbath-day Holy to him do properly belong and are applicable to the Seventh which is the last day in every Week in Order of time in the weekly returns of it As the weekly Sabbath-day and to no other day of the Week as such neither to the first second third fourth fifth or sixth day Six daies in the week we are to labour and the Seventh day in the same week is the Sabbath The Seventh-day the seventh-day has its peculiar Note of Honour put upon it There can be but one Seventh day in one Week in the weekly Order and Succession of the Seven days though each of the other foregoing six days in the week are one of seven or one of the seven daily parts of weekly time Every one of the other days of the week have another name as one the second the third the fourth the fifth the sixth Only the last day of the week is called the Seventh day and the Sabbath day Weeks will be to the worlds end concluded within the compass of Seven days One of Aelohims Reasons is because he rested upon the seventh day upon that and that only which is the last day in the week and upon no other day in the week as a weekly Sabbath-day This History of the Creation doth go this day over three times on or in the Seventh-day the Seventh-day the Seventh-day Aelohim rested and again a second time He rested Afterwards in Moses time a little before Christ's Proclaiming of the Law of the Ten words at Mount Sinai the Seventh-day and the rest or Sabbath on it are several times mentioned the Seventh-day the Seventh-day the Seventh-day and a fourth time the Seventh-day The Rest of the Holy Sabbath or a Resting of Holy Rest for Sabbath signifies a Rest a Sabbath the Sabbath the Sabbath the People rested on it At the Promulgation of this Law this same Reason is resumed again For in six days Jehovah made the Heavens and the Earth the Sea and all that in them is and rested the Seventh-day and therefore His people ought to rest on the same day as the Holy-Sabbath-day The Scriptures do carry this further along after the Promulgation of it Six days shall men work but on the Seventh-day the Seventh-day a Sabbath a Sabbath of rest a Sabbath-day the Sabbath the Sabbath Jehovab rested on this day and refreshed himself Six days thou shalt work but on the seventh-day thou shalt rest thou shalt rest Six days shall work be done but on the Seventh-day there shall be to you an Holy-day a Sabbath of rest to Jehovah the seventh-day is the Sabbath of rest the Sabbath the seventh day is the Sabbath to Jehovah Thus also in the After-Prophets in Jeremiah's days Bear no burden on the Sabbath-day the Sabbath-day the Sabbath-day the Sabbath-day sanctifie the Sabbath-day to do no Work therein The Sabbath-day the Sabbath-day Thus in Nehemiah's time that zealous Reformer would not suffer Ware or any Victuals to be brought to be sold on the Sabbath-day on the Sabbath-day on the Holy-day the Sabbath-day the Sabbath the Sabbath-day the Sabbath the Sabbath the Sabbath No burden shall be brought in on the Sabbath-day the Sabbath the Sabbath-day The New Testament also doth take special notice of this The Seventh-day has the name of Sabbath or of Rest given it there above threeâ—â—ore times They rested Christs followers were silent from the Works of their particular Functions the seventh-day The Seventh-day God did rest the seventh-day from all his Works None of all this is said of any other day of the week Particularly not of the first and therein the LORD Jesus
the week as the weekly-Sabbath-day but only against and upon such as observed not the seventh-day as such If it be thus then how nameless how Commandless how promiseless how threatless is the first day of the week as to this matter of the weekly-Sabbath-day Examine and search we the Scriptures in this case All the Scriptures through where the holy spirit speaks of a weekly-sabbath day the name and thing thereof that is of such a weekly-Sabbath-day is given only to the seventh which is the last day in the week in the weekly returns of it and to no other day of the week as a weekly-Sabbath-day On the seventh-day the seventh-day the seventh-day Aelohim Sabbatized he Sabbatized The seventh-day the seventh-day the seventh-day the seventh-day the rest of the Holy Sabbath a Sabbath the Sabbath the Sabbath the People rested on it The seventh day is the Sabbath in it thou shalt not do any work The seventh day is the Sabbath in it thou shalt not do any work In the seventh is the Sabbath of rest The seventh day a Sabbath of Rest The seventh day the Sabbath of rest Scores of times in the Scripture of the old testament the seventh day is called the Sabbath Several times also in the new Testament about threescore times The LORD Christ himself speaking Prophetically cals it the Sabbath-day Divers times in the Historie of the Acts of the Apostles after Christs Ascension to his Father Every Sabbath Paul reasoned in the Synagogue as his manner was No other day in the week is called the Sabbath-day This some of the most Learned amongst the adversaries of the seventh day having been convinced of and finding their labours fruitless in searching after the name Sabbath to be given to the first day of the week which is no where done they rather oppose the name Sabbath as not fit to be used now under the new-Testament-administration of Grace as applyed to the weekly seperated day for Holy rest and worship they reject it themselves that others too might the more abhor it by giving it an ill name miscalling it the Jewish-Sabbath So that these Enemies themselves being Judges they confess that all Churches do call the seventh day alone by the old name Sabbath It was the seventh this seventh day it is double-Articled on which God rested from all his works Consider further there is not all the Scriptures through any command given for the observation of any other day in the week asthe weekly-Sabbath-day but only the seventh which is the last day in the week in the weekly return of it At the first Creation of this seventh day It was instituted for Adam to do it and observe it as the weekly Sabbath day Thus before the Law was proclaimed how long refuse ye to keep my Commandements and my Laws Jehovah hath given you the Sabbath Let no man go out of his place on the seventh day for to gather Manna or to do any other servile work So the People rested on the seventh day Thus at the time of Promulgation Remember or to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Six daies shalt thou labour and do all thy work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah thy God In it thou shalt not do any work It expresseth both a precept what to do and a prohibition what not to do Keep the Sabbath to sanctifie it as Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee Six daies shalt thou labour and do all thy work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of Jehovah thy God In it thou shalt not do any work So express is this word of the Law-giver himself After the proclaiming of this Law six daies thou shalt do thy work and on the seventh day thou shalt rest Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep said Jehovah ye shall keep the Sabbath six daies shall work be done but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest Six daies thou shalt work but on the seventh day thou shalt rest In Eating-time or Plough-time and in Harvest thou shalt rest during the seventh-day-Sabbath If any time had more colouraable plea for working than other the Ploughing-time and the Harvest-time were the seasons the one to prepare the Ground and to cast in the Seed the other to reap and gather in the Fruit and increase Tillage was necessary for Harvest Harvest was necessary for sustenance yet the holy rest of the Sabbath must not be broken for these The prohibition reached in the very letter of it against these times Again these are the words which Jehovah hath commanded that ye should do them six daies shall work be done but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day a Sabbath of rest to Jehovah If any handy-work were to be spoken for as an exception to this general rule Tabernacle-work was the work yet this Law of the seventh-day-Sabbath must not be transgressed for the carrying on of such work for the preparing finishing and erecting of the Tabernacle though it were the appointed place under that dispensation of Grace for the publick Instituted worship and service of God Ye shall keep my Sabbath again ye shall keep my Sabbath and a third time in Leviticus ye shall keep my Sabbaths the like we have in the Books of the Prophets carry not forth any burden out of your houses on the Sabbath day nor do any work but ye shall hallow the Sabbath day according as I commanded your Fathers said Jehovah by Jeremiah to the People of God in his time much the