to Gods service to wit 1. If it be a thing of naturall justice of perpetuall necessity and whereunto all are tied by a morall commandement appertaining to the New as well as to the Old Testament that of seven daies of the weeke one be kept for the end aforesaid 2. If before the Law was given by Moses to the people of Israel yea if from the beginning of the world God himselfe made the particular designation of this day setting it apart for his service and commanding to Adam and to all his posterity the hallowing and keeping of it 3. If under the New Testament there be a divine ordinance of such a day of rest as well as there was under the Old Testament 4. And if by Gods command the consciences of faithfull Christians are under the Gospell as much obliged to hallow it as the Iewes were under the Law and for the better and more religious sanctification thereof to abstaine from all outward workes which are lawfull and are practised on other daies lest they should transgresse that divine Commandement and so finne against religion and conscience These are the maine points which some learned Divines and godly Christians instructed by them demurre upon 1. Some of them deeme that the keeping of one of the seven dayes of the weeke is a morall and naturall duty that God himselfe sanctified it for his service by an expresse and perpetuall Commandement that so it was from the beginning so it is still and shall never be otherwise till the end of the world 2. That before sin came into the world as soone as Adam was created God prescribed unto him and to Eve our first parents and in them to all men which were in their loynes and were to come out of them the hallowing of one day of the weeke which was the seventh day 3. That he reiterated and renewed this Commandement in the fourth precept of the morall Law which he gave in Horeb to the people of Israel and hath bound all Christians under the New Testament to hallow and keepe it religiously because it is of the same nature with the rest of the Commandements of the Decalogue which are all morall 4. That for this cause our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ and his blessed Apostles have ordained and prescribed it unto them And so all men have beene all men are all men shall in all times be tied to the religious observation thereof by the necessity of a divine and morall Commandement 5. That we are bound in conscience by the binding power of this Commandement to refraine alwayes on this seventh day of Sabbath or of rest from all earthly workes used on the other dayes of the weeke 6. This onely they acknowledge that the particular observation of one constant day amongst these seven as of the first or of the last of seven is not morall nor of a like obligation under the Old and under the New Testament that it is onely a point of order and of ecclesiasticall government which God did otherwise order and settle under the Old than he hath done under the New Testament That under the Old Testament from the creation of the world till the comming of Christ he ordained the observation of the last day of the weeke in remembrance that he created the world in six dayes and rested on the seventh or last day from all the works that he had made whereas he hath ordained that under the New Testament the first day of the weeke shall be religiously solemnized in remembrance that on that day our Lord Iesus Christ rose from death to life and by the exceeding greatnesse of the power of his glorious resurrection hath performed the worke of the second creation which is the redemption of the world from the slavery of the devill the power of the Law the bondage of sinne And therefore it behooveth the first worke of the Creation to yeeld to this worke the prerogative of excellencie of nature as likewise of the possession which it had till then of the solemne day of rest That for this cause so important and peremptory the day of Gods service was to bee changed and removed from the last day of the weeke wherein was finished the first Creation unto the first day wherin the second was fully accomplished by our Lord Iesus Christ who hath himselfe appointed this alteration 5 Others doe hold that verily it is a duty naturall morall and perpetuall to serve God publikely 1. That all men are obliged unto it and bound to meet together in the Church for that purpose 2. That being there they ought to give their mindes to the exercises of religion with a more particular earnestnes diligence than they are able to do every day at home or abroad 3. That they must have a set day purposely stinted for the fulfilling of a duty so religious so necessary and so fruitfull 4. But that such a day must be one of seven or of another number which in order of that nūber they deny to be a morall point to have in it any naturall necessity For their tenet is that it is a thing of order of Ecclesiastical government depending intirely of institution 5. That indeed under the Law which God gave by Moses to the children of Israel this holy and most perfect Law-giver amongst other points whereby he directed the Ecclesiasticall order and Church-government which that people was to be ruled by instituted and commanded the consecrating of a severall day for his service even of one of seven and of the last of those seven which he had rested on from all his works a most strict precise forbearance of all worldly works on that day 6. But appeareth not at all that God gave any commandement to Adam either before or after his fall binding him or his progenie to the keeping of any day whatsoever as to a thing morall and necessarie neither is there any trace of such a Commandement to be found till the comming of the Israelites to the wildernesse for till then God had left it free 7. That under the New Testament one day of seven is kept to wit the first day of the weeke wherein our Lord Iesus Christ rose from the dead But not for any morall necessity tying all men to observe one day of the weeke Nay not for any expresse Commandement which God the onely Law-giver hath given by Iesus Christ or his Apostles to keepe such a day and namely the first but through an usage which hath beene introduced and conserved in the Christian Church since her first beginnings till this present time 8. That therefore this observation is simply of Ecclesiasticall order and that a cessation from ordinary workes on this day is more particularly requisite than in another day of the weeke seeing the Church hath appointed and set it apart for Gods publike service Yea that an universall refraining from all these workes to the intent that the whole day bee without
disturbance bestowed on Gods service is good and laudable 9. Yet this is not in such sort necessary as if it were a sin against religion and conscience to a Christian after divine service finished in the Church to apply himselfe to outward actions belonging to the lawful and honest commodities and pleasures of this decaying and troublesome life when they doe it with Christian wisedome which must be the guide of all our actions leading us so warily that we transgresse not the wholesome lawes of the state or of the Church wherein we live and that we shun all partialities and cause of schisme which is the bane of the Church dismembring and tearing in factious pieces the mysticall body of our LORD IESUS CHRIST which the true doctrine of faith had preserved from the poyson of mortall herefie 6 Of these two foresaid opinions the last to my judgement is the truest and hath more solid and cleare reasons than the first as shall bee seene by the canvasing and sifting out of the reasons that are broached on both sides Which to doe more distinctly and clearely I will divide this Treatise into foure parts In the first I shall endeavour to prove that the institution and observation of a seventh day of Sabbath is not morall that it began not with the beginning of the world that it had no existence till the people of Israel were brought from Egypt to the wildernesse and was not known in any part of the universall world till then and that the Commandement whereby it was confirmed in Horeb obligeth not under the New Testament In the second I shall answer all the reasons that I have found alleaged for the contrary opinion In the third I shall discourse of the appointing of Sunday for Gods service and shew whence in greatest likenesse of truth it taketh its beginning and establishment in the Christian Church In the last I will declare what was the cessation of workes enjoyned in the Sabbath day under the old Testament and how far we are obliged unto it under the New Testament For these are the principall points that Christians jarre and differ about in this matter of the Sabbath Perlegi hunc Tractatum cui Titulus est A Treatise of the Sabbath and the Lords-day nihil reperio sanae doctrinae aut bonis moribus contrarium quo minus cum utilitate publicâ imprimatur ita tamen ut si non intra septem menses proxime sequentes typis mandetur haec licentia sit omnino irrita Ex Aedibus Lambethanis Ianuar. 5. 1635. GUIL BRAY R. in Christo Patri D. Arch. Cant. Capel Domest THE FIRST PART wherein it is proved that the Ordinance and observation of a Seventh-Day of Sabbath is not morall hath not its beginning since the beginning of the World and obligeth not under the Nevv Testament CHAPTER First REASON I. 1. First Reason The times and places of Gods service are accidentall circumstances and have no morall equity in them but depend on a particular institution 2. GOD tooke occasion of his resting on the Seventh day to institute that day 3. Confession of some that are of the contrary opinion 1 TO establish the second of these two opinions afore mentioned and to refute the first whereby the observation of one day of rest in the weeke is affirmed to be a morall duty I say First that the nature of the thing called in question is repugnant to this opinio For it is a thing evident of it selfe that as the places even so the times of Gods service are accidentall circumstances which have no foundation in any naturall and essentiall justice and equitie nor any necessity inherent in them but depend absolutely on the ordinance of God or of men What hath in it one day of seven more than one of a greater or lesser number wherefore we should affirme that the observation of that day rather than of another day is a morall duty appertaining yea necessary to whole mankinde that thereby it may attaine unto the end for which man was created therfore it hath an obligatory power over all nations in all ages which may bee demonstrated and shewed perspicuously by naturall reasons as some have too hardily pronounced but without any evidence produced saving their simple word which to men that have eyes in their heads and scorne to be Pythagoras Disciples is no good payment 2 It was the Creation of the world in sixe dayes and Gods rest on the seventh day that was to God the occasion of the appointing of the seventh day for his service Now who can shew in that wonderfull worke of the Creation in sixe dayes and in Gods rest on the seventh day the least appearance of morality As there appeareth no such thing unto us so no other reason of this dispensation is made manifest unto us saving the good pleasure of GOD who would have it so For who can conceive and farre lesse expresse and shew by words any essentiall justice in the observation of this number of dayes that God pitched upon for the framing of his workes and his resting from them 3 Some of them against whom I have undertaken this brotherly disputation have acknowledged and said that we observe not one day of seven under the New Testament as a part of Gods service but only as the time thereof which sheweth that it is not a morall thing For if it were it should bee essentially a part of Gods service as is universally whatsoever is morall Vnder the Old Testament it made a part of Gods service not of the morall but of the ceremoniall and typike service established then in the infancy of the Church and which was not to continue but during that time as we shall see hereafter CHAPTER Second REASON 2. 