were wrought so it will be sad for such as will persist in slighting the holy Sabbath which he hath so eminently arown'd with his wonders After labour hath bin spent in vain to fasten some defamation on the Lord of the Sabbath the next invention is to fal upon his servants And first they seek some shelter for Sabbathâ— breaking from the Apostles words One Man esteemeth one day above another Rom. 14.5 Another osteemeth every day alike The Apostle doth not here expose Gods moral Sabbath to our censure or to be esteemed or disesteemed as we please for he had before firmly established the moral Law * Rom. 3 31. and cannot be thought to destroy what he hath setled in the same Epistle onely in meats and dayes ceremonial he leaves weaklings to liberty for since Christ hath took down the wall of partition The persons places meats and days which did support it are all level'd but the seventh day Sabbath was instituted long before that partition wall was raised So that 't is not in our liberty to esteem it as we please for God himself hath made it holy and so esteems it whether we do or no. 'T is God that from the Worlds foundation placed holiness in this day and what God hath sanctified let not us presume any longer to make common Another argument is drawn from Gal. 4.10 Ye observe Days and Months and Times and Years Answ He cannot here condemn the observing of all days since Fasting and Feasting days are approved by Christ and his Church onely weak and beggarly seasons are condemned If any dare be so bold to reproach the seventheday-Sabbath instituted and observed by God himself as a weak and beggerly element at his peril be it 'T is a royal Law and will be the joy of a royal people The third argument aspersing the Apostles is raised from Col. 2.16 17. Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of part of a Feast * So the Greek or of the New Moon or of the Sabbaths which are a shadow of things to come but the body is of Christ 1. Here at first sight 't is evident that onely such Sabbaths are ceased as were a shadow of good things to come But the seventh day was never such a Sabbath a sign indeed of good things past and present as is already shewed but never termed a shadow of things to come 2. The blessed Spirit by two other terms declares clearly what Sabbaths are ceased 1. Col. 2.14 such as were against us 2. contrary to us and such were those annual Sabbaths requiring great labour and travel in comming three times a year from all parts to Jerusalem far from the sweet Rest which the fourth Commandemnent enjoyns upon the seventh day Sabbath which never was in the least against us or any way contrary to â—s and therefore not here intended though he Prelates by perverting the Text would â—volve it for unto the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which onely signifieth Sabbaths they have deceitfully added dayes to the Text as though there were no other Sabbaths but Sabbath days whereas the seventh year was a Sabbath and the seventh seventh the great ceremonial Sabbath or Jubile And whereas by this bold and absurd addition some would cast off the seventh day as ceremonial who yet plead strongly for the morality of the Sabbath it is very considerable that this Text toucheth not the Day at all but the Duty that is the Sabbath which even many enemies of the seventh day confess to be moral Evident it is that as the seventh day points out the time of worship so the Sabbath denptes the worship it self and the Apostle mentions not the day or time as a shadow but the Sabbaths and so if any thing in the fourth Commandement were a shadow of Christ it must be onely the Rest which is the duty and not the Time which is the seventh day As warrantably may they reject the moral Law upon that expression of the Law being changed Heb. 7.12 as the seventh day upon this word of Sabbaths being ashadow We may as well distinguish of Sabbaths in this place as Laws in that Mr. Aspinwal pretends to reform the Bishops abuse of this Col. 2. and translates it rightly Sabbaths but renders those words a Feast which he knows is onely part of a Feast and from hence takes liberty p. 4. to descant upon Feasts contrary to the word Well after all attempts the 7th day Sabbath remains a glorious lively Oracle to Christians it is no bâ—se ceremony or beggarly rudiment for God himself observed it and with his own voice with great Majesty enjoyned and recorded it a mongst the rest of his royal perpetual precepts it requireth no toil nor trouble like the ceremonial Sabbaths but lovingly releaseth man from his labours It is no way against us or contrary to us unless we be against God and contrary to those heavenly spirits who prefer one day in Gods Courts before a thousand in that dunghil drudgery wherein earthy carnal base-born muck worms delight to be toiling and moiling in this bewitching world It mounts the Dove-like Spouse from earth to heaven where she obtains a tast of her eternal glory dwelling this day in her Beloveds bosome sweetly reposing her weather-beaten Vessel in this shining season of noon-tide Rest in the very arms of Christ Caut. 1.7 These are undeniably the sweet enjoyments and soul-ravishing delights which this Royal Sabbath of Iehovah opens to the sincere obedient soul and therefore onely to be slighted by such as observing lying vanities forsake their own mercies When restless spirits find their fancies frustrate and that they have onely wearied themselves with these inventions 1. To expel the glorious Sabbath out of Paradise 2. To imprison it in Palestina 3. To defame our Saviour as a Sabbath-breaker 4. To asperse the Apostles as Sabbath-slighters And finding the Sabbaths lustre breaking through these foggy inveations 5. Satan the Prince of darkness transforming himself into an Angel of Light furnisheth them with the last invention under the most specious pretence of a spiritual Sabbath to live in the weekly pollution of that blessed day which the Father of Spirits hath appointed for the inlet of all spiritual sweets into the soul And the poor deceived Notionists 2 Cor. 11.2 3. Gen. 3.5 forgetting how the serpent beguil'd Eve through his subtilty under the very same bait of disobedience to Gods Commands promising most gâ—orious spiritual enjoyments are so transported with the glistering Alchymie of his sublime aiery notions that away goes all the tryed Gold of the Law and the Testimony and now no duties will down with these lawless Libertines but all their devorion lies buried in the abysse of pretended spiritual prayer spiritual singing spiritual fasting spiritual feasting spiritual baptism spiritual supper spiritual sabbath leaving all literal obedience as too low for their bewitched fancies as if Christ and primitive Christians