same we have in Ezekiel bringing in the LORD thus bespeaking his People I Jehovah your God walk in my statutes observe my judgments and do them and Hallow my Sabbaths The same Prophetically in another place thus saith Adonai Jehovah the gate of the inner Court that looketh towards the East shall be shut the six working daies but on the Sabbath it shall be opened But the gate shall not be shut until the Evening The Prince shall offer the burnt Offering on the Sabbath-day Thus after the return from the Babylonish Captivity Zealous Nehemiah reproves the transgressors of this law and Command of the seventh day-Sabbath what Evil thing is this that ye do and profane the Sabbath-day I commanded and charged saith he This he did in pursuance of Jehovahs Express command and charge that no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day I said unto the Levites that they should cleanse themselves and come and keep the gates to sanctifie the Sabbath-day The same is mentioned in the New-Testament the holy Women had Rested on the Sabbath-day according to the Commandement They who were no friends to Christ could yet acknowledge this in the Principle for the matter of Right though they misjudged in a matter of Fact in point of practise and in a particular Case there are six daies in which men ought to work and not
on the Sabbath In obedience to this Law and Command of Christ it was that Paul preached and the People heard the word of God on this Sabbath-day some years after Christ was Ascended up into Glory Whither can the Observers of the First day as the Weekly Sabbath-day go to find out Commands in the whole Scripture for their day One of the adversaries of the seventh-day-Sabbath who appeared in Writing against a Letter of another to him upon his own desire which conteined some reasons and Scriptures for the weekly-seventh-day-Sabbath He in delivering his Judgment concerning the First day upon this Question whether there be any Express word for the Institution of the first day of the week to be observed as the Lords-day the day for his Weekly Sabbath has these passages we might say that it might be Instituted though it be not Recorded he meaneth in the Scriptures When and where and again t is acknowledged saith he we have no express word in so many letters and Words or Syllables for the Institution of the First day of seven And a Third time what if it should be said that he that is that Jesus Christ the Mediator did according to his Power actually change the day though when and how it be not recorded And a Fourth time why might he not Institute this he intends the first day although it be not expressed when or where and though it be not recorded Observe here thou who readest this with a desire to have the mind of Christ in this matter Suppose in the serious tenderness of thy Heart thou shouldest enquire of this Answerer whether there be any Institution of the First day of the week to be Observed as the Weekly Sabbath-day under the New-Testament in the Room of the weekly seventh-day-Sabbath and he should say there may be an Institution of the First day of the Week as the Weekly-Sabbath-day though it be not recorded Suppose thou shouldest further ask when for the time might this Institution be if it were at all And he should reply there might be an Institution though it be not recorded when for the time Put case thou demand of him further where for the Place might this supposed Institution be And he should tell thee there might be an Institution though it be not Recorded where for the place Upon this thou further propoundest this to him how is this pretended Institution for the occasion or manner that I might be somewhat Directed in my practise if it were manifested to be my Duty to observe the first day as the weekly Sabbath-day To which he should return thee these words there might be an Institution though it be not recorded how for the occasion or manner Can such answers as these give thee any Convincing Demonstration or satisfying Evidence What After all thy Trading in Sabbath-Religion wilt thou at last be sent thou knowest not whether to pretended unwritten verities for thy Religion Art thou under any Obligations of Conscience in these matters to beleive further than what is written Can thy spiritual Appetite savour in such Cases what is not written As for any other Framed Fancyed Forged Grounds of Instituting the First day as the weekly Sabbath-day from pretended practise of the Apostles for this end in this or any other Author I meet with or from what other Reasons Conjecturally unscripturally suggested it will be spoken unto in its place Only here is one part of the fore-mentioned passage which I would write somewhat about lest the force of the answerers Arguing should be thought to be passed by unobserved which is that expression according to his Power whereby the answerer intends that Jesus Christ as Mediator had Power to Change the Weekly Sabbath from the Seventh which is the last day to the First day of the Week What Power the LORD Jesus Christ as Mediator has received I thankfully acknowledge and through Mercy and Grace purchased by him for me and freely richly given from the Father to me in the supplies of the holy Spirit I have been for several years an applyer of a liver upon and somewhat an Improver of though I find great cause to be deeply humbled for that I have put it to no better use As for the Power of Christ considering him as mediator we have it from his own Mouth in his life time that the Father had given all Judgment unto the Son That the Father hath given unto Christ Power to do Judgment because he is the Son of Man that the Father hath given all things into his hand And a little before his death that the Father gave him power of all Flesh And after his Resurrection that unto him all Authoritative Power was given in Heaven and on Earth This is my Faith and my Food Yet withal it must be considered that Christ as Mediator was one put into Office by his Father and sent by him in a delegated Function having his proper work assigned him And thus his Power was Limited Let us search whether the whole Scripture be profitable for this In the Law of Moses there is a Prophesie that Jehovah the Aelohim of his People would raise up unto them a Prophet meaning the LORD Jesus Christ as is manifest by a collation of those other Scriptures which do so interpret this from the midst of them of their Brethren like unto Moses unto him they were to hearken and I said Jehovah the Father will give my words into his Mouth and he shall speak unto the People all that I shall Command him And it shall come to pass that the Man who will not hearken to my words which he shall speak in my name I will require it of him Remark here It was the Father who raised up Christ to this Office of being a Prophet they were the Fathers words which were given into Christs Mouth and Christ was to speak unto the People all that which the Father should Command him They must be the Fathers words and it must be in the Fathers Name that Christ was to speak To this Clause in the Commission must Christ keep close And accordingly so he did In the Book of the after-Prophets you may read Jehovah the Father thus speaking concerning his Son Christ behold my servant whom I uphold mine Elect my Soul delighteth I have given my spirit upon him he shall bring forth Judgment to the Nations Christ as Mediator was his Fathers Servant he took upon him the Form of a Servant and the Servant must keep close to the will and word and Command of him whose Servant he is especially in this case where all and every of the words and wills and Commands of the Father are Holy just and good And it is fore told of Christ that he would when he had a bodie Prepared for and taken to him thus bespeak his Father I take pleasure O my Aelohim to do thy well-pleasing thy will as Christ else where in the history of