1. Second Reason Adam knew not the Sabbath by naturall light therefore it was not morall 2. Reply by a distinction of morall things in those that are naturall or positive 3. First answer all morall things are naturally just 4. Second answer all morall things are perpetuall which morall are not 1 SEcondly if the keeping of a seventh day were a morall duty our first Father Adam by that light of nature which GOD put in his minde when he created him would have knowne it as well as he knew all other things which in themselves are good and necessary But he neither had nor should have had any knowledge thereof if God had not injoyned it unto him by a particular commandement as those which maintaine the morality of the Sabbath doe avouch pretending that such a command was given him for that end which we shall ponder and discusse in time and place In the meane while of this it followeth manifestly that the observation of a seventh day is a thing depending meerely of institution and ecclesiasticall regiment and that in the decalogue the fourth Commandement in as farre as it injoyneth a seventh day is not of the same nature with the rest For if it were God
Hesiode who speaketh not of a seventh day of the weeke but of a seventh day of the moneth consecrated to the remembrance of Apollo's birth and whose holinesse was not thought by him nor others to have a more ancient beginning I say further that these Writers lived many hundred yeeres after the Law was given by Moses to the Iewes that some knowledge of the points of the said Law and by it of the keeping of the seventh day might have come unto them but under a cloud so thicke and darke that they spoke of it as all the Poets have done of the Floud saying that on the seventh day all things were made whereas on it nothing was made Some of those which lay hold on such passages seeing this acknowledge freely that they are not strong enough to inforce men to beleeve that from the beginning and in all times the Gentiles celebrated the seventh day and made of it a day of rest 10 Indeed if wee could finde that the Gentiles have commonly and regularly observed from time to time a seventh day though not the same seventh to wit the last of seven that God rested in and hallowed a more probable inference might be made of that continuall practice that the observation of a seventh day is of the Law of nature or at least that God from the beginning injoyned it to all mankinde and that so it passed by tradition to the Gentiles yet not without receiving some alteration and corruption by processe of time and by the trechery of men But no such thing is to be found nothing can be gathered out of the ancient Writers saving this onely that the Gentiles have kept holy and solemne daies yet with great diversitie which fits not the turne of the maintainers of the Sabbath but availeth onely to prove that the hallowing of some daies to the God-head for his solemne service is a point of the law of nature further it goeth not and is no manner of way steading to prove the necessity of the consecration of a particular day amongst a setled number rather then of another day and farre lesse of a seventh day for Gods service 11 I repeat what I have said before in part that if the keeping of a seventh day had beene a point of naturall morality and if God had commanded it from the beginning to Adam Father of all mankinde to be kept by him and by all his off-spring after him all the Gentiles in all times should have knowne and practised it either by naturall instinct or by Tradition as they had the knowledge of all other morall duties and in some measure practised them Of if they had utterly forgotten that day GOD had rebuked them for this omission and inobservation as he reprehended them most sharply for the transgression of all the rest of morall Commandements As indeed they had beene for such an omission and commission blame worthy chiefly after they were informed by the renued institution of this day among the Iewes that GOD had ordained it from the beginning of the world to be kept by all men they should not have found any pretence to excuse the ignorance of their duty whereby they were bound to keepe holy that day if as it is pretended the fourth Commandement of the Law implyed an universall observation of that dutie amongst all people and Nations of the world For if they beleeved not that the Commandement did belong to them their unbeliefe could not be unto them a cause of excuse and make them blamelesse Nay they were so much the more worthy of reprehension that their blindnesse was voluntary And in such a case God had not beene silent 12 Some of those that acknowledge the Ordinance of the Sabbath to be a positive cōmandement unknowne by nature and depending wholly of institution yet as ancient as the creation of our first Parents reply that God did not checke the Gentiles for the inobservation of the Sabbath because hee had matters worthy of reprehension of farre greater consequence then this was namely hainous crimes against the Law of nature common to them all which made him to conceale this under the cloake of silence as being onely an omission of a positive Law forgotten by them and of farre lesser consequence then these monstrous and ougly sinnes That no man can infer of this silence that the Ordinance of the Sabbath hath not beene and was not obligatory from the beginning seeing we finde some crimes committed even against the Law of nature which GOD hath not in any part of holy Scripture censured in the Gentiles As for example Polygamy or having of moe than one wife at once And yet no Christian will inferre thence that the mariage of two persons only to be one flesh hath not beene established by God from the beginning to be practised of all men 13 This reply is of small weight For although the forgetting and inobservation of the Sabbath be a crime lesser than are many which are committed against the Law of nature and that might have beene a reason to God to censure it more seldome and not so eagerly in the Gentiles as he did in his owne people yet in all likenesse of truth it could not bee a reason to his wisdome and goodnesse why he should not reprove it at all but passe it under perpetuall silence whiles he rebuked in diverse places most carefully their other crimes seeing that when he made reflexion upon the Iewes although the inobservation of the Sabbath considered in it selfe was in them also a crime of lesser moment then others whereby they violated the morall Law neverthelesse hee hath most frequently and sharpely imputed it unto them If the renewing of the Sabbath to them as is pretended was afterwards to God a sufficient ground and just reason to reprove them grievously both for the oblivion and for the contempt thereof when now and then they transgressed in the one or in the other supposing the first institution of the Sabbath to have beene made for all men and given to all from the beginning of the world why was it not also a just cause to chide the Gentiles if not so eagerly as the Iewes yet in some sort for transgressing it namely when GOD set himselfe purposely to condemne their faults and so much the more that the oblivion of it could not in any sort bee a colourable excuse to helpe them Moreover the neglecting of such a day continually by sinne of omission for want of observation and not only the setting at naught but also the profaning of that day which God had ordained to be holy and to be used in all nations with great holinesse for so notable and so worthy an end as is the commemoration of that great worke of the Creation common to all men and so falling into the most filthy sinne of commission for polluting the said day by doing all kind of workes and actions contrary to the sanctification thereof and thus heaping transgression upon
