as touching Circumcision and Sacrifices and the other Commandements of the breach and punishment whereof you say wee read I answer that they were either the very Lawes of Nature or els Lawes given since the Fall and upon that occasion for so was Circumcision and Sacrifices neither of which is the Sabbath Not the Law of Nature as I have said for that is only to sanctify some indefinite time to the service of God as it is likely all those did in that time of nature betweene Adam and Moses where by the way take notice of the necessarines of the Sabbath to be in the nature of a Law for the better performance of Gods solemne worship and not to be left at mans liberty nor is it a Law instituted since the Fall for its roote groweth in Paradice and therefore not of force with either in that time of little light but lay dormant all that while till it pleased God againe to reveale his more solemne worship to his more solemne Church * Nehem 9. 13. 14. And not without good reason too for besides that our rest was lost by our Fall till our deliverer tipified in Moses renewed it unto us the Sabbath was significative in its manner of exhibition for during the time of the Covenant of workes wee see how it was appointed in order after them following the workes foregoing both in the primitive institution from Gods owne example and also in the second exhibition of it to the Israelites to signify and imply our Heavenly Sabbatisme then to be as well the reward of workes as cessation from workes and now the Covenant of Grace is come it is made to precede the working Dayes being celebrated now on the first Day of the Weeke as before on the last to signify that now Heaven is no longer the reward of workes exâ—ept in an Evangelicaâ—â— sence and so wee still rest from our Labours and our Workes follow us now who seeth not a speciall providence like that of Adams not eating of the Tree of Life during his abode in Paradise implied Gen. 3. â—2 in the non ens of the Sabbath during the interim betweene the Fall and Moses which was a time when the World as the Apostle Paul saith was without the Law that is without the Covenant of the Law openly revealed to them as afterwards it was to Israel so in the same sence I may say too it was without the Gospell that is without the Covenant of Grace openly revealed to them as not it is to us because therein it had beene clouded and insignificative Which signification Bishop White * Pag 120 121. doth even now commend to us from the fourth Commandement for saith he it is not now a Cypher but the letter of the commandement figureth representeth and consequently teacheth the leading of an holy and religious life that wee may at last enter the Rest of Heaven Heb. 4. 11. c. Againe I would aske you where you find the breach of Wedlocke found fault withall for their multiplicity of Wives or punishment executed therfore which being no Law of nature but a positive Law appointed in Innocency by God as also was the Sabbath not by instinct but by revelation therefore in those times of darknes were they alike winked at by God for herein they sinned not against any knowne commandement after Adams transgression but of simple ignorance And therfore as the Apostle speaketh Sinne was not imputed when there was no Law Here by the way let mee take in a passage of Dr. Heylins pag. 123. hee sayth that the Iewes thought the Sabbath to be no part of the Morall Law because they brake it by Circumcision as thinking Circumcision to be the older Ceremony and therfore gave precedency to it not because it was of Moses but of the Fathers Nay saith he the Iewes so farre prized the one above the other that by this breaking of the Sabbath they were perswaded verily they kept the Law These things he observes out of that text Iohn 7. 22. Moses saith Christ gave unto you Circumcision not because it was of Moses but of the Fathers and you on the Sabbath Day Circumcise a man that the Law of Moses should not be broken To this I answer 1. That from this text it cannot be gathered that the Iewes thought the Sabbath no morall Law no more then that they can be said to thinke Christs charitable aâ—â— of healing the Sick man to be no morall action because they persecuted him for it or if they did it was their wilfull blindnes For Christ makes it plaine that howsoever Circumcision might and ought as a part of Gods service bee done no doubt on the Sabbath Day when it fell out to be the eighth Day according to the Law that it was their errour so to overvalew Circumcision out of their superstitious respect of Moses who they made the Author of it to them above other Lawes which are both in their Natures higher then that and which also Moses gave them as well as that as wee see in the 19 verse of that Chapter saith Christ there Did not Moses give you a Law and yet none of you keepeth the Law by which is meant the Morall Law which commandeth Charity and Mercy which is above Circumcision and yet you quarrell with mee for observing this Law of Moses or rather of God and yet for all that are your selves so nice in observing the performance of Circumcision for Moses his sake which is so farre inferiour So in the 24 verse he exhorts them to consider it better that if they might and ought to observe the ceremoniall Law on the Sabbath by doing the workes thereof much more ought he to doe the workes of charity thereon which are the duties of the Morall Law 2 By the same rule he affirmes the Iewes not to beleeve the Weekely Sabbath to be a part of the Morall Law he may affirme them not to beleeve the Sabbaths of Yeares to bee any commandement of God at all for a man may say of them in that case as he saith in this that surely had they beleeved them to be the Commandements of God that could not bâ— affirmed of them which hee saith Pag 143. to wit that they were long neglected and almost forgotten if observed at all 3. Neither did they prize Circumcision as the ancienter Ceremony because it was of the Fathers by any thing that can be gathered from that text for it meanes no such thing but the quite contrary For Christ brings these words not because it was of Moses but of the Fathers in the way of Parenthesis in the 22 verse to shew them their errour in setting so high a price upon Circumcision for Moses his sake seeing Moses was not the first founder of it but received it by derivation from the Fathers So that the Iewes blind conceit of Circumcision in comparison of the Sabbath were it so as D r. Heylin alleadgeth detracts no more from the
Creation when they were finished this Conclusion And the Evening and the Morning were the sixth day Besides that it is likely God could not be said to be refreshed on the seventh day and Adam new fallen for whom all things were made and by whom all things were accursed which would have been a displeasure to God and would have taken of his refreshment Broad 3. And therefore it is Morall Answ. Suppose that it had been commanded Consider that there need not any Morall Commandement be given to Adam in the state of Innocency and in the state of Innocency yet would it not follow that this Commandement was Morall for Adam received a Commandement concerning the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill and yet was not that a Morall Commandment Answer To this I answer That all the Commandements which were given in Innoâ—encie were Morall they were both common to all mankinde and perpetuall to all ages * The Jewish â—awes were neither common nor perpetuall but expressely coâ—trary and so was that of the forbidden Tree Though M r. Dâ—w pag. 15. saith he supposeth no man will affirme it And therefore did Eve sinne a particular sinne in eating of it * The woman was first in the transgression and so should conceive whosoever of Adams posteâ—itie had eaten thereof though none but Adam could sin the publicke and Epidemicall sinne because the Covenant was made with him in the day that he should eat thereof c. but with this difference that some of them in Gods intention were proper to that state and were not to be renewed by Christ after the fall of which sort this of the forbidden Tree was one and therefore was Adam thrust out upon his fall by God from having to doe with any thing that is peculiar to that state But other Commandements there were which were intended to remaine as common to man falling or standing by meanes of Christ and of this sort was the created Law of nature in the mind of man the ordinance of marriage and then why not this of the Sabbath For this is most true that whatsoever God giveth as a law afterwards we have no reason to thinke that to be utterly abolished by the fall for from all such things we are kept by the fiery sword never to have commerce with them againe For thus we are utterly deprived of something which in Innocency signified Heaven to shew us our desert and Gods justice And something againe is renewed unto us which likewise did and doth signifie Heaven to manifest our hope and his mercy through Christ. So that then if the Sabbath be not abolished by the fall neither is it abrogated as a Type because not yet fulfilled For the Rest which it did signifie doth yet remaine to the people of God To your marginall note I answer That there was no need of a Morall Commandement to be given so farre as nature was capable but if Gods will extended further as it did in this particular of the Sabbath as I have formerly shewne then it was necessary it should be revealed as positively Morall and part of natures discipline Broad 4. To sanctifie one day in a weeke Answ. Nay rather to sanctifie the seventh day Note God commanded Adam to sanctifie the seventh day Arguments drawne from Gen. 2. Exod. 20. prove it morall perpetuall to sanctifie the seventh day wherein God created and which the Iewes sanctified or nothing ergo it is morall to sanctifie the seventh day is a neerer inference then thus ergo it is Morall to sanctifie one day of the seven or weeke And now if any deny the neerer inference the further of may better be denyed Why I marvell shall the sanctifying of one day of the weeke be rather Morall then of the seventh day What reason can they alleadge of the least moment As for Text of Scripture they can produce none Answer For your full answer to this I refer you backe to your first chapter Were the Sabbath morall naturall then the Iewes Sabbath were to be kept of us Christians but being morall positive it is alterable to the will of the law-giver For nature being one without change to all of necessity prescribeth no binding rule to any in particular but to all in generall No man being able to say This natures Lâ—w commands me to do and yet bâ—nds not another â—o do the like onely with this summary addition That the Sabbath being the Churches perpetuall Type it is to vary according to the constitution of the Church even as the shadow of a man doth according to the disposition of his body or the Sunnes shining The substance of the Commandement and the signification of the Sabbath being still kept inviolate though circumstances alter in this as in other Commandements as hath already been observed in the first Chapter And so it is with us Christians in whose time since the consummation of our redemption by Christs resurrection the last day hath been changed into the first of the weeke only to take in better loading and to fignifie how that by Christ we are assâ—redly possessed of that heavenly Rest even now in this life before our works be ended For whereas formerly by the Covenant of the Law we were to doe this and live now we must first live and then doe Broad ARGVMENT 2. THe Commandement of the Sabbath is placed among the Morall precepts in the Deoalogue therefore it is Morall like unto them Ans. Then must it be wholly Morall and then must the Iewes Sabbath be kept of us Christians Againe the Commandement of the Sabbath is placed among the Ceremoniall prâ—cepts Levit. 23. therefore be like it is ceremoniall like unto them also Answer You doe wrongfully conclude us necessarily to keep the Iewes individuall seventh day from the morality of the Sabbath For though they were bound to observe that order because they were under the Covenant of works like as Adam was when it was given him in Innocency in which time the work of Creation was the thing most worthy commemoration yet notwithstanding we being freed fâ—om the one are likewise freed from the other for as the â—ast day of seven was significative to them so is the first to us So that our new Creation being finished the first day of the weeke it hath priviledged us to sanctifie a new seventh day though an old Sabbath For in this case alteration is no dissolution no more then to adjourne the Parliament to another time is to dissolve it especially considering the Sabbath is not naturally but positively morall And whereas you say That the Sabbath is found in Scripture among the ceremoniall precepts and specially in that Levit. 23. where yet it is spoken of Paramount although because of Analogy it is reckoned amongst them I answer That I deny not but there may be found in Scripture a mixture of morall and ceremoniall Lawes without danger of confounding their natures after they had
therefore for their sakes I have in diverse places inlarged my Booke wherein I have removed those stumbling blockes which seeme to lie in the way of this doctrine of the Sabbath by answering their colourable arguments against it That whereas M r Primerose hath put out another Booke against the Sabbath of later Edition I have also perused it and such things as I found any whit materially to clash de novo against some particulars in this Answer I have particularly answered them not naming him because they are so very few the rest of his Treatise receiving answer herein upon the occasion of other mens Arguments If perhaps you find not every collaterall Argument answered to your mind yet let not that prejudice the maine cause but weigh substances with substances and pull not downe the whole House for the defect of â— Tyle or two Let Circumstances and by-matters have respect accordingly VINDICIAE SABBATHI Broad MAster Breerewood in his Treatise of the Sabbath 1. Nature teacheth to set apart Page 24. 41. some time for the worship of God but not one day in seven nor a whole day neither yet to forbeare all worke in that time as the Israelites were bound to doe on the Sabbath 2 Gods Commandement touching the Sabbath Page 64. 40. 41. was first given in the wildernes it being limited to the Iewes Sabbath only the Iewes Sabbath is vanished and Gods Commandment was not nor could not be translated from the Iewes Sabbath to the Lords day 3 We are bound to keepe the Lords day not by Page 37. any divine Commandement but by the constitution of the Church onely Thus hath Master Breerewood written in his booke and more I doe not write in mine but it will be said yet in answer to an objection he will have the generallity of Gods Commandement to bee morall and perpetuall Answer It is true and I cannot sufficiently marvaile thereat The Objection he frameth against himselfe is this Page 4â— If the old Sabbath vanished and Gods Commandement was limited and fixed to that day only then is one of Gods Commandements perished Hereunto to hee answereth that the generality of that Commandement is a Law of nature and remaineth The law of Nature touching the sanctiâ—ying of some time and Gods command touching the sanctâ—fying of the seventh day were two divers lawes The one a generall law only the other a speciall law only But if there bee a generallity of that commandement how was that commandement limited and fixed to the Sabbath only Further hee should have considered that the like may as well be said of the precepts of Holy-dayes Nature teacheth to have some times of vacancy for one reason God appointed the Sabbath to be a time of vacancy for other reasons the holy-dayes Shall not the law of nature now be the generall of all these precepts indifferently as well of the precepts of the holy-dayes as of the precepts of the Sabbath Answer In this thing I must take Master Breerewoods part against you for hereby is the morall * Dâ—r Heylin quoteth the schoolem n Patt 2. pag. 163. saying that the fourth Commandement is placed in the Decalogue in quantuâ—â— est preceptum morale et naturale that is say they Quantum â—d hoc quod homo depu tet â—â—â—uod tempus vitâ—e sâ—â— ad vac 〈◊〉 diâ—iâ—is pag. 162 So Bishop White maketh the Law o Nature to be involved in the 4 th Commandement pag. 121. and is still obli gaâ—â—y to the worlds end Pag. 1â—0 law of God kept entire without a mayme which is very requisite seeing that the Decalogue is granted to be an explanatory reinforcing of the law of entire Nature imprinted in us by creation but much defacedby our fall and being honoured with those eminences of priority signes of perpetuity immediatly from God himselfe upon Mount Sinai Such as were his twice writing them with his owne finger * Touching this priority of Gods own writing them see how emphatically it is expressed by God himselfe Exod. 24. 12. in way of suâ— ereminency by vertue of that â—râ—viledge to those which Moses had written a little before ver 4 Moreover also sâ—e this difference lively intimâ—ed by Moses Deut. 4. 13 where he maketh the Covenâ—nt to consist in the ten Commandements written by God himselfe and speakes in the following verse in way of dimination of the other lawesin comparison of them calling them statutes and judgements which were 1. taught by him and secondly to be observed in the land whither they went to possesse it and voted also by his Spirit through the mourth of Moses to bee the Tenne Commandements 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Deut. 4. and put into the Arke as perpetuall rules for the Catholique Church whereof it was a Type None of all which Prerogatiues was the Ceremoniall law crowned withall for that it was as a vanishing shadow sutable only to the Hemispheare of those times But the decalogue being the very Law of Nature explained and redelivered must as well now as ever have for its substance a generall ayme at all men though in some circumstances it may bee more peculiar to the Iewes then others by reason of the time place and people to whom it was renewed Like as almost all other Scripture is for substance common and for circumstances proper because they were most an end written occasionaly Put case then that this Commandement was given onely to the Iewes as you affirme and so were abrogatiue yet may the Law of Nature bee well presupposed and included in it as you your selfe afterwards acknowledge it is in your 8. Chapter in the answer you give there to the fifth opinion for who knowes not that in those ten words much more is meant then manifested So that if so it be granted that the Law of Nature and this Law bee not the same in all points yet are they not two divers lawes but the same in substance And thus much in effect Master Breerewood affirmes in his second Tract pag. 3. Morall saith he is that which pertaineth to manners 1. Either by the instinct of Nature as belonging to the inward Law written in our hearts or Secondly by the instruction of Discipline as being of the outward Law pronounced of God as that of observing the seventh Day so that it may beetermed Naturall as being not of the institution of Nature but of the disciplining of Nature Not of Nature as it wâ—s fâ—rst ordained of God but as after informed by him For indeed this fourth Commandement both as it was at first instituted in Paradise and now revived on Mount Sinai is but the law of Nature explained and enlarged according to the will of God in this particular for reasons and uses whereof created nature was not capable but by revelation And what though the Law of nature bee the generality as well to the precepts of the Iewish holydayes as of the Sabbath this shewes the superexcellency of the
Sabbath above them therefore and its equality with nature seeing God makes use of it so especially to exhibite the commandement of nature by amongst the Lawes thereof But now in that opinion wherein you and Master Breerewood jumpe I must differ from you both to wit that now onely the generall Law of nature remaines which is that some time is to bee sanctified to Gods worship and that this fourth commandement which you call Gods speciall commandement is utterly abrogated For as for the Law of nature which consisteth onely in an indefinite sequestring of some time to the service of God it comes infinitely short of that compleatnes and solemnity of time which our necessity requireth and which God deserveth at our hands and which if hee may bee his owne spokesman hee commandeth also Indeed to set apart some time as perhaps an houre in a Day or some such like time for prayer or meditation it may bee nature or conscience would affirme it requisite but to set a part so much time and in so solemne manner as it seemes God lookes for and our state requires neither nature nor conscience will so prompt us either now or as I thinke in innocency And therefore as I may well conclude that that first institution of God concerning the Sabbath was rather a supply to nature then any Law in nature which our Antisabbatarians unnecessarily labour to disprove * Though I must say of some argumâ—nts of some former Writers of this subject of the Sabbath who not then finding opposition which hath beene an ordinary meanes in the course of Gods providence for the more diligent inquisition after the truth of God and happy discovery thereof as Hierome saith of the Fathers How that before Arrius rose up They delivered some things innocently yet lesse varily and such as cannot avoid the calumny of peâ—verse persons and superadded of God after created nature by immediate and speciall revelation So I have just cause to beleeve that this was for many speciall and perpetuall respects For left God his solemne and publicke worship to have beene arbitrarily ordered by nature and not have by himselfe determined a speciall time therefore it would have falne out very crosse to Gods intentious either being slenderly and seldomely performed or at least very confusedly and disjoyntedly seeing that so many men have so many mindes and so many severall and various occasions which by man would never have beene determined at once to have kept so solemne and compleat a portion of time as it seemes God expected especially seeing nature never suggested it if God by an over-ruling mandat had not put it past posse and velle * As he did the eating of the Passeover though a man were in a journey or were uncleane by a law made Numb 9. which hee who is not the God of confusion wisely foresaw and prevented So that though some time even by nature is taught to bee set apart for Gods worship which I deny not yet I say that this is more private and personall not so solemne and publicke as God would have it and therefore may bee arbitrary without disorder and distraction which the other cannot if left to mans free-will and therefore is purposely revealed of God and is no law innate in nature because of the reason aforesaid for nature doth not discerne of numbers or why God should chose to be worshipped on the seventh day rather then on the eight or ninth but a commandement on the by of equall force antiquity and perpetuity with nature prescribed as a rule coincident with nature for the Church of God in all ages to imitate And to this purpose speakes Marius Marius in Gen. 2. Since saith hee it is the Law of nature that some time bee peculiarly insinuated for the worship of God it was meete that that should bee determined by a positive Law But against this it will be objected Why might not time as well as place bee left to the disposition and authority of Man to appoint seeing that time and place bee alike necessary in nature to all actions I answer Answ. time and place are in nature alike necessary to all actions in genere but so is not this or that particuler time or place save where by positive Law it is made so God did appoint the seaventh day for solemne worship and left all places at liberty till it pleased him to designe one onely place for Sacrifice-worship under the Law the necessity whereof being now abrogated by the Gospell the place is left to choyce One time may agree to all the world for worship but so cannot one place Againe it will be objected Obj. that Bishop White pag. 33. layeth it downe as an essentiall Character that Lawes and Preceps meerely positively morall oblige onely the Persons or State or Nation and Republike upon which they are imposed by the Lawgiver or to whom they are published by a legall promulgation So pag. 38. If it be a precept meerely positive it can oblige those people onely upon whom it was imposed Also pag. 77. hee saith flatly that although the seaventh day Sabbath had not beene a legall Ceremony yet if it were onely a positive morall precept the obligation hereof ceased under the Gospell So that by this rule the Sabbath should not bee of universall obligation being onely positively morall To all which himselfe gives the Answer pag. Answ. 27. where hee saith Lawes positive are common and generall either for all mankind as the Law of Polygamy and Wedlocke with in some degrees mentioned or els for one nation Republicke or Community of people So that wee see through forgetfulnesse his Character doth not hold but that a positive morall Law may bee perpetuall and universall as well as nationall of which sort we have reason to reckon the Sabbath because it and the Law of Polygamy which hee instanceth in were Twins both brought forth in the state of Adams innocency Broad I praise God for the comming forth of Master Breerewoods booke The difference is in â— manner onely verball for wee both hold that the generall law of nature remaineth and againe that Gods speciall Commandementis abrogated for though there bee some difference betweene us yet meane Schollers are able to judge of it might I have spoken with him I doubt nothing but that wee should soone have accorded in lesse then an houâ—es space Answer I could wish you had perused Master Richard Byfields reply to Master Breerewoods booke before you had sent abroad this Manu-script that so you might have thanked God for that which had beene thanke worthy But that you may not bee a stranger to him I will bee bold to bring you acquainted by putting you the oftner in mind of him in this my Answer Touching the substance of your difference mentioned in the Margin I have already spoken to it and shall have more occasion as I goe along Broad I published not long since a
Apostles themselves observed the Lords day weekely or Sabbatically and not monthly or yearely as were the Iewes Sabbaths and Holy-dayes but in relation to the fourth commandement one in seaven as knowing it to bee a perpetuall rule not a temporary and vanishing ordinance which pertained to the bondage and servitude of weake and beggerly Rudiments of which the Apostle here onely speakes And as it was farre from the Apostles thought to reckon any of the ten commandements as a weake and beggerly Rudiment so let it bee abhorred of all Christian hearts and eares But may some say Obj. is not the signification of the Sabbaths institution abrogated by Christs resurrection and the comming of the Lords day The Sabbath is altered not abrogated Answ. and the signifâ—cation subordinated not annulled being instituted upon an universall and perpetuall reason for the Sabbath was no proper Iewish type but the Churches type in that wherein it was typicall as wee may see in the fourth Hebr. 9. There remaineth therefore Sabbatismus a Sabbath-rest to the people of God which words Willet in 2. Gen. saith conclude that both the type remaineth that is a Sabbatisme and the signification of the type everlasting rest And as you may further see 12 Matth. 8. in these words The Sonne of man is Lord even of the Sabbath-day which words compared with the verses foregoing shew that the Sabbath is of a ceremonious nature for Christ there rankes it among things ceremoniall in a ceremoniall sense but with a note of inequality as it is implyed in that word Even of the Sabbath-day and is as the rest of the morall Law of equall continuance with the Church which for this cause was reviued to the Iewes because at that time they were the onely Israel and Church of God but now translated to us under the Gospell the partition wall being broken downe with an alteration of circumstance according to the season as Isay was prophecied in the foreâ— quoted place of Isa. 65. 17. And whereas Doctor Heylyâ— part 2. pag. 27. saith That it is not probable that the Apostle Paul who so opposed himselfe against the Sabbath would erect a new this had not beene saith hee to abrogate the ceremony but to change the day I answer that by the comming of Christ some things suffered alteration as well as others abrogation wherefore the Apostles were to preach onely the abrogative types and ceremonies to bee abrogated of which sort I prove the Sabbath to bee none and according to the nature of the new creation to alter the other of which sort the Sabbath was and therefore suffered subordination not abrogation And therefore hath the Scripture recorded it to us 〈◊〉 the name of the first day of the weeke or the first day of seaven before it stile it the Lords day in a sâ—gnificant opposition to the old antiquated last day of the weeke I will conclude this Answer with Master Hookers authority who was a confident maintainer of the morality of the fourth commandement as you may see in his Eccles. Pol. pag. 377. who speaking upon this place of the Galath Hooker saith That for as much as the Law of the Iewes by the comming of Christ was changed and wee thereunto no way bound Saint Paul although it were not his purpose to favour invectives against the speciall sanctification of dayes and times to the service of God and to the honour of Iesus Christ doth notwithstanding bend his forces against that opinion which imposed on the Gentiles the yoake of Iewish legall observations as if the whole World ought for ever and that upon paine of condemnation to keepe and observe them such as in this perswasion hallowed the Iewish Sabbaths the Apostle sharply reproveth saying yee observe dayes and monthes and times and yeares c. Thus you see how Master Hookers opinion was concerning this text of Paul onely to cry downe those obsolete Iewish observations and nothing lesse then to impeach the authority of the fourth commandement or the Lords day as you may plainely discerne by turning over leafe to pag. 378. where hee layeth downe three sorts of holy times thus saith hee Hooker It pleased God heretofore to exact some part of time by way of perpetuall homage never to bee dispenced withall nor remitted againe to require some other parts of time with as strict exaction but for lesse continuance and of the rest which were left arbitrary to accept what the Church should in due consideration consecrate voluntarily unto religious uses Of the first kind amongst the Iewes was the Sabbath-day Of the second those feastes which were appointed by the Law of Mosâ—s The Feast of Dedication invented by the Church standeth in the number of the last kind The morall Law requiring therefore a seaventh part throughout the age of the World to bee that way imployed although with us the day bee changed in regard of a new revolution begun by our Saviour Christ yet the same proportion of time continueth which was before because of reference to the benefit of creation and now much more of renovation thereunto added by him which was Prince of the World to come wee are bound to account the sanctification of one day in seaven a duty which Gods immutable Law doth exact for ever Thus you have Master Hookers opinion both of this text of the Gal. The morality of the fourth commandement the perpetuity of the Sabbath and the authority of the Lords-day Broad A little leaven leaveneth the whole lumpe Gal. 5. 9. Chrysost. on Gal. Why but they retained the Gospell onely they would have brought in a Iewish rite or two and yet the Apostle saith that thereby the Gospell is subverted to shew how but a little thing being untowardly mingled marreth all Luther on Gal. 2. Paul had note here his owne busines in hand but a matter of faith Now as concerning faith wee ought to bee invincible and more hard if it might bee then the Adamant stone but as touching charity wee ought to bee soft and more flexible then the reed or leafe shaken with the wind and ready to yeeld to every thing Broad A treatise of the Sabbath FOr as much as I know not whether taking my booke in hand thou mindest to read it over to the end I have therefore thought good by way of prevention in the beginning to let thee understand that howsoever there bee difference in opinion among the Godly learned yet they all for ought I know agree in this namely that the Lords-day had his beginning in the time of the Apostles and being of so great antiquity so generally received and so profitable to the Church of Christ that it ought to be observed of thee according to the practice of good Christians from time to time and the godly lawes of our most Christian governour living at this present I charge thee therefore as thou wilt answer it before Gods judgement â—ear that thou dost not take occasion hence to spend
the Lords-day more licentiously and so to dishonour God the more when thou hast more cause to honour and praise his holy name If thou dost know assuredly that the Son hath not yet made thee free for none dare wilfully abuse our liberty purchased by Christ unlesse themselves doe still continue the very bond slaves of sinne and Sathan Answer Your admiration is worthy commendation for it is the part of every honest man to preserve the practise of piety and especially in this point of the Sabbath in the which God so often in Scripture involueth the summe of all Religion and indeed it is Gods and the Churches ancient Land-marke which being removed opens a gappe to all licentiousnes and that being once let in which is so much thirsted after by the ignorant and common people then farewell all Religion For as Doctor Denison notes upon the 13. Neh. 2. That where the Sabbath is not sanctified there is neither sound Religion nor a Christian conversation to bee expected as hee is quoted by Edward Chetwin D. D. and Deane of Bristow in his second Edition of the straight gate and narrow way to life Pag. 90. Who himselfe saith in the same page that the prophaning the holy Sabbath of God for so hee termes it is contrary to Gods morall precept still in power And therefore if you have Faith I wish you would have taken Saint Pauls advice and have had it to your selfe in this point For how you will preserve the duties of the Sabbath * Read Master Richard Bifields 13. chap. against Master Breerewoods like protestation and yet with the same breath cry downe the authority of the Sabbath and how you will maintaine solemne worship without solemne time which God ever allotted to that end I see not nor you know not And therefore what you weakely endeavour to build up with one hand you powerfully pull downe with the other for an errour in Doctrine especially tending to libertinisme is likelier to take place among men where alwayes the greater part is the worse then a bare perswasion tending to restriction It is as if a man should let slip a Grayhound at an Hare and then command him to ly downe at his foote And therefore you might have done well like a good Physitian first to have applied that receit how that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lumpe upon your selfe before you had prescribed it unto others But to prevent the spreading of this poisonous leaven I am desirous to give you a timely opposition by contending for the truth Broad CHAP. I. 1. What day God sanctified in the beginning GOd having finished the creation in sixe dayes rested on the seaventh day and was refreshed Gen. 2. Exod. 31. whereupon hee blessed the seaventh day and sanctified it The day which God sanctified in the beginning was the seaventh and no other even as the day wherein hee commanded the Israelites to kill the passeover was the fourteenth day and no other of the first month the one is as expressely set downe as the other and the reasons wherefore God sanctified the seaventh day The reason of the Sabbaths institution vanished as a shadow with the shadow and commanded the Israelites to kill the passeover on the fourteenth day of the first month are alike unchangeable For as it cannot bee that the Angell should passe over the Israelites houses on any other day of the fourteenth so neither can it bee that God should rest on any other day Answer It is no doubt but the seaventh day was the day that God onely rested on and sanctified to a different use from the rest of the dayes for having imployed these in creating things necessary for mans corporall good hee designes him this day for his spirituall benefit and his owne speciall glory whereas it is alleadged by some Bishop White pag. 42. Doctor Heylyn pag. 10. That God imposed no other Law on Adam then that of the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge To this I answer 1. That there was another Law imposed upon him even in innocency as appeares Gen. 2. 