drawn into orderly Obedience thereunto That the same Jehovah Aelohim who proclaimed the Holy Law together with the other Nine was their Aelohim theirs in a peculiar especial distinguishing manner who conformed in all things to his revealed will and stood compleat and perfect in his whole will and therefore should they be engaged and be encouraged to do the Sabbath day to Hallow it as he had commanded them Ye shall keep my Sabbaths I Jehovah if ye walk in my Statutes and keep my Commandments and do them then saith Jehovah I will give you this and that Blessing in Temporals and further I will set my Tabernacle amongst you and my Soul shall not abhor you and I will walk among you and will be your God and ye shall be my People Sabbath-worship on the Sabbath-day in this Sabbath For the instituted day of the Weekly Sabbath must be observed to be accepted shall be a Savour of Rest to me said Jehovah Thus also in the Prophets That Evangelical Prophet Isaiah sweetly thus Blessed is the Man or O the blessedness or happy Progresses or Blessed goings on with a streight foot for such will make a good Progress in other Religion who are found walking on Prosperously in this Sabbath-way of that Aenosh and the son of Man of Adam that keepeth the Sabbath so that he doth not pollute it or not Prophane it For thus saith Jehovah to them that keep these my Sabbaths not those that are of Mens inventing and imposing Contrary to these seventh-day-Sabbaths which are of his Instituting and which he doth own as his peculiar and have chosen in what I delight or have pleasingly willed and who taking hold of my Convenant I will give unto them in my House and within my Walls an everlasting name that shall not be cut off I will bring them to the Mount of my Holiness and I will make them joyfull in my house of Prayer their Sacrifices and their Offerings shall be accepted upon mine altar And in another place Jehovah hath prophecyed and promised that he will raise up such as shall be Restorers of Paths to Sabbatize in saying if thou turn away from the Sabbath thy Feet to do thy pleasure on mine Holy day and thou call the Sabbath a delight the Holy of Jehovah Honorable and thou hast Honoured shalt Honour him not doing thy own waies nor finding thy own pleasure nor speaking thy own words then shalt thou delight thy self in Jehovah and I will cause thee to Ride upon the High places of the Earth and I will feed thee with the Inheritance of Jacob thy Father From the time of the Sabbath in his Sabbath all Flesh shall come for to bow down to my Face saith Jehovah The Prophet Jeremiah doth also bring good and comfortable words from Jehovah to right observers of the seventh-day-Sabbath Thus saith Jehovah bear no Burden on the Sabbath-day Hallow ye the Sabbath day as I commanded your Fathers It shall come to pass if Hearkening ye shall Hearken unto me to bring in no Burden through the Gates of the City on the Sabbath-day and shall Hallow the Sabbath day to do no work therein then shall there enter into the Gates of this City Kings and Princes sitting upon the Throne of David Riding in Chariots and on Horses they and their Princes the Men of Judah and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and this City shall remain for ever and they shall come from the Cities of Judah and from the places about Jerusalem and from the Land of Benjamin and from the Plain and from the Mountains and from the South bringing Burnt Offerings and Sacrifices and Meat Offerings and Incense and bringing Sacrifices of Praise unto the House of Jehovah They are sweet precious Words those by the Prophet Ezekiel I saith the LORD gave them my starutes and shewed them my Judgements which if a Man do he shall even live in them Moreover I gave them my Sabbaths but they despised my Judgements which if a Man do he shall even live in them This is twice expressed as a gracious encouraging Promise and a Third time it is Covenanted there I Jehovah your Aelohim Hallow my Sabbaths that ye may know that I Jehovah your Aelohim and I will accept you with your Savour of Rest There is one Psalm that has several Choice promises in it and the Title of it is a Psalm or Hymn for the Sabbath-day which is to be carried through that Psalm Those who keep the Seventh-day-Sabbath shall experience Jehovahs Loving kindness in the Morning and his faithfulness in the Nights they shall be made Glad through his work they shall Triumph in the Works of his Hands They shall have their Horn their Power their Strength their Defence their Glory their Honour their Dignity their Exaltation their Firmness their long-continued happiness like that of an Unicorn They shall be poured over with Green Oyl with new revivings and pleasant refreshings Their Eyes shall see on their spying Enemies and their Ears shall hear concerning the Evil-doers which rise up against them Such Righteous ones as are due Observers of this seventh-day-Sabbath shall grow like to a Palm-tree They shall grow like a Cedar-tree in Lebanon To them that are thus Planted in the House of Jehovah those they shall make to grow in the Courts of their God They shall bear Fruit yet in the Gray Age They shall be fat and green If all and every of these were opened and applyed at Large O how much of rich treasure is there in them The Chaldee upon the Title of this Psalm doth thus paraphrase An Hymn which the First Man Adam said for the Sabbath day And the Seventy two Greek Interpreters have a double Article here a Psalm of a Song unto that day of the Sabbath The same Sabbath-day that was the Seventh day of the Week from the Creation which was to be Sanctified as many other ways so particularly by Singing of Psalms This Psalm has divers Prophetical passages in it relating to New-Testament-promises especially in the Latter-day-glory of this dispensation of Grace It is Judged by the Hebrews to be penned by Adam when he beheld the Glorious Works of the Creator and commending it prophetically to after-ages The New-Testament gives us to know from the mouth of our LORD Christ himself the Commander and observer the blesser and the Sanctifier of this Seventh-day-Sabbath that It was made for Adam and in him for all mankind for their Happiness for their Good if they would be diligent observers of it And that to be forced to flee from Sabbath-work and enjoyments was to be driven from special priviledges which sore Judgement those who are Sabbath-observers should endeavour by Prayer to keep off lest otherwise it did so befal them Let it also be duly pondered upon in this one weighty consideration more that there is no threatning either denounced against or executed upon any that shall not observe any other day in
of the Gospel to be expressed on this day the First day he speaks of nor to be any thing distinguished from the Night of other Days of the week So writes a Learned Man Thus we have a kind of half Holy-day set up by a Man in the room of an whole Seventh-days-weekly-Sabbath Created and Instituted by Jehovah Aelohim But what part of Time shall we reckon that Night-time to It must belong either to Working-day or Sabbath-day If to Sabbath-day-time then it is a part of the time of a Sabbath-day If to Working-day-time then we have more time than Six Working-days in one Week which is contrary to Scripture-revelation and to Created Nature For the Evening is as Natural to the Created Days as the Morning The Creator Himself did some of his works in the Night As Particularly He created Darkness in the beginning of the Evening of the one Day in the first Week of the created World and the night-part of every one of the Large days and it is the Commendation of a Virtuosa-Woman that she and her Houshold do work some part of the Night Whereas we are expresly forbid to do any Work of our particular Functions on the Seventh-day-Sabbath all that kind of work is supposed to be done on the six foregoing days of the Week and I have before shewed that the Night-part as well as the Day-part belongs to the Weekly Sabbath-day And how doth this Assertion of that learned Man agree with another Affirmation of his so often repeated in that Book of his that That part of Time that is and will be accepted with God is declared and determined in the Fourth Commandment to be the seventh part of it or one day in seven If so Then how can this Learned Man and his Followers in This well groundedly expect Acceptance with God When the seventh-part of Time is not observed as the Weekly-Sabbath but one half of that Seventh part is cut off by him quite contrary unto what God has declared and determined in the Fourth Commandment This incoherence and inconsistence doth bewray the Darkness and doubtfulness that is upon the Minds and Hearts of the most Learned Opposers of the Weekly-Seventh-day-Sabbath What will become of Jehovah's Laws and Prescriptions if Men take such an Unwarranted Liberty at one blow to cut off the half of the Weekly-Sabbath contrary to the LORD's Appointments and contrary too unto their own Concessions and Assertions especially also when on this piece of a pretended Sabbath they give such a Loose to carnal Hearts as to leave any to be a Rule unto themselves for their words works and actions upon this half part of a day of Rest as if all others were Men of a Legal Spirit and were Judaizing Sabbatizers that will be exact according to the Scripture-rules of the good old way in these Matters Who sees not what an Unscriptural liberty even good men will be too prone to allow themselves if once they apprehend that this is referred unto themselves to judg Determinately of Where doth the whole Scripture leave any Man or Men to be rules unto themselves Must we