comming of Messias and not after So he said to Iacob I will give this Land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession Genes 48. vers 4. So to the Israelites of the Passeover You shall keepe it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations by an ordinance for ever Exod. 12. v. 14. So the ordering of oile in the Lamps from evening to morning in the Tabernacle of Congregation before the testimony by Aaron and his sons is called a statute for ever unto their generations Exo. 27. vers 21. So to Phineas and to his seed after him God promised the covenant of an everlasting Priesthood Numbr 25. vers 13. 5 What I have said and made good of the Sabbath day that it was of old a figue of the spirituall and heavenly rest the beginnings whereof God giveth to his children in this life and shall give them the full plenitude in Heaven may be confirmed by the words of the Apostle in the Epistle to the Hebrewes Chap. 4. where intending to shew to the Hebrews that there is an heavenly rest prepared promised by God to them that are his which they should labour to enter into by faith and take heed to themselves lest any of them should come short of it through unbeliefe he alledgeth two types figures thereof The one is the bodyly and terrestriall rest which God had promised of old to the Israelites in the Land of Canaan called for that cause The Land of rest Deut. 25. Iosh. 1. ver 13. and Gods rest Psal. 95. vers 11. which those of the Israelites that were incredulous and rebellious in the wildernesse entered not into but those onely that beleeved Gods promise By this God represented that no Infidells shall enter into the heavenly and eternall rest but the faithfull onely Now hee verifieth that the rest of the Land of Canaan promised and conferred upon them that beleeved and denied to those that were rebellious was a figure of that other better rest which the faithfull receive and all Infidells are shut out of by this that after so long a time to wit foure hundred yeeres after the Israelites were by Ioshuah brought into the Land of Canaan God speaking by the mouth of David yet againe warneth the Israelites then living that at what time they shall heare his voice they harden not their hearts as their forefathers did in the wildernesse lest they should come short of entring into the heavenly rest promised to them as their ancestors for their unbeliefe were bereaved of the effect of the promise to enter into the earthly rest of Canaan This advertisement is perpetuall and belongeth also to Christians nay we may say that it hath properly relation to the time of the Gospel which is that certaine time determined and limited of God whereof mention is made in the seventh verse and is so called ordinarily in the new Testament Gal. 4. vers 2. 4. Eph. 1. vers 10. Tit. 1. vers 3. Therefore we which are under the Gospell to day and have the Gospell of Christ preached unto us and heare the voice of his Gospell must beware lest because of our unbeliefe and rebellion wee enter not into the celestiall rest no more then at that time the rebellious Israelites entred into the rest of earthly Canaan For from hence the Apostle maketh this collection that considering the Israelites were entred into the Land of Canaan and possessed it peaceably without feare when God by his servant David spoke againe the foresaid words of entring into his rest sure Gods meaning was to signifie a farre better promise of a more excellent rest then was the rest of the Land of Canaan even a spirituall and an heavenly rest whereof that other and the promise thereof was but a figure and shadow For if the promise to enter into Gods rest made first and foremost to the Israelites had attained its full and whole accomplishment after that Ioshuah had introduced and given them rest in the Land of Canaan God after that introduction had not exhorted them to take heede that they hardened not their hearts in that day in which he should make them heare his voice lest they should not enter into his rest as if they had not beene in it already Whereby hee therewith made them a promise of entring into his rest if they beleeved and were obedient Therefore the Apostle concludeth that there remaineth a rest to the people of God vers 9. a rest spirituall and heavenly purchased unto them by the true Ioshuah even by Iesus Christ of whom the other Ioshuah was but a figure 6 The other Type which he propoundeth to the same purpose is taken from Gods rest on the seventh day after the creation of all things which rest could not be understood by the promise which God made so many ages after the creation of entring into his rest because it was past and finished then when he ended and finished all his workes as may be clearely seene by the History written in Genesis Chap. 2. vers 2. But the meaning of the Apostle is that it was a figure of this other spirituall and heavenly rest ordained and prepared from the foundation of the world For if the rest promised and granted to the Israelites in the land of Canaan is mentioned as a type this rest of God on the seventh day is alledged in the same quality seeing they are both coupled together The Apostle confirmeth that Gods resting on the seventh day was a type by the words written Genesis 2. vers 2. where it is said that God rested the seventh day from all his workes Heb. 4. vers 3 4. which had not beene thus so expresly written considering that to speake properly God who was not wearied rested not and his resting was only a ceasing from the production of his creatures and from giving being to any more kindes then those which hee had made in sixe daies Seeing also one day is not of it selfe better than another day if God in this seventh day and his resting in it had not intended to set downe a type and to figure some mysterie to wit that as he had his workes of the creation by divers degrees in sixe daies and rested on the seventh day doing no more but onely keeping and preserving his workes in the being he had given them even so he produceth and sets forward by a continuall advancement the worke of his grace in his elect during the sixe daies of this world after which having ended this blessed worke of his mercy he shall rest from it and shall intertaine and continue in this happy state of perfection for ever and ever and shall make them to rest also with him on the seventh day of the world to come which shall never have an end Vndoubtedly to signifie this perpetuity no mention is made in the history of the creation of any terme or end of the seventh day that God rested in as it is of the other daies
nor also of Gods rest which in effect hath continued ever since because this other rest which it figured shall never have an end 7 Now this figure of Gods resting from the works of grace which he had first resolved and determined in himselfe and founded upon his owne rest from the workes of nature was intimated by him when giving his Law to the Israelites he commanded to forbeare all workes and by that cessation to sanctifie the seventh day which he had rested in to the intent that this day and their cessation on it as an image correspondent in some sort to the example of his owne rest should be unto them likewise a type and figure of the eternall rest which they should obtaine in heaven after all the workes and toiles of this life according to his good pleasure whereby he had ordained from the beginning that it should be so And so Gods rest on the seventh day after the creation was ended and the rest which he ordained also to the Israelites on that same day after their six daies worke were in effect two types of one and the same thing to wit of the accomplishment of the salvation and of the blessednesse and glory of the faithfull in heaven but in divers respects according as this accomplishment may have relation either to God or to the faithfull To God as to the author who having begun and furthered it will also accomplish and perfect it in which respect it hath had properly Gods rest for figure To the faithfull as unto those which shall injoy and possesse the benefit thereof after the turmoile of their irkesome workes in this world In which regard it had properly for type the rest ordained to the Israelites It is likely that the Apostle in consideration of this mystery when he speaketh vers 9. of the heavenly rest calleth it not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he doth in all the former verses but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 using a word taken from the Sabbath of the Iewes and that purposely to teach us that the Sabbath of the Iewes in the relation it had to Gods rest on the seventh day which it was founded upon was a figure of the eternall rest prepared for the faithfull 8 And indeed the Iewes have alwaies understood it so For they teach that this rest of the seventh day was a type of the rest prepared for Gods people in the world to come Whereunto they apply this Title of the 92. Psalme A Psame of song for the Sabbath day saying that this Psalme is a song for the time to come to wit for the day of eternall life which is all Sabbath all an holy rest signified also by the Sabbath named jointly with the new Moones in Isaiah 66. Chapter verse 23. Where God saith that from one New Moone to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before him Which words being applyed to the estate and condition of the world to come as they may be most fitly give to understand that the New Moones and the Sabbaths wherein holy convocations and solemne actions of Gods service were practised were types and figures of the great convocation of all that are his in his heavenly kingdome and of the eternall rest which they shall enjoy there serving him without interruption because there is no intervall no space there betweene the Sabbaths and the New Moones that is betweene the times appointed for rest and the solemne service of GOD as there was under the Law among the Iewes but one Sabbath following immediately another one New Moone succeeding without interposition another as the words of the Text doe import and the whole time being nothing else then a continuall Sabbath that is a perpetuall tenor an unintermitted continuance without change of serving God after a most glorious and unconceivable manner And as God after he had created and made all his workes in sixe dayes ceased on the seventh day ceased I say not simply but with pleasure and content enjoying that glory which from hence redounded unto him even so he shall then rejoyce and magnifie himselfe on that day in all his faithfull in whom he shall have accomplished his glorious work of their redemption and they reciprocally shall rejoyce in him shall rest from their labours and their workes shall follow them Revel 14. ver 3. That is they shall receive pleasure glory and reward of all their good works and shall inherite a glorious rest conformable in some sort to Gods rest Vndoubtedly the use which the Sabbath day had to be a type and figure of this heavenly rest was the cause that God did so precisely urge the Iewes to observe and keepe it inviolably For he designed by so severe an injunction of the exact observation of the typâ— the great importance and necessity of the thing signified thereby 9 Of this I inferre first that the day of rest seeing it was ordained to be a type and figure of the heavenly and eternall rest which Iesus Christ was to purchase to those that are his â—onsâ—â—ering â—â—so that the Scripture for no other â—ause maketh mention oâ— Gods resting on that day and hallowing of it out for this typicall and mâ—sterious use that say I that day was not ordained to Adam from the beginning to bee kept by him in the state of innocency because there is great cause to beleeve that although Adam had persevered in that state and condition he should not have entred into the heavenly rest but had enjoyed simply a terrestriall and eternall blessednesse here below in the Paradise of Heden where God had put him because the heavenly happinesse is alwayes proposed in the Scripture as a supernaturall gift of the grace of God through Christ Iesus and not at all as a naturall grace And it is in that respect that the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romanes Chapter 5. ver 15. 16 17. saith that we receive much more in Iesus Christ then we have lost in Adam and that there is a superaboundance of grace by IESUS CHRIST towards us going farre beyond all the losse wee have made in Adam which could not be said if we had lost any thing over and above an earthly felicity and immortality in these lower parts and if Adam persisting in the state of integrity was to be after many ages on earth received into the kingdome of heaven To which belongeth also that which is written in the fifteenth Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians where the Apostle making a distinction betweene Adam and Christ saith verse 45. that Adam was made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into a living soule that is to live a naturall life on earth and to communicate it to his off-spring but Iesus Christ was made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into a quickning spirit that is to give to those that are his a spirituall and heavenly life by the mighty power of the grace of Sanctification Also that which he addeth Verse