Disciples to pray Mat. 24.20 That their slight might not be in the Winter nor on the Sabbath day of grace i. e. that they might not flye at all when as yet he had commanded them to flye 2. If the day of grace be our enjoyned Sabbath then we must be sure as long as the Gospel lasts to do no servile work according to the Commandement but here it 's also conceived that the works now prohibited are our sins Answ 1. The Law did no less prohibit sin then the Gospel 2. This conceit supposeth God thus commanding six days of the Laws duration thou shalt or mayest labour and do all thy work of sin but the day of grace is the Sabbath in it thou shalt not sin thou thy son and which is extreamly absurd thy cattle and the stranger that is within thy gates Either this opinion must reject the rest of the fourth Commandement as it doth the seventh day or els it puts it self upon more then an Egiptian task to keep his son servants strangers from sin As for the poor cattle they are uncapable of such a Rest as cessation from sin and the merciless Notionist is reasoning them out of that natural rest wherewith the merciful God hath priviledged them so that if there be no rest required but from sin the poor bruits may rue the time of Christs comming into the world 't were well for them that Peter had prevailed to build Tabernacles that they might have still enjoyed the good dayes of Moses And as for English servants their condition would be little different from Turkish slaves so that they might well bewail MESSIAH's birth should this opinion prevail for the boundless desires of earthy-minded Masters would seldome be weary of the way of getting wealth neither would their pretended spirituality dictate what day to spare their wearied servants But instead of the Angels good tydings of great joy to all people servants would soon cry out sad tidings of great sorrow to be thus deprived of the happy rest for soul and body and constrained to toil and travel on the Sabbath Thus by Origens allegorical Divinity making cessation from sin the onely Gospel Sabbath the letter of Gods Law which cals for corporal rest and spiritual service is perverted Christs Sermon abused Exe. 20. Is 58.13 the Royal Sabbath like a typical ceremony rejected the poor bruits wearied servants defrauded and manifold absurdities introduced to the great dishonour of the great Law-giver and grievous sin of such as assert the onely Sabbath is to abstain from sin which that soul shall do indeed who abstains from labour on Gods Sabbath servile work being the known sin of the fourth Commandement Cease from thy shallow conceits thou deluded slighter of holy Sabbaths The Saints day of eternal cestation from sin and sorrow is not yet come we see Babylon yet in beeing the Jews uncalled all the eath in confusion the day of peace is indeed approaching when such onely as are found in ways of obedience shall enter in by the gate to the glorious City of everlasting Rest Thus having through Divine aid vindicated the Sabbaths morality from those inventions and aspersions raised against it I shall now proceed to the second part in the Position Viz. The select season or precise time determined by him who is hasting to the ruine of that blasphemous Little Horn for his change of Times and Laws THat the seventh day was the Lords holy Sabbath Gen. 2.2 Heb. 4.3 from the Worlds foundation to our Saviours Passion is undeniable And yet such is satans envie at the Sabbath that he suggests a possibility of alteration by the Suns station in Joshua's time and retrogradation in Hezekiah's dayes But it may easily bee understood that when the same power who placed the Sun in its Sphere stayed its course one day and commanded it to return backwards another this did only lengthen those individual days and then returned to its natural motion but altered not the next day at all 2. It must be concluded that our Saviour who fulfilled the Law exactly observed punctually the very Sabbath and the scripture testifies that the holy women rested the Sabbath day according to the Commandement Luk. 23. ult that is upon the very seventh day which God instituted and required to bee observed And the whole world though different in Religion will give full testimony that neither the Heathens saturday so called long before Christs time the Turks friday the Papists sunday nor any other day in the week hath since met with any change so that I may with as much reason question whether my right hand be that the world calls so as I may question whether saturday be the very seventh day seeing the Jews also dispersed through the world punctually observe it And yet what a deal of dust hath been raised from the Prelates ashes by an old Professour of New England-way against their principles and his own conscience his great Argument borrowed from the Bishops is this That since all Regions cannot observe the same hours for the Sabbath by reason of the various rising and setting of the Sun therefore the seventh day is not universally moral Answ What will not enmity to Gods Sabbath set upon seeing such a one as Capt. Jenison is not ashamed to use the old Prelates worm-eaten Arguments in flat opposition to his Brethren Me thinks it should wound his soul to receive answer from Mr. Shepheard with approbation of the consociated Elders of New England in detestation of such deceit thus The fourth Commandement must stand firm Shep. sab pag. 147. the Heaven and Earth must fall asunder the Lord will rather waste Kingdomes and the whole Christian world with fire and sword then let one tittle of his Law perish the Land must rest when Gods Sabbath cannot c. And surely it may sadly affect their hearts in New-England if ever this reacheth their eye or ear that one of their professed members in a great publick assembly should combat the Sabbath with the same weapons foyled by them And in hopes it will make the Captain ashamed and silence all adversaries I shall transcribe the solid answer of reverend Mr. Shepheard to the cloudy argument which he saith Carpanter and Heylin compassed the whole earth and heavens to find out To think saith he that the Sabbath was proper to the Jews Shep. sab pag. 148. because they onely were able to keep and exactly observe the time of it being shut up as Mr. Primvose saith within a little corner of the earth and that the Gentiles are not therefore bound to it because they cannot exactly observe the time of it in several quarters of the earth so far distant is a very feeble argument for why might not all Nations exactly observe the rising and setting of the Sun according to several Climates by which the natural day and so this if the Sabbath is exactly measured and which God hath appointed without limitation
calamities of his rebellious Nation he directs his dear Disciples when to depart from those direfull miseries but especially to be importunate in prayer for forty years together Mat. 24 15. that they might not be forced to fly in the Winter for then the foul ways and short days would make it irksome to their bodies especially to breeding and nursing mothers and no less was the care of this tender shepheard to the souls of his Saints whom he bears in his bosome as also to the sanctity of his Sabbath and therefore adds this petition to their forty years Prayer that they might not be put to fly on the Sabbath day to the dishonour of God and trouble of their spirits in prophaning the sacred season for the preservation of their bodies which was designed for the sweetening of their souls in Hearing Prayer and Praise amiddest the precious societies of Gospell Saints It cannot easily be imagined that Christ should be so carefull in securing his Sabbath had it been ceremonial Col. 2.16 17. at such time as all ceremonies were abolished by Apostolical Proclamation Object And yet it is imagined and the best is but imagined that the Disciples were onely warned of fleeing on the Sabbath by way of prevention of Jewish persecution Answ And can it be conceived rationally that Vespatians Armies and Titus Ensigns should strike no more terrour then that the Jews in stead of securing themselves should trifle away their time in persecuting the Christians Had their flight been on the Sabbath yet seeing they were not to carry any thing no not their clothes they could not be counted transgressours Moreover so superstitious were the Jews that they durst not fight for their life much less persecute others and therefore this could not be intended by our Saviour but his sole designe was to have his seventh day Sabbath sanctified by his Disciples And as our Redeemer thus generally and particularly owned this Sabbath by his holy word so he gloriously crowned it above all other dayes by his mighty works viz. such miracles as never man wrought Mat. 11 20 11 20 If then those Cities were most honoured and engaged where his mighty works were done upon the same account is that day to bee most highly esteemed which Christ crowned with his greatest wonders God forbid that Gospel Saints should side with envious Sadduces in reproaching our Saviour for putting forth his glory on that blessed day but rather with heighthened affections let that Sabbath be religiously celebrated wheron such divine vertue was shewed Neither doth our great exemplar cease here to honour his Sabbath but having owned it by his word and crowned it with his works his constant care both in life and death was to leave a lively president for his people His constant custome during life is visible to all that can read the fourth Chapter of Saint Lukes Gospel and for his cessation from his work of redemption the same day of the week and time of the day that the father ceased from his work of creation entring exactly into his rest on the Sabbath as God did this is such a misterious discovery and full confirmation of the seventh day Sabbath as for ever binds all believers by a double obligation to this sweet soul-refreshing duty of which more may be spoken in due time This may suffice abundantly for the confirmation of the seventh day Sabbath by our blessed Saviour The third thing promised 3 Approbation is his approbation of that holy spirit which was appointed by the Saviour of souls to be a constant guide to Gods people So that whatsoever this blessed spirit shall approve of we may safely receive as tried gold weighed in the ballance of the sanctuary and rest upon 〈◊〉 as infallible truth Three things will fully evince the holy spirits approbation of the seventh day Sabbath 1. Luk. 23. ult His high Encomium 2. His mighty operation 3. His constant appellation 1. His high applause given to the pious womens practise of resting according to the Commandement is a full proof of divine approbation For though they celebrated the Sabbath upon Christs crucifixion yet Saint Luke was not inspired to write his Gospel till after Christs ascension as is evident in his preface and