not in all these Cases be Directed Determined and Judged by the Word Here again My heart would be at work in sweet thoughts and in raised affections towards a dear Redeemer who has done and suffered so much for his unworthy Creature that my Heart and Head and Hand may cease a while from giving answering Solutions to Fallacious arguings O how full how sutable a good is here Thou who readest this canst thou truly say this Redeemer is my Redeemer this Mediator hath loved me and hath given himself for me Redemption is wrought out and finished by Christ for me He will perfect it in me as well as for me All the just demands of the Father are fully satisfied by the Son of His love In the vertue of his Satisfaction and Intercession I will go to the Father and expect Audience and Assistance Acceptance and a Blessing O how well will it go with them and with their Cause who have Christ for their Advocate How sure is that Covenant of Grace which hath Christ for the Surety The Reader now may expect that I say something to that part of the Objection which doth suppose the work of Redemption to have been finished on the day of Christ's Resurrection So that He being then Gloriously Manifested to have Rested from it the Objectors think that Christ might have good cause to Honour the First day of the Week above any other day as the Weekly-Sabbath-day Here is Mens Thinking and Reasoning but the serious Inquirer doth look for Christ's Instituting and Commanding which he can never find in the Word as to the First-days being the Weekly Sabbath-day Redemption in the whole and in all and every of the parts of it and in all and every of the Fruits and effects of it I beleivingly confess praise and apply according to those growing measures of Scripture light and of saving Graces which the LORD hath graciously given me therein about this Both those great works of Jehovah-Christ Creation-work and Redemption-work are highly to be valued and one of them should not be set against the other let them both be brought in Creation-work and Redemption work too as proper matter for Meditation conference and Praise whereby the Seventh-day-Sabbath may be Celebrated and Sanctifyed in the Weekly returns of it The observationâ— of the Seventh-day-Sabbath is inforced by the Lawgiver himself to be kept holy to Jehovah by an argument drawn from salvation-Salvation-work from Redemption work The LORD Jesus Christ who is Redeemer was Creator too as I have clearly proved from self-evidencing-Scriptures It was he that Rested from his works of Creation Blessing Sanctifying and keeping the Seventh-day-Sabbath in the First week of the World Jehovah Christ as Mediator did himself at Mount Sinai Proclaim this Law of the Ten words whereof this of the Seventh-day-Sabbath is one It is he who is our one and our only Lewgiver It is he whose Voice then shook the Earth at that Mount It is he who was from his Father an Angel by delegated Office sent for this as for many other purposes to be with Moses in the Wilderness It is he who wrote this Law of the Ten words in the two Tables It is he who brought his People Israel out of Egypt and gave them this Law of the Seventh-day-sabbath It is he who came down upon that Mount attended gloriously with ten thousands of his holy Angels and promulgated this Law That Sixty Eighth Psalm doth evidently to a spiritual discerner commend Christ in his glorious Excellencies as to his wonderful person as to his wise Government and Gratious Administration particularly to the Israelites in their Journey out of Aegypt in giving them to Inherit the promised Land in confounding of their Foes all which Favours and Blessings to his Covenant people are set out to be the
it Disciples and believers at Christian-assemblies were not to come empty on the first day of the week but were on that day to deposite what they brought in to the Treasury of the Church And this has been the practice of all the Christian Churches in the World since the Apostles daies For which there is the Evidence of Church-history in this matter of Fact into which Humane Authority this must be resolved For this evidence of this Churches Vniversal constant usage is a full and sufficient proof of the matter of Fact That the First day was set apart by the Apostles for Holy worship especially in the publick Church assemblies They that will deny the Validity of this Historical evidence do by consequence betray the Christian Faith or give away or deny the necessary means of proving the truth of it and of many great particulars of Religion For without this Historical evidence we cannot make good the Authority of any one single verse or text of Scripture which we shall alledg because we are not certain of that particular Text or words whether it have been altered or added or corrupted by the Fraud of the Hereticks or the partiality of some Christians or the oversight of Scribes c. thus these objecters The Spirit of these Objecters is now to be tryed whether it be according to Christ and the word of Christ or not Which shall be done by a strict examination of the two Comprehensive particulars more especially whether the Scriptures alledged be truly Translated and rightly Interpreted and meetly applyed as to the present Case in hand either for matter of Fact or for matter of Right And whether Human Church Histories be of such Authority with reference to the certainty and verity of Scripture and of the Christian Faith and Religion conteined therein As for those expressions in our last English Translation of the First day of the week in the places cited I have shewn before that the words in the propriety of speech according to the truth of Grammar-etymology in their proper significancy and regimen of syntax are one of the Sabbaths the Notation of which Phrase in its plain meaning exactly agreeing with the real Nature of the thing punctually set out by it it has been discovered and proved that as to those places in the Evangelists it was one of the Paschal Sabbaths which doth speak nothing as to any substituting of the First day of the week in the room of the Seventh day as the Weekly Sabbath now which is the pretence of our Opposers As neither do the other Scriptures cited where that Expression is used once in the Acts of the Apostles and another time in the first Epistle to the Corinthians for one of the Sabbaths In that place of the Acts was one of those Seven Sabbaths between Passover and Pentecost as will be evident to an unprejudiced diligent Comparer of the Scriptures cited in the Margin which is quite another thing from what the adversaries do urge it for And as for the evidence of this there is express mention made both of the feast of unleavened Bread which was the Passover-Feast in the verse immediately going before the place cited and also of Pentecost in nine verses after relating to that season in the same year within the compass of which two Feasts inclusively were seven Sabbaths upon one of which that meeting was of Paul with the Disciples Which doth hold forth a clear Truth contrary to what it is alledged for As for what Paul did more after that Sabbath day was over at the going in of the Sun when another day came on which was meerly occasional he being in a preparedness to depart on the next day after the Sabbath Such as his continuing of his speech till midnight his raising up Eutychus his eating of Brèad his talking with them a long while even till break of day then departing So long Preaching and conference all the Night long is not to be enforced as a necessary Sabbath-duty the Scriptures no where so enjoyning it and if this objector would assert it so far at least as till the midnight according to his account of an whole day in England from midnight to midnight which I have shewn in this treatise to be no right reckoning but contrary to the word of truth Let him and the other learned man whom I answered but a little before who shuts out the night-part from being any part of the weekly-Sabbath-day let them I say if they can find no better work for their time contend about that matter This Night-part belonging to the after day-part as making up the whole next day after the Sabbath was not observed by Paul as the weekly-Sabbath for you may there Read how some of the Disciples went before to ship and sayled to Assos there intending to take in Paul For so had he appointed minding himself to go afoot And when he met with them at Assos they took him in and came to Mytilene this was no weekly-sabbath-Weekly-Sabbath-work no necessity nor mercy enforcing or warranting them thereunto As for the breaking of Bread whether that expressed in the seventh or the other in the eleventh verse if it were admitted to be used in the Administration and participation of the LORD's Supper yet