24. to wit the Law of having but one wife and loving her 2. That this Law of the Sabbath was a Law not of the nature of the other where on his estate depended but a Law of indulgence whereto hee both should and would readily have confented because of the blessing and benefit which should have redounded to him thereby had hee continued in in innocency and not lost himselfe and it before And questionlesse there was no other reason why hee that could have made all the World in a moment should yet contrive and spin out the worke of creation into sixe dayes space but onely to this end that hee might give an example to mankind which was then in Adam for ever to set a part the seaventh day to his more speciall and solemne worship And the reason of Gods resting from the creation why it is annexed as a reason of the commandement is because at that time there was no better thing nor greater commodity no nor any greater worke for God to rest from or thing wherein God was more seene then in the creation And therefore was the Sabbath appointed on that day having the honour to conclude the creation in memory of Gods goodnes to man and upon occasion of his refreshment therein till a greater good should befall him and a worke wherein God should bee more glorified and then that reason to bee subordinated not annulled because the creation still remaineth as a lesse good even unto us under the Gospell but as the Law is to the Gospell or the old Testament to the new or as the Prophets were to the Apostles and Ministers not in the sense as the ceremonies were to Christ to receive an absolute expiration the one by the other for it was of no such shadowish nature and yet not so unchangeable but that it is as well subject to subordination upon occasion as the Iewes deliverance out of Egypt was to their after deliverance out of Babylon For man was more happy and God as I may say more refreshed in ceasing from the worke of our redemption then of our creation And therefore is Anno Mundi worthily changed into Anno Domini And the name of the Sabbath into the Lords-day For denominatio omnis fit a majori And for this cause although in relation to our redemption wee celebrate the first day of the weeke for order yet it is the creation that makes this first day to bee the seaventh in number and good reason For seeing God in the creation divided time into the revolution of seaven how can or dare any that knowes the creation breake the order of time by God established and thinke of another division as of 6. or 8. c. seeing from the beginning it was not so especially seeing it was purposely done of God for the Sabbaths sake who els could have finished the creation in the twinckling
of an eye which solemne contrivement sure was not to create a Iewish abrogative type and therefore is accordingly observed under the Gospell onely mutatis mutandis But to come to that which you would inferre which is that onely the last day of the seaven is to bee kept Sabbath I answer First that in respect of the point of time I thinke I need not bee large to prove the variation of it For I thinke it will be granted upon this one instance 10. Ios. 13. how that the Sabbath was not alwayes observed answerable to the first institution in respect of the point of time for that by the Suns standing still the weeke was lengthened beyond its due proportion Doctor Heylin pag. 48. alleadgeth that a man travailing the World Westward may lose a whole day now what shall that man doe at his returne saith hee if to sanctify one day in seaven bee morall I answer first Let him tell mee what a Iew should have done in that case when the Sabbath was confessedly obligatory and so should that man doe now Secondly I answer that though things that are morall by nature because they bind alwayes and in all places alike are ever the same Yet things that are morall onely by Discipline admit variety through exigency of time and occasion Thus it was lawfull for Adams immediate posterity to conjugate with their consanguinity which now the exigency of those times being over is utterly unlawfull by disciplinary morality Nay nature her selfe being disciplined from the alteration of time and variety of choyce now abhorres it as utterly undecent so the man that having in his lawfull calling of merchandizing lost a day and had during his travell in his particuler practise rent from the Church in her computation of time without a schisme being lawfully necessitated thereunto by the course of nature may as lawfully at his returne reduce himselfe againe unto the conformity and practise of the Church to avoid a wilfull rent and disorder like as they that were in a journey were to keepe the Passeover on a different time by themselves from the Church of the Iewes but at their returne they were to returne to the Churches observation Secondly but in regard of the order which I thinke you labour to maintaine to wit that the Sabbath ought to bee the last and not the first day of the weeke or else not to bee at all To that I answer that some reasons and circumstances even in the morall Law are occasionall and so changeable and yet the substance of the commandement is perpetuall and immutable * And as one well observes Diverse positive lawes which are morall perpetuall and bind all men in their generations though they bee firme and immutable in themselves and in their obligation yet because the duties of obedience which they impose upon men and the men upon whom the duties are imposed are in their state and condition mutable and changeable and the changes and alterations of things commanded in times places and other relations and respects doe not at all change the Law nor prove it ceremoniall and changeable As for instance the Law of beleeving in Christ is firme and unchangeable from the first promise that was made of him and yet the duty which hee requires is changeable and is changed now under the Gospell from that it was under the Law in circumstance for they were to beleeve in Christ to come but we as come for the changing of the day now since Christ does not make vâ—id but establish the Law of the Sabbath As in the first commandement where Israels corporeall deliverance is now changed into Israels ghostly deliverance So in the fifth commandement the land of Canaan is properly the land meant which had that promise belonging to it But now it is enlarged to all that in the feare of God obey that commandement throughout the World So this commandement had the reason of Gods resting from the creation occasionally affixed unto it because that then the creation was Gods greatest and eminentest worke and being occasionall and appointed for commemoration was therefore changeable whensoever he should rest from a greater worke that better deserved commemoration then that And yet the substance of the commandement remaineth unalterable which substance or unalterable part of the commandement consisteth in the number as seaven is opposed to all othâ—r numbers and not in the order But may some say Obj. those allegations out of the first and fift commandements hold not paralel with this reason of the fourth commandement because they were onely given in the time of the Iewes but this was from the beginning I answer both the one and the other was given for the Churches sake Answ. and therefore alterable according to Gods good pleasure and the state of the Church But you will further object When doe you find any thing altered that was as this is from the beginning I answer I find the curse which was annexed to the fall of man to bee taken away and brought under by the death and resurrection of Christ And well then may the reason of the then Sabbath bee altered by it when the curse is annulled it being the Churches type or ceremony and that thing changed wherein the ceremony consisted to wit the order from last to first according to the different state of the Church Like as it may bee supposed of the Iewes when they came to bee a sedentary Church they altered their gesture from standing to sitting but still retained the Passeover So wee still retaine the substance of the fourth commandement though wee have altered the ceremony which was grounded upon Gods example And now God having given us another example of another rest upon another day wee imitate his example and still keepe his commandement by observing the number but altering the order For indeed as by Gods ordination and disposition the Law and Sabbath goe together so they fare alike for the Law was to continue in the nature of a covenant till Christ came and so the Sabbath on the last day who bâ— fulfilling the righteousnes of the one did inherite the rest of the other being annexed thereunto and entailed thereupon whereof man failed by his fall and thereupon changed the natures of both subordinating the Law to the Gospell making it in stead of a cause procuring life to bee a rule and an effect of life and grace received and so the last day Sabbath to the first changing rest by workes into working by rest A happy change if wee make not our selves unhappy by allowing a rest to the Law but none to the Gospell for whereas before wee held by a tenure of feare our happines being all in the future for wee were all our life long to doe this and then to live now wee hold by the tenure of faith and our happines is in present for saith the Apostle Hebr. 4. 3. wee which have beleeved doe enter into rest according to
morality of the Sabbath being a meere misprision then it did from Christs act of Charity from being a morall action which may serve a caution not to make the Iewes superstitious practises and blind conceits a rule and argument to regulate our doctrine and manners by in this particuler of the Sabbath which is too much leaned upon by some D r. Heylin for one who in the beginning of his booke layeth downe this Maxime that wee can have no better Schoolemaster in the things of God then the continuall and most constant practice of those famous men that have gone before Amongst which famous men hee brings in the Iewe in their ignorant and superstitious practices to overthrow Gods cleare precepts and either shut out the light of the word to wrest it to his owne and other misguidance as he doth the text aforesaid which may yet bee further seene in the third mistake which hee makes in the interpretation of those words of Christ in the 23 verse because I have made a man every whit whole on the Sabbath Day which pag 121. he makes to be spoken by Christ in his owne defence in reference to the healing circumstances that accompanied their worke of Circumcision that if they might breake the Sabbath in healing the party hurt by Circumciâ—ion so might he whereas it is spoken by Christ in opposition to the greevous and hurtfull nature of their action for having formerly magnified his worke above theirs from the cause in that his worke was an act of obedience to the Morall Law and theirs but to the â—eremoniall here he magnifieth it also from the effect in that his was an action of Mercy restoring to perfect health and easing of greevous paine a man that was wofully bedrid and theirs an action of bloud procuring torment For where in all the Scriptue do you find the healing part of Circumcision I meane carnally meant or spoken of I will conclude in advice to such Expositors both as touching their opinion of the Sabbath and expounding Scripture as Christ did to the Iewes concerning this matter in the 24 verse Iudge not according to appearance but Iudge righteous Iudgement Now whereas you say that this Commandement of the Sabbath was first given to the Israelites when they were delivered out of Egypt by the hand of Moses intimating hereby as if it should be a Iewish Type and Ceremony and as if it should have reference to Christ after the manner of their other abrogative Ceremonies To this I answer That all the rest of the Morall Law was given them upon their deliverance as well as the Sabbath And I doe thinke indeed that God did purposely take that occasion the better to signifie their spirituall deliverance by the concurrence of those things both by bringing them out of their Egyptian darkenes and at the same time making the Sun-shine of his Law which had been so ecclypsed ever since the fall afresh to rise upon them But that the Law of the Sabbath received then a new Institution is no way probable but only a renewed one as did the rest of the Morall Law into which it is incorporated and with which it was a shareâ— in the breach that Adam made * And so was coequall or contemporary with it in the reparation And as may also appeare by the tenour of the Commandement it self which for substance is nothing else but the first institution largely repeated only being better explained to the understandings and suted to the condition of those people Nor againe is the Sabbath a Iewish Type as appeares from the difference of their significations for the Typs of the Iewes primarily and principally had relation to the State of the Church on Earth under the time of the Gospell * Their Types were promises which have their impletion with us being shadowes of good things to come in the dayes of the Gospell and secondarily or remotely to its State in Heaven but now the Sabbath had an immediate and proper respect to Heaven being Gods rest as appeares both in the manner of Gods exhibiting it in the wildernes as you may see in due place and in the 4. Heb. But if it be objected that Canaan is a Iewish Type Obi. and that Canaan and the Sabbath signify both of them one and the same rest in that 4. Heb. I answer They do signifie the same rest but in different respects Answ. for Canaan properly there signifieth the Rest which wee here enjoyed on Earth through the Gospell and improperly or analogically the Rest of Heaven relating only thereto as True to perfect as Beatitudo viae to Beatitudo patriae but the Sabbath properly signifieth the rest that God rested in Heaven from his worldly workes and which now by beleeving wee shall rest with him there and improperly signifies the Gospell-rest here on Earth relating only to it as Perfect relates to True as Beatitudo Patâ—iae relates to Beatitudo viae by vertue of our exchanged condition for what the Law could not give that is any present Rest but all in future that Faith as a Gospell-priviledge procures us So that wee which doe beleeve doe enter into Rest even this Heavenly Rest inchoatively The summe of the Apostles meaning there being thus much that Israel according to to the letter not knowing the way of the Lord chap. 3. ver 10. but cleaving to the Law which was the ministration of death graven in stones that is a weake and dead letter 2. Cor. 3 7. and the ministration of condemnation ver 9. forsaking the way of faith and the Gospell which is the ministration of the spirit of Power 2. Cor. 3. 8. and of righteousnes ver 9. they therefore lost through unbeleife both the spirituall Rest on Earth typified by the temporall rest of Canaan which is the rest and tranquility of the Soule entred into by faith justifying us and procuring us Peace with God which should have redounded to them by the Preaching of the Gospell see the 2 and 6 of this 4. Heb. and also the Rest and Sabbath in in Heaven which God himselfe rested and signified on the seaventh Day after his worldly workes were finished which should have ensued and followed thereupon see the later part of the 3. and 4. verses whereof wee that are Gods spirituall Israel that doe beleeve are possessed already both vertually in our high Priest Christ Iesus vers 14. and personally in our selves by being partakers of this Gospel-rest through faith on Earth which essentially conduces or relates to the Sabbath-rest in Heaven compare the beginning and the ending of the 3. verse Like as 5. Matth. 6. they are said for present to bee blessed that but hunger and thirst after righteousnes and what 's the reason why saith Christ they shall bee filled Christ meanes they are entred into such an estate as doth give them right and will bring them to full blessednes They are therefore for present truly blessed because they shall bee fully blessed
