so Suppose that any one of us should seâ— to our neighbour our crop of Corn with a reservation to our selves of a seventh part according to the proportion of our Acres and we should say to them Remember I have reserved the seventh part to my self six parts I have sold you but a seventh is mine you shall not meddle with it Must this seventh upon such a demise needs be this or that Close surely no but such a seventh as either according to our bargain we shall choose or our Farmer shall set out This is the case all our time was Gods he hath freely given us six parts and reserved a seventh such a seventh as he shall appoint to himself Hath not God a liberty at his pleasure to set out a seventh to us 3. But say our Brethren it must needs be the seventh in order from the Creation for that was the day which God rested which is brought in the Commandement as an argument to urge upon us the sanctification of the Sabbath Ans 1. That our great Creators resting from his work of creation is brought as an argument to induce us to the observation of the Sabbath we freely grant but we say not as an argument for the particular day but for the same proportion of time God rested one day in seven therefore you must also so rest It is impossible we should rest that day in which God rested that day vanished and returned no more Our Brethren therefore can plead only for the seventh in the weekly Revolution and why not foâ— a seventh in Number only not in Order 2. But we may freely grant our Brethren that that argument held for the seventh iâ— order so far as it could be without any damage to our cause The Precept is onâ— thing the argument is another It doth not at all follow that because thâ— force of the Precept is perpetual thereforâ— the force of every argument should be sâ— also One argument brought hath a perpetual force Gods allowing us six dayes sâ— our own imployment what if the other haâ— a temporary force a force only for thaâ— time during which the Sabbath then instituted was to continue There is nothing more ordinary in Holy Writ than to annex arguments of an universal eternal force to Precepts that were to expire and arguments of a temporary particular vertue to Precepts that obliged for ever How often do we find this as an Argument affixed tâ— the Ceremonial and Judicial Laws confessed by all to oblige only the Jewes For 〈◊〉 am the Lord thy God To give but one instance Lev. 22 29 30. The Precept relates â—o a sacrifice of Thanksgiving it injoyned them to eat it all the same day to leave none of â—t till the morning for saith God I am the Lord God is all our Lord yet we are not â—ll bound to that Sacrifice or the rites relaâ—ting to it On the other side The Argument affixed to the first Commandement is I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the house of bondage The command in the next words Thou shalt have no other Gods but me concerns us as well as the Jews but the argument from the deliverance from Egypt and the house of bondage literally only concern'd them So here The Precept Remember to keep holy the Sabbath Day with the direction and first argument in those words Six dayes shalt thou â—aboâ—â— and do all that thou hast to doe but â—he seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God c. concerns all But the other Argument in those words For in six dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that in them is and â—ested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it We say only concerned the proportion of time not inforcing the same day in order or if it did had but a temporary force that day being then under divine institution and there being a need of that argument to quicken the Jews to observe it for those many years it was confessedly to continue after the giving of the Law in Sinai Nor indeed was it possible for all the World or for the Jews in successive times to keep the just seventh part of time from the Creation in a strict computation those who know any thing know how this computation was interrupted in Joshuah and Hezekiahs time and what a difference there is betwixt dayes in several climates and quarters of the World making it a thing impossible either for all people and the Precept concerns all or for the Jewish people afterwards dispersed over all the world to keep the punctual seventh day in order from the Creation according to a weekly revolution I conclude therefore that there is no pretence from the fourth Commandment for any to urge that we more glorifie God by obeying his will in the observation of the last than of the first day of the week yea it will anon appear we less obey God The fourth Commandement only requiring one intire day of seven and such a one as God had or should appoint If we prove God hath appointed another the fourth Commandment stands good and we are rebellious against God if we insist on the old Sabbath and neglect what