this objector himself doth affirm that it was often done by Apostles and Disciples on other daies of the week than on that which he so earnestly contends for And whereas he doth assert that no day else but only the First day of the Week was peculiarly appointed for breaking of Bread in that ordinance Whither shall we go for a warrant and proof of this We find no such appointment by our LORD in the Scriptures and the Objector cannot but acknowledg that our LORD Jesus Christ did institute and administer it at the first appointing and dispensing of that New-Testament ordinance of the supper on another day of the Week than the first day For the Objector affirms elsewhere that the passover day in that year was the Weekly-Seventh-day-Sabbath and Paul doth expresly say that it was the same Night in which he was betrayed then it was that he took the Bread and the Cup in this LORDly Supper And this did Paul receive from the LORD and so did deliver it unto that Corinthian-Church of Saints as that word-Rule by which they were to reform their abuses which had crept in amongst them as to that ordinance particularly and according unto which they were exactly to measure all their Administrations If this Objector do urge humane Authorities without Scripture-evidence we shall shew the vanity and weakness the incogency and unconvincingness of that empty Plea after a while Reader exercise thy discerning here Is there any thing in this place that speaks at all of any change of the weekly-Sabbath from the Seventh to the first day of the Week do either the significancy of the words or the intendment of the place or the force of
this place together at least as to the full possession of that Rest If it should be pleaded by the Objectors from one of the Verses compared with other Scriptures that sound Believers do actually injoy some beginning of it here this we are perswaded of and experienced Believers are supposed in Scripture to have already somewhat of it as well as to hope for more of it here and to believe and expect their full everlasting possession of it in the heavenly Glory at the last when they have here finished that Work which the LORD sent them into the World to do and this is their every days happiness more or less as they more or less act as Believers O how often may the Spirit of a Believer be in the Heavenly Rest in one Day He may get thither into this Rest in one Holy Thought and how many of such thoughts may his thoughts be who thus doth act Faith Hope and Love aright upon this Object A sound Believer should check himself under his divertisements from this Felicity Return O my Soul to thy-my-Rests My Rests are thy Rests thy Rests are my Rests Be friendly to me and to thy self Sit down and silently Rest in Jehovah Aelohim There is an abundant entrance subministred to thee to me so to do This Epistle in one passage of this cited place do prove that Jesus or Joshuah For Joshuah or Jehoshuang in the Syriack Language and also by the Greeks denoteth a Saviour had not then given them that Rest spoken of in that Psalm referred to because then the Psalmist would not afterward have spoken of another Day and therefore that Rest which Joshuah or Jesus or Jesus by Joshuah set them in was not this Rest it self but a Type of this heavenly rest to believers for many entred into Canaan who never entred into Heaven Joshua had not given them that rest which is here spoken of So that this cannot be understood of the rest of the first day of the week as the weekly Sabbath-day seeing the Objectors do affirm though groundlesly and but pretendedly that the Captain Jesus of whom Joshuah was someways a Type gave his Disciples this first day rest Heaven is in other Scriptures set out by the Name of God's Rest This was Typified by the Ark and by the Temple and by Canaan and is plain enough spoken of in this passage to the Hebrews God's rest is in the highest Heavens there is the dwelling place of his Rest There doth Christ sit in Glory at the right hand of his Father in full perfect happy Rest where sound Believers also shall rest in and with Him For a little after this passage we are told Christ's Rest is in the Heavens in the highest Heavens the Holy of Holies So elsewhere in the same Epistle We saith he have a great High Priest who is gone thorow into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God and therefore let us hold fast our Christian profession For Christ is not entred into the Sanctuary that is made with hands which is an Antitype of the true that is of the Heavenly Sanctuary which was Figured by the other but into Heaven it self now to appear before the face of God for us with full satisfaction made to the Justice of his Father by the Sacrifice of himself offered up to his Father and with prevailing Intercession for those whom the Father gave unto him So that as his rest is divers times mentioned in this Epistle so also is Heaven often expresly mentioned besides other words that do set it out and there is likewise the phrase of thus entring in several times spoken of All these in the same Epistle which was of old under the former ministration typified by the High Priests entring into the Holiest once every year For the High Priest also was in this a Type of Christ who is called the Apostle and the High Priest of their Profession who are partakers of the Heavenly calling So that all these expressions thus put together which we do meet withal in the same Epistle do best reconcile this sense to the whole of the Epistle besides and to other Scriptures which do treat of the same Subject-matter that the entring in the Ingress into this rest is the entring into the Heavenly rest above Some beginnings of which Heavenly rest Believers do enter into here in that holy Heavenly Fellowship which they have with Jehohah Aelohim in Father Son and Holy Spirit and with the living Members of Christ's mystical Body Jesus the fore-runner being already entred into the innermost of the veil for them the Believers hope has a way of entring in there after him We have Ordinances now dispensed with more clearness Spirituality and Heavenliness then Believers under the former Administration had though they also enjoyed the same for sum and for substance yet under Types Shadows and Figures And therefore they are called Heavenly things which the pattern of Old did more darkly resemble These are not forced sences and interpretations of my own but such as are Natural and Familiar Plain and Obvious and in the express Language and literal words of the same Epistle Before I quite dismiss this about the rest I am to write somewhat about the significancy of the word Sabbatism The Greek Noun is derived from a Verb which doth signific I Sabbatize or I rest The seventy two Greek Interpreters do use the Verb in one Scripture where it doth set out the rest of the Land every seventh year they use it also in another place where it is applyed to the Seventh-day-Sabbath that being the weekly Sabbatizing-day or resting-day The Greek Noun in the proper significancy of the Word is an actual or active resting or Cessation from work or labour or from motion about such work and labour as is rested from a Requietion or Requiescence from this This being used in the Greek of the New Testament but once the means to come to a right apprehension of the true signification and the proper meaning of it in this place will be to examine what the Original of this Greek Word is in that Language from whence it is borrowed in the Old Testament Hebrew and what that word in the Hebrew Original doth contain and express in it How that word is used in the Scriptures from whence this Greek Noun hath its Origination as also what there is in the Context of this place in this part of the Epistle to the Hebrews about this matter enquired after What there is in that Psalm referred to here in this Epistle that may bring some light to this matter And what there is in the Word of Christ about this Phrase of Sabbath-keeping or keeping a Sabbath as the Objector doth render it It is not here unworthy of our noting That the Greek Tongue in a multitude of Words has its Origination from the Hebrew Language Its Alphabet and Letters hath its