confessed by our learned adversaties Luk. 1.2 3 4. Leigh Syst p. 822. That divers years after when all Levitical institutions lost their power of binding the whole Law and each principle thereof doth binde all under the Gospel If then such praise were given to the holy womens celebration that the spirit so long after records it to their honour That they rested the Sabbath day according to the Commandement let the conclusion of the parable be the obedient souls instruction Luk. 10.37 Go and do thou likewise set to the Sabbaths observation according to the Commandement if thou wouldst have like praise of Gods spirit Though this might satisfie a willing soul yet others see such a measure of self-denial required in this duty that either God must stoop to their arms in recording the celebration of the 7th day Sabbath after Christs ascension or else they will not obey Well the blessed spirit sweetly condiscends and by the most glorious manifestation and wonderful operation that ever visited the earth confirms the seventh day Sabbath For it was upon this blessed day that he gloriously descended upon the Apostles to the amazement of men Act. 2. for though Antichrist hath long deceived us and we have taken it upon trust that Pentecost was upon the first day of the Week which he hath long honoured with Whitson Ales Wakes and May games yet in plowing up the truth with Gods heifer we shall finde such treasures of long-unveiled misteries in this renowned day as can never sufficiently be admired And the first mistery that displayeth it self Ez. 13.6 waâ— 19.1 11. lieth in the institution of the Feast called Pentecost or the fiftieth day for as the fiftieth day after the first Passeover and wonderfull deliverance from the Egyptian â—urnace the spirit descended in fire upon Sinai to instruct the twelve Tribes of Israel even so the fiftieth day most exactly after Christ our Passeover was sacrificed for us and had wrought our mighty deliverance from that worse then Egyptian bondage Heb. 2.14 15. did the same eternal spirit descend in fire upon Sion to inspire the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. And surely this harmonious descent upon the fiftieth day both at Sinai and Sion Barthol de propr rerum p. 152. cannot but be soul-ravishing satisfaction to the religious Christian for the confirmation of his faith in the true Messiah As also this marvellous dispensation upon the seventh day Sabbath cannot but affect his heart with this royal rest which the spirit so eminently approves by his superlative presence And the clearing of this fiftieth day to be the seventh day Sabbath will open more divine misteries as so many coals from the Altar to
people of God I know 't wil be suddenly objected Psal 132. there 's no mention of the Sabbath in our English Bibles only there remaineth a rest to the People of God Indeed the greater is their sin who have abused the word Sabathismos translating that only rest which signifies the celebration of the Sabbath Mar. 28.13.14 as any Grammer School-boy may see in his common Dictionary and the greatest Adversaries of the Seaven day Sabbath are not able to deny If any shall plead Psal 27.19 20. That seeing the keeping of the Sabbath is a Rest therefore the Translators may be excused in rendring the word Rest let them know that although every Sabbath is a Rest yet every Rest is not a Sabbath We rest in our beds yet who is so simple to call that a Sabbath That word which so often is rendred Rest in Heb. 3.4 is quite another Greeke word So that their sin cannot be excused who have perverted the sence and by mis translation and their own additions to the Scripture have obscured the Sabbaths Gospel-glory more then once or twice as in Col. 2.36 they have destroyed the A postles scope by their addition of Dayes so in Acts 18.4 they have translated that word Reasoning to the undervaluing of the Sabbath which in Acts 20.7 they English Preaching for the greater advancement of the first day But since so great a cloud of obscurity is cast over the Sabbath by translating that barely rest which signifies so clearly the celebration of the Sabbath and finding many perplexing their spirits to find out what rest is to pressed by the spirit In Heb. 3. 4. I shall endeavour to helpe their understandings who through some cursorie consideration of the Scripture have supposed that it only intends some one single Rest whereas upon a serious search into these two Chapters there will be found a five-fold rest 1 Typicall 2 Spirituall 3 Evangelicall 4 Morall and 5 Eternall though indeed they are as mysteriously and promiscuously held forth as those interwoven predictions of our Lord Jesus In the 4 of Mat. and the book of the Revelation which are purposely so delivered to exercise the faith and mind of wisdoms children I shall therefore through grace lay open this five-fold rest as it appeares to be the mind of the Spirit by the Apostle Heb. 3. ver 3.5.6 7 whose scope is to warne and admonish Christians by Israels woes of falling short of the true Rest and having shewed the difference between Christ and Moses with their two houses he takes his Text as it were from David Psal 45.7 exhorting Christs house by faith to walk in Gods wayes * vers 10 12 13 14. from which Israel swerved and so fell short of that Rest termed another day whereof Joshuah's Canaan was only a Type This being the Apostles scope by that Typicall rest to shadow forth that other day viz. Gospel grace and Glory by Christ The entrance into which grace is the Saints spirituall rest For saith the Apostle We which have beleeved doe enter in to rest This is that promised rest to heavy-laden souls the delightful fold of believing Lambs The very same resting place saith Christ my Father makes for me have I prepared for you even mine own bosome and all I look for from you in liew of this great love Iohn 1.18 is as thus