such labours of prouiding corporall foode vnlawfull any day they found none And Moyses sayd vnto them Behould God hath allotted you a Sabaoth giuing you double prouision of food on the sixt day to serue you the seauenth day wherfore let euery man remayne with himselfe or in his owne tent and let him not go out on the seauenth day and the people then sabathized or began to obserue the Sabaoth on the seauenth day first then being taught sayth Philo lib 1. de vita Moysis not only by Propheticall instruction but also by a most manifest argumēt of the Manna ceased to be rayned downe that day and continuing incorupted which was gathered in a double measure on the sixt day that the same was the seauenth day wherein God rested from his labours they hauing longe before desired to know the day of the worlds first creation and could not till then learne it which obseruance God afterwards cōmanded wrote in the first Table of the Decalogue willing his people not only to sanctify and keepe holy the seauenth day but expresly also forbidding them all sorts of externall labours in memory that him selfe had rested from his labours on that day calling it therfore in hebrew Saphath of the word Sacath which signifieth to rest QVESTION II. VVhether the precept of the Sabbaoth were Morall or Cerimoniall IOHN Traske seemeth not in any of his speaches or writings rightly to vnderstand wherein the morality of any Law or Precept consisteth neither doth Maister Cra. his superficiall aduersary indeauour in his confused answere to instruct him in the true vnderstanding thereof as he ought specially to haue done considering that all Traskes singuler opinions are chiefly grounded in a wrongefull conceyuing of some Moysaical precepts to haue ben morall and so consequently not abrogated by Christs coming which were indeed morally cerimoniall according to that precise figuratiue and mysterious manner at the least comaunded to the Iewes in the obseruance of them Heere therfore for both their instructions I define the morality of a law or precept to consist in that conformity which it hath to the naturall light of humane vnderstanding and iudgment taught in all true Philosophy to be the rule of naturall and morall actions and rightly tearmed by the Apostle ad Rom. cap. 2. vers 14. 15. A Law written by God euen in the hartes of such Gentills as had no knowledge of any other supernatural law approuing them in good and reprehending them in euill actions causing in them that practicall internall knowledge called Conscience and iustly seruing to condemne all such as contradict and do against it So that only such lawes and precepts are said to be morall which are conformable to this Synderesis and naturall light of humane iudgment perfected by grace aswell in the knowledge of naturall obiects as of supernaturall reuealed verities amongst which some are purely speculatiue and do only require a faithfull pious and firme assent of our iudgment vnto them and others contrarily are in their owne nature practicall precepts and diuine directions or laws commanding or forbidding things to be done by vs which if they be such according to the substance or manner of the act commaunded or forbidden by them as do appeare to humane vnderstanding and iudgment voluntarily to haue ben commaunded by God and exacted in due obedience from vs his Creatures for such mysterious respects as naturall iudgment cannot apprehend to be necessary or any way belonging to our direction in manners and morality of life towards God our selues or our neighbours those precepts are not to be accounted morall but mysterious and ceremoniall abrogated by Christ as Iohn Traske willingly confesseth Which true ground supposed briefly declaring the nature and condition of a morall law I answere thus to the difficulty of my Question heere proposed that the Commaundement giuen to the Iewes of keeping a Sabaoth or weekely day of rest was according to the substance and chiefe intention of that law morall Because naturall vnderstanding illuminated by faith teacheth it to be fit and expedient that all sorts of persons should abstaine from corporal labours so far forth as to allot certaine daies of their life to the especiall seruice and honour of Almighty God but the determination rather of the seauenth day in which God rested frō his labours then of the sixt in which man was created for to serue his creatour here in this world and to inioy him afterwards meerly depended on Gods free choyce and election misteriously resoluing to make the day of his owne rest the Sabaoth and resting day of his people also from corporall labours symbolizing therby that eternall day of clarity and rest which they were to inioy with himselfe afterwards As touching likewise the precise manner of rest from all sortes of labours euen such as were easily performed and belonged in a sort to the conuenient health and nourishment of their bodies commaunded to the Iewes on their Sabaoth as to light fire prepare meate c. I affirme and proue it to haue beene meerly cerimoniall naturall experience teaching vs first that the lighting of fire and such easy labours of preparing food on the Sabaoth for our selues or for the charitable releife of our brethren are