consideration thereof they were commanded to keepe the Sabbath day which is the thing that God pronounceth most expressely in the place lately cited Deut. 5. verse 15. and Ezek. 20. verse 11 12. where upon that hee had said ver 10. that hee caused the Israelites to goe forth out of the land of Aegypt he addeth and I gave them my statutes moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths c. 2 Secondly seeing the Sabbath day was ordained to be a memoriall of a benefit particular to the Israelites to wit of their deliverance out of the land of Aegypt and of their separation from all other nations it followeth that the Sabbath day obligeth not Christians under the New Testament as if it were morall and as if God had â—â—dained it by an expresse commandement to continue till the worlds end For this end of the Sabbath to be a memoriall of their deliverance and separation from all other people dwelling upon the face of the earth with the other end afore mentioned to be a figurative signe of Iesus Christ to come and of the saving benefits which were to be purchased by him made up the whole use of the Sabbath Of which end neither the one nor the other doth belong to the New Testament 3 The faithfull Christians are a people more spirituall then the Iewes were because they are under the Gospell which is an estate more spirituall and heavenly then was the condition of Gods people under the Law for which cause it is called the kingdome of heaven And therefore all dayes under the Gospell should be to all the faithfull that live in that blessed and heavenly estate as many Sabbath dayes more particularly then to the Iewes to rest from their sinnes and to give themselves to prayers calling upon the Name of the Lord to reading and meditation of his holy Word and to other religious exercises of godlinesse according to the words in Isaiah Chapter 66. v. 23. if they be applyed unto the estate of the Church under the Gospell as they may be and indeed are so expounded by many interpreters when it is there said that then there shall be no more New Moones nor Sabbaths distinguished by intervalls and spaces of times but one Sabbath shall succeed immediately to another Sabbath and that all the dayes of the weeke and of the whole yeere shall bee as Sabbaths unto them This is the conclusion of all that hath beene said in this first part which shall be more fully confirmed by the refutation of the arguments that are brought to maintaine the morality of the Sabbath Which refutation shall bee the subject of the second part of this Treatise THE SECOND PART wherein the reasons brought to justifie the morality and perpetuity of a Seventh day of Sabbath are confuted CHAPTER First First Answer to the first Reason 1. The opinion of those that hold the morality of a Seventh day of Sabbath cleerely set downe 2. Their first Reason taken out of Genesis Chapter 2. ver 2 3. Where it is said that God rested on the Seventh day from all his workes and blessed the Seventh day and sanctified it c. 3. First answer to this Reason Moses writing the History of the Creation after the Law was given declareth occasionally the cause that moved God to blesse and sanctifie the Seventh day to the Iewes according to the custome of the Scripture to joyne things done long before with those that were done long after as if they had beene done together and at one time 4. Confirmation of this by places named by anticipation 5. By that which is written Exod. 16. ver 33 34. where it is said that Aaron laid up in a Pot an Omer of Manna before the Testimony which was not done many yeeres after 6. And by the History of Davids combat with Goliah 1 Sam. 17. Where it is written ver 54. that David tooke the head of the Philistine and brought it to Ierusalem but he put his armour in his tent although there was a great intervall of time betweene these two actions 7. This joyning of things farre removed in time is not unsutable to him that speaketh or writeth 8. First instance against this answer taken from the connexion of the third verse with the second from the same tence used in both and from the identitie of the same seventh day spoken of in both c. 9. First answer to this instance shewing that in the holy Scripture things distant in-time are expressed by words of the same tence when the one hath some dependancie upon the other 10. Application of this answer to the blessing and sanctification of the seventh day in Moses his time joyned with Gods rest after the creation because it was the foundation of that blessing 11. Second answer It was not the same particular seventh day after the creation but the same by revolution which God sanctified 12. Third answer the Hebrew article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 confirmeth not that the seventh day which God blessed was the same seventh day wherein he rested 13. Second instance as Gods blessing of his creatures after they were made was present so was his blessing of the seventh day immediately after the creation 14. Answer to this instance the reason is not alike 15. Confirmation of the answer made to the words of Moses in Genesis by the conformity of the same words used in the commandement given to the Iewes concerning the Sabbath 16. As also because the Sabbath was not hallowed for Adam who in the estate of innocency had no need of such a day 17. First instance Adam was taught by Gods example that hee stood in need of such a day refuted 18. Second instance as God ordained Sacraments to Adam so he ordained to him a seventh day of rest refuted by a reason shewing the nullity of that consequence 19. And by the excellency of Adams condition to which the ordination of such a day was derogatory 20. Third instance as Gods rest on the Seventh day was the foundation of the commandement given to the Iewes to rest on that day so was it from the beginning refuted 1 THose that hold the second opinion doe say that the keeping of a Seventh day of Sabbath is a morall thing which from the beginning of the world should continue to the end thereof with this difference only that God before and till the comming of Iesus Christ had ordained that the last day of the weeke wherein hee rested from all the workes which hee had made when he created the world should be sanctified by all men in remembrance of the creation and of his rest on that day But since the manifestation of Iesus Christ it was his will that instead of the last day of the weeke the first day wherein Christ rising from among the dead rested from the work of our redemption should be observed in the Christian Church for a memoriall of this worke which being more excellent then the former it was beseeming
of the Apostle 4. First answer In that place the Apostle speaketh not directly of any rest ordained to man but onely of Gods rest 5. Second answer Indirectly Gods rest on the seventh day and the rest of the Iewes commanded to them afterwards being as types and figures of the heavenly rest applyed unto the said words prove not that both are one rest and the one as ancient as the other 6. Confirmation of this answer 7. Answer to the first argument It is not necessary to understand that Gods rest on the seventh day is a rest given to man as the two other rests of God must be so understood 8. Answer to the second argument shewing by the exposition of the words of the Apostle that there is no equivocation to be found in them although the rest of God in one place be not understood of a rest given to man as in the two other places 9. Answer to the third argument shewing there is no defect in the argumentation of the Apostle although he speaketh not directly of the rest ordained in the fourth Commandement THEY object also from the fourth Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes that the Apostle citeth out of the 95. Psalme verse 11. and applyeth to the Hebrewes the threat denounced of old against the incredulous Israelites in the daies of Moses that they should never enter into his rest That the Psalmist adapted it also to the Iewes of his time exhorting them not to harden their hearts when they shall heare the voice of God as their Fathers have done lest they also should come short of entring into his rest That I say the Apostle citing that threat as applyed by the Psalmist to his time observeth that God at that time spoke on this wise I have sworne in my wrath if they shall enter into my rest although his workes were finished from the foundation of the world For he spake in a certaine place to wit in the second Chapter of Genesis of the seventh day on this wise And God rested the seventh day from all his workes And that from thence the Apostle maketh this inference that God in this threat wherein hee spake in Davids time of a rest to come whereof the Israelites should come short could not understand the rest of the seventh day mentioned in the second of Genesis because that rest had a great sway from the foundation of the world As hee sheweth also in the verses following that it could not be taken for the rest of the Land of Canaan because Ioshuah a long