So here in this 4. Hebr. this Gospel-rest and Sabbath-rest are interwouen being continuous and of the same nature relating one to another as true and perfect doe So that I say the Apostle meanes that God sware that for their unbeleefes sake they should not tast nor partake neither his rest on Earth in the Land of Canaan flowing with milke and hony and where with reioycing hearts they should liberally have eaten the good things of the Land idest the rest of the Gospell making their soules flow with the milke and hony of peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost and wherein are bid to come and eate that which is good and to drinke the wine on the lees and to fill themselves with marrow and fat things the spirituall Israel of God Neither that rest by which God himselfe rested from his works of creation verse 4. and which they also should have rested with him in Heaven when all things were or should bee finished by consummation verse 3. as once they were by perfection By their unbeleefe they made themselves uncapable both of the rest of Christ here who should have led their soules into a land of uprightnes flowing with the milke and hony of righteousnes peace and joy in the holy Ghost and of the rest of God hereafter that everlasting rest and Sabbath which they should have held with him in Heaven resting from their workes as hee did from his They should partake neither the one nor the other neither Christs rest nor Gods indeed no rest at all neither temporall spirituall nor eternall neither Canaans rest nor the Gospels rest nor the Sabbaths rest For verse 3. God sware in his wrath that they should nor enter into his rest no not although the works were finished from the foundation of the World neither beginning nor end lesse nor more first nor last of his rest should they tast or partake of by the works of the Law refusing the righteousnes of God by faith For hee inlargeth his enraged malediction from one part to the whole rest And thus much Mayer expresseth in short in his exposition of the 12. and 13. verses of this 4. Hebr. saying that those words cohere with the former thus Let us take heed that wee perish noâ— for want of beleeving the word being deprived of inward rest and peace here and shut out from the eternall rest hereafter For the word of God is full of life c. And here note by the way from those words although the workes were finished from the foundation of the World in the third verse how the Sabbath keeps and is expressed in its supereminency which it had before in its preferment to a place among the 10. commandements and precedency of rest in the wildernes for what doe they signifie but that they should not partake of his last and greatest rest hereafter with himselfe in heaven no more then of his lesse and present rest of Canaan and the Gospell Likewise also it appeaâ—es â—o bee no Iewish type from the different relations they had to Christ For the Iewish types did relate to him properly as the shadow to the body being created for his sake but the Sabbath as the Law accidentally to bee fulfilled and accomplished by him because they had miscarried by us And in this doth the supereminency of the Sabbath appeare in that Christ for himselfe as well as for us is a sharer in this types signification For in respect of this rest is hee said to sit now at Gods right hand by which gesture signifying rest is intimated as well his resting from the labours and paines hee underwent here as any other thing for whereas hee had the evill and wee the good of other types of this hee tasteth the sweet as well as wee And therefore hee saith to his Disciples If yee loved me yee would rejoyce because I goe to my Father Indeed Christ onely inherited the last day Sabbath according to the first covenant and hath left the first day Sabbath for us to inherite by the second covenant But you will say Obi. surely there cannot chuse but bee somewhat in it that the Sabbath was instituted by Moses upon the occasion of Mannah as it appeares in the 16. of Exod. before God gave the morall Law on mount Sinai I acknowledge Ans. though the Sabbath bee of a transcendent nature to the other types yet as all other things so also the Sabbath hath reference to Christ in regard of the state of the Church since the fall For as now the whole morall Law is fulfilled by Christ for us and therefore was given upon their deliverance out of their Egyptian bondage so also is the Sabbath in its celestiall signification made good to us now by a new accomplishment to wit onely by Christ Hee it is now that doth onely make us righteous in the sight of God and hee also it is that now alone maketh us partakers of the rest of God For as they were to enjoy and feed upon Mannah in Heaven with rest so they were to have this rest by Mannah id est Christ. And therefore I confesse that there is very much matter in it that thus the Sabbath doth precede the giving of the Law * There was almost nothing that befell the Israelites in the time of their being in the wildernes but it was typicall like as there was in Gods giving the promise to Abraham before circumcision Rom. 4. 11. * And indeed they should have made that use of this order of the Sabbath being instituted upon Mannah before the giving of the Law That the law which was to follow did not frustrate the promise of salvation and life which long before was made in Christ Gal. 3. 17 18. and therefore followed as conducing to it which went before but that the same rest or eternall Sabbatisme which should have beene by the Law is now to bee had by Christ. and doth also follow so immediatly the gathering of Mannah and that a double portion of Mannah for hereby is signified how that now our heavenly rest is not procured by our owne righteousnes of the Law though once it was annexed to it but that hee onely who by faith doth gather and lay up a large proportion of Christ shall certainely have this Sabbatisme of everlasting rest in Heaven succeed unto him See Rom. 5. 17. and for the very selfe same cause it is that now our Sabbath is celebrated after the day of Christs resurrection See also Doctor Taylor in his Christ revealed pag. 268. where hee saith that Mannah fell on the evening of the Sabbath in a double quantity signifying the double diligence that wee must use to get Christ while wee are in this life which is as the even of our eternall Sabbath And that upon condition of our diligence and care here below wee shall have supply enough of all grace without labour and gathering when Christ shall bee all in all to all
I meane lawfull though Christ had not commanded it being necessary because happily hee had never a one else being a poore man to ly on at night Or els in his absence his bed might have beene wronged or stolne * See paâ—alell to this Matth. 9. 6. And put case hee had left it and in his absence it had beene stolne and hee meeting the theife the theife threw it downe and runne away might not hee in your opinion have then taken it up and carried it home And why then might not hee lawfully carry it home before to prevent stealing as after it was stolne And wee have reason to beleeve it to bee commanded by Christ to one of these ends For it is like hee was poore or had no body to watch it nor yet to carry it for him for then hee might have had some man to have put him into the Poole when the water was troubled but hee had none In like case I appeale to your opinion whether you thinke it a breach of the Sabbath for a Iew in his Sabbath-dayes journey finding a cloake-bagge or a bagge of money to take it up and carry it away least if hee leave it there till the next day to avoide carriage on the Sabbath another that hath as little right to it as hee find it and carry it for him Secondly I answer that Christ neither could nor did command him to breake the Sabbath or prophane it First I say hee could not for that tye which the Law hath upon us by the condition of our nature because wee are borne under it it had upon Christ by the condition of his office and voluntary susception because hee was made under it So that it behoved him to fulfill all righteousnes And therefore hee is said in that respect to have beene obedient to his parents though hee were not onely the Son of Mary but the Lord of Mary Therefore when Scripture denieth all sin to have beene in him it implieth that hee was exactly conformable to the Law in doing all that it requires and in leaving undone all that it forbids Secondly I say hee did not upon that reason which you alleage to wit as being Lord of the Sabbath For 1. Though indeed hee was Lord of the Sabbath yet in his humane nature wherein hee was under the Law hee was not to shew his foveraigne authority to the breach of any part of it either morall or ceremoniall for so it behoved him to fulfill all righteousnes Secondly that place of Scripture whence you borrow your reason is mistaken by you For those words the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath-day doe not intend that Christ is Lord of it as you meane for him to keepe or breake it at pleasure But Son of man signifieth mankind as is evident 1. by comparing the 27. and 28. verses of the second of Mar. The 27. verse saith The Sabbath was made for Man and not Man for the Sabbath and then in the 28. verse it followeth with this word of coherence therefore the Son of Man is Lord c. where the one and the other doe intend man in genere and for Christ if you will secondly because that in that action it was not Christ himselfe that Lorded it over the Sabbaths-rest but his Disciples for though it was done in his service yet not by his commands as you reason but of themselves for the releife of their necessity But to conclude I see not then by these arguments how your first * To wit in the sense proposition can be made good For if so bee rest sanctifieth the Sabbath then doth man and beast sanctifie it alike then is there no difference betweene the stranger and the Israelite nor betweene the Israelite and his oxe If you had said that not resting in the prophaning of the Sabbath as bowing to Images is the prophaning of Gods worship wee had easily agreed But that by the sense of the fourth commandement it is properly or principally * Though occasionally and by accident I acknowledge it to be a part of the Sabbaths sanctification in the 〈◊〉 of the Iewes the sanctifying of the Sabbath I can no more yeild you then that not bowing to Images is properly or principally the worship of God by the sense of the second commandement Ohi. But you will say is not Gods commandement kept in both these when they doe not bow to Images and when they doe not labour but rest Ans. I answer that the things which the commandements properly and principally strike at are not observed thereby For these are rather preventions of Gods dis-worship then any parts of his worship And hee that knoweth these commandements aright knoweth they intend doing as well as not doing And therefore hee that out of a good conscience forbeareth to doe the one wherein indeed he negatively keepeth the commandement will by vertue of the same conscience set you the other For otherwise hee should give but a poore account to his Master at the last day who when hee asketh him what hee hath done answereth him with what hee hath not done and when hee asketh him an account how hee hath imployed his Sabbaths and what glory and worship hee hath done him in them hee answereth him I never prophaned thy Sabbaths with bodily labour but alwayes rested on that day neither did I ever bow to an Image surely his wayes shall bee as his that hid the talent in a napkin for hee hath reason to looke for no better thinking of God as hee did that hee was hard in his commandements and therefore hee kept them as hardly in the negative and not in the affirmative * Whereas Bishop Lake in his Sermons pag. 213. saith that negatives are but to attend affirmatives and God doth not reward the ferbearance of â—vill but the doing of good Master Dod pag. 74. saith one may forbeare the sins of the second commandement and yet bee a damnable breaker of that commandement for God commands not onely to turne from dumbe Idols but also that wee should serve the true and living God 1 Thes. 1. 9. else such are as well guilty of the breach of this Law as Idolaters they for doing that they should not wee for not doing that wee should So of the fourth commandement And for authority sake take notice what Thomas Aquinas saith to this purpose In the observance of the Sabbath saith hee two things are to bee considered one whereof as the end and this is that man bee vacant to divine things which is signifiâ—d in that which hee saith remember that thou sanctifie the Sabbath for those are said to bee sanctified in the Law which are applied to divine worship But the other is the cessation of works signified when it 〈◊〉 added on the seaventh day of the Lord thy God thou shalt not doe any workâ— And againe saith hee Spirituall works are not forbidden on the Sabbath-day for therefore doth a man abstaine
also of the Kingdome of Heaven Answer In the 4. of Hebrewes it is beyond the Apostles scope to treate upon the sanctification of the Sabbath for that there he only disputeth upon the typicall use of it So that thence I easily grant you the significary or typicalnes of the Sabbaths rest even from the beginning so you take it not in a Iewish sence as abrogative by Christ his first comming for though Christ then came to destroy the ceremoniall Law yet came hee to fulfill the Morall Law in which the Sabbath hath his seate and whose typicalnes doth not so properly relate to Christ or to our present Rest in him as to our Rest in Heaven * As appeareth in the 4 Hev where by Gods 6 Dayes worke and reâ—ting on the seaventh i signified the travell of Mans Life and his Rest in Heaven if he be of the People of God and thus hath eveu Christ himselfe rested before us as is there also specified is partaker as well as procurer of the benefit of this Type which in Innocency wee were capable of without him although that now our capacity and interest in that Rest being lost and only recovered in and through Christ it may by accident referre to Christ as the Tree of Life is made to doe because he is become our Intermedium to that Rest which yet at first it signified without him and thus is Marriage made a Type of Christ and his Church which in Innocency was properly a Type of the Vnion and Vnity betweene God and his Church immediately till sinne made a divorce and therefore are they not as other Types occasionally taken up and occasionally laid downe but begun as I may say before Christ and shall end after him that is when hee shall give up his Kingdome into the hands of his Father to whom the Creation being appropriated this Type of the Sabbath being grounded thereupon must needs begin and end in him Yet so as that by reason of Christs intervention and the new Creation which he hath made it is by accident of use also towards him because that in and by him only wee now enjoy this Rest and are given in Marriage unto God So that if wee can here prove our Rest and Marriage unto him by Fayth then are wee inchoatively possessed of our everlasting Rest and Marriage which shall be consummated with God in Heaven * whereof these two Institutions in Innocency were figures Touching the time of Adams Fall for my part I cannot thinke it was before Gods seaventh Day and my reason is from Moses his method for he putteth it after and yet I doe beleeve hee never kept Sabbath in Innocency but fell before his owne seaventh Day Touching Adams deprivation I answer That although it be evident by Scripture and the fiery Sword that Adam was deprived of Paradice and the Tree of Life as being properly annexed to the Commandement concerning the Tree of Good and Evill yet doth not the same appeare concerning the Sabbath for that it did partake as well of duty as of commodity and was a coadjutor to the Law of nature besides we see it renewed in its proper kind and upon its primitive reason which the other are not but exempt by a fery Sword also wee see the Scripture saith the Sabbath was made for Man which indefinitely signifieth all Mankind though properly the People of God For God having still a People he hath for them a Rest in Heaven towards which the Sabbath is as helpfull as the Sacrament of the Lords supper is to our Faith in Christ. For as one sayth Even now in this marveilous light of the Gospell wee have our divine Ceremonies and Sacraments God reserving the greatest for the Kingdome of glory Broad 3. The Sabbath was a shadow of our blessed Rest in Heaven SAint Paul saying Coloss 2. that Meate Drinke Holy-dayes and Sabbaths are a shadow of things to come doth not there tell us of what things to come they are a shadow And the only place in my knowledge whereby wee may gather of what the Sabbath was a shadow is Heb 4. by which Chapter it appeareth that the Sabbath was a shadow or Type of the Rest in Heaven The Rests or Sabbaths mentioned in that chapter are three one the first seaventh Day verse 4. another the Land of Canaan verse 8. a third the Kingdome of Heaven verse 9. of the latter Rest the two former were shadowes Some tell us of a legall spirituall and Heavenly Sabbath and the legall with them was a Type of both the other which I dislike not Answer You may well imagine of what things to come Paul meaneth in that 2. Coloss if you consider the context for after he had handled Circumcision both in its Type and Antitype then he concludeth of other things of that nature in these words let no man therefore condemne you in Meat or Drinke c. As if he had said like as Circumcision so all things of that nature and institution are extinguished through Christ the substance of these shadowes and the end of these Ceremonies Amongst whichby an Argument ex non concessis you would draw in the Weekly Sabbath to bee one as if the Iewes had not other Sabbaths which more properly are to bee reckoned in that number and yet confesse it to signifie our Rest in Heaven and to have none other signification but that which signification is still in force also as wee see in the 4. of Hâ—b which properly is true of none of the abrogated Shadowes Which signification I say is still in force and consequently the Sabbath for how should it be other seeing that they are Christs owne words Math 5. 18. That till Heaven and Earth passe one jot or one tittle shall in no wise passe from the Law till all bee fulfilled Now how can the Sabbath be abrogated seeing by your owne confession it signifieth our Rest in Heaven which is not yet fulfilled nor will not be till the second comming of Christ. whereas the Iewish Types therefore vanished at the first comming of Christ because they received the fulfilling in him properly and adequately But perchance it will be objected Obâ— That the abolishment of all the signes of the Old Testament was by this that Christ hath actually acquired all the benefits figured by them though the Elect inherit them not yet totally and perfectly and thus he hath also acquired the benefit of the Sabbaths signification for us though not yet accomplished it to us I answer 1. It is true that the benefits of both are acquired by Christ Answ. but in a different kind For the Iewish Types were since the Fall created de novo for his sake to shadow him forth and so he properly accomplisheth and soe abolisheth them Coloss 2. 17. * Whence D. Taylor observes in his Christ revealed pag 4 But this of the Sabbath was created in the beginning and was since then things so falling out by the Fall only