no way repugnant to the morall end and intention for which the Sabaoth was chiefely ordayned to wit of yealding due honor and praise to God for his continuall blessinges and benefits towards vs which only requireth moderate rest from seruile and paineful labours wholy distrasting mens minds and making them vnapt for holy exercises of piety and deuotion Secondly experience likewise teacheth vs that mens dulnes and vnablenes ordinarily to be actuated any whole day togeather in prayer and prayses to God without ceasing is such as easy walking and other needfull or charitable exercises moderately vsed do help rather then hinder the frequent and feruent vse of mental and deuout exercises and serue to honour God and sanctify the Sabaoth more then superfluous sleep idle thoughts vnprofitable conuersation with others not expresly in that commaundement prohibited Which morall obseruation of the Sabaoth euen since Christs time religiously and vniuersally practised by Christian pastours people on the weekly day of our Sauiours Resurection was intimated by our Sauiour himselfe in many passages of the Ghospell doing for example many miracles on that day albeit he saw them by the Scribes and Pharisies scandalously apprehended to haue beene breaches of the Sabaoth Luk. 6. vers 9. Matth. 12. vers 10. c. commaunding such as he had cured to take vp theyr beds and go home to their owne houses which seemed a worke of toyle and labour forbidden to the Iewes on their Sabaoth Io. 5. vers 8. 10. defending his disciples for rubbing the eares of corne to eate Matth. 12. vers 1. Luc. 6. vers 1◠Marc. 2. v. 23. which the Iewes present reputed to haue beene a certaine laborious preparatiō of food seemingly forbiddē by God Exod. 35 vers 3.
in Moyses declaration of that precept instancing against those captious accusers of himselfe his disciples the exercises of Priests labouring about sacrifices in the Temple yet not violating the Sabaoth the practise of Circumcision on the eight day albeit it happened on the Sabaoth their vsuall custome of leading out their cattle to water and drawing them out of pittes and places of daunger on the Sabaoth day without any sinfull breach thereof as may be gathered out of our Sauiours manner of speach Luke 13. 14. importing no reprehension of them for such facts but produced rather by him as fit examples apt to authorize his miraculous workes done with lesse labour and more charity and vtility to such as were by his voice or a touch of his hand or garment in soule and body perfectly cured So that Iohn Traske and other Puritanes in their cerimoniall and precise manner of obseruing the Sabaoth are rather superstirious imitators of the Iewes our Sauiours aduersaries then humble and faithfull members of Christs Catholike Church euer knowne to haue practised a morall and not the Iewish and cerimonial obseruance of the Sunday QVESTION III. Concerning the abrogation of the Iewes Sabaoth IOHN Traske adhering more constantly and consequently then other Protestants do to their dangerous ground of beleeuing nothing not expresly mentioned in Scriptures or thence necessarily deduced hath of late vpon conference with others and more diligent search then he had made before of many texts in the old and new Testament like a weather-cocke turned with euery blast of his owne ignorant fancy and iudgment hath determined himselfe and drawne his disciples to a most strict keeping of Saturday the Iewish Sabaoth comaunded saith he by God out of fire and written with his owne finger in the first Table of the Decalogue holily likewise by Christ and his disciples afterwards obserued as a sacred memoriall of Gods rest on the 7. day and therfore now also as a morall and diuine precept still to continue Presse him with the vniuersall practise of Christs Church present past since the Apostles certainely knowne to haue reiected the Iewish Sabaoth and insteed thereof to haue obserued the first day of the weeke in continuall memory of our Sauiours Resurection and he will in horrible pride and pertinacity of iudgment affirme it to haue ben a corrupt and abusiue practise little by him regarded as not being at al grounded in Scripture but repugnant vnto it Vrge him with Christs promises of being present with his Church to the worlds end Matth. 28. vers 20. of establishing it so surely on a rocke that hell gates shall neuer preuaile against it Matth. 16. vers 18. of comforting it with his spirit of loue leading it into all truth Iob 14. vers 16. 17. 26. which fitly therfore is said to be Columâ—â— firmameÌ„tum veritatis the suporting pillar and foundation of true faith 1. Tim. 3. vers 15. to whose holy obedience all Christians are tied vnder paine of being by their brethreÌ„ accounted as Ethnickes and Publicans Matth. 18. v. 17. he will ridiculously tell you as he did to one of his fellow prisoners conferring with him on this very point that the true Church of which these and the like texts were written is knowne to very few consisting of 2. or 3. gathered togeather in Christs name himselfe promising to be in the midst of them Matth. 