God hath more lately appointed CHAP. IV. That the Lord Jesus Christ was Lord of the Sabbath and had a power as to alter all Laws relating to the acts of Worship so this Law relating to the solemn time of Worship I Cannot but be so far charitable to our Brethren ingaged against us in this controversie as to believe they will yield us what we have hitherto contended for so far as it extends only to a liberty for the Lord of Heaven and Earth after his giving the fourth Commandement to alter it for though we cannot assert such a liberty no not to the Eternal God as to such things in the ten Commandments which contain in them a morall goodness antecedaneous to the Precept being made so by the Eternall will of God and the things being of that nature that the contrary to them must necessarily impeach the glory of God which he cannot with consistency to his holy nature recede from yet for such things whose goodness meerly depends upon the Precept certainly without derogation to the Soveraign authority of God we must acknowledge a power reserved unto God to make an alteration of them So that though we cannot suppose that God should by any Precept successive to the morall Law give his creatures liberty not to glorifie him or to blaspheme him or to have any other gods besides him yet we must acknowledge a liberty to God if he pleased to alter the law for the time of his Worship that being a thing from which no glory further ariseth to God than as his will is obeyed Now I presume it a principle agreed betwixt us and our Brethren That Jesus Christ is God over all blessed for ever the
Printed Papers it will be no small satisfaction to me if not yâ— my work is with the Lord anâ— my judgement is with my God I think scarce any of you think I have any prejudice against you many of you may believe I have a great kindness for you The good Lord bring us all in this point to think and speak the same thing and to walk in the same Way Your Friend and Servant in the Gospel of our Lord Iesus John Collenges CHAP. I. The occasion of the Discourse and what moved the Author to it IF in the following Discourse I had designed to have advantaged my Name in a printed Book I had certainly made choice of another Subject or handled this in another manner than I have I know nothing left for an Author on this subject it hath been so variously and learnedly handled by eminent Authors Nothing is to be added to what Mr. Ley hath said to justifie the application of the Name Sabbath to the Lords day Nor to what Dr. Twiss Mr. Sheppard Mr. Caudry and Mr. Warren have said for the Morality of it for the repeal or expiration of the Jewish Sabbath for the change of it to the first day of the Week Mr. Sheppard and Mr. Caudry have not lefâ— Ocâ—foâ—d or Brabourn nor Mr. Warren left Mr. Tilham a rag to cover the nakedness of their faireyes nor is ought to be added to whaâ— Dr. Young hath said to the primitive observation of it For the practical sanctification of it all the Authors aforesaid have spokeâ— fully to which may be added Dr. Bound Mr. Bernard and lately Mr. Wells To say nothing of the controversial part handled by the aforesaid Authors against Heylin Primrose Ironside and all of that party who would make our Sabbath but an ordinary Church-holiday so that indeed there is not room left for a new Author to croud in bringing any thing new in this case Nor shall this discourse pretend to any thing of that nature I look upon it as our great disadvantage in reference to most of our brethren who contend for the Jewish Sabbath to be still in force that what is already said in the case which is abundantlâ— enough is either spoken so learnedly as they cannot understand it or else hidden in large volumes of considerable price which either ordinary people want money to buy or time toâ—â—ad or judgement to finde out All therefore I shall pretend to is in a plain familiar Discourse to present our brethren with the summe of what hath been far more fully and learnedly discoursed by others To which that which hath been the next occasion is my present leisure and the Providence of God casting me in a place where I observe very many and those whose hearts I would charitably think God had touched with a sense of Religion and who I trust truely fear God and love the Lord Jesus have received impressions leading them to a great zeal for the old Sabbath The consequents of which opinion I look upon as very sad these Christians breaking communion with all Christian Churches in the World and depriving themselves of the advantage they might have from communion with us on the Lords day For though I have known some of that opinion who yet on the Lords day would come to hear the Word preached and joyn in Prayer with other Congregations yet I perceive another spirit in many of my present Neighbours And besides if being possessed of that opinion they did come it would not be