Jesus the Son of God in the fourteenth Verse Neither is the parallel between the Works of the Father and the Works of the Son as if they were such different Works of a different Nature and of different Time which was not the matter under debate in the third and fourth Chapters of this Epistle as men have divided them the which what was mentioned before doth also discover For what things soever the Father doth these also doth the Son likewise Nor is the parallel between one Day of the Week and another Day of the Week and the first Day of the Week in the weehly Revolution For the to day mentioned in the Psalm and the seventh Verse doth not point out the particular first Day of the Week as distinct from the others Days of the same Week As if the Exhortation did peculiarly properly and openly belong unto that but it takes in the whole of our Day and Time wherein the sound of Christ's Voice comes unto us speaking by his Spirit in his Word from his Father every Day of the Week as appears from the thirteenth Verse of the third Chapter So that those expressions in the seventh and eighth Verses of the fourth Chapter which do speak of a certain day and of another day do set out a large providential Day a long time after the Israelites entring into Canaan the Land of Rest The Rest spoken of in the Psalm could not refer to this or the weekly Sabbath from the Worlds Creation for these were before whereas the Psalmist doth speak of a Rest that was future and yet to come as to those who were then alive As likewise it was to the Author of this Epistle and to the Believers in his Day and Time It was remaining even then A Rest a Sabbatism which was not then by him and those to whom he wrote fully entred into possessed and injoyed Though Believers so far as they had their Citizenship their Burgeship in Heaven and in the Spirit did converse with the glorious Inhabitants of the New City of that Heavenly Jerusalem did pass into somewhat of it and had some views and foretasts some beginnings and first fruits of it So that the parallel here is between Rest and Rest For as Jehovab Aelobim the Creator having finished his Works of the six foregoing Days in the first Week of the Created World did Rest on the Seventh-day Sabbath and look as the Israclites did Rest in the Land of Canaan after their labour and travel when they had peaceable quiet possession of that Land So shall believers also when they have done their generation-Generation-work and have finished the Work of their Day and Time in doing and in suffering the whole Will of our LORD have and injoyed a Rest a Sabbatism which will be fully compleated in that better Heavenly Country And so also is the parallel between entring or not entring into the typical Rest in the Land of Canaan and entring or not entring into that Rest which was typified thereby which was not a First-Day Rest as is pretended but the Heavenly Eternal Rest This parallel is held forth in the eleventh eighteenth and nineteenth Verses of the third Chapter and in the first third sixth tenth and eleventh Verses of the fourth Chapter And the parallel further holds between Believers and Unbelievers in the passage towards or entrance or not entrance into the Land of Canaan the Land of Canaan the Land of Typical Rest according as they were perswadable and obedient or not And Believers or Unbelievers since the time of that Psalm which I therefore mention because it is the Foundation of the Discourse in this place to the Hebrews and particularly at the time when the Author of this Epistle did write wherein all Ages since and those after us are also concerned For even these also according as they are found perswadable and obedient or not so shall they either enter into or come short of this typified promised Rest As it was in the Prophet David's time the offer of Grace as to the Promised Rest was made to the Israelites for this same Gospel was published unto them under that Ministration of Grace as unto us now under the present Dispensation of Grace in the second and third Verses of the fourth Chapter The Doctrine of Salvation by Faith in the Messiah being the Doctrine in David's time and in Moses Days and long enough before him and those of them who were believing obedient and perswadable in the sixth and seventh and eleventh Verses of that Psalm So that there was in part a fulfilling of this in David's time both as to the threatning part upon the unbelieving impenitent and disobedint dying away such and as to the promising part as to the believing repenting and obeying ones who died in the Faith And therefore it cannot be understood of the First Day of the Week in opposition to the weekly Seventh-day Sabbath as is pretended there being nothing at all of any such observation of the First Day in David's time And the same Gospel was published unto those in the time of the Author of this Epistle in the second Verse of the fourth Chapter even as unto the Israelites before and it had a further fulfilling than in that Authors time in the third Verse of the fourth Chapter and it still has and will have as the Exhortations do prevail in the first sixth seventh twelfth thirteenth fourteenth and fifteenth Verses of the third Chapter and the first third eleventh fourteenth and sixteenth Verses of the fourth Chapter The Works that Believers are said to Rest from in the tenth Verse of the fourth Chapter are according to Scripture-phrase and meaning elsewhere their labours Believers shall Rest from their labours from the labours of their particular Functions and Callings wherein they were exercised in their life time here and as for their labour in the LORD whilst they were here in which time they did abound in the Work of their LORD as also for their labour of Love in all their suffering as well as doing for Christ Believers will have satisfaction and complacency sweetness and delight in such works as these are though above in the heavenly Rest they will be wholly for ever free from sufferings as also from all corrupt mixtures and defectivenesses which were their sorrow grief and trouble here which they much laboured under where the Tempter shall no more assault them There is a Rest promised to Believers evidently and expresly in the first third and eleventh Verses of this fourth Chapter not now to mention other Verses in this passage of this Epistle which the Objector doth causlesly and groundlesly controvert And Rest is a cessation from such Labour and Work as into which that Labour and Rest doth pass which Rest in the better heavenly Country is so far from being unsuitable to the purpose of the Author of this Epistle that it is the main drift and scope of his arguing in the
Instruments Meats and to other things It is also applyed to the Seventh-day Sabbath which Aelohim did sanctifie for holy Uses and to no other day of the whole week as such at the first Creation according to the Nature of its Essence in the order of its being before those after superadded Ceremonies and Shadows So that in this sense Right Reason would inform all reasonable men and women in the World that the Seventh the last day in every week has a concreated adaptness to be a day of holy Rest for the worship of their Maker and that they themselves should be an holy people separated to the service of the holy God Though his Church and People are thus sanctified and severed from other people by Jehovah in a peculiar especial manner his Elect yet more especially As for the Law of the ten Words if we look upon it in its superadded Ceremonies and some such other intermixed Annexes so it had somewhat peculiarly belonging to the Israelitish Church and people in Moses's time and to those of other Nations who were prosâ—lited to that Ceremonial Typical way under that Administration Whereas we under the New Testament have another manner of Dispensation of the same Grace in a more spiritual heavenly glorious way Although this Typical Figuring part made no real change even of old upon the Law of the ten Words If this be considered as it is an absolute and perfect Rule of Life comprehending all duties whatsoever and being that Image and Samplar unto which all mankind at the beginning in their representative Head were created in Wisdom in Holiness and in Righteousness which was afterwards promulgated and proclaimed by Jehovah Christ with a Covenant of Grace intermingled so it is that Law of Nature which inlightned Intellect or right Reason doth teach some notions whereof are still retained even now in man's fallen corrupted estate There are some Seeds of those Eternal Truths and Things some common principles of good and of evil both for the knowledge of God and of his Service and for those Duties which we owe unto our selves and unto our Neighbours This is born and bred with reasonable man every one doth carry it about with him every one coming into this World is inlightned therewithal which Remnants of this Law do serve for many good uses and purposes in civil converse amongst men and for some other ends In this sense the Law of the ten Words particularly that of the weekly Seventh-day Sabbath is given to the whole World All mankind had it in their common representative the first Adam clearly fully perfectly and have still some Relicks of it left within them by the Law of Nature in the Light of Reason demonstrated by concreated