as I rest in my Fathers bosome and you in mine so I may rest in yours Wherefore let each spirituall Virgin Spouse conlude My beloved shall lye as a bundle of myrrhe all night between my breasts Can. 1.13 And having thus attained their Spirituall rest by Faith the Saints third repose I term 4 Rest Evangelical a Church estate caled by the Apostle The house of Christ the Zion of God built up of Spirituall stones the rest which God himselfe hath chosen Heb. 31.6 12.22 Ps 132.13 14. and all should choose that have entred by faith into that Spirituall rest For the Lord hath chosen Zion he hath desired it for his habitation this is my rest for ever here will I dwell for I have desired it Here Christ hath promised his precious presence to the worlds end and this should be that on thing in believers desires whilest pretenders to Spirituallity are passing from mountaine to hill forgetting their resting Place 4. As Christs Church is his resting place where we may find him and rest in him So he hath a solemn resting time or Gospel-Season which is the noon time rest after which the Spouse enquires not only where but when Tell me ô thou whom my soul loloveth where thou feedest where thou makest thy slocks to rest at noon At this Season Christ sits in his meridian glory amidst his flocks in his weekly returne to his beloved this I call his Morall rest or the mannerly attendance which the Church owes unto Christ entring his Royal palace deckt in robes of righteousness when the Royall Scepter is gratiously extended to every trembling Hester The neglect of this morall rest was wofull Israels sin for which the Lord destroyed them in the Wildernesse as is plain Ezek. 20.13 and this being compared with the Apostles Admonition to the Christians plainly points out the Sabbath that remains to the people of God He sets forth Israels fin and Israels sorrow on this wise Although God finished his works from the foundation of the world and thereupon speaks Gen. 2. And God rested the the seventh day from all his works yet neither the glory of his wonderfull Creation authority of his institution or observation of his holy Sabbath to keep up the Creators honour could engage them to follow his example but so highly did they provok him in the wildernesse by refusing his Statutes and despising his judgments in generall but especially in poluting his Sabbaths that he sware in his wrath they should not enter into his rest but for their sins and particularly sabbath-breaking he consumed them in the Wildernesse Wherefore the Apostle concludes in applying all unto believers exhorting them to labour in the use of that meanes which Israel neglected To enter into the eternall rest after the true Jesus least any man fall by the same example of unbeliefe or disobedience as the Greeke signifies Christians believe it this is the summe of the Apostles admonition so to presse after our eternall rest that we fall not after Israels example of disobedience Ezek. 20.13 in rejecting Gods statutes despising his judgments and in particular poluting his seventh day Sabbath which he made and wherein he rested for a patterne to all that enjoy the benefit of his works of creation But especially for Christians who by entring into his spirituall rest through faith are become the people of God There remaineth therefore the celebration of the Sabbath to the people of God for he that is entred into his rest he also hath ceased from his works as God did from his own works And here we
have considerable first the continued duty that is The celebration of the Sabbath 2. The persons exhorted to the duty and they are such as by entring into the spirituall rest through faith are the people of God 3. Here 's the ground and reason of the duty and this is twofold 1. Gods rest from Creation 2. Christs rest from Redemption First as to the remaining duty the celebrating of the Sabbath I need say little having already shewed that the seventh day Sabbath is one of those lively Oracles that Israel received from Sinai to give unto us And that our God hath especially commanded us to whom these Oracles are given to REMEMBER his seventh day Sabbath to sanctifie it and t is our mercy that his holy spirit doth here record what the translators were loath to reveale in english That there remaineth the keeping of the Sabbath to the people of God I know t is set downe in the margin of our Bibles the keeping of a Sabbath whence they would evade the seventh day Sabbath and set up a Sabbath of their own although the Dictionaries and Lexicons render it plainly the keeping of the Sabbath But let the people of God celebrate the seventh day Sabbath untill they can find the holy Spirit calling any other day a Sabbath and then let them change The second thing is the persons exhorted to this duty and they are believers entred into their spirituall rest and therefore t is most irrationall to affirm this remaining Sabbath to be nothing but a spirituall rest into which believers enter verse 3. and so become the people of God and as Gods people they are to celebrate the Sabbath There remaineth therefore the celebration of the Sabbath to those that are already the people of God And I hope such as are the people of God will remember to observe it as being under a double obligation I Gods institution and observation making himselfe our president of which I have already spoken 2. Christs cessation from his great works and entring thereupon into his rest and this is laid down as the Gospel reason why the Sabbath remaines to the people of God For he that is entred into his rest he also hath ceased from his works as God did from his owne works Some conceive That believers are here said to enter into rest but then it would be needless to excite them to enter in the verse following It is Christ only * Heb. 4.12 whose entrance into rest is here intended who ceased from his works as God