the 31. of Exod. wee read thus Verely my Sabbaths yee shall keepe for it is a signe betweene mee and you throughout your generations that yee may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctifie you The like was signified by cleane meats Levit. 〈◊〉 24 25 26. Act. 〈◊〉 12 13 14 15 20. Here by sanctifying is meant separating from other Nations to bee a peculiar people to himselfe In this sense Aaron and his Sons are said to bee sanctified Exod. 29. 44. Aaron and his Sons were sanctified and severed from the other Levites to bee the Lords Priests and the Israelites were sanctified and severed from other Nations to bee the Lords people of which sanctifying the Sabbath was a signe in as much as it was a day sanctified and seperated from other dayes of the weeke for the Lords service Now if God gave the Sabbath for a signe to the Israelites the Sabbath could not bee common to other Nations and consequently was a meere ceremony as was circumcision Abraham received the signe of circumcision and the Israelites received the signe of the Sabbath Hence I thus argue such as is the Sabbath such is the precept thereof The Sabbath is a signe therefore the precept thereof is significative or ceremoniall and is abrogated Here consider that if Noah had taught his household and Lot his Sons Abraham his Sons by Hagar and Keturah Isaack his son Esau and Melchisedech his people to keepe the Sabbath the Sabbath could have beene no signe to the Israelites for the World would have beene replenished with Sabbath-keepers at that time and a long time after so that no doubt wee should often read of this matter in Heathen writers Answer You say the Sabbath was given to the Israelites as a signe of their peculiar sanctifying or seperating to bee the people of God from all others and hence you fallaciously conclude that therefore it cannot bee common to others * See this confuted in Master Richard Bifield pag. 87 88. where hee sheweth how every signe of separation or consecration is not ceremoniall Nor doth every seperating or sanctifying marke oblige onely those that haâ—e that marke pag. 1 â—0 For though it be true that as a signe it was proper to them onely in their times and so also was the whole Law as it was renewed and given of God for a covenant betweene him and them * The giving them to the Israelites was a signe the Lord was nigh to them and therefore in vaine doth Master Dow alledge pag. 15. That in that the Sabbath is called a signe betweene God and the Israelites that hee was their Sanctifier and Deliverer out of Egypt which it could not bee if it were given to all Nations in Adam seeing the Law was the like and therefore doth hee say Psalme 147. 19 20. Hee hath shewne his word to Iacob and to Israel his judgements and statutes and that hee hath not dealt so with every Nation that is with any Nation neither have they knowne his judgements so that the Sabbath and the whole Law are alike significative and indeed have somewhat of signification in them in this second exhibition For as the Church it selfe was then typicall signifying the Church of Gods elect So was the Law as given to them as may appeare in that it was twice written to shew the double writing of it by nature and grace in the hearts of the elect So that both the Sabbath and the rest of the Decalogue as they are morall Lawes are forever common to the universall Church of God being not onely bare signes but of a double nature For the same thing may bee both proper and common in diverse respects As the Land of Canaan was proper to the Iewes as it was the Land of promise and yet it was common to many Nations in the use thereof to wit as it was a place of commerce and habitation and so is to this day And so the whole Decalogue wee know was common as it was the Law of nature to all Nations and People even in those times of the Iewes but yet is it in the fourth Chap. of Deut. 13. verse appropriated to the Iewes because it was given in a speciall manner as a Covenant betweene God and them and in that respect it is opposed to things that are common to all People in the 19. verse of that Chapter as the thing wherefore and whereby God will bee especially worshipped even for that very cause because as hee himselfe layeth downe the reason there they are distributed unto all People under the whole Heaven And yet is this Law no man will deny in the morall sense of it common to us now 〈◊〉 whereof the Sabbath is a part nay * For though wee refuse the Law as a Covenant yet wee entertaine and honour it as a rule of obedience Nor surely are wee to say that the Law because it was given to the Iewes must bee in the same respect to us as to the Iawes else it bindeth not at all if so bee it bee qualified according to our times and turned from a covenant to a rule Then granting this change and yet retention of the whole why not also of that part thereof which concernes the Sabbath and was also common to them that were not Iewes even in the time of the Iewes though not in nature of a speciall Covenant yet so as it was a Law of nature which the precise Sabbath I confesse is none but onely made equivalent by revelation and therefore did they then observe though set times of worshipping God yet happily not the whole day or at least not every seaventh for that most properly is the Churches right and rite Moreover the very Sabbath it selfe was of force by vertue of the fourth commandement to all that came with in the cognizance of it as well stranger as Iew And therefore could it not bee meant a signe of separation in your sense so as to appropriate it solely to them and thereupon to create it a meere ceremony Many things there were indeed among the Iewes that bare this sense expressely as the Paschall-Lambe whereof by expresse words no stranger was to eate untill hee was made as one that was borne in the Land by circumcision Exod. 12. 48. But it was other wayes in the commandement of the Sabbath for the stranger quatenus stranger was â—o observe it if they were within their gates * Nehem. 13. 16 19 20 21. Iubebantur feriari eo die qâ—emadmodum Iudaei indigenae saith Zanchy And not as the Antisabbatarians of our age would perswade that it belonged to the proselite stranger onely Againe I argue against you out of your owne place 31. Exod. That if God menat it as a bare signe peculiar to the Iewes why then doth hee fly backe to the primitive institution of it in the seaventeenth verse re inforcing the commandement there upon that reason which is common to all mankind The words are these
It is a signe betweene mee and the children of Israel for ever For in sixe dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth and in the seaventh day hee rested Now wee know it was never the property of the Iewish types to looke backward to the state of innocency but forward But you will say that the first institution of the Sabbath was but a prophecy or fore-runner of the second To this I answer That it is very ill likely that any thing that was proper to the Iewes as a ceremony and not common to the whole Church of God for whose sake the World was made was prophecyed or fore-ordained in innocency For all the things that are made use of in Scripture from the state of innocency are spoken of as appertaining to the whole Church of God and not proper to any one People or time And so is the Sabbath made use of in the fourth Hebr. to signifie an everlasting rest to whom but to the People of God But you will aske mee how I know that this Law of the Sabbath was given in innocency and not after the fall I answer that this one reason may serve for all Because that whatsoever Moses maketh mention of before the fall wee have good reason to thinke it to bee done in innocency and to allow as well his Method as his matter in that particuler But hee placeth the Law of the Sabbath before the fall Ergo c. Besides your owne Hypothesis stoppeth this objection For if Adam should have kept the Sabbath had he continued in innocency as you suppose hee should its like it was revealed to him in that state And the rather was the Sabbath given in innocency that it might bee understood to bee equall with the Law of nature and to appertaine to the whole Church of God which afterwards was to bee of a double condition and so the Sabbath serves for a double end answerable to these conditions to wit in memoriall of the creation as it is in the 20. Exod. 11. and also in memoriall of our redemption as in the 5. Deut. 15. and as is the Sabbath such is the Law of a double obligation to us in respect both of our creation and redemption Note It is very observable in those two places how an order is kept which giveth authority to our second Sabbath and to the reason thereof for in the first giving the Law Exod. 20. the Sabbath is inforced by the creation and in the repetition or second giving of it in the 5. Deut. it is altogether inforced upon the redemption the creation not being once named or mentioned there in the Law of the Sabbath or fourth commandement lively intimating the subsistence of the fourth commandement under the Gospell and the binding authority of it in our dayes by the incorporation and addition of the reason of our new creation or spirituall deliverance by Christ into the commandement in stead of the old reason which is utterly omitted as if it were forgotten or at least overtopped and triumphed over by us that are the second generation of Israel * Answerable to that 65. of Isaiah 17. I will create new Heavens and a new Earth the â—ormer shall not bee remembred nor come into mind I wish our Antisabbatâ—rians to consider well that such a repetition of the fourth commandement not seorsim or by it selfe but together with the whole Decalogue in its proper place with such a materiall omission and addition or alteration cannot but bee significantly and doctrinally meant by the holy Ghost there But some argue from this connexion of the Sabbath to their deliverance out of Egypt that the Sabbath was therefore given to them for a memoriall of a particuler benefit to them and so belonged to the Ecclesiasticall Government of the Iewes and therefore though it were not typicall yet for that cause it ought to bee done away To whom I answer that upon the same reason they may as well abolish the whole Law and turne Antinomians if they ponder it connexed with its preface I will borrow Master Richard Bifield to conclude this point pag. 88. who saith that the Sabbath in those places of Exod. 31. 13. and Exod. 20. 12. 20 is called a signe in two respects First in that it is an Argument and Document betweene God and Israel and so betweene God and his People for ever whereby they may know that God hath sanctified them Secondly it is a signe not of any future thing but of a thing present as every adjunct that is a visible concomitancy is a signe of the subject present For in the observation of the Sabbath there is a publicke profession of that communion which intercedeth betweene God and us As then every solemne profession is a signe of that thing of which profession is made so also is the Sabbath called in this respect a signe Broad ARG. IV. GOd resting on the seaventh day it became his Sabbath or Day of rest as wee tearme that a mans birth-day wherein hee was borne and as the other dayes of the Weeke were Gods working dayes This his resting as I have shewed before Chap. 5. was typicall and it was the reason why God did sanctifie the day and commanded men to sanctifie it as appeareth by Gen. 2. 3. and Exod. â—0 11. Hence I thus reason such as the foundation is such is the building The foundation Gods resting on the seaventh day was typicall The Sabbath doctrin is builded on the sands and therefore his sanctifying it presently and mans sanctifying it afterwards was no lesse Finally consiner whether more then this may bee not spoken of Sion and the Temple then is spoken of the Sabbath This is my rest for ever Psalme 132. 14. My house shall bee called an house of prayer for all People Isa. 56. 7. I doe not know where the Sabbath is tearmed Gods rest for ever and for all People Answer My former Arguments have beene sufficient to give this its answer for I have alwayes granted the Sabbath to bee typicall from the fourth Hebr. Your comparison of the Sabbath with those phrases belonging to the Temple and Sion in holy writ is a meere flourish and readily answered out of the fourth of Hebr. where the typicall rest of the Sabbath is extended farre beyond the typicall rest of Canaan wherein Sion was for the holy Ghost saith there that the Sabbaths-rest still remaineth to the People of God implying the contrary of the other rest Broad CHAP. VII THE chiefest Arguments of the adverse part answered I come now to answer the chiefest Arguments of the adverse part I say the chiefest for with a cloud not of witnesses seeing they prove nothing but of Arguments such as they are whereby some go about to obscure the light I will not at this time have any thing to do hoping that as a mist it shall of it self vanish away from before the eyes of all those that read this Treatise with understanding ARGVMENT I. ADam
Israel gathered unto him So that I say the duty of the Sabbath followed as a Law together with the Law for us alwayes to observe and that the signification of it went before to signifie that our claime to this heavenly Sabbatisme is now onely by Christ. And thus you may see how you have laid your foundation upon a false ground or principle by mistaking the Sabbaths signification and in what manner it referreth to Christ. And thus by consequence your whole building falleth to the ground although it bee granted that the Sabbath is both typicall and rebus sic stantibus hath relation to Christ also Broad What God requireth on the Sabbath THe duties which God required of the people of Israel Hee required another of the Priests namely to offer two Lambs Num. 28. but this I will not stand upon on the Sabbath were two especially I. To rest from worke By servile the Scripture meaneth all worke except that is bestowed about things to eate Lev. 23. 7. 8. compared with Exod. 12. 16. that is to forbeare the doing of every thing which is commonly so called and accounted as the killing â—of beastes kindling of fires going to plow travailing c. on the first and last dayes of the feast of Passeover and some other holydayes onely servile worke is prohibited Levit. 23. 7. 8. 21. c. Num. 28. 18. 25. so that they might provide things to eate Consider that the Sabbath was ordained for a memoriall of Gods resting whereas the holy-dayes were instituted upon other occasions Exod. 12. 16. No manner of worke must bee done in them save that which every one must eate that onely may bee done of you But now on the Sabbath-day they might not doe so much For Gâ—d never that I find mentioning the word servile both in the commandement and other places saith in it Thou shalt not doe any worke They might not bake nor seeth their Mannah Exod. 16. 23. though on the other Holy-dayes they might both gather and dresse it yet they might not so much as dresse it on the Sabbath They were forbidden to kindle a fire which when a man belike would have done Exod. 35. 5. and therefore gathered stickes hee was put to death and bee it as some say though without any ground that the manner of doing did aggravate the offence yet sure I am that it did not make that an offence which had other-wayes beene none they might not then ordinarily picke up a few stickes II. A second speciall duty which God required oâ— the Sabbath was to have an holy convocation for it was not enough to worship God privately they must goe to the assemblies and praise him in the congregation To worship God privately was every dayes duty as likewise to doe works of charity for the Iew as wee was bound by the Law of nature to fulfill the nine morall commandements to the utmost of their power every day though indeed hee might performe the duties of piety and charity in greatèr measure and therefore was bound so to doe on the Sabbath as having then more opportunity idlenes being unlawfull at all times Answer By the first of these duties you seeme to mee to insinuate a Dilemma intimating by it that either the Sabbath is meerely Iewish or else that in all respects both of the duty and strictnes of rest it belongeth to us as to them Which strictnes you prove by comparing it with the other Sabbaths which had onely servile worke forbidden in them The proofe I graunt and the thing â—roved But that the Sabbath is therefore onely Iewish or that wee are bound so to observe it I deny upon these grounds 1. I deny that therefore the Sabbath is onely Iewish 1. Because that though this strict rest was typicall yet not properly Iewish because not of the same nature with Iewish types For that those which were properly types in a Iewish sence had relation to Christs and the constitution of his Church as considered properly and primarily upon Earth in its militant being in the time of grace during Christs regiment * For though Aarons bearing the names of the Tribes on his shoulders and breast signified Christ doing the same for his elect in Heaven yet it is his elect still on Earth not for his elect when they shall bee triumphant in Heaven sic de caeteris but the signification typified in this rest was of a different nature for propetly it signified the Church triumphant in Heaven it selfe which typicall difference may easily appeare onely by comparing this Sabbath with the other Sabbaths as shall bee seene anon And secondly because that this strict rest was no part of the substance of the Sabbath but onely an occasionall circumstance proper for the season of their prerâ—grination For so sooone as Mannah failed that strict rest failed so that you never after knew them condemned for providing their necessary food on the Sabbath-day although you find them often complained on for other breaches 2. And although that thus I deny this strict rest to be properly Iewish yet I deny it not to bee proper onely to the Iewes but affirme it both in respect of the duty * I meane here by duty sanction or positive holines else to rest is our duty as well as theirs of this rest as also in respect of the precisenes of it 1. For the duty of this rest I say that that was proper to the Iewes and not to us now Because that types in the time of their Discipline * Which was the time that the letter bare sway and comparatively not the Spirit carried with them a positive holines being for its continuance ordinances and not accidents But now that externall religion which consisted in types is properly no part of our worship although the thing it selfe in this particuler being a perpetuall type remaineth in the use and signification of it but as I say not in its temporary holines or occasionall precisenes for the Kingdome of Heaven now consists in righteousnes peace and joy in the holy Ghost and not in typicall sanctions For wee must understand that the Sabbath in it selfe considered without accidents was of a perpetuall typicall meaning intending the absolute rest that should bee to the Church of God in Heaven as is notoriously evident in the fourth of Hebr. by comparing the 4. verse with the 9. and 10. For which cause it may well bee conceived to bee holy even with an externall holines as other types were in the minority of those typicall times in respect of the bare rest therein commanded which yet in that sense is no part of our sanctification for our sanctification in respect of this rest properly consisteth in the signification thereof spiritualized in our hearts and in the privative sense thereof because our resting from worldly affaires is a necessary privative meanes to our sanctifying the Sabbath Like as in the Antitype our rest in Heaven