Principles the foundations and grounds of which are knowable by Humane Intellect In this sense the Law of the ten Words particularly that of the weekly Seventh day Sabbath is given to the whole World all mankind had it in their common representative and have still some indwelling Notions of it left within them This Law in some parts of the natural Duties of it may yet by the Institution of Jehovah Aelohim be a sign of some mystical thing signified which doth make any real change in the natural Duty it self this standing still in its due force as before but it may have something further significant in it by the LORD 's special appointment As the State Duty and Priviledge of Marriage in the fifth and seventh Words Instituted in Paradise doth figure the great Mystery of that Mystical Union which is between Christ and his Church People come next to be considered People are sometimes in some Scriptures more especially taken for the Israelites and the Jews These are sometimes in the plural Number called Peoples This People had some peculiar Priviledges beyond other Peoples particularly as to the kingly manner of proclaiming and revealing the Law of the ten Words more in their sight and hearing at Mount Horeb and as to some things afterwards annexed to it which was the Pattern in the Mount Thus Jehovah's holy Sabbath was made known unto the Israelites after another manner than to other Nations Whilst they walked by this Rule of Life they were a wise and prudent people But when they transgressed greatly they were a rebellious people The Israelitish people so constituted as it then was are called The people of God The people of the God of Abraham These had some distinguishing favours in that day People in some other Scriptures are some times taken for all Nations besides Israel and besides those other Lands who were brought over to the true Religion Thus the Uncircumcised Nations strangers from the Covenant of God Indels profane and ungodly they also are called People and the People of the Earth and the abominable People Though these whilst such did not share in choice special Church-Priviledges yet some ways they had the Law of the ten words and amongst others the Law of the weekly Seventh-day Sabbath particularly As this Law of the Decalogue is the natural concreated Law There are divers Records in Humane Authors for those to search after who are curious in such Disquisitions which do evidence that the Seventh-day Sabbath was generally observed by the Pagans as the weekly Holy Day The remaining Relicks of their Natural Life and Right Reason dictating the equity of this Law which also might be traditioned down to them The Pagan Idolaters so far conforming to the Laws and Practice of the Church of God They acknowledged the Seventh-day as more holy and owned its Rest from labour And the Ethnick Doctors in this way of teaching would Philosophize only on the Seventh-day Sabbath Then did they frequent their Temples and then some of them sung their Hymns to their Idol God These Precepts of the Decalogue were the Law of our Creation they are the natural Dictates of the Humane Essence in its rational Exercise ingraft Notions concreated Characters wrought into the essential composition of our natural Being the Sanction whereof has more or less a living impression in the Humane Existence The very order of the Days in the first created Week did teach the observation in the weekly Seventh-day Sabbath and made it a part of the Law of Nature Aelobim's Method in the Creatures Production which did so dispose of his Works and of his Rest hath confirmed this Order in laying its foundation in created Beings And this is a very forcible way of right arguing used by the LORD himself in his Word in divers cases The six forgoing Days of the Week for Work and the seventh the last Day of the Week for Rest These were from the beginning of the Creation Designed they were thus originally appointed by the Creator himself and so laid as a standing Law upon the Rational Creatures The natural equity whereof man's Representative in Adam readily submitted and subjected and conformed to there being both
distinguish that which the Objector did tumble into a confused heap and then from thence he drew wrong inferences He should better have bethought himself that when he would speak of the nature and Essence of a thing as particularly of a Sign or Ceremony and doth so define it that according to his own philosophical way all definitions of any thing should be universal or universally agreeing to the thing defined where-ever it is found it must be universally affirmed of that thing where-ever it hath a Being Whereas it is discovered that there is a Sign of Sanctification which yet is not so in his sense There are some natural Signs of this of sanctified Seasons separate for holy Services The Heavenly Luminaries were are and will be such Signs There is a notifying testifying-certifying Sign of Sanctification Both these the Weekly Seventh-day Sabbath has been is and will be It doth bespeak Holiness in the Nature and Being in the Name and Thing of it to the due observers of it and therefore doth widely differ from that which is meerly Ceremonial And both these Signs are Signs to all mankind O how special a gift was this Law of the k Seventh day Sabbath A choice favour One of the precious Mercies as to the Law To have all holy Rest even here in and with the LORD For unto this doth it Call To lodge in the bosom and heart of the Messiah O how delightful O how good O how pleasant I now return unto a further passage in a former another from this last Objector The next Particular to be demonstrated is that the new Worship was Typically signified in the figuring Pattern of old So that neither doth this make any change at all upon the weekly Sabbath to make it pass from one day of the Week unto another from the seventh to the first For as for that Typical Figuring Worship which was a part of the Pattern under that Administration in Types Shadows Figures and Rites which was performed on the Seventh-day Sabbath that way of Worship by Sacrifices of Lambs by Meat and Drink offerings Incense and such like as to this part these were perfected and accomplished in and by Christ when born of the Virgin Mary when living dying rising ascending But the Seventh-day Sabbath stands firm as one of the ten Words which are another sort of Laws that do abide for ever This Epistle to the Hebrews doth expresly affirm that the Spiritual Heavenly things of this New Testament of Glory were in the Pattern under the Old The parts of Worship now were then only in a more shadowy figuring manner and therefore you may find the same things as well as words transferred out of the Old into the New Testament Only spiritualized in the new As Priest Propitiatory Altar Sacrifices Offerings Incense and many such like Had this Ingager on the side for the cause of the first Day given instances in any particulars of VVorship in the place where he speaks of new VVorship it might have been discovered that the same was in the Pattern of Old to which Types then the Antitypes now do directly exactly answer If a skilful experienced Believer would write an exact Commentary upon the first second third fourth fifth and sixteenth Chapters of Levitious not now to mention much more in that Book and in Exodus Numbers and Deuteronomy and take off the Veil from them and give forth the true intended spiritual significant meaning of them by a collating of other suitable Scriptures particularly in the New Testament Every spiritual Discerner may quickly see there was Gospel-worship even then only differently for the manner dispensed The Ceremonies of old were Types and Figures and Shadows instituted of Jehovah Aelohim for these ends amongst others to be signifying Seals of the assurance of Christ's coming in the fulness of time to accomplish them and of those good things which Believers had then have now and shall have in after time in and by him whether they were Administrators of holy Things or particular Saints or the Saints generally all of them These were of old Signs and Seals of Regeneration of Justification of Sanctification of Acceptaon of Salvation and of eternal Life they were shadows of good things to come which shadows did continue until the time of correction at the coming of Christ in the Flesh born of the Virgin Mary which Christ was the Body of these things themselves the express form the summary substance of them They were now to pass into the spiritual things signified as those Typical Figuring signifying sealing Ordinances and Institutions of the New Testament Dispensation of Grace Baptism and the Supper of the LORD do really to believing partakers of them represent glorious things and will do so till Christ come to make all things new The forementioned time of correction did then eminently begin when Christ first openly shewed himself to be the same Messiah the same God manifested in the flesh for he was born a Saviour Of whom all the Prophets had foretold And it had still a further progress as he passed further on in his life fulfilling all Righteous Observances as afterwards by his Death and Resurrection The thorough perfection of which time of correction was when he ascended up into the Heavens The Holy of Holies there So that if we speak of God thus manifested in the flesh thus was Redemption Work in the Antitype carried on the complete finishing thereof was upon Christ's going up to his Father from Earth to Heaven For then and not till then was the thorough completed consummation of the Old Testament Administration and then and not till then was the full perfect initiation of the New Testament Dispensation as the Author of this Epistle to the Hebrews doth expresly declare it If men will lay any more stress and weight in their arguing about this to any particular time and day then the very form and the true Existence and real Essence and the consummating Consecration of that Priesthood of Christ which did set an end to and did put down the Aaronical and Levitical Priesthood before which the whole of the Antitypical Work of Redemption so far as it did relate to the Priestly Office of Christ the Mediator between God and Man was not perfectly filled up This doth stand and consist in those things which do belong unto the Ascension of our LORD Jesus Christ into Glory For whilst Christ was on Earth there were other Priests which offered gifts according to the Law of the Pattern who did serve unto the Pattern and Shadow of Heavenly things of Heaven it self and so long Christ had not the former typical Priesthood so unchangeably unpassingly to any other passing into him as the Antitype so long as he remained on Earth he was not such an High Priest as the Author of this Epistle doth plainly word it into which Heaven Christ did therefore ascend to
make a full end of all those Old Testament Types and Figures becoming now the glorious Mediator of the New Testament which is established or legitimated in better Promises The holy Spirit hereby signifying this that the way of this Heavenly Sanctuary the Holy of Holies was not yet made manifest to be perfectly accomplished till Christ ascended there whereby there is evident proof made that the Aaronical Levitical Priesthood being a Type Figure Pattern and Shadow of this Coelestial super-Coelestial Priesthood of Christ did stil stand till then and was not to give way and place as a Type and Figure unto the Antype and Truth until this great High Priest Christ went into Heaven The Birth the Life the Passion the Death the Resurrection the Ascension of Christ have every one of them somewhat peculiar in them as to the Redeeming-work and must all of them be put together for the thorough completing of so good and so gracious so great and so glorious a Work But those who would make the Resurrection-day of Christ to speak that about a pretended change of the weekly Sabbath from the Seventh day to the first should consider that the perfect consummation of this Work in the Antitype was at Christ's ascending up into Glory Then did he Captive Captives unto himself which was done when he thus went up on high which was a part of Redeeming Work The effusion of his holy Spirit was one Fruit of Christ's Ascension thither Into Heaven he went in the name of his people for their good to take possession for them Now hereby was the Heavenly Holy of Holies opened Here did this high Priest intercede for those whom the Father gave unto him The Priests entring into the Holiest was a Type of this yet in some things there was a difference The Typical high Priest of old was to enter in there once every year But Christ entred into Anti-typical Heaven once for all The High Priest of old entred into the Type with the blood of Bulls and of Goats Christ entred into Heaven with his own blood The High Priest appeared of old before the Ark for the people a little while and then came away quickly agen But Christ for ever doth appear before God his Father having hereby obtained Eternal Redemption for those who are his What shall I more say about this To expound the whole of the Old Testament pattern as to the matters of worship and in all the other parts of that Administration and then to apply it in the new how exactly one doth correspond to the other were task enough for a long Life That the shadowy ceremonies and figuring Types of the Old Testament as such that is to say as shadowy ceremonies and figuring Types are done away and leave no obligation of duty upon Believers under this New Testament ministration to observe and perform the outward part of them I would thus demonstrate by Arguments drawn from those Propheties in the Old Testament which do foretel this The LORD Jesus Christ upon his coming in the flesh born of a Virgin was to cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease and thus he bespeaks his Father Sacrifice and Oblation thou wouldest not mine ears hast thou digged open burnt-offering and sin-offering thou askedst not Then said I lo I come in the Roll of the Book it is written of me My God I delight to do thy acceptable will and thy Law is within my Bowels Christ's Ear was digged open it was pierced and became listning to his Father's call and obedient to his Father's voice his Ears were bored by the Father whose servant for ever Christ was the Father fitted a Body to this beloved Son of his preparing and ordaining it to be an ordinary and expiatory sacrifice for the sins of the World it being impossible that ceremonial sacrifices should purge away sins which therefore were now refused as unprofitable and they received their perfection and accomplishment in Christ I argue further from those Scripture Names which are given unto those Rites and Ceremonies whereby their Nature is aptly expressed and significantly described sometimee they are set out by Types as they were under the old to which the Anti-types do directly answer in the New so that the old Types do give place and the new Anti-types do stand in their Room those Types being representing signs as of some spiritual thing signified then so also of some future thing come to pass now which being come to pass as it had a correspondency to the former so also did it do away the external part of that which had before adumbrated it They are in other places called shadows which are obscure representations of somewhat else that was the express form they were a picturing delineation and a well drawn Image of Heavenly things of future good things They were exemplars as so many Images representing of Christ and of his benefits They were a parable or collation an artificial prefiguring narration of somewhat else signified thereby a form of Ritual Worship which served for that time under that administration putting somewhat that was visible before the eyes which yet had a more inward mysterious meaning in it They were fleshy and flesh those external ceremonies and outward works were exercised about outward earthy crass infirm and fading things hence the Laws and commands about them are said to be fleshy precepts injoyning the offering up the flesh of bulls rams and goats they were fleshy rites and one of their signs that of Circumcision was a mark in the flesh The Reader should not here mistake me as if I were in this against all the outward part of Worship now under the New Testament whilst I declare the abolishing of those external sacrifices and outward Rites which were Typical and figuring of old A just respect of outward reverence is due unto Jehovah Aelohim where he doth manifest his gracious presence Here is a duty of veneration to be expressed by outward gesture Although the inward Worship be principally in several respects intended and required yet the outward and bodily part is not excluded but enjoyned also such as elevation of the Eye and palms of the Hands bowing kneeling and the like where meet circumstances of time and place and other parts of the case are fitted for it The LORD made the body of Man to be worshipped and glorified by as well as the Spirit and Soul and Believers have a promise and so are under expectation of having their bodies glorified as well as their spirits and souls in the World and Life to come and if they look for a glorifying reward they should perform a worshiping work though the inward worship be the life of the outward worship yet the outward must be expressive of the inward the one is not complete without the other Where there is only the outward worship without the inward there the worship doth