did from his and therefore there remaineth che celebration of the Sabbath to the people of God Here then the mysterious payment of mans Ransome is matter of high admiration being the same day that man was made and that very day and time of the day whereon God finished the glorious work of creation and so ceasing from his labours our Saviour exactly entered into his rest that very day and time as God began his rest povidentially ordering his body to be taken down and laid to rest in his Sepulchre in the Close of the sixth day that no part of his Sabbath should be violated and thus ceasing from his works as God did and entering into his Rest exactly as God did it laies believers under a double engagement to sanctifie the seventh day Sabbath That all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father i.e. As the Father engageth us to honour him in celebrating the sabbath because he rested on it from the works of Creation John 5.23 So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 even so the Son engageth us to sanctifie the same holy sabbath because he rested in it from the works of our redemption There remaineth therefore the keeping of the Sabbath to the people of God Mr Aspinwall and others would perswade us without one word from God that Christ entred into his rest upon the day of his Resurrection whereas he journeyed fifteen miles that very day which was no faire president for celebrating a Sabbath But that he entred into rest the true seventh day Sabbath when he had finished his great worke of Redemption the Scripture gives full evidence Our deare Redeemers soule was no sooner seperated from his body but his better part immediately entred into glory by his own resignation of it into Gods custody saying Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit And now the converted theife reaped his promised fruits To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise And soon after our Saviours soul had taken possession for us of glory his blessed body was laid to rest in the grave the quiet cell of a weary soul There the wicked cease from troubling and there the weary be at rest Job 17.3 There are some that deny Christs rest in the grave mistaking that text of Gods loosing The pains of death As if God had not then loosed the pains of death Luke 24 25 26. when Christ resigned his spirit into his protection and for his body that also was far from pains for having finished his work John 19.30 Heb. 1.14 Rev. 14.13 and by one offering for ever perfected them that are sanctified he enjoyed that rest from his labours which is the lot of those that dy in the Lord yea the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the grave his heart rejoiced his tongue was glad and his flesh did Rest in hope Act. 2.26 Whiles the Deity held Christs body and soul asunder like a man with a drawn sword in one hand and a Scabberd in the other which the third day he again put into his sheath Since then it is so fully manifest that Christ ceased from his works as God did from his own works and so entring into his rest exactly celebrated the seventh-day Sabbath quietly and out of the reach of desperate enemies his soul in glory his body in the grave we must conclude that there remaineth therefore the celebration of the Sabbath to the people of God And so according to our pretious Saviours example let us resolve through grace with the close of the sixt day to recall our better part and resign it to Gods service saying Return unto thy Rest O my soul Psa 116. for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee and likewise with the burial of Christs body burying all our earthly business in the grave of oblivion Let us at last begin to consecrate the true seventh day-Sal bath as a day of delights to the Lord and so obtain mercy for the Sabbath pollution of our daies of ignorance and Christ will not fail to pour oyl and wine into those wounds our souls have received amongst Thieves who have stollen and taught us to steal holy time from God And thus grace by weekly returns from Sabbath to Sabbath shall so strengthen our hearts that at last we shall arrive at our expected home our joyfull jubilee a Sabbath whose Sun shall never set 5 Rest eternal which is that true eternal rest
until some other day of Gods determining shall be produced but since that will never be done I shall proceed to the third point 3 The Authority Gods precept seconded by his own practife gives such full honour to the Sabbath that I hear of none save Atheists Papists Prelates Ranters Quakers and some Notionists that gainsay it 4 Perpetuity Neither was this ancient Law instituted for a year or an age but perpetuated to all posterity as is sully acknowledged Synod confess p. 38. 5 The sanctification This royal Sabbath is no base or beggarly rudiment as some tremble not to reproach it but an honourable perfect Law of liberty Thes sab p. 49 worthy to be imbraced by all the heavenly race of true believers 6 The Rule Not as a Covenant accompanied with thunder denouncing curses for the least disobedience but as a holy just religious Rule breathed by the still and soft voice of the Gospel 7 The Persons To persons principled in Church order Isa 8.13 the Antitype of Gods Ark in whose renewed hearts by vertue of the new Covenant all Gods Laws are fairly registred which are by others slighted Hos 8.12 8 The Vse and End And all for these two great Ends 1. To honour God 2. To enjoy him for ever which is the peculiar prerogative of such as obtaâ—u victory over the Beasts Mark The changer of Times and Laws And thus each tittle of my tenent being attested in so many words by such as are esteemed Orthodox I hope it may freely appear without prejudice The seventh-day Sabbath is a perpetual royal Rule for the righteous established by precept and president to Gods praise and Saints priviledge First Of the Rest The Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shabbat signifieth a cessation from common work Gen. 2. and where it is first found it is Gods rest and the day for ever separated and consecrated or the honour of the most High in memorial of his most glorious works of Creation the benefit whereof is extended even unto us and morally engageth us to the Religious Observation of it which can never be truly sanctified until all false Rests be removed such as National custome humane tradition shadie speculation all which are but vain worship Matth. 