4. whereby their minds were to bee elevated above the Mannah that they should partake of on earth which they must enjoy with paines taking even to the Mannah which they should feed on in Heaven with rest from all labour and so is not yet fulfilled neither properly nor perfectly For wee must note that the Sabbath signified properly Gods rest or our rest with God not first Christs rest and then Gods though by reason of the admixtion of the Gospell in that time of the Law it signified Gods rest to bee by Christ as in its succession to Mannah hath beene shewne I say that properly it signified not Christs rest neither literally in respect of the time of the new covenant under the Gospell wherein we are set free from the burden which neither we nor our Fathers were able to beare nor spiritually in the soules of the regenerate freed from the Law for this their other Sabbaths did in regard this weekely Sabbath could not properly doe it at that time though now under the Gospell the Sabbath-day that attended the Law being done away this weekely Sabbath now supplieth the place of all their Sabbaths and now it selfe alone signifies our already entrance into our eternall rest inchoatively by being possessed of our soules spirituall rest in Christ a thing which whilest the Law was afoote it could not properly imply Because the Law gave no present rest but all future though in the time of the Law as aforesaid it was signified to bee made good to us by Christ. Yet it never properly signified the rest of Christ in the soule for then it had signified a present rest which was contrary to the Law and is now our priviledge under the Gospell The Sabbath-day being changed for that end from last to first For 4. Heb. 3. Wee which have beleved doe enter into rest where this rest of God is spoken of in a double respect to wit as denied to carnall Israel that sought to possesse themselves of it by works but granted to Gods spirituall Israel that seeke it of Grace through faith who shall not onely have it here after but even for present are possessed of it in their soules which happines the Law or first covenant never could afford So that although the Sabbath bee shadowish yet is it not the Iewes proper freehold but common with them and us being theirs onely as they were the elect Church and people of God to whom it universally belongeth and therefore was instituted even to Adam in innocency For the Church of God in the clearest state of it never was nor never shall bee upon earth without shadowish Sacraments and Sabbaths being her proper inheritance which were even in innocency where our eyes were clearer then they are now And seeing that the Sabbath is not properly Iewish it cannot bee said to bee abrogated because the substance is yet not come which is Heaven it selfe or our absolute rest and inablement to serve God there As was signified by that strict rest commanded to the Iewes on this Sabbath in the time of Mannah above other rests and other Sabbaths but onely changed to prove to us that the Gospell estates us in that rest and that presently which the Law should but could not And now in our dayes the stricter that wee rest from worldly distractions and the more sanctifiedly that wee keepe the Sabbath the nearer wee imitate Gods example * Who yet on the seaventh day that hee rested ceased not to cherish and maintaine all things that hee had made by his providence and in necessary and mercifull providence wee are to imitate God on that day as well as in resting and fulfill his intention in the institution of the Sabbath and the better wee performe our duty in glorifying God as the Iewes did in doubling their sacrifices on that day and the more comfort wee reape to our selves in lively moralizing thence our heavenly rest which we shall have hereafter free from all corruptions interruptions temptations * Doing God double service in Heaven to that wee doe him here For in proportion all that belong unto the Iewes concerning their resting and sanctifying the Sabbath belong likewise to us consideratis considerandis Broad CHAP. VI. ARguments prooving that the precept of the Sabbath is not morall nor perpetuall * Did some men teach onely that the precept of the Sabbath was greater and of longer continuance then the precepts of the holy-dayes it were not so strange but that the precept of the Sabbath and the precepts of the holy-dayes should bee of different natures the one morall and the other not is incredible Answer A pitifull shift that these Antisabbatarians and the Papists are driven to for the maintenance of their opinions even to the downe right adventuring to blot out that which God himselfe hath written with his owne hand a greater boldnes then King Belshazzar durst attempt touching the writing on the wall witnes Master Broad here and Vasquez the Iesuite else-where who being driven to acknowledge by comparing the words of the second commandement with the fourth of Deut. that the Scripture doth forbid the adoration of the true God himselfe in an Image and confessing with all that hee and his fellow Catholicks doe other wayes what saith hee then to the commandement why because it will not bee obeyed it must bee repealed and not admitted to have any place amongst the morall precepts of God it was saith hee a positive and ceremoniall Law and therefore ought to cease in the time of the Gospell thus making the commandemen of God of none effect to keepe their owne traditions Gab. Vasquez lib. 2. disput 4. cap. 4. sect 84. But the Iesuites come short of the subtilties of our age for they bluntly explode the second commandement whereas they might have let it stand still with a distinction Like as some of our Antisabbatarians For they cannot all agree upon the point doe let the fourth commandement stand though not for its owne sake or as a Law though wee must pray Lord encline our hearts to keepe this Law as wee doe to the rest but onely for some other causes and consideration dictated by our Antisabbatarians some one some another to keepe the ten commandements from a blancke I wonder what one man of a thousand hath wont to pray that prayer after the reading of the fourth commandement in their sense which if they will have passe for Doctrine they must either alter the frame of the commandement or else explode it as Master Broad doth But Doctor Heylyn part 2. pag. 241. objects that if this ejaculation bee to bee understood in a literall sense according as the words are laid downe in terminis it then must bee the meaning of it that wee should pray unto the Lord to keepe the Sabbath of the Iewes even the seaventh day precisely from the Worlds creation and keepe it in the selfe same manner that the Iewes once did To which I answer that
our praying that prayer in a literall sense now in our times doth force no such conclusions Not to keepe the Sabbath of the Iewes For though the commandement expresse a seaventh day for number yet it doth not in terminis expresse the order saying Thou shalt keepe the last day in the weeke or of seaven and not the first c. though I acknowledge from other reasons proper to these times the commandement had then that meaning onely so that now the letter of the commandement is intended in our prayer onely with a circumstantiall variation according to the practice of the Church derived from the Apostles which explaines it to the meanest Againe not the seaventh day precisely from the Worlds creation for that hath suffered many variations nor did Adam keepe it but he meanes the seaventh day from the first gathering of Mannah Nor yet in the selfe same manner that the Iewes once did If by once hee meane in the strict time of the wildernes for reasons aforesaid So that by the letter of the commandement wee now may pray the Lord to encline our hearts to keepe holy a Sabbath and not the Iewes a seaventh day and not the last of seaven For the Law in the letter respecteth properly and principally the number implying onely the order occasionally for the season sake because the creation was then the greatest good which number it still retaines in the same letter and upon a new season implies a new order the reason whereon the order was built being circumstantiall as I have proved before nor the day that God rested on after the creation nor the extraordinary rest in the wildernes I say wee may ejaculate this prayer in a literall sense to the fourth commandement as well as to the fifth where weepray Lord encline our hearts to honour our parents that according to thy promise the dayes may bee long in the Land which thou givest us Now wee all knew that by Land there and then is implicitely meant the promised Land or Land of Canaan Yet the manner of expression which God useth in the penning of that Law as of that of the Sabbath admits a latitude Ephes. 6. 2. 3. not appropriating the promise to the Land of Canaan onely by saying that thy dayes may be long in that Land of Canaan which the Lord thy God giveth thee so that the Tribe and the halfe which planted on this side Iordan might have prayed this prayer at the reading of the fifth commandement as well as they with in the Land of Canaan by vertue of the letter of that Law and so in like manner may wee now So excellent is the wisedome of the Lawgiver That though in some temporary implicite circumstantiall sense his Lawes might more properly belong to those people to whom they were immediately given then to us and our times yet hee hath so ordered it that the Law is still usefull and binding for the substance of it even in the letter And therefore they that pray this ejaculation with understanding hearts doe not pray Lord encline our hearts to keepe a Sabbath which 〈◊〉 no Sabbath but Lord encline our hearts to keep a Christian Sabbath a Christian seaventh day and a Christian rest But in the conclusion Doctor Heylyn saith wee may thus expound this prayer viz. to pray unto the Lord to encline our hearts to keepe that Law as farre as it containeth the Law of Nature c. which yet Master Broad his partizan will not allow a pitifull shift to keepe all whole And such is Bishop Whites pag. 159. 160. The generality of whose conclusion there upon this ejaculation saving his private exposition may well serve to set forth the use of it now For saith hee our prayer to God prescribed in the Liturgy is not to beseeth him to encline our hearts to keepe the Law according to the speciall forme and circumstance of time commanded in the old Law which say I is the last day of seaven in memory of our creation but in such a manner as is agreeable to the state of the Gospell and time of Grace which say I is the first day of seaven in memory of our redemption and not as hee interprets it to wit according to the equity and mistery of the fourth commandement and according to the rule of Christian liberty which hath freed Gods people under the Gospell from the observation of dayes months times and yeares saith hee upon legall and ceremoniall principles true if hee meane judaicall ones and then hee cannot meane the Sabbath For to bee freed from it is no part of Christian liberty because not yet fulfilled by Christ Hebr. 4. 9. 10. But to returne to Master Broad by your Marginall note it seemes you could allow the Sabbath not in respect of the Iewes weakenes but of its owne worth and greatnes to bee of longer continuance then the holy-dayes but not perpetuall wherein you exceedingly wrong your cause for if of longer continuance why not perpetuall and if not perpetuall why of longer continuance the Holy-dayes and Iewish Sabbaths say you expired in Christ and if this common Sabbath be no other then a Iewish Holy-day why doth not it expire with the rest and if you can allow it beyond Christ I pray you what should hinder it for being perpetuall neither is it incredible to thinke that the common Sabbath and Iewish Holy-dayes bee of different natures when as they had different institutions different significations different locations and different extensions Broad ARG. I. No morall Commandement may be broken in case of necessity but the fourth Commandement may Ergo it is not morall THe Major is evident for a man may not Ly Steale or the like to save his Life The Minor is no lesse evident In case of necessity the whole Rest may be broken and not the strict only for to save the Life of his Cattle a man may labour all the Sabbath in seeking them covered with Snow in lifting them out of Pits c. Workes of necessity are not forbidden in the intention of the Lawgiver Obj. and therefore such do not breake the fourth Commandement Suppose the King by a generall Law shall forbid the eating of Flesh in Lent Answ. a sicke Man eating Flesh breaketh the Law though no doubt it be in the Kings intention that in such case Flesh may be eaten as it is in the Lawgivers intention that Worke in case of necessity may bee done David brake the Law of shew-bread Math 12. so is it in the Lawgivers intention that the fourth Commandement in case of necessity may be broken as other Ceremoniall precepts might in the time of the Law The whole Rest not the strict Rest only is Ceremoniall Obj. so that if a Man labour all the Sabbath in lifting his Cattle out of Pits in saving his goods from Burning in Fighting against the Enemy c. Yet he breaketh only the Ceremoniall part of the fourth Commandement Vnlesse such breake the
say of the precepts of the new Moone and Holy-dayes Answ. and would it not trouble them to shew by the Scriptures how much is blotted out and what is left uncancelled The received division of Moses Law hath beenâ— into morall ceremoniall and judiciall That any commandement should bee partly ceremoniall and partly morall partly an ordinance and partly not partly nayled to the Cresse and partly remaining in the Arke partly blotted out and partly left to be read and observed I could never yet find in any part of Gods word Master Dod and Master Cleaver on the com And this no doubt some of late perceive well enough and therefore teach that the precept of the Sabbath is wholly morall or as their words are no more ceremoniall then all the rest They see plainely that hee which will have it partly blotted out and partly not had need bee greater then an Angell as teaching in part another Gospell then Saint Paul did Consider that Saint Paul here saith as much of the Sabbath and the precept thereof as hee doth say of the New-moone and the precept of the same and againe that hee saith as much here of the New-moone and its precept as is said of them in any other place Though the precept of the Sabbath bee wholly blotted out Obi. as the precepts of the New-moone and Holy dayes ioyned with it yet not the fourth commandement in the Decalogue Wee grant the fourth commandement is ceremoniall and blotted out so far forth as it Touching the supposed substance and morality of this commandement see chap. 8. sect 4. 5. enioyneth the Sabbath not onely the seaventh day and strict rest but this commandement is of a larger extent then this commeth to The fourth commandement and the commandement Answ. of the Sabbath are the same after the Scriptures so that Saint Paul here saying the commandement of the Sabbath is blotted out it is all one as if hee had said the fourth commandement in the Decalogue is blotted out you have no colour of proofe to the contrary As touching the fourth commandement being blotted out so farre forth as it enioyneth the Saboath consider that the fourth commandement must needs enioyne the Sabbath Such as â—each and this is the common Doctrine that the fourth commandement is partly ceremoniall doe say in effect that it is partly blotted out so farre forth as it is contained in these words Remember the Sabbath-day to sanctifie it c. If God had made this Law bath for Iewes and Christians is it credible but that hee would have set it downe in words fitting both sorts so that Christ at his comming should not have blotted out any part thereof Certainely Christ would not have written that againe which hee had once blotted out suppose that hee also had left Tables In a word the Sabbath is the onely thing spoken of in the fourth commandement and no Law of God or Man ever stood in force longer then it bound to doe the thing mentioned in it * Many in England so doe yea the last Parliament may well bee thought to dislike it for neither in their title of the act forkeeping the Lords-day nor yet throughout The body thereof is this name used although the heathenish name Sunday bee in both yea and although the commandement read in the Church of speaketh of sanctifying the Sabbath as many as dislike the name Sabbath for the Lords-day have cause to dislike this commandement for the Law thereof for the one is as well Iewish as the other Answer By Sabbaths in that 2. Col. 16. is to bee understood the Iewish ordinances which properly belonged to them and their time such as were their solemne fealts * Seâ— Isa. 1. 13. compared with the 14. verse which although they were Iewish Holy-dayes yet did they also carry the name of Sabbaths and holy convocations because of the Analogy they had with the weekely and morall Sabbath as wee may see Levit. 23. In the beginning of which Chapter you shall find the weekely Sabbath most gloriously intituled THE SABBATH OF THE LORD and remarkeably paled out from among those Iewish Holy-dayes Feasts and Sabbaths For God in that Chapter instituting his solemne Feastes or Iewish Holy-dayes in the first place noteth out his weekely Sabbath in the third verse to bee none of them by a glorious and sublime title and pregnant difference which sâ—emeth to bee distinctly penned by the holy Ghost to prevent confusion and unequall mixture * Which very thing is your fault and labour And having first done this then hee in the rest of the Chapter proceedeth to shew what Feasts hee meaneth which hee also calleth Sabbaths but in a farre different sense And thinke you that the Apostle would so carelesly and slightly have jumbled together in this place of the Col. what God even in the time of the Iewes was so carefull to distinguish as in this 23. Levit. appeareth as also in the exhibiting of his Lawes which were of severall natures ceremoniall and morall amongst which this was one and which with the rest was put into the Arke And as in your answer to the first objection you say that you cannot find in any place of Gods word why any * Indeed the Sabbath is both wholly ceremoniall and wholly morall as was signified by its double exhibition to the Iewes once by the hand of Moses and another time together with the Law shewing that though it was of a typicall and ceremonious signification yet notwithstanding it was of equall condition with the morall Lawes by Gods speciall appointment For when I say the Sabbath is ceremoniall I meane not in an abrogative but in a significative sense commandement should bee partly ceremoniall partly morall partly nailed to the Crosse and partly remaining in the Arke partly blotted out and partly left to bee read and observed I affirme the same of the Decalogue or ten commandements as Moses numbers them Deut. 4. 13. Not but that in the delivery and exhibition of this Decalogue this rejoyneth upon your following answer to the second objection there were things as I have said before which were more proper in regard of circumstance to the Iewes then to us and yet God made the Decalogue as a Law both for Iewes and Christians and hath set it downe though not altogether in words and letters yet in sense and substance fitting both sorts So that the Law may still bee truly said to remaine although Christs comming and the state of the Church differing may vary some circumstances as by changing the Egyptian deliverance into the antitype thereof to wit our spirituall and the Land of Canaan meant in the fift commandement into England where wee dwell and so likewise the memory of our creation into the memory of our redemption and their gates into our jurisdictions and thus though there is an alteration made yet doth the Law remaine the same in sense Broad ARG. III. IN
was commanded to sanctifie the seventh day in the state of Innocency therefore it is morall to sanctifie one day in a weeke I thinke it best to make answer to this Argument particularly 1. Adam was commanded to sanctifie the seventh day Answ. It doth not appear that Adam received such a Command as is said before As I commanded your fathers Ier. 17. 22. rather we would thinke as I conmanded Adam in the beginning if it had been true Consider also this saying and made known to them thy holy Sabbath Nâ—hem 9 14. Chap. 1. And had God given such a Command why should it not be recorded He that will have us believe more then is set downe must alledge some Scripture or some reason why it was not set down It will be said unlesse Adam was commanded to sanctifie the seventh day wherfore did God sanctifie it in the beginning Answ. Because thou a man knowest not a reason of Gods doings this is not a sufficient reason or warrant for thee to affirme that he did more then thou findest that he did in the Scriptures And consider that others may know some reason hereof though thou and I do not This that followeth whether they be reasons or not I leave it to thy consideration I dare not say so I was not with God when he laid the foundations of the earth 1. It appeareth by Heb. 4. as is said before that Gods Resting the seventh day wherein God rested and which he sanctified was a Type of the Rest that remaineth to the people of God 2. God might sanctifie the seventh day in the beginning for a purpose not present but to come namely that the Israelites should sanctifie the same when they came into the land of Canaan another Paradise as it were and a Type also of the kingdome of heaven A blessed time and a blessed place an holy day and an holy land sort well together When a man shall stand before Christs judgement seat and being demanded wherefore didst thou say that God commanded Adam to sanctifie the seventh day when the Scripture saith not so in any place Consider whether this answer I could see no other reason of Gods sanctifying the seventh day will not prove like Adams breeches of fig-leaves I am well assured it will Answer To your answer I rejoyne That this example of God thus declared by himself was in the nature of a Command as appeareth plainly by the paralel case We see Gods creating Man male and female was a law justly inferred thence obligatory enough to binde one man to marry but one woman at once and to love her and live with her as appeareth Gen. 2. 23 24. compared with Marke 10. 6 7. where there is concluded from this exemplary action of God a perpetuall binding dutie to all mankinde without any expresse Commandement to that purpose But Gods blessing and hallowing the seventh day must needs enforce a Command if we consider that as Christ saith the Sabbath was made for man that is saith M r. Hilder sham for the great benefit and behoofe of man so that man could not no not in Innocency have been without it And if this of the Sabbath were of no obligatory â—orce I pray you then why doe you as before say that Adam if he had continued in Innocency should have kept it Me thinks he should rather then have kept every day Sabbath then we now and yet you say It is likely he should have wrought sixe dayes and sanctified the seventh Therefore as Christ saith in the case of separation it was not so from the beginning So say I in this case of the Sabbath that it was so from the beginning on Gods part actually and on mans part it both should and would have been so had he continued upright And thereforâ— as well in this of the Sabbath as in that of Marriage ought it to be so now Nor did mans fall abrogate the Sabbath any more then it did the rest of the morall Law * Know that all the Commandements given in Innocency were morall either by a naturall or positive moralitie as you would seeme to perswade in your first Chapter For God used the self same authoritie to reinforce it when he gave the Law the second time to wit his own example and the Creation both which he used in his first institution And therefore however we may think of the Sabbath in our corrupt reasonings or by other mens examples as the lewes might doe of Marriage from the example of the Patriarchs polygamy or the toleration of Moses yâ—t it was other wayes from the beginning and let God be true though men be lyers As touching your marginall note God as I may so speake had no reason to goe so farre of for an inforcement as to Adam especially it having been so long intermitted when he might have it fresh and neerer hand which he the rather chose to use for that this iteration of the Law was more peculiar and a greater Demonstration of his speciall love to them in way of Covenant and so more pressing and remarkable And yet doth he not utterly omit to make use of the first institution for he useth the same Arguments to them as to Adam for the observing it to wit his own example and the memory of the Creation which sheweth that it was to be understood as a Commandement laid then upon Adam as well as now upon the Israelites And by this rule you may say The promise and Covenant of Grace was not given to Adam because Gal. 3. 17. The Apostle draweth his Argument of refutation from that Covenant which God confirmed with Abraham 430 yeeres before the Law was given and not from the Covenant made with Adam at the first Touching the latter part of your marginall note I have answered it a little before from Psal. 147. 19 20. It may well be said as a Rejoynder to your second answer that unlesse the sanctifying of the Sabbath was instituted as an Ordinance for Adam to observe wherefore did God sanctifie it for Christ saith The Sabbath was made that is appointed or created in the beginning for man And if God had a reserved and secret intent in this why was it revealed especially when the thing was done and past seeing things revealed belong to us and to our children And from your own reason That the Sabbath was a Type of the Rest that remaines to the people of God a man may justly argue the use of it to the Church and consequently the necessitie and universalitie of it For by the people of God is not meant any visible particular but the whole Catholike Church And why God who instrict sense rested no more on that day then on others did yet so declare himself to have done ad captum vulgi and did also spin out the creation into six dayes which else he could have done in a trice if it were not for example sake I leave to any indifferent judgement And
been once formally instituted But that the ten Commandements which God himselfe both spake and gave after such an extraordinary manner with such majesty and terrour and in regard of the place for all the world to take notice of it and which he calleth his Covenant and himselfe in a speciall manner recordeth them to be ten in number Deut. 4. and with his owne finger wrote them twice in Tables of stone signifying as well their lasting nature as any other thing and commanded them to be put into the Holy of Holies in the Arke under the Mercy-seate and which were all of them institute in Innocency either by created Nature or immediate Revelation whereas all other Ordinances were delivered by the mediation of Moses a mortall man but that immediately by the immortall God as witnesseth Iosephus in his Iewish antiquities Moses saith hee received the ten Commandements from the high and unexcessible mountaine Sinai with thundrings but other Lawes he received in the Iewish Tabernacle ascending no more the mountaine Now that one of these should be temporary and the other nine perpetuall is doubtlesse in any reasonable mans opinion very ill likely I am sure Bishop Andrewes in his Chatechisticall doctrine saith That it were not wise to set a Ceremony he meanes a Iewish abrogative Ceremony in the midst of morall precepts And one saith Certainly God did intend something extraordinary by this great odds of conveyance and what more proper then that these were mortall and dependant upon those those immortall and independant especially if we weigh the manner how Moses concludeth his repetition of the ten Commandements with these words God added no more but wrote them in Tables of stone to shew that these words be valued of a greater rate then those which should be added by the hands of Moses which were either to be explanations of these or shadowes of Christ And as God did not adde so man may not diminish from these words and so consequently there is no reason without sacriledge to suspect the morality of the fourth Commandement Broad One heretofore required me to shew a satisfactory reason why if the fourth Commandement be of no higher rancke then the other temporary constitutions of Moses Touching Gods gracing the fourth commandement as much as the nine morall God should grace it as much as the nine morall Ans. I dare not take upon me to yeeld a reason of Gods doings And I would gladly know what reason themselves can yeeld wherefore God should use so many words touching abstinence from worke on the Sabbath and not one word of comming together to pray and to heare the word preached Yet this I say In mans judgement it is great reason that one Ceremoniall Commandement at the least should be placed amongst many morall precepts in the Tables of the Covenant seeing God made a Covenant with the Israelites after the tenour of both sorts indifferently as is to be seen Exod. 24. There we read how that Moses having written in a book sundry Lawes as well Ceremoniall as other the booke is called the booke of the Covenant vers 7 8. Behold the blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words See also Chapter 34. from the 10. verse to the end of the 27. Answer You say you daâ—e not give a reason of all Gods doings I could with you were as modest in not reasoning against God as you are in reasoning for him As concerning your question why God speaketh so much of rest and so little of holy duties Answ. You are sufficiently answered out of the Commandement it self For those words Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day are a most plenary expression of the sanctifying of that day with the duties of holinesse which being thus premised then followeth after in the Commandement the urging of Rest or abstinence from work both as a meanes to further the Sabbaths sanctification like as in the Sabbath of Atonement Levit. 23. 27 28. and as a significant part thereof conjunctively considered and spiritually * Thâ—ugh by reason of the minoâ—tyof the Iewish pedagogy as aforesaid there was then interpretatâ—vely by God 〈…〉 abâ—tract holinesse of this Rest being sâ—â—cowish and significative as of other Types improved For as fasting joyned with prayer is a necessary medium of Gods extraordinary worship by removing impediments and also a significant medium concerning our extraordinary humiliation So is the Sabbaths Rest both a medium and a significant medium to Gods extraordinary worship and our extraordinary happinesse And it is not rare to finde fasting urged in Scripture without expresse mention of Prayer as in Ester 4. 16. Where when Ester gave Mordecai in charge to assemble the Iewes and to fast for her three daies and nights there is no mention of prayer And yet no man can deny but it is most necessarily understood and implyed though it be not expressed So it is As for your Arguments drawn from the Covenant which because it consisted both of Morall and Ceremoniall Lawes therefore say you it is reason that one Ceremoniall Commandement at least should be placed among many Morall precepts in the Tables of the Covenant Answ. Nay rather it is good reason that both the Lawes should be written together in the Booke of the Covenant as indeed they were in regard that the two Tables were to be laid up in the Holy of Holies and so not to be come by but the copies of that Book were of continuall use And again seeing the Covenant of the Iews consisted of both it is the more reason that they should be carefully distinguished as likewise they were then confounded seeing you cannot deny but that which was Morall was to appertain to after ages and if they had then been undistinctly mixed how could after ages tell which was which But this was prevented through Gods good providence by their disjunction and distinct exhibition at the first Broad If this will not satisfie him or any other then as Christ answered some Questioners Matt. 21. let them first tell me wherefore God should appoint a greater punishment for the breach of a Ceremoniall Law then he did of some Morall And I will afterwards tell them wherefore he should grace a Ceremoniall Commandement as much as a Morall Answer There may be very good reason for it for though sometimes God doth inflict the most grievous temporall punishment upon the greater sins to aggravate the danger of committing them So other some times he ordaineth a great punishment for a lesser sinne least according to our corrupt judgements we should thinke it small and if it were not for the punishment threatned be the carelesser to observe it And secondly to shew that it is not so much the Nature of the thing commanded as the Will of the Commander that gives weight to the Commandment And thirdly A man may commit some morall offence with lesse guilt then the Iewes might a Ceremoniall As if a man