time before had brought the Israelites into that rest and therefore of necessity God spake of another rest then of these two to wit of a spirituall and heavenly rest which those that beleeve are admitted into and all those that beleeve not come short of 2 They endeavour to make out of this discourse this illation that the observation of the Sabbath day was ordained to all men from the beginning of the world even from that seventh day wherein God rested from all his workes For they put in this the force of the argumentation of the Apostle to wit That the rest of the seventh day was not to be understood in the threat denounced in Davids time against the Israelites that they should never enter into Gods rest because men were already entred into it from the beginning of the world as it is written And God rested the seventh day from all his workes and is so cited by the Apostle and by them urged as impossible to be understood onely of Gods resting from all his works after he had finished them and as of necessity to be taken for a rest ordained of God to men which at that same time hee brought them into 3 Because even as the Apostle by the other rest of the land of Canaan which he alledgeth also and by the heavenly rest which he mentioneth likewise understands a rest that men enter into and whereof they have an enjoying and possession the one and the other being called Gods rest because he puts them in possession of them likewise by the rest of God on the seventh day which hee maketh mention of as of a thing which had sway when the workes of God were finished from the beginning of the world he understands necessarily a rest which men enjoyed and practised at that same time after Gods example For otherwise and if it had not belonged to men in vaine had the Apostle excepted it as a thing that could not be understood in Gods threat As also there should be an equivocation in this that the Apostle making mention of three rests of God to wit of the rest of the seventh day of the rest of the land of Canaan and of the heavenly rest should by the first understand a rest whereby God onely rested and belonging to him alone and by the two others a rest which he had given or was to give to men for their rest That moreover if by the rest of the seventh day he had not understood a rest ordained to men from the beginning but only Gods owne rest his argumentation should be defective and subject to an easie reply because he had omitted the rest which out of all doubt God instituted at least in the fourth Commandement concerning which rest seeing hee excluded it not the Hebrewes might have replyed unto him that God understood and denoted it in that threat wherewith hee threatned the Israelites by David that they should not enter into his rest and so hee had not obtained his end which was to shew that God speaketh there of the heavenly rest and not of any other 4 To all this reasoning which to some that make use of it seemeth to be of great weight to others but light and probable I answer shortly that albeit it hath some shew it hath not strength enough to prove that which is in question to wit that the observation of the Sabbath day was ordained to man from the beginning of the world For the Apostle in the place above cited ver 3. 4. speaketh not expresly of any rest ordained to man nor that men had at that time entred into any rest nay he maketh no mention that God had blessed and sanctified the Sabbath day but saith that God did rest the seventh day as soone as his works were finished Therefore it is not his scope to teach that the rest of the seventh day was kept by men from the foundation of the world and that for that cause God could not understand it when in the daies of David he spake to the Israelites of a new entrance into his rest For if hee had propounded to himselfe that end doubtlesse he had uttered it in more expresse tearmes at least he had rather cited these words of the second Chapter of Genesis And God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it which had manifestly beene more unto the purpose then these others And the seventh day God rested from all his workes
Although that howbeit he had alleadged them no man can necessarily inferre from thence that he had such an intention whereas his mentioning only of GODS rest on the seventh day and his omitting of the blessing and hallowing thereof which followeth immediately in the Text sheweth he acknowledged that it was not practised from the beginning and that also his minde was to speake directly of GODS Rest only and to shew as a thing most evident that that rest seeing it was past and there was no possibility of entring into it could not be understood in the promise which God so long after made by David to the faithfull of entring into his rest Hebr. 1. ver 1 3. which promise was included in the threat that unbeleevers should not enter into his Rest but another rest to wit a spirituall rest prepared to the faithfull in heaven whereof that Rest of God on the seventh day was as a type and figure 5 Which GOD gave them to understand when he caused Moses to observe in the description of the History of the Creation that on the seventh day hee rested from all his workes conformably whereunto he commanded the Iewes to keepe the seventh day and to rest on it as he had rested that it might be unto them a type and figure of the heavenly rest And in this respect we may grant that the Apostle speaketh also of the rest of the seventh day ordained to men and excludeth it out of the sence of the threat but indirectly and by consequence only for as much as affirming that even the rest of God Himselfe on the seventh day after he had finished his works was not understood in the foresaid threat when GOD denounced it by David we may inferre from thence that likewise the rest ordained to men was not understood in it Not because this was as ancient as that for in such an asseveration there is no consequence but because that was the foundation of the institution of this to the Israelites and this had a great sway when GOD gave that warning with such a threat as well as that albeit not of so long a date 6 To confirme that I say serveth the tenth verse where it is said that he that is entred into Gods Rest hath also rested from his owne workes as God did also from his the meaning of which words is that they which are entred into the heavenly Rest cease from all their labours and businesses of this life even as God on the seventh day rested from all his workes whereby the Apostle signifieth that God in his own rest established a figure of the heavenly Rest which he would conferre upon men whereof he gave them notice afterward whence it followeth that in the third and fourth verses which the tenth verse hath relation unto where it is observed that God from the foundation of the world after his workes were finished rested the seventh day and notified so much by Moses in the second Chap. of Genesis the Apostle designed directly no other rest but Gods owne Rest and meant not rest ordained from the beginning to Adam For if he had meant such a rest he had said in the 10. verse he that entreth into Gods heavenly rest ceaseth from all the workes of this life even as Adam by Gods commandement rested on the seventh day and had not said simply as God rested from all his workes 7 The instances alleadged are weak For what necessity is there that because by the two other rests of God mentioned by the Apostle He. 4. v. 1 8 9. to wit the rest of the land of Canaan and the heavenly rest a rest given to men is understood even so by the rest of the seventh day in the 2. 3. verses a like rest is to be formally understood and in the same respect As if one and the same word were not often found in the Scripture in the same tenor of a discourse taken in different respects and much more different then is here Gods rest which in two places signifieth directly and expresly a Rest of God in as much as given to men and in the third a Rest of God in as much as he himselfe rested But indirectly and by consequence in as much as he ordained afterwards to men to rest according to his example 8 Which is an equivocation if they will have it to be so called of small weight and inferior to many others which in other passages may be found in one and the same word which moreover bringeth no inconveniency with it For what necessity was there that this tearme The Rest of God should be alwayes in this discourse of the Apostle taken in the same sence seeing his only intention was to demonstrate that all other Rest of God which the Scripture calleth so saving the heavenly rest in whatsoever sence it be taken could not be understood in the threat denounced by David For I will here set downe a sence which may bee conveniently fitted to the words of the Apostle God in his threat wherewith he threatned the Israelites by David that if they were rebellious they should not enter into his rest understood either his owne Rest which he rested on the seventh day after his workes were finished from the Creation of the world and which was the foundation and occasion moving him to ordaine long after the rest of the Seventh day to men Or the rest of the land of Canaan or the heavenly Rest seeing there is no mention in the Scripture of any Rest of God but of those three Now of necessity he understood the heavenly Rest. For hee could not understand the rest of the land of Canaan because the Israelites were already entred into that land and enjoyed it Nor also his owne Rest which he rested on the seventh day because it was past and gone from the foundation of the world besides that it was not of such a nature that men could enter into it Whence followed also that likewise God did not understand the Rest of the seventh day ordained to men because indeed it was not ordained unto them but conformably to the example of Gods Rest which was the cause and reason of the institution thereof And therefore if this rest was excluded from Gods intention in his threat that was excluded also although the Apostle expresseth not this unto us and farre lesse at what time God gave to men the ordinance of the seventh day contenting himselfe with the expression of Gods own Rest after he had finished his workes on the first seventh day which Rest being excluded excluded also the other ordained to men in whatsoever time it was ordained unto them whether in the proper time of Gods rest or long after Neither of which can be learned of the Apostles words in this discourse but may be elsewhere 9 According to this it is cleere that by the Apostles reasoning the way was shut up to the foresaid reply which as is pretended may be made