15.9 and as for natural or civil relations carnal encumbrances with those sensual pleasures which steal away the soul from Gods Sabbath they are all but Aegyptian reeds and therefore let the Prophets alarm rouze up the self-denying Disciple from every deceit Mic. 2.10 Arise ye and depart for this is not your rest because it is polluted it shall destroy you with a sore destruction And so taking up the Cross of Christ with Spouse-like affections enquire as for the place so for the Time of rest Tell me O thou whom my soul loveth Caut. 1.7 where thou feedest where thou makest thy flocke to rest at Noon Observe the Spouse of Christ enquires not onely where but when not onely for his flocks resting place which is his bosome but also for the Time Isa 40.11 the rest at Noon Christ hath his Gospel seasons to sit in State Meridian heighths like the Sun in his circuit weekly returns to beam forth his grace to his beloved 2 Tim. 4.1 2. which the Spirit terms IN SEASON I have heard of a silly shift to shuffle off Gods Sabbath in making Christ the bolster of disobedience unscripturally asserting that Christ is the Sabbath thus confounding resting place with resting time But as for this Time of rest placed in the middest of the Royal Law it is truly Moral and so termed as Baptism and the Lords Supper are termed Sacraments in distinction from inferiour Ordinances though neither of the terms Moâ—al or Sacrament be found in Scripture The word Moralis signifieth belonging to manners and therefore the ten Commandements are fitly termed Moral as being indeed an exact rule of good manners informing us how to demean our selves towards God and men and it is in all things equal holy just and good yea and every way sutable to pure Nature and Grace and though the Bishop * White see not a sutableness in the Sabbath to pure Adam yet those who are better learned can see it sutable to the glorious Creator who in observing it made himself a pattern to his Creature and surely nothing can be more lovely and delightful to a person principled then to follow his gracious God in a president so pleasant Indeed Natures light as now 't is blurred and clouded is not capable of judging in the things of God every man is naturally Popish framing Idea's of the Deity 1 Cor. 2.14 setting up images or imaginations 't is therefore most absurd to try the morality of the Second or of the Fourth Commandement at corrupt natures Tribunal But this threefold mystery may possibly add strength to the Sabbath Morality if it be observed 1. That innocent Adam had all the ten Commandements written in his heart whiles his heart was flesh Rom. 2. 2. When his heart was condensed into stone and thereby the Moral Law was defaced Gal. 3.19 God condiscends for prevention of sin to write all the very same Lawes in Tables of stone 3. And when Gospel grace appears in new Covenant clemency transforming our hearts again from stone to flesh Heb. 8.10 11. 2 Cor. 3.3 Eze. 11.18 19 20. the very Laws written in Tables of stone are once more registred in the fair Tables of renewed hearts and that for this end that we should walk in his statutes and keep his ordinances and do them He that sees not through this three-fold mystery depths of wisedome with unsearchable riches of mercy may well suspect an unchanged stony heart whiles the renewed soul beholds the revived glory of Gods seventh-day Sabbath as a Moral duty sutable to Adam in his pure nature and good for Saints in the present state of grace freely concurring with this conclusion touching the morality of a Law That a moral Law is not meerly good because commanded but it is therfore commanded because it is good and such is the nature of the seventh day whereon God rested purely good and therefore commanded though depraved Nature cannot discern it As the nature of a moral Law doth thus confirm Gods Sabbath and none other So the title of the moral Law involves and secures this blessed day amongst the ten precepts termed in Hebrew Exod. 34.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in English it hath borrowed the title of Decalogue or the Law of ten words or Commandements all of equal honour and dignity though Satans delusions have prevailed with licentious spirits to slight and censure one of these ten Moral commands as ceremonial and from hence to ascend even to Blasphemy in reckoning this Moral precept amongst beggarly Elements and so charging the glorious God with the observation of a base Ceremony since nothing is more certain then that the Highest himself