with such preparation nor in such a Conscience of what they did as were requisite for such as expect a blessing from or in such dutyes God hath pleased at present to call me to sit down in silence as to my publick Ministry that I might in something serve my generation and be usefull to the Souls of others I have put my pen to Paper in this cause nor have I had any other motive whatsoever but if it might be to do good to some Soul or other or if I cannot cure yet at least through the strength of God to stop the spreading of this disease amongst Christians CHAP. II. The first Consideration That God hath no more glory nor the Souls of Christians any more reall advantage from the observation of the Seventh day from the Creation than from the observation of the Lords Day as the Christian Sabbath nor can be any pretence of this nature but that of stricter Obedience to the Commandment I Take it to be an excellent notion of that holy and eminent Servant of God Mr. Thomas Sheppard that the thing which makes a Law morall is a goodness in the thing commanded precedent to the command yet caused by the eternal will of God Ceremonial Laws were therefore good because commanded but the matter of every Moral Law must have some goodness that is some equity some suitableness in it to the nature and to the Concernment of men and women preceding the command especially if we rightly consider man as he stands related to God and to his Neighbour as he is made up of Body and Soul both ordained to an eternal existence The light of nature shewing us that there is a God and but one God he our Creator Preserver Governour an Essence of glorious Majesty purity and holiness c. If we had never heard of the first second or third Commandements Nature would have told us it was fit we should give the highest homage of our Souls to him alone worship him according to his will not blaspheme his Name nor use any thing related to him irreverently which is the substance of the three first Commandments The same will be yielded as to the 5 6 7 8 9 and 10. The very light of Nature would have shewed us a fitness and sutableness in the things there commanded to humane Society if we never had heard of the Commandment The same light of Nature also would have shewn us that some time must be spent in the service of God That it was reasonable some due proportion of time should be so sanctified Indeed that this should be a seventh part rather than a sixth Nature would not have shewn us that is morall positive but being directed Nature will presently allow it equal holy just and good This Original goodness in the observation of a seventh part of our time as holy to the Lord must lye either in this That from such a Religious Observation our Creator will reap some glory Or this That from it Man as to Soul or Body will reap some considerable advantage Both which are most undoubtedly true both as to some proportion of time and as to a seventh rather than a lesser part of our time The honour we bring to God by Acts of Worship being only in the publishing of his Name and Works The more frequently we do exalt his Name and publish his Works the more Glory we bring him Again Ordinances being the way through which our Lord Jesus useth to pass
the law of nature obligeth us to worship him and by consequence to set some time apart for it for all humane actions must be done in time yet nature directeth us not to a seventh nor to this seventh nor yet to those acts of worship which God requireth of us We are I suppose agreed that both the old and new Testament ought to be eyed as our rule in the case and indeed the old testament is most full in its directions of this nature In the new we find the Sabbath altered the Jewish superstitions and mis-interpretations corrected the practical observation of it justified by the Examples of our Saviour the Apostles and others but the rules about it are but few Our Lord intending to leave his people as in many other points of the moral Law to the fuller direction of the Laws and the Prophets Now in the old Testament we find somthing in the Law in the five books of Moses something in the Prophets The Original Law we find Exod. 20. for concerning the Sabbath in the Patriarchs time I shall say nothing it being not my question to examine when the observation began but how it should be observed The fourth commandment plainly requireth that it should be kept as on holy rest it requires it to be kept as a day of rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and requireth us to keep it holy so Exod. 35.2 an holy day a Sabbath of rest Rest is opposed to Motion and Action Holiness is opposed to idleness and filthiness I say first Rest is opposed to Motion Action yet it is apparent from scripture that neither all Motion nor all action fall under the prohibition of that precept We shall find both our Saviour and his Apostles going into