had observed the same course towards Adam for that commandement as hee did for all the rest and for all the rest as for that which neverthelesse he did not For he ingraved the substance and tenor of all the other Commandements in Adams heart and made him to know them naturally without any instruction by word of mouth whereof he had no need But he wrote not in his heart the knowledge of the fourth Commandement seeing as they say he declared it unto them by audible words resounding in his eares that he might know it whence it followeth that all the rest are morall but this is not whereof we shall have occasion to discourse more largely in the first Chapter of the second part of this Treatise 2 Of those that defend the morality of one Sabbath day in the weeke some seeke to decline the weight and edge of the foresaid arguments by a frivolous distinction saying that morall things are of two sorts the one that are founded in the Law of nature and therefore oblige all men naturally The others that are of a positive Law depend on institution and notwithstanding are parts of the morall Law of a perpetuall necessity and of an immutable right as well as all other morall precepts are that the morall Law as it is morall is of farre greater extension then is the Law of nature and that the Sabbath is morall in this last sort 3 But first they speake against the ordinary sence and custome of all men who by the word morall understand that which is naturally and universally just that is which reason when it is not misled and the inward Law of nature dictateth by common principles of honesty or ought to dictate to all men of it selfe without any outward Vsher This Law all men take for the Law of nature and reciprocally they take the Law of nature for this Law which is proved by the ordinary and common distinction that all Divines make betweene the morall ceremoniall and judiciall Lawes which in former times God gave to the Iewes in which distinction they referre to the last hands and sorts all the positive ordinances which pertained to the ecclesiasticall or civill government and to the first the ordinances and rules of the Law of nature wherof these others were circumstantiall appendices and determinations Nay morall signifieth onely the duties of essentiall godlinesse and righteousnesse in things belonging naturally to good and holy manners towards GOD or towards man whether in doing good or departing from evill and not all things that may be usefull and in some sort may bee referred to the rules of good behaviour Otherwise things ceremoniall and judiciall as such should not bee distinguished from morall things for these also have an usefull reference to the foresaid duties of good and godly behaviour And therefore if the ordinance of the Sabbath although advowed to bee a positive Law is notwithstanding called morall it shall bee in one and the same respect both morall and ceremoniall and all ther ceremonies may after the same manner challenge the name of Moralities which is absurd 4 Secondly after they have confessed the Sabbath to bee a part of the positive Law grounded only on the order and discipline that GOD was pleased to establish they broach an affirmation without ground and without reason when they say therewith that it is of an immutable right and carrieth with it a perpetuall obligation For where and from whence is there any evidence of this doth this right belong to all things that are of the positive Law Their condition and nature giveth it unto them Will any Divine any Lawgiver any Logician make of this a probleme and hold for the affirmative Away with Sophistry and captious dealing It must bee the revealed will of God that matcheth positive with naturall Lawes and marketh them with the silver stampe of immutability Now if GOD hath not communicated this dignity with any positive Law ordained by him from the beginning of the world till this day what appearance is there that he hath given it as it were by birth-right to the Sabbath Have they to underprop this their assertion any cleere and evident testimony brought from the unreprocheable truth of holy Scripture For we make no account of any mans bare affirmation But the whole drift of the discourse following shall shew more and more God willing how short they come of their promises and of the But and Blank they aime at CHAPTER third REASON 3. 1. The Pagans never knew neither by Nature nor by Tradition the necessity of the keeping of a Seventh day of Sabbath 2. Yet they knew all morall duties commanded in the first and second Table of the morall Law 3. They knew also that God is to be served publikely and that a part of his service consisted in the offering of Sacrifices 4. They knew likewise by naturall light that some dayes are to be appointed for his service and are blamed for the transgression of all other Commandements that are morall c. 5. But are never blamed for the inobservation of one day of Seven 6. Nay they did laugh to scorne the Iewish Sabbath 7. Answer to an objection taken out of Philo against the foresaid affirmation 8. To another from IOSEPHUS 9. As also to other passages of diverse Authors Pagans Iewes and Christians which serve to overthrow it 10. The Pagans did never keepe regularly for their publike devotions any other Seventh day of the weeke 11. Yea are never reproved for any such omission 12. Reply to this answer 13. First answer to the said reply 14. Second answer unto it 1 MY third argument shall be taken from this that the Gentiles never knew by naturall light nor also by tradition come unto them from hand to hand by the care of their fore-Fathers the necessity of the keeping of the Seventh day of the weeke and never practised any such day Surely if it were a morality and a point of the Law of Nature or if GOD had prescribed it by a particular Commandement to Adam willing him to sanctifie it particularly and to celebrate in it the remembrance of his workes and rest hee had done it purposely that Adam should instruct his off-spring to the like seeing there was a like reason for them and for him Yea all his progeny and successors in whom abideth still the Law of Nature although darkened with sinne had knowne in some sort by the residue of the light of Nature glittering in them that they were bound to keepe a Seventh Day At least the notice of this Commandement which is pretended to have beene given to their first Father from the beginning should have come to them by Tradition successively from the Fathers to the Children till their dayes For we see that all the Gentiles by the light of Nature and by Tradition have had some knowledge of all things that in themselves are good and lawfull and of all morall precepts 2 They have knowne that one
many recent and orthodoxe Divines deny it directly Amongst those that affirme it the most learned and renowned dare not avouch it but as a thing uncertaine and probable only And amongst those that most confidently stand unto it Some are constrained to call in question if the Patriarkes kept it after the manner which was afterwards prescribed to the Iewes to wit with a strict obligation of an exact cessation from all workes as from kindling of fire c. Exod. 35. ver 3. All these thought it a thing unsutable to the condition of the Patriarkes that they should have been loaden with so many scruples and difficulties Neverthelesse it is most probable that if God had charged them with the keeping of the Sabbath day he would also have tyed them to this intermission of workes in consideration whereof it was called the Sabbath it represented and called to remembrance GODs resting from all his workes and was a type of the spirituall eternall and glorious rest of the faithfull in the kingdome of heaven which was the principall end of the institution thereof I might stuffe the paper with the testimonies of all the foresaid Authors if I had not resolved to dispute by arguments taken out of holy Scripture and from reason and not by authorities of men 6 Divers Replies are made against this argument to impaire the strēgth debace the worth therof when I say it is not written that the Patriarchs observed the Sabbath and therefore they kept it not And first they suppose that they celebrated divers fasts whereof no mention is made in the Booke of holy Scripture which is indeed a meere supposition if fasting be taken properly for daies of abstinence from all kind of meat through devotion and for religious ends For where is that written If it be not written as it is not why may I not mistrust gain-say and deny it and pray the authors of this reply to defend their cause not with forcelesse and deniable suppositions but with powerfull and undeniable reasons from Scripture or from Nature Now supposing their supposition to be as true as I suppose it to be false doe they not know that fasting is not a part of Gods service that God hath not beene earnest about it that by the Law of Moses which exacted so many kindes of serviceable devotions he commanded no ordinary and stinted fast saving a yeerely one for a typicall reason on the feast of atonement Levit. 16. verse 29. 30. 31. and Levit. 23. vers 27. 29 that he prescribed not any before the Law and hath not injoyned any to Christians under the Gospell Therefore God having left the indiction and observation of such fasts free as the Patriarchs should thinke fit although now and then they had humbled themselves before God with extraordinary fasting It is no marvell that no mention is made thereof in the History of their religious exercises because it was not one of them but at the most a certaine helpe unto them or an accidentall dependancy on them The same must be said of all other doings of the Patriarches which either did not belong to Gods service or were not of great importance For it was not needfull that the Scripture should tell us all things done by them in their imployments about the affaires of this present life This cannot be said of the observation of the Sabbath day For seeing it is pretended to be morall that God from the beginning of the world ordained it to Adam and to all his progeny that it hath alwaies been necessary for his service undoubtedly it had beene mentioned in the History of the Patriarchs if they had practised it But seeing it is not so much as once named this perpetuall silence theweth in all likelihood that they never practised it that therefore all that is pretended to the contrary is untrue This as I have said the most part of the ancient and many of our modern Divine confirme by their consent 7 Secondly some doe make another reply saying that albeit the Patriarches had not kept the Sabbath day nothing can be thence concluded saving an oblivion and negligence of that day which should not call in question the first institution and observation therof no more then Polygamie which is the having at once of moe wives then one practised in their time not onely by Infidels but by them also can justifie that the holy Law of marriage betweene two persons onely was not established from the beginning To this I answer that there is no even match betweene these two For the Scripture teacheth us cleerely in the History of the creation that in the beginning God formed but one man and one woman which he took from man and established marriage between them two onely that they might be twaine in one flesh and no more and that Adam had a perfect and cleere knowledge of this truth Genes 2. vers 22 23 24. Likewise in other places of the Ancient Testament Malac. 