as hath been shewed was first laid in that pure pleasant Paradise Eden where God rested and inseparably united the Sabbath to the seventh day The second holy Mountain wherein God established this foundation truth Sinai was Mount Sinat made glorious by the terrible Majesty of the Lord descending with shrill trumpet in dreadful tempests thunder and lightening where with a lively voice he immediately delivered this lively Oracle crowning this seventh day Sabbath with the very same honour and dignity as the other nine Royal statutes and recording the same in Tables of stone which by his new Covenant he writes in renewed hearts so that if Christians stand obliged to those ten Commandements as so many lively Oracles committed to the Jews to be given unto us Rom. 3.2 Act. 7.38 Iam. 2.8 and that we shall do well in observing these royal Laws according to the Scripture that is according as God himself hath written them then must this very seventh day Sabbath as one of those Royal Laws be for ever observed by saints without alteration or diminution and the rather since this foundation oracle obtains confirmation in the third glorious holy Mountain even in the heighths of Gospel Sion where the very same seventh day Sabbath instituted by the Father is established by the Son which is the second point proposed wherein I shall prove 2 Confirmation That the seventh day Sabbath sanctified by Iehovah is ratified by Iesus upon a two-fold account 1. He owns it by his Words 2. He crowns it by his Works And if this be cleared then surely Christians should carefully observe it both in word and work 1. Our blessed Redeemer confirms the seventh day Sabbath by his Word more generally amongst the rest of those Royal statutes which he assures us shall continue in every tittle not so much as one Hebrew point to be diminished or altered til the heavens be no more and the earth be removed and all be compleated and fulfilled Christian turn to thy Bible and behold with horror the dreadful doom which thy Redeemer hath denounced against such as shall transgress the least of his Laws and teach others to be disobedient Mat. 5.18 19. O how dangerous is the disobedience to this duty seeing it is undeniable that the seventh day Sabbath is a tittle and more then a tittle of that royal Law the wilfull offence of one point whereof renders the Rebel a transgressor of all Gods Laws Iam. 2.10 Suppose the Sabbath were the least Commandement yet saith Christ our King Comp. Mat. 5.19 with Act. 3.23 He that breaketh and bids others break the least of these Commandements shall be cut off from Gods Kingdome Neither doth Christ in flesh whiles the ceremonial Law was in full fore onely confirm the whole moral Law but even since his ascention by his holy spirit he moves his Apostles to establish the whole every part of the ten words Rom. 3. Do we then make void the law through faith saith Paul God forbid yea we establish the law Which cannot be the ceremonial Law Christ having utterly abolished all those beggarly elements It must be onely that * holy Rom. 7.7 12 14. just good spiritual Law which ends with this Command Thou shalt not covet And not in part is this Law perpetuated but in every point saith the other Apostle Jam. 2.10 And therefore let such as after warning slight the seventh day Sabbath make sure work that it be no point of that Law whose every jot and tittle is established by Christ and his Apostles And yet after this full confirmation how fain would vain contentious flesh find out a device to live in disobedience to that precious heavenly Law Object for 't is objected That Christ hath not expresly and particularly established the fourth Commandement and therefore it may be no sin to slight the seventh day Sabbath Answ By this reasoning the Papists may excuse all their Idolatry since Christ hath not expresly and particularly confirmed the second Commandement and therefore they may as lawfully make and worship Images as we may prophane the seventh day Sabbath 'T is sad to strengthen Antichrists lewdness by weakening Christs Law 2. Christ hath confirmed every tittle and his Apostles every point of the Royal Law will not this suffice if not behold the kindness of Christ condescending to our weakness shewing us as it were the very print of the nails fastening his seventh day Sabbath for ever as a foundation Oracle not onely in Eden and Sinai but in the beauty of Sion for he doth expresly own the seventh day Sabbath particularly with the honour that none other Law enjoys professedly acknowledging it to be his Sabbath proclaiming himself Lord of it and most punctually observing it yea solemnly averring that he came not to destroy the Law but to fulfil it And indeed this spotless Lamb did faithfully fulfil this Law of the Sabbath as the rest without the least violation of any tittle even then when those presumptuous spirits charged him Mar. 2.27 28. He cheeking their blind conceit who thought belike that Man was made for the Sabbath and informs them that the Sabbath was made for Man and not Man for the Sabbath that is for mans benefit and comfort both body and soul even as the Laws of a Nation are made for the subjects and not subjects for the Laws And further be compleats his answer to their false accusation by proclaiming himself Lord of the Sabbath as if he should say The Sabbath is mine I am the Lord of it I made it for Man that he should sanctifie it and therefore having given Man a precept and pattern to keep it I shall not make my self a president to prophane it as you superstitiously suppose Certainly Christs engagement to fulfil it to the least jot or tittle with his professed owning of it claim to it and care for it as its Lord is the fullest confirmation that can possibly be desired That which Christ lays claim to as Lord must needs be confessed to be his esteemed and honoured as his the Bride is his for he is her Lord Psal 45.11 the Harvest is his Heaven and Earth is his the Angels are his and all to be esteemed his who is proclaimed Lord of all Therefore we celebrate the holy Supper because 't is the Lords Supper and therefore we ought to sanctifie the holy Sabbath because he declares himself Lord of the Sabbath He gave it the institution when he made the world he gave it confirmation when he redeemed the world and his Saints must endeavour to observe every jot and tittle of it to the end of the world For as he doth expresly own his holy day in asserting himself Lord of the Sabbath so he takes special care by particular instruction that his Saints might avoid the violation of this rest on earth even whiles he himself should rest triumphantly in Heaven wherefore after his predictions of the approaching