18. vers 20. that is to say a small number of such little ones as haue truly repented and are made sure of their election in Christ hated and persecuted by men but beloued by God guarded by Angells seeing the face of their Heauenly Father Matth. ibid. vers 10. And examining him further on this point he will in processe of speach tell such as he will be confident with all that himselfe and his brethren are those little ones the only Gnostiks illuminated members of Christs Church others belonging therunto no further then true faith repentance and morality of life shall lead them and ignorance with all excuse them for not actually professing his singular doctrines So he foolishly seeketh with Ebion and other ancient Heretikes to breath life and spirit into the ceremonious carcasse and buried rites of the Iewish law feeding his grosse children with such vnsauery excrements for so the Apostle tearmeth them ad Philip. 3. vers 8. as Christ long since in the ending of that Law hath cast out of the mystical body of his church as not conteining any true norishment of soules in them vainely endeauoureth to illuminate those which obserue shadows who haue happily since Christs time liued in the cleere sunshine of heauenly graces planting like a foolish builder such new points of his faith on the sandy fleeting foundation of the Iewish law and seeking to set vp againe medium parietem maceriae that parting wall of ceremonies which distinguished Iewes and Gentills subuerted and quite ouerthrowne by Christ ad Eph. 2. vers 14. 15. euacuating al such legall decres and ceremonial comandements that he might build on himselfe the foundation and corner stone both people in a Holy Temple and habitation of God c. purifiyng alike their hares by faith Act. 15. vers 9. And that amongest other cerimoniall precepts and decrees of Moyses Law abrogated by Christ the Sabaoth was one holily rraÌ„slated by the Apostles themselues into our Sunday as shall bee proued in my next Question is by S. Paul ad Coloss 2. vers 16. 17. expresly affirmed willing his disciples not to be iudged or discouered in their faithfull profession in meate or drinke or new moones or any part of a festiuall day or Sabaoth which are shadowes of future good thinges By which Sabaoth cannot be meant the feasts of Trumpets Tabernacles Expiation and other such ceremoniall and Iewish festiuities as Traske heretically coÌ„menteth For albeit those feasts be called indeed Leuit. 23. Sabboths or daies of rest because all externall workes were alike forbidden in them as on the seauenth day yet the Apostle rest rayneth the word Sabaoth in this place to signifie the weekly Sabaoths of the Iewes as appeareth first in that hee numbreth such Iewish festiual daies distinctly from the Sabaoth equally forbiding the obseruance of them both His second reason why he prohibiteth them conteyned in that part of the text quae sunt vmbra c. which are shaldowes of future good thinges equally agreeth to them both for as those feasts were shaddows and types so were the weekly Sabaoths also Wherfore Ebion and his disciples the first hereticall obseruers of our Lords day and the Iewish Sabaoths togeather as witnesseth S. Epiphanius haers 30. S. Irenaeus lib. 1. cap. 26. pressed with the authority of this place and perceauing the vnanswerablenes therof rather then they would therunto conforme their doctrines absolutly reiected all S. Paules Epistles and accounted him an Apostata from the Iewish faith The which Iohn Traske seemeth not yet to do albeit hee dared once to say of
S. Paul that he sought to please men so consequently could not be the true seruant of Christ Secondly I deduce out of Scripture this Theological argumēt The Iews for the like respect memory of Gods rest were as well bound to obserue ech Sabaoth of years the Sabaoth of that yearly Sabaoth called the Iubily or 50. year as to keep the weekly Sabaoth of daies Leuit. 25. But those yearly Sabaoths are certainely I suppose in Traskes opinion abrogated wherefore the weekly Sabaoth is no longer to bee obserued Gods precepts thereof deliured out of fire to the people and written wit his owne singer in the Decalogue especially instanced by Traske being meere circumstances impertinent to the morality therof further thē is in my former question already declared Gods comaundement whether giuen out of fire or not being sufficient of it selfe to oblige his creatures to the perpetuall obseruance of any Law for morality of life fit to be obserued And no learned man will deny but that many precepts neither deliuered out of fire nor written in the Decalogue Tables were morall and as such are now to be obserued by Christians as for a man not to marry his Fathers wife his sister his daughter c. The prohibition of vsury and sundry other like moral precepts amongst which though falsely Traske numbreth the legall difference of meates albeit it was neither commaunded out of fire nor written in the Decalogue Tables Thirdly I argue that Iohn Traske hath no sufficient authority of Scripture prouing the cōtinuance of the Iewish Sabaoth for our Sauiours obseruance thereof little importeth for this purpose the Law wherunto he voluntarily in obedience to his Father subiected himselfe being not before his death determined so that he practised likewise Circumcision and many other cerimoniall rites now vnlawfull to Christians