2. vers 15. and of the New Testament Matth. 19. vers 4 5. Mark 10. vers 7 8. Ephes. 5. vers 31. the unseparable union of two persons in wedlocke is confirmed by the institution of marriage in the beginning Moreover this institution is grounded on justice and honesty knowne of Pagans which had no light given them by instruction from the Word of God All the holy Fathers that were before the flood observed it faithfully The first that violated it was Lamech a man of the posterity of wicked Cain of whom it is recorded as a thing extraordinary and new that he tooke unto him two wives Genes 4. vers 19. Wherefore if after the flood some practised polygamie no man can thence make a sound inference that by Gods institution it was so from the beginning seeing the contrary is evident and undeniable And that abuse of marriage by plurality of wives among the Patriarches must be imputed to some other reasons What if among the Israelites many stumbled at the same stone Who will inferre thence that God had not forewarned them to take heed to their waies forebidding them to multiply their wives by an expresse Law which may be seene Levit. 18. vers 18. and Deut. 17. vers 17 But seeing wee can no where finde that before the Law was given by Moses the Patriarches kept the seventh day of rest we have good reason to make a question if that day was instituted from the beginning of the world For the institution thereof appeareth not cleerely in the Historie of the creation it is not in any part of the Bible referred to that first time neither is it grounded on any naturall or morall righteousnesse as shall be seene largely hereafter This is a sufficient answer to a third reply which some would faine take from purity of reason Saying that as in the beginning God made but one man and one woman and matched them together to be one body and to beget a lawfull and holy posterity Mal. 2. vers
his owne pleasure but in the extreme necessity of his just and reasonable interests is as much as to say that man is not made in that respect for the sanctification of the Sabbath but that the said sanctification is subject to him Now this is the point in question to wit Whether to keepe a seventh day for a day of rest or of cessation according to the injunction given in so precise termes in the fourth Commandement be a morall duty I cannot see what other sanctification of the Sabbath day can be understood by those which say that man was made for it in the sense that Christ taketh this kinde of speech is a morall duty For if they understand a sanctification by workes truely and properly morall such as are workes of godlinesse mercy and charity whereby God is principally and directly glorified and we and our neighbours are edified and maintained for his glory and say that man is made for this sanctification ought to observe it carefully and to make if neede be the rest of the Sabbath day to stoope and give place unto it this is most true but our question is not about this kinde of sanctifying the Sabbath day neither is it proper and peculiar to the seventh day but is equally required in all the daies of the weeke And by this is confirmed our saying that the sanctification proper to the Sabbath as it is such and which is the maine point that we treat of pro and contra cannot be morall seeing it yeelds and submits it selfe to the morall duties of every day and for their sake may and ought to be violated 6 Thirdly for the cleerer and better confirmation of the foresaid truth is very usefull that which Christ addes after these words The Sabbath is made for man saying For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day For whether by the son of man we understand particularly the Son of God as he is Christ and Mediator as he is often in that respect so named whether generally every man according to the common signification which it hath in holy Scripture the one and the other sense overthroweth the morality of the Sabbath If Iesus Christ speaketh of himselfe as he is Christ and Mediator under the name of the Son of man as in my opinion he doth his meaning is that as such and in that quality he had power over the Sabbath as Lord to dispense with the keeping of it whom and when he would as he said in the same sence and to the same purpose In this place is one greater then the Temple Yea hee insinuates that he was come to make this abrogation of the Sabbath as of the Temple and of all the ceremonies practised therin For what other end had hee to alleadge his soveraignty and maistery over the Sabbath but to say that he had power to dispose of it at his own pleasure and to cause men worke in it as he should thinke fit To declare only the lawfull use and practice of the Sabbath argued not that soveraignty and authority that Christ challenged to Himselfe 7 Fourthly to shew effectually his dominion in that behalfe he chused often the Sabbath day to doe or to injoyne to others on that day workes which might have beene done in any other day of the weeke and were not simply workes of mercifulnesse or of urgent necessity permitted by the Law nay were servile and unnecessary workes which the Law forbad As is manifest by his healing the sicke ordinarily on the Sabbath day and that with handy worke whereas he might have done those cures with a word of his mouth As when hee restored to sight the man that was borne blinde making clay of his spittle and anointing the eyes of that blind man with the clay Iohn 9. ver 6. 14. As also when he commanded some sicke whom hee had healed to beare burdens on the Sabbath day which GOD had forbidden Ierem. 17. ver 21. Thus hee commanded on the Sabbath day the man whom he had cured of the palsie to rise take up his bed and walke Ioh. 5. ver 8 9 10. which was not lawfull to him to doe no more than to anyother such man who by ordinary meanes had recovered his health if it had not beene for Christs command notwithstanding that miraculous deliverance after a so long and incurable disease For he needed not ntither for the glory of God nor for his owne good to take up his little bed on the Sabbath day seeing that without any such worke his recovery was doubtlesse cleere and manifest to all 8 Now if the Sabbath day and the keeping thereof had beene morall Christ had never spoken never done so For he had not as hee was the sonne of man any authority and Lord-ship over the things that are morall and of the Law of Nature to dispence with men for the doing or not doing the keeping or not keeping of them Because in them shineth the justice of the most righteous and holy God his glory to command them the excellency of man to yeeld obedience unto them as having a naturall righteousnesse and equity inherent in them carrying with them an universall obligation and being of perpetuall continuance grounded essentially in themselves and on their owne nature Such are these commandements Thou shalt love God with all thine heart and thy neighbour as thy selfe Also we see not that Christ at any time hath done or caused to be done by any man any thing whatsoever against them nay he hath rather backed and confirmed them hath himselfe kept them most religiously and hath injoyned also to others the keeping of them But as Mediator he had power over all things which were simply ceremoniall positive adiaphorous that is neither good nor evill in themselves wherein the true service of God consisted not which were no thing but helpes to that service for a time and were established of God simply for certaine reasons relative to some better things For as Iesus Christ himselfe was not lyable unto those things but so farre as it was his reason to apply himselfe unto them least he should give offence to any man And as the reason of their institution could not take hold on him so likewise was it in his power to exempt from them whom hee would For although they were to be usually in strength and practise till the houre of his death that was no hinderance to that authority which he had in his life time and during his conversation in these lowest parts of the earth to give particular commandements whereby hee dispensed whom he pleased with their observation Such things were the circumcision the sacrifices other legall ordinances and among the rest the Sabbath whereof upon this occasion he declared himselfe to be Lord. If Christ when he said The Sonne of man is Lord of the Sabbath will have us to understand by the Sonne of man every man as many interpreters doe take it so meaning that every
the rest of the people were two types of the same thing but unknowne till the Law was given 8. This is acknowledged by the Iewes who confirme it by Scripture 9. Hereof it followeth that the Sabbath was not given to Adam 10. As also that it is not obligatory under the New Testament 11. Although the heavenly rest which it typed be not yet come 1 IT is manifest enough by the foresaid passages that the observation of a Seventh day of Sabbath is not a morall duty and obligeth not by a divine Commandement mens consciences under the New Testament Nay it is apparant that the Sabbath day was instituted to the Iewes only and appertained to the ceremonies of the Law I confirme this againe by these words of GOD in Exodus Chapter 31. verse 13. and in Ezekiel Chapter 20. ver 12 20. Verily my Sabbaths yee shall keepe for it is a signe betweene me and you throughout your generations that yee may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctifie you Where is to be marked the Sabbath is called a signe ordained of GOD not to all men but to the Israelites onely to signifie unto them their consecration to his service and their sanctification which consisted in a continuall abstinence from all vices and sinnes which verily trouble and disquiet the soule and also in a bodily rest sometimes from the turmoiles and cares of this life that they might bestow some fit and convenient time without hinderance upon the contemplation of God and meditation of his graces and so give place to the operation of the holy Ghost whereby they might bring forth workes of godlinesse and of true holinesse To the end that the Sabbath day might expresse this visibly and also be unto them a helpe and meane to so necessary a duty they were commanded to forbeare exactly all servile workes and all bodily labour belonging to the worldly imploiments of this present life Which figured and taught them sufficiently that God obliged them farre more to cease from the workes of sinne which are properly servile according as it is written Whosoever committeth sinne is servant of sinne Ioh. 8. ver 34. Rom. 6. v. 16. And to abstaine from the lusts and acts of the flesh and of the old man and to compose and quiet themselves conveniently with a spirituall rest that they might receive the heavenly inspirations of his grace And as it is said in Esaiah Chap. 58. v. 13. not follow their owne waies nor finde their owne pleasure nor speake their owne words For as I have said God purposed to figure by that bodily and externall abstinence from earâ—hly workes the inward and spirituall abstinence from sinne 2 Nay to instruct and assure them by the Sabbath as by a signe that it is hee even the Lord that sanctifieth his owne children that giveth them grace to rest in some measure from their sinnes and troubles in these lower parts of the earth and shall fully performe their sanctification in heaven where after the workes and turmoiles of the anger of this life there shall be as it were a seventh day of Sabbath a time of perfect and eternall rest for them For wee may esteeme not without some likenesse of truth that the generations of the world ought to be sixe composed each of them of a thousand yeeres and figured by the sixe daies of worke in respect whereof it is perhaps said that one day is with the Lord as a thousand yeeres and a thousand yeeres as one day Psal 9. vers 4. and 2 Peter 3. vers 8. 3 The Sabbath day was interrupted by other worke-daies and returned onely every seventh day by a continuall reciprocation and vicissitude whereby it represented but imperfectly the perpetuity of the true rest as figures can hardly represent in perfection the truth whereof they are figures But at the end of the world this reciprocation of daies shall cease and there shall be as it were one perpetuall day which as Zechariah saith Chap. 14. vers 6 7. Shall be all one day wherein there shall not be day and night light and darknesse but a perpetuall light without darknesse After this manner the spirituall rest hath its interruptions and discontinuance in this world the continuation of it is as it were by fits and new beginnings But in the world to come it shall have a continuance without intermission with an intire and solid perfection without any trouble of sinne or of labour God granteth this rest to his owne children for his Sonne the Messias his sake the onely consideration of whose death the force and efficacy whereof stretched out it selfe as well forward to those that went before as afterward to those that have or shall come after the accomplishment thereof was unto him in these times of the old Testament as since a most forcible motive to conferre upon his elect sanctification with other comfortable and saving benefits here on earth beneath and there in heaven above So the Sabbath diâ—ected the Iewes to Christ who was to come and was a figure thereof representing unto them a benefit of the Covenant which Christ was to purchase and ratifie with his owne blood and therefore it ought to have its accomplishment and end in him as have had all other ancient figures whereby he was represented 4 And indeed in the passages before cited it is called a signe betweene GOD and the Israelites which is the same name that is given to the Circumcision the Passeover and other legall figures and moreover it is said that it shall be a signe betweene God and the Israelites for a perpetuall covenant and for ever but in the same sense that all other ordinances of the Law and divers temporall promises made to the Israelites are called perpetuall that is in their generations which is expresly marked in the forenamed place of Exodus Chap. 31. vers 16 17. where God saith Wherefore the children of Israel shall keepe my Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetuall covenant It is a signe betwene mee and the children of Israel for ever meaning that it should remaine till the comming of Messias during the oeconomy of the Law and whilest the people of Israel should be the onely people of God but no more in the time of Messias whose time and generation belongeth not to those generations which God allotted to the Israelites when he said that such and such things should be done and should continue in their generations words which are ordinarily spoken of things that were to persist only in the time of the old Testament As when God ordained the Sacrament of Circumcision he said to Abraham that it should be to him and to his seed after him in their generations for an everlasting covenant Gen. 17. vers 7. 9. 10. When he commanded the Israelites to fill an Omer of Manna and to keepe it he said it should be for their generations Exod. 16. vers 32. 33. that is till the
had their full performance he taking occasion of the historicall narration which he was writing of the first Manna which God sent to his people relateth also the Ordinance that God gave to put a pot full of it in the Tabernacle before the Arke and the execution of the said Ordinance which neverthelesse must be referred to a long time after 6 So in the first Booke of Samuel and in the 17. chapter after the narration made of Davids combat against Goliah of his victory of that Giant and of the defeat of the Philistins it is added in the Text verse 54. And David tooke the head of the Philistine and brought it to Ierusalem but hee put his armour into his Tent which notwithstanding was not done but after that David being anointed King tooke the whole towne of Ierusalem from the Iebusites with the strong hold of Sion and dwelled in it calling it the City of David 2 Sam. 5. vers 7. 9. And therefore our French translation in the foresaid place 1 Sam. 17. addeth the word depuis that is since saying And David since brought the head of the Philistine to Ierusalem and put his armes in his Tabernacle to shew that David did not this as soone as he had overthrowne the Philistine although it be related in the Text jointly and at once with his combat and victory as if both had happened together because when that history was a writing the transportation of the head and armes of Goliah to Ierusalem and to the fort of Sion was done And therefore it is related by occasion as it were with one breath in consequence of the victory gotten over him Other examples might be found to this purpose if it were needfull 7 To keepe this course in discoursing and writing is no wise unfitting nor misbecomming If any writing under the New Testament the History of the first Creation of the world and relating the forming of light on the first day should adde by occasion And it is also on the first day that the true light of the world hath shined by his resurrection from the dead and for that cause wee observe that day Or if re-hearzing that God brought forth bread out of the earth to strengthen mans heart and Wine to make it glad he should adde joyntly upon this occasion And it is in this bread and in this Wine which nourish the body that Iesus Christ hath instituted the Sacrament of the nourishment of the soule by him who should finde any thing blame-worthy in such discourses Wherfore then Moses might he not most fitly by occasion of that hee had written of the Seventh day and of Gods rest in it in the History of the Creation touch also in the same discourse the edict made about the sanctification of that day seeing that edict had a great sway when he wrote the History of the Creation and Gods rest on the Seventh day was the cause and reason thereof although it was not so ancient as the first Seventh day 8 Against this answer the instance hath no force which they urge from the conjunction and whereby the third verse is joyned with the second that is the blessing and hallowing of the Seventh day with the finishing of the workes of God and of his rest on that day as being done at the same time and expressed in words of the same tence and moode Nor what they say further that in these two verses as most cleerely appeareth the whole discourse is of the same Seventh day and as in the second verse is understood the first Seventh day wherein God after he had finished his workes rested likewise in the third verse it is understood so when it is said that he blessed and sanctified the Seventh day which is also expressed by the demonstrative Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to shew that it was the same Seventh day that otherwise the reason which is added and taken from the rest of God should be worthlesse because God did not rest from the worke of Creation on that day which he ordained to the Iewes to be their Sabbath day but on that day wherein hee finished first all his workes 9 For I answer to this that the conjunction and may well enough joyne things distant in time and farre removed one from another that also they may be expressed by words of the same tence and moode specially if they have any connexion and dependancy one upon another as in this place The blessing and hallowing of the Seventh day although done long after Gods rest on the Seventh day dependeth upon that rest as upon the cause and reason which was an occasion to God to make it In the Texts before mentioned of Exodus 16. Chapter the 32. and 33. verses and of the 17. Chapter of the first booke of Samuel in the 54. verse which expresse manifestly things done many yeares after these which are rehearsed before but depending on them are joyned to the verses immediately going before by the conjunction and which is diverse time reiterated and the words whereby these diverse things are expressed are set downe in the same tence and moode It imports not that in these examples the thing subsequent joyned straight with the precedent was not a great deale so farre remote in