a yeare is as well the substance of the foresaid Law as the keeping of the Sabbath once in a weeke is the substance of the fourth Commandement and the worshipping of God was one end of the feast as well as of the Sabbath Yet Christ hath blotted out that whole Law The like may be said of that Law Exod. 23. 10 11. By this opinion not the substance but only the circumstances of the fourth Commandement are mentioned in the Decalogue which circumstances also are not to be observed Answer That in the fourth Commandement is both substance and circumstance is evident By substance I understand the sanctifying the seventh day not as it is last in order but as it is opposed to all other numbers by circumstance I understand the order and the reason * For the reason did as well bind to observe the order as to establish the Commandement it selfe til I there was a new reason of a new order but never of a new commandement Which two that I may use your phrase in the conclusion of your seuenth Chapter have been manifested to have been circumstantiall by the event I say the very reason of the Commandement as it did bind the order was circumstantiall and changable Wee see how it received an addition in that their remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt which was a Type of our spirituall deliverance was made a reason of this fourth Commandement as well as the Creation And so is now our redemption it selfe by Christ and yet nothing of the substance abolished or altered but the maine duty of sanctifying the seventh day is still observed And the reason as I conceive why this Commandement was more circumstantiall then others was because it was preter-ordained to the Law of Nature for the continuall use of the Church in all states and conditions And therefore was it to be brought to the state and made sutable to the condition of the Church * In regard of the circumstantiall parts of it the morall part fitting all states as an help of their obedience and not the condition of the Church to be brought to it as were also the Sacraments and yet so as that God hath himselfe ever ordered these changable circumstances in it either by the doctrine or example of his Prophets or Apostles notvery darkly Indeed as touching the seventh day to be any other then the last in the time of the Prophets is not to be imagined because then that order was in force but now in the Apostles time the event doth cleerly manifest the contrary in the practice of the Apostles which giveth sufficient authority for ours * It is altogether an unlikely thing that the Church without a pregnant Commandement which there is none in scripture would take upon them to abolish the fourth commandement enjoyning a duty upon an universall and perpetuall benefit and yet of their owne authority bring up a custome equivalent And whereas you say that no other Commandement is to be interpreted with circumstances and substance I answer That beâ—ides that circumstance of the Israelites deliverance prefixed to the whole Law me thinks you should acknowledge this to be true in the fifth Commandement where there is a promise made of a reward in Canaan to them that keep it which yet is a changable circumstance * And in answer to your marginall note if it were not a changable circumstance you mâ—y imagine what absurdity would follow in respect of the precise meaning For though in that respect it be void yet it is still of force and use according to the present state and residence of the Church as appeareth in the 6. Eph. 2. And notwithstanding the cessation of the Egyptian Deliverance and the precise meaning of this promise in the fifth Commandement and their alterations into a more spirituall proper meaning for the present Church yet do the Commandements themselves for their substance remaine to this day the same For the change of significant circumstances may be upon good grounds without impeachment to the being of the law as the Israelites supposed changing the gesture from standing to sitting when they were a Sedentary Church did no whit abolish the Passeover And thus did David change the order that God had appointed among the Levites how that till thirtie yeeres old they were not to officiate when the reason of it failed and the Arke had rest then without prejudice to the Ordinance he ordained that they should officate at twentie as is 1 Chron. 23. As a man may alter his temperament and yet continue a man still so long as for substance he remaineth the same in soul and body So if so be the Sabbath had been changed from being kept every seventh day to every sixth then the whole frame of the fourth Commandement had suffered shipwrack But in the change of one seventh day to another upon such a ground and reason the substance suffereth not For as Bishop White observes pag. 136. against T. B. who affirmes that in all Divine lawes whensoever any part is taken away the whole is abolished That if by part he understand such a part as is substantiall and constituent his position is granted but if he understand a circumstantiall or accidentall part the position is false For saith he the Law of Prayer or Divine worship is still in force as it was in Davids and in Daniels time in respect of substantiall actions but many circumstances of time place and gesture are abolished in the time of the Gospel as Daniels praying with windows open toward Ierusalem c. And therefore a little to vary the words and sence of his conclusion against T. B. the substance of the fourth Commandement may be continued and yet the Circumstance altered As touching your following instance of the three feasts a yeere I see not that it holds good Analogie with the Sabbath But your marginal instance of the â—arths seventh yeere Sabbath is proper In which Commandement I say there is both circumstance and substance The substance is the Law it selfe of resting the seventh yeere in opposition to the other sixe But the precise order is added by the God of order for the better execution of this Law without confusion which must needs follow if it were left arbitrary Like as in the Law of Tythes God chose to himselfe one in ten which for orders sake and that they might have a rule to walke by he appointed to be every tenth as it passed under the rod. And so of the Sabbath wherein for order sake God did not only appoint the seventh day to be the last but also gave a computation from Mannah that so they might also know which should be that last and so avoid confusion Which yet doth nothing hinder but that the same God may upon occasion appoint another order by his Apostles as he did that by Moses and not harme the Law it selfe or the substance of the Commandement in so doing
keep unraced the ejaculation annexed to it in our Liturgy And M r. Dow pag. 9. saith in absolute tearmes They more fully expresse the nature of this Commandement who say It is partly Morall and partly Ceremoniall Broad 6. Opinion M r. Cleaver will have this strange matter come to passe by a Trope whereby one part is put for the rest He saith That in the precepts and prohibitions more is meant then in words is expressed Moral of the Law Chap. 4. Answ. I acknowledge that in the other nine Commandements more is meant then is expressed in words but here in the fourth Commandement that which is expressed in words is not meant It is a kind of Trope to put one part for the rest but when no part is put for the rest what manner of Trope may that be For this thou shalt sanctifie the seventh day wherein I rested is no part of Gods Law in these dayes and yet this in effect is all that God spake from Sinai Answer Although the fourth Commandement be a Law still in force yet as I said it bindeth us not to keep Sabbath the last day of the weeke though the seventh For the order was foretold to be altered in the 65. Isaiah 17. where it is prophecyed that Gods creating new heavens and a new earth shall make the old to be forgotten that is there shall be a wonderfull alteration and that which now men make most account of to wit the Creation then they shall account it the least sanctifying the memory of my resting from their Redemption in stead of my resting from their Creation And thus you wilfully slander us when you say that Thou shalt sanctifie the seventh day wherein I rested is no part of Gods Law in these dayes for we grant it but with an Orthodox distinction of Rest. For the Commandement it self looketh with a double face both wayes both to the Iewish Church and ours both to the old and new Creation And beareth his Title in the very front in that word Remember And as one well observeth There is no Commandement ushered with such a Memento as that of the Sabbath wherein saith he I thinke we may discerne Gods providence forearming weake Christians against the strong assaults of their own affections strugling against the restraint of a whole dayes libeâ—tie and of mans inventions oppugning Gods institutions for it is a Commandement of Remembrance so that as once we were to remember our Creation by it as appeareth bâ— the first promulgation of it in Exodus for there the Creation is only mentioned so like wise are we now to remember our Redemption by it as appeares by the second proâ—nulgation of it in Deuâ—eronomie where the old Creation is quite forgotten not a word mentioned of it and the new set forth in its Type of their â—gyptian deliverance Which observation taken from the various reasons annexed at severall times and in such an order for the inforcing of this Commandement compared with this Text of Isaâ—ah 65. 17. and the present event sutable doth both very much illustrate the perpetuitie of the Sabbath and yet prophecie the change both in one which also if we consider the nature of those times doth well prove the thing For though Christ speaketh plainly to us now yet to them he spake and prophecyed as I may so say in parables which rightly understood are no lesse proofes then ours And thus is the substance of the fourth Commandement preserved that is the dedicating of the seventh day to duties of Pietie and Mercy and sixe dayes to our other affaires as also prophecie fulfilled and the Apostles imitated But may some say Object Our Redemption was not finished on that day for that it still remaineth in acting by Christs intercession which is Bishop Whites objection page 299. Christs intercession after his dying and rising is as Gods providence was Answ. and is after his sixe dayes Creation And as notwithstanding his continuall providence his Creation was finished on the last day of the week So Now notwithstanding Christs intercession at Gods right hand our Redemption was finished on the first day of the weeke by his Resurrection And whereas Bishop White further objecteth pag. 299. That the day of Christs resurrection cannot properly be called a Sabbath or day of Rest because our Saviour was in action on that day about the necessary works of perfecting mans Redemption by applying teaching inspiring authorizing his Disciples I answer They were all Sabbath-day works and so was the seventh day a working day to God in many such like respects sutable to the first Creation and yet it was his Sabbath for this reason because he rested and ceased from that which he did before as M r. Hildersham noteth upon the Hebrew word Sabbat in his 135. Lect. on the 51. Psalme which holds in respect of Christ. Furthermore page 300. Bishop White saith That the Primitive Church devoted the first day of the weeke to the honour and service of Christ not because of Christs cessation from redemptive actions but because it was primus dies laetitiae The first day of joy and gladnesse for the resurrection of the Lord True But the cause of this joy was the perfection of our Redemption and Deliverance which we celebrate with a congratulatory commemoration on the first day like as we were to doe the perfection of our Creation on the last day of the weeke And pag. 303. hâ— saith That Christ rested upon his resurrection day no more then he did upon every day after untill his ascension and since his ascension untill the worlds end Answ. So he may say that God rested no more from his worke of Creation on the seventh day then he hath done ever since where by the way take notice That it is the consummation of the Creation and Redemption which is meant by their Resting and which we celebrate for else if Rest should respect barely their cessation then all the after time should be of equall estimation with the last day in respect of the Creation and with the first day in respect of the Redemption And now indeed I wonder why the Egyptian deliverance being in Deut. annexed by the dictate of the spirit as a reason to inforce the duty of the fourth Commandement or Sabbath in its second promulgation should not be thought a sufficient reason to inforce the same duty law upon us as well as the obedience of the whole Law is urged upon us by the same reason contained in the Preface * Deny the one and â—eny both but reâ—son and sobrietie will deny neither seeing that in both places it signifieth alike our spirituall Redemption and deliverance Especially seeing the holy Ghost in the fifteenth verse of the fifth of Deut. after he hath there affixed to the fourth Commandement our deliverance out of spirituall Egypt in its Type as the reason of it concludeth upon it mandatorily a duty not a libertie imposed upon us therefore in these
have been called to liberty onely use 〈◊〉 liberty for an occasion to the flesh The end of the second Treatise Answer Weigh well the truth of that which the same man * Amâ—s Medul pag. 364. speaketh concerning this unlawfull liberty which you strive so much to maintaine by good Scripture misused Saith he there Experientia docet licentiam rerum sacrarum non curantiam magis magisqâ—â— invalescâ—re ubi dieâ— dominicae iâ—stâ—ratio non habetur Take heed of walking in the Broad way Broad A question whereabout I will not contend onely I thinke good to shew mine opinion therein The Sabbath as it is said before chapter the third A Iew sleeping in the night and were it pâ—rt of the day sanctifiâ—d the Sabbath for that time was sanctified by abstaining from all works which in the time of the Law was an holy duty as was the abstaining from leavened bread the offering of sacrifices c. and some that only rested from worke sanctified the Sabbath as did little children their cradles A childe of twenty dayes old did prophane the Sabbath no man will say so and of necessity every one prophaned it or sanctified it there is no meane Quest. Was the Sabbath sanctified by offering sacrifices praying hearing the Word and the like holy Duties or not Answ. It was not for proofe hereof I propose this briefly to be considered God first sanctified the seventh day that is consecrated it to an holy rest after he commâ—nded man to sanctifie it thâ—t is to spend it in holy rest as for morall duties they were enjoyned in other Commandements on very day See befâ—â— 1. God commanding to sanctifie the Sabbath and coming afterwards to shew his meaning requireth onely to rest from worke Remember to sanctifie the Sabbath that is God himselfe being expositor Remember to doe no worke on the seventh day Exod. 20. 8 10. See before Chap. 3. 2. God sanctified the seventh day because therein he had rested and was refreshed Gen. 2. Exod. 31. not because he had instructed Adam and Eve therein or that they had called on his holy name 3. As God commanded to sanctifie the seventh day so the yeare * Neither was the Temple which yeare was not yet sanctified by the sacrifices prayers c. in the same see Levit. 25. 4. God requireth in the first place to worship him then for the better performance of this duty in the second place he requireth Israel to sanctifie the seventh day that is to doe no worke therein whereby the day became fit for this purpose The sanctifying of the Sabbath then The order of the Commandements sheweth this and Nature teacheth the same Nature â—eâ—cheth in the first place to worship God and after to have seâ— times for the perâ—â—â—mance of this duty as the sanctifying of the Tabernacle in order went before the worshipping of God therein I meane before praying hearing the word and such like duties for the sanctifying of the Sabbath was it selfe a part of the Ceremoniall Law 5. Were the Sabbath sanctified by praying hearing the word c. it would follow that God more respected the sanctifying the Sabbath then he did praying preaching c. 6. The Sabbath was prophaned onely by working as is shewed before Chap. 3. Wherefore it was sanctified only by abstaining from worke 7. Suppose that Adam had continued in the state of Innocency Nature then would have taught him to set a part some times and places for holy Convocations I demand now how Adam sanctified his appointed times by preaching hearing of the word c. or not If not why then did the Israelites If yea then why had he not as well sanctified his appointed places by the same holy Duties I dare affirme that when any goeth on the Sunday to the Church to pray and heare a Sermon if therby he sanctifie the Sunday that thereby he sanctifieth the Church also This I will maintaine though as I said I will not contend about the question for we have nothing to doe with the Iewes Sabbath nor with their sanctifying it Answer How in what sense Rest is said to sanctifie the Sabbath we have at large spoken of it before Yet here I will briefly answer one question with another I aske how the vessels * What I sâ—y of these may be inâ—â—aâ—â—ed in oâ—her thiâ—gâ— of the Temple were properly said to be sanctified whether by being not imployed about prophane uses or rather in a relative sense by being imployed about holy Sure you will say by being imployed in Gods service about holy uses So the Sabbath was not properly sanctified by resting from prophane but by being imployed in holy businesses For God hath appointed it to be a day of blessing now sure it is not our Resting but our imployment in holy services and use of the meanes that makes it so And so had God appointed it to be to Adam in Innocency for no doubt but Adam being enjoyned labour which necessarily took him off from immediate contemplation his spirituall life should have been upheld by due use of meanes * And therefore had he a Sacramâ—nt instituted to wit the tree of life and also a Sabbath as well as his temporall but what those had been besides prayer and meditation and praise and such like meanes whereby he might enjoy spirituall commuâ—ion with God I will not take upon me to determine Now as for that which you urge so strongly of sanctifying the Places as well as the Time I answer That what Places God hath ever specially and solemnly appointed for his speciall and solemne worship they have been as well sanctified by that worship as the Time so appointed and so was the Temple in Ierusalem For as it is the use unto which Christ hath appointed the bread and wine in the Lords Supper that sanctifieth the bread and wine so was it the use unto which God appointed the Temple that sanctified it God appointeth one time universally for all people not so of Place Because an appointed Time may be Catholicke as is the Church which an appointed place cannot For first it would be of infinite inconvenience for the Catholicke Church to repaire to one particular Place as all Israel did to Ierusalem and secondly it would contradict the nature of the Church and make that particular which is Catholicke But I will conclude with D r. Ames opinion in this matter of Rest Medul pag. 367. Quies ista quamvis in se absolute considerata non sit neque unquam fuer it pars aliqua cultus prout tamen à Deo imperatur tanquam necessarium quid ad ipsius cultum ad illum etiam refertur eatenus est pars observantiae illius quae pertinet ad religionem cultum Dei Sanctificatio huius quietis ac diei est applicatio nostrum ipsorum singularis ad Deum eo die colendum quod innuitur illis ipsis phrasibus Sanctificavit illum diem Sabbatum est Iehove Deo tuo Pray for the Author Praise God the Giver FINIS