The practise also of the Apostles entring commonly after Christs death into the Temple and other Iewish Sinagogues on their Sabaoth maketh as little as our Sauiours example to proue the continuance thereof this their practise being in no text of their holy Acts testified Wherein likewise the holy Euangelist insinuateth not the motiue end of this their Custome to haue ben not so much a religions obseruation of that Sabaoth as a more commodious and generall instruction of the Iewes cōcerning the Law Prophets fulfilled in Christ their expected Messias they being in those dayes and places chiefly assembled and best prepared to haue such spirituall doctins propounded vnto them by the Apostles Who for celebration of Christ supper preaching and other publique exercises of Christian piety and deuotion were accustomed to meete on the first day of the week called therefore our Lords day Apocal. 2. because our Lord had then sanctified the same by his resurrection and commaunded the religious obseruance therof as shall in my next Question bee fully discussed If Iohn Traske will further contend that the Apostles for other religious respects besides preaching of Christ entred the Temples and Sinagogues on the Sabaoth and festiuall daies as Act 21. vers 23. 24. 25. where S. Paul not to auert the whole nation of the Iewes from Christ did by the counsell of S. Iames purify him selfe with other Nazaretts and so enter the Temple that he might seeme to obserue the Law as other Iewes conuerted vnto Christ thē commonly did I answere this conditionall obseruance of the Sabaoth and other cerimoniall rites for a time by the Apostles was only permitted by Christ as a charitable meanes the better to vnite the Iewes and Gentills in the vnity of one Church The giuer of the Law saith S. Augustine writing to S. Hierome Epist 19. hauing so determined to end the same with his owne death and afterwards honorably to bury it by permitting the conuerted Iewes for a while to practise it vntill his Ghospel were sufficiently promulgated For saith this holy Father those legall obseruaunces were not sudainely to be detested as the diuelish sacriledges of Gentills when Christs grace began to be reuealed which was in such shadowing rites prefigured but to be permitted for a season to their posterity who first receaued them which after their exequies honorably performed were by all Christians to bee vtterly forsaken If Traske wil presse me further to know the precise time when the ceremoniall obseruation of the Sabaoth and other rites of Moyses Law wholy ceased and became vnlawfull to be practised any more by Christians I answere him that peraduenture vntill the very destruction of Ierusalem and subuersion of the Temple more then 40. yeares after our Sauiours passion the old Sabaoth and other ceremonious rites of the Law might be by some faithfull Iewes without any touch of infidelity and falling from Christ albeit vnnecessarily and improfitably obserued Gods prouidence saith Origen homil 10. in Leuit wisely ordaining that the Citty Temple and all things els belonging to the former glory of that Law and nation should be altogeather destroied least sucklings and weaklinges in faith should be longer allured by thē and drawne away from purely imbracing Christian verities shadowed in them So that when our Sauiour willed his disciples Math. 24. vers 10. to pray that their flight might not happen in winter saith S. Ierome because extremity of could would hinder their lasting aboad in mountaines desert places nor in the Sabaoth because the religious rest therof would hinder their flight which had ben idly spoken saith Traske if Christians to whome these wordes were vttered had not ben bound to a strict obseruance of the old Sabaoth when Ierusalem was sacked I answere first this obiection that albeit it might be gathered out of this text that many Christian Iewes did obserue their old Sabaoth as before vntill the destruction of Ierusalem yet can it not thence also be inferred that such Christians obserued it in like manner afterwards when they had seene the perfidious cruelty of their whole nation against Christ so examplarly punished their citty sacked their Preists slaughtered and Temple subuerted neuer againe by Christs speaches to be restored which could not but be taken by faithfull people as certaine signes of that law and religion wholy abrogated by Christ and ended the cheifest exercises whereof consisted in prayers made in the Temple togeather with misterious rites and sacrifices therein only performed Secondly I answere that these words were vttered by Christ to his disciples who were naturall Iewes and members of that Commonwealth wherein the Sabaoth was by most people strictly still obserued Wherefore our Sauiour might well take an occasion to vtter this speach to them which cheifly concerned the generality of vnbeleeuing Iewes liuing togeather with them and obseruing the Sabaoth as may be instanced in many other examples of like speaches in Scripture Thirdly I answere that Christ vttered that speach as fore seeing that the very day in which Titus should besiege the Citty should be no other then the Paschall solemnity and great Sabaoth wherein multitudes of people repayring