the Synagogues on the Sabbath day and the latter going out of the City Acts 16.13 hence Act. 1.13 we read of a Sabbath dayes journey i. e. such a journey as a man might lawfully take on the Sabbath day what length that might be hath possibly unnecessarily troubled many doubtless so much is to be understood as one might conveniently go to attend upon the worship of God it is no improbable conjecture That the phrase hath reference to the first settlement of the Jewish Church upon their march in the wilderness There were to be 200 hundred Cubits between the Arke and the Camp Josh 3.4 And in probability when they rested they were to keep the same distance this some interpret one mile others two miles On the Sabbath day they all were to come up to the Ark to worship which was 200 hundred Cubits distant from the nearest of them and at a far greater distance from those who incamped farthest off the Ark. Godwin's Jewish Antiquities l. 2. cap. 3. Besides this we shall easily understand what Motion is lawful on the Sabbath day if we understand what Action is lawful For such Motion as is necessary to such Action must also be lawful So it is lawful for a Physitian to go to his patient For a man having a beast fallen into a pit to go to help it out c. Secondly as all Motion from our places is not prohibited so neither in all action Our Actions are divided into such as are Natural flowing from a principle and necessity of nature and serving to the upholding and conservation of nature As eating drinking sleeping c. Under the notion of moral actions we comprehend all our actions of worldly labour in our callings and places By religious actions we understand acts of worship by which we give an homage to God The fourth commandment requires that we should do no manner of work but it is apparent from other Scriptures that all actions all work is forbidden To open to you the mind of God in this thing a little 1. Acts of Religious worship or tending directly to it are so far from being forbidden that they are commanded The Jews might kill and offer beasts for sacrifices 1 Chron. 23.31 Num. 28.9 10. The Priests might order the lamps set on the new bread the Jews might circumcise an infant The Scribes might expound the Law They might blow their trumpets to call the assembly Num. 10.2 10. Watch to prevent the profanation of the Sabbath c. Neh. 13.22 Whence the Jews were wont to say that In the temple there was no Sabbath no rest there all were at work In analogy to this there can be no doubt but it is lawful to study preach read hear pray sing baptize on the Lords day in order thereto to ring Bells to call people together to be imployed in seeing to others observation of it These sort of actions is so far from being unlawful that they are actions for the Sabbath Opus diei in die suo 2. A second sort of action lawful on the Sabbath day are such as are necessary to preserve the being or well-being of creatures Thus it is lawful for Physitians or Chirurgions to apply medicines to their patients Our Saviour abundantly vindicates this Joh. 3.5 9. Luk. 13.12 13. Luk. 6.10 Joh. 9.6 Mat. 12.10 And so for nurses to attend those that are sick or young children to go for a Physitian to prepare physick let blood c. To save the life of another to indeaâ—our to preserve our own lives by fighting in opposition to an enemy by fleeing from an enemy to be in arms for the desence of our Prince or Country 1 Kings 20.9 2 Kings 11.5 6. For the Magistrate to commit malefactors Numb 15.34 To dress meat our Saviour justified the disciples rubbing ears of Corn Mat. 12 1 2 3. We find our Saviour at a feast on the Sabbath day Luk. 14.1 2 3. and others were bidden v. 7. To feed and water cattle justified by our Saviour Luk. 13.15 To keep our goods from being lost upon which our Saviour Job 5. justified the lame man carrying of his bed Undoubtedly actions that tend to preserve the being or usefulness of a thing of which we have a moral certainty that without such labour on the Sabbath the creature would perish or be unuseful and corrupt are lawful on the Lords day This all stands upon that principle That God loves mercy rather than sacrifice And upon that principle 3. Actions also of mercy and charity are by all Determined lawful Such as are visiting the sick c. Many of those which come under the Schoolemens two verses Visito poto cibo redimo tego colligo condo Giving bread to the hungry beer to the thirsty burying the dead relieving the captives c. So as we find the rest commanded in the fourth commandment limited by these exceptions and it must remain unlawful in any other causes to labour From whence we may gather That the prohibitions we read of in Scripture of not kindling a fire on the Sabbath day Exod. 35. and Exod. 16.29 For not going out of their place on the seventh day to gather manna must not be taken in that strictness in which some would