consent among themselves And to violate such Consent after it hath passed into a Custom is not the part of men living in Society But this Custom obliged not to rest from labour farther than was necessary to the holding their Assemblies Having thus briefly shewn the difference betwixt the Precept instituting a Sabbath in memory of the Creation which was from the beginning given to Adam and his whole Posterity and the Precept given particularly to the Hebrews both in Marah and soon after at the promulgation of the Decalogue whereby they were obliged to celebrate the Sabbath by resting from dayly labours in remembrance of their redemption from the Aegyptian servitude and assigned to each its proper cause and time it will not perhaps be impertinent if we subjoin a line or two concerning the Word Sabbata here used in the plural number This Word among the Greeks is listed in the Catalogue of those which tho' pronounced in the number of Multitude are yet notwithstanding often contented with the signification of Unity And so is it often found in the Greek Pentateuch so also in Mat. 12. 1 5 10 11 12. and c. 28. 1. in Mark 1. 21. and 2. 23 24. in Luke 4. 16. On the contrary St. Iohn every where speaks it in the singular as do also the Greek Interpreters of the other books extra Pentateuchum The Latines often exprest it as here in the plural So Horace Sunt hâ—die tricesima Sabbata and Iuvenal Quidam sortiti metuentem Sabbata Patrem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Six days shalt thou work and do all thy works Here now begins that Constitution which is not common to all Mankind but proper to the Hebrews And what is here spoken in the Imperative and in the Future which is often taken from the Imperative hath not the force of a Command but the sense only of suffering or permitting For lest the Modes might be too much multiplyed it hath seem'd good to almost all Nations to express the sense of Permitting as also of Praying with the same sound with which they express the sense of Commanding as for Example sequere Italian ventis in Virgil and ubi nos laverimus si voles lavato in Terence and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vre haec cremaque membra in an old Greek Tragedy By 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here are signified all sorts of Work by Cicero de ligibus l. 2. call'd famula opera Ferii jurgia amovento eaque in famulis operibus patratis habento and by Tertullian Humana opera quotidiana whatsoever men commonly do in their ordinary vocations or daily business 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But on the Seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God The Seventh day is Dedicated to God from the beginning And wisely do Maimonides and other Hebrew Masters distinguish the Cause why rest or quiet was commanded from the cause why it was commanded upon this Day The former cause is exprest in Deuteronomy plainly to be because the Israelites lately freed from the Aegyptian slavery by Divine help ought to remember and consider how hard and grievous Servitude is and therefore to treat their Servants and others subject to their Command with humanity and clemency as Dido in Virgil Non ignara mali miseries succurrere disco The latter is declar'd in this place where it is signifi'd that when any day might have been taken for rest or vacation for Labour this was chosen by God because from the beginning it had been dedicated to joy and the grateful commemoration of the Worlds Creation by Him and because upon the same day God had finish'd all things and ceas'd from Creating whence the Seventh day deriv'd the Name Sabbath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt not do every work therein God by many Words inculcates this Precept concerning the Sabbath that by the perpetual observation thereof might be impressed upon the minds of all a firm knowledge that this World was not from Eternity but made by God which is a strong inducement to the Veneration of the Omnipotent Creator as on the contrary the belief of the Worlds Eternity is the way to Impiety and down-right Atheism 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thy Son and thy Daughter He understands those who by reason of their Minority have not yet attain'd to knowledge of the Law whom their Parents ought to restrain from working upon the Sabbath For they that are of more advanced Age and understanding are by the Law bound for themselves as likewise in the Law of Circumcision 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thy Man-servant and thy Maid-servant This is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a kind and courteous way of speaking much used by the Greeks to their Servants and in imitation of them by the Latins who with like softness and humanity call'd their Men-servants Pueros as hath been of old noted by Servius upon that of Virgil Claudite jam rivos pueri Hence the names of Ancient Men-servants Marcipor Quintipor c. So Epicurus call'd his Servants Friends as Seneca Epist. 107. observes who in imitation of him saith of them Epist. 47. Servi sunt imò homines Servi sunt imo contubernales Servi sunt imò humiles amici Servi sunt imò conservi si cogitaveris tantundem in utrosque licere fortunae Than which he could have said nothing more becoming his great prudence and erudition Hence also were Masters call'd Patres-familias and Mistrisses Matres-familias that by the very Name they might be admonished of humanity And this Precept obligeth Masters not only not to injoyn labours to their Servants of either Sex but not to suffer them to work upon the Sabbath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thy Ox and thy Ass and every Beast of thine Observable here is the great Clemency of God who by this Law requires some goodness and mercy to be exercised even to brute Animals that he might remove Men the farther from cruelty toward each other and to confirm this mild Precept the like is given in Deuteron 5. 4. The same reason is urged by Porphyry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Abstinence from eating of the flesh of Animals Hence also was the slaughter of a Plowing Ox prohibited by a Law common to the Phrygians Cyprians Atticks Peloponesians and Romans as we find Recorded by Varro Pliny Columella Porphyry Aelian Vegetius and others The Athenians made a Decree that a Mule should be fed at the Publick Cost which worn out by Labour and Age used to accompany other Mules drawing burdens and banished a Boy for putting out the Eyes of little Birds taking it for a sign of a mischievous and cruel disposition in him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are besides Oxen Asses and Mules which also were used to the Yoke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beasts as well Dogs as other quadrupeds But these words are by the Greek Interpreters Translated hither from Deuteron 5. for in the Hebrew is found only one general Name signifying all mute Animals
that kind of speech is found in any other sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And shewing mercy unto Thousands God spake in the plural Number not to a Thousand but to Thousands shewing how much larger God is in doing good and conferring benefits than in punishing This is what the Hebrews mean when they say That the Angel Michael the Minister of God's Wrath and Vengeance flyes with but one Wing Gabriel The Minister of His Mercy Love and Blessing with two 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To those that love me To those that Worship me and that are therefore call'd Pious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And keep my Precepts Who are attent to observe all my Commandments but chiefly those which pertain to the exclusion and extinction of Idolatry and all wicked Superstitions and who are therefore call'd Righteous or Iust. CHAP. IV. The Third Precept explicated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God c. IN the Hebrew thou shalt not bear or carry namely in thy Mouth which is the same with Thou shalt not take viz. into thy Mouth Here also is of the Lord because by that Title the tremend Majesty of God is best understood We may en passant observe that here the manner of speech is changed For according to the way of speaking used in the former Precepts it should have been My Name but to the Hebrews this is frequent to put a Noun for a Pronoun as in Exod. 23. 18 19. Genes 2. 20. Numb 10. 29. and many other places where the like Translation from the first person to the third occurs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In vain or as Aquila rashly or as Philo to testifie a Lye But to omit all other interpretations of these Words we have the sense of them compendiously exprest in St. Matthew 5. 33. Thou shalt not forswear thy self nor is it to be doubted but our Saviour Christ in this place urged the very Words of the Law where the Syrian hath put words that signifie Thou shalt not Lye in thy Oath or Swearing Only this is to be accurately noted That in this place is treated not of an Oath taken for Testimony of which the Ninth Precept was particularly given but of an Oath Promissory which the words following immediately in the same verse of St. Matthew sufficiently declare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thou shalt perform unto the Lord thy Oaths taken most certainly from Numb 30. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to forswear taken in its proper sense is as hath been critically observ'd by Chrysippus to make void what thou hast sworn or not to stand to what thou hast by Oath promised The weight or hainousness of this execrable Crime Philo wisely sheweth where he saith That he who commits it doth either not believe that God takes care of humane Affairs which is an Abnegation of Gods Providence and the Fountain of all Injustice or if he doth believe that he makes God less than any honest Man whom none that designs to assert a Lye would dare to call in for a Witness of what he knows to be false Abenesdras adds That in other sins somewhat of commodity profit or pleasure is lookt upon whereby Men may be tempted and carryed away but in this oftentimes there is not the least commodity or emolument that other Crimes cannot always be committed this always 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh the Name of the Lord his God in vain Here according to the Greek custome two Negatives are put for one in the Hebrew and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to pass by one as innocent So that the sense is God will not leave him unpunished which is a Figure call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Extenuation such as is used in the Gospel of St. Matthew 12. 31. Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men that is shall be severely punished and in many other places of Scripture And this sin is even by the Light of Nature so hainous and detestable that the Heathens themselves believ'd that it was always severely punished by God Hesiod said Et juramentum clades mortalibus unde Adveniunt quoties fallaci pectore jurant Dire miseries pursue those men that dare Themselves with heart fallacious to forswear In Herodotus this Oracle is related At juramento quaedam est sine nomine proles Trunca manus trunca pedes tamen impete magno Advenit atque omnem vastat stirpemque domumque From Perjury a nameless issue springs With maimed hand and foot which yet still brings Revenge with mighty force and doth at last Both the whole Race and Family devast And the sweet-tongu'd Tibullus could say Ah miser Et si quis primo perjuria celat Sera tamen tacitis poena venit pedibus Ah wretch though one his Perjury conceal Vengeance with silent feet will on him steal And he had reason for an Oath is a religious Affirmation as Cicero defines it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Testimony of God upon a doubtful matter as Philo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an affirmation with an assumption of God for witness as Clement of Alexandria 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the strongest Seal of Human Faith as Dionysius Halicarnensis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the last and most certain pledge of Faith as Procopius Wherefore the Ancients even wehre a specious excuse might be brought held themselves religiously oblig'd to fulfill whatsoever they had by Oath promised Concerning the sanction of an Oath or Vow consult Iudges 20. 1. 1 Sam. 14. 24 26 27. Ioshua 19. 15. Psal. 21. 2 6 7 8. Now the reason why God threatens to send from Himself dire Punishments upon those who either worship False Gods or violate His most Holy Name by Perjury seems to be this to let them know that though men may perhaps be ignorant of or neglect to vindicate these Crimes yet they shall never escape the certain hand of Divine Vengeance in the end which many times indeed is slow in lifting up but always first or last strikes sure and home CHAP. V. The Fourth Precept explicated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Remember the Sabbath day c. IN Deuteronomy 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Observe the Sabbath day and in the Hebrew is the like difference in the latter place Moses expounds what is meant by Remember in the former namely attend to the Sabbath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to sanctifie it viz. by a glad and grateful recordation of the Worlds Creation by God For most true is the Sentence of Rabbi Iudah Barbesathel and R. Ephraim in Keli Iacar that in these words one thing is Commanded and another in the following The keeping holy of the Sabbath day hath for its true cause the Creation of the World the Rest from Labour the Egyptian servitude That extends to all mankind this to the Hebrews only Exod. 31. 13. Which is the
Infants depends very much upon the power of this Number and they observe the first Seven days the Fourth week and the Seventh as A. Gellius And from the Scholiast upon Aristophanes we learn in Plut. p. 107. that by the Athenians some certain days of every Month besides other Feasts or Holy-days were Consecrated to some Gods particularly as the New-moon and the Seventh to Apollo The Fourth to Mercury the Eighth to Theseus The same was long before taught by Hesiod in this distich Primùm prima quarta septima dies sacra est Hâc enim Apollinem auri-ensem genuit Latona In the Mosaic Rites also the Septenary Number is solemnly respected In the Consecration of the Altar Oyl is Seven times sprinkled upon it in Seven days the Consecration of Priests is Consummated in the Expiation of Sin committed through ignorance the blood of the Bullock is sprinkled by the Priest Seven times before the Mercy-seat Levit. 16. 15. A woman that hath brough forth a Male Child is unclean Seven days She that hath brought forth a Female is unclean twice Seven A man unclean by touching a dead Corpse is expiated upon the Seventh day In the purification of a Leprous Man Seven aspersions and Seven days are Ordain'd and accordingly Naaman wash'd himself Seven times in Iordan Iob offer'd for his friends Seven Bulls and as many Rams Balaam built Seven Altars and prepared Seven Bullocks and Seven Rams Seven Priests sounding Trumpets went Seven times round about Iericho and on the Seventh day the Walls thereof fell down Just so many Priests sounded with Trumpets before the Ark and an equal number of Bulls and Rams were offer'd in Sacrifice Ezechias also offer'd Seven Bulls Seven Rams Seven Lambs and Seven Hee-goats 2 Chron. 29. 21. In Ezechiel 39. 9. Arms and Weapons are commanded to be burnt with fire Seven years and the Land purged in Seven months and Chapt. 43. 25. the Altar is in Seven days expiated Daniel numbers the times by Hebdomadas In the Apocalyps the Book is seal'd with Seven Seals the Lamb hath Seven horns Seven Eyes which are the Seven spirits of God and to the Seven Angels are given Seven Trumpets and Seven Phials In a Word in Mysteries this Number as the most perfect hath always been preferr'd to all other But the most celebrated and to our present enquiry the most pertinent is the Septenary Cycle or round of days or the Seventh day in the weekly periods of days perpetually recurrent such as is the Sabbath of the Iews The Aegyptians the most ancient computers of times are reported by Authors of good Credit to have deriv'd the weekly Circle of days from the number of the Planets and to have propagated that account of time together with their Astrological Discipline For Herodotus recounting the noble Inventions of that mighty Nation saith in Lib. 2. c. 82. Alia etiam ab Egyptiis inventa sunt quis Mensis quis Dies cujusque sit Deorum quo quis die genitus qualia sortietur quam mortem obiet qualis existet Quibus rebus usi sunt ii qui è Graecis in poesi versabantur Where Dies Deorum are the days of the Week denominate from the VII Planets for in the Genethliac Art of the Egyptians they obtain the name of Gods and every Planet hath his peculiar Holy-day assign'd to him and therefore Dio Cassius the Greek Historian lib. 36. pag. 37. said truly Quòd verò dies assignantur Septem Planetis id certè inventum est Egyptiorum But in the denomination of the Seven days they have not observed the order of the Planets that is in the series of the coelestial Orbs. Whereof various Writers have excogitated various causes Of all these the reason given by our Venerable Bede seems to be the most simple and therefore the best The Gentiles saith he de Tempor ratione cap. 6. though that they by good right consecrated the first day to the Sun because it is the greatest Luminary the second to the Moon because it is the second Luminary Then by an ordinate alternation they made the first Planet from the Sun Mars president of the third day the first from the Moon Mercury Lord of the fourth the second from the Sun Iupiter ruler of the fifth the Second from the Moon Venus Lady of the sixth and the third from the Sun Saturn governour of the Seventh Now because this Saturn was by Astrologers imagined to be a sad ill-natur'd and malignant planet therefore the Seventh day in which he ruled hath been accounted a black and unlucky day forsooth and unfit for business and the performing of any work and so set apart for leisure and rest Nor have Orpheus and Hesiod doubted to propagate this precarious and superstitious Doctrine To which Tacitus writing of the Jews seems to have respect in these lines Septimo die otium placuisse ferunt quia is finem Laborum tulerit Alii honorem eum Saturno haberi seu quòd è septem sideribus queis mortales reguntur altissimo orbe praecipuâ potentiâ stella Saturni feratur ac pleraque coelestium vim suam cursum per septenos numeros conficiant But whatever was the reason that induced the Egyptians to assign the Seventh day to Saturn we have none to doubt but that this Planetary denomination of the days though not received into use by the Grecians till many Ages after is originally of remotest antiquity equal to that of Astrology it self and to the age of Mercury the first who taught the Egyptians the art of computing the year and times For beside the auctority of Herodotus and Dio Cassius above-cited we have that of Plato also who in Phaedro introduces Socrates speaking of the Egyptian Theuth i. e. Mercury these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. that is That he first invented numbers and computation and Geometry and Astronomy and the Games of Cockle-blanck and Dice Nor are there wanting some of the Rabbins themselves who have granted that this denomination of the days was in use among the Gentiles before the Decalogue was given And Chaeremon in Porphyry de Abstinentia affirms that the Egyptian Priests in their purifications observ'd the Seventh days We may therefore acquiesce in this persuasion that the weekly Cycle of days was taken from Mathematick discipline and from the most secret treasury of Egyptian Antiquity but that the sacred observation of every Seventh day and the Feast of the Hebdomadical Sabbath constituted by this Mosaic Law in memory of the Egyptian servitude was now first receiv'd into the Religion of the Hebrews as also that this their Sabbath was by the miracle of Manna ceasing to rain down upon that day fixt upon the true Seventh day from the Creation which God had from the beginning sanctified Nor is it to be doubted but that this Precept of keeping holy the Sabbath day was peculiar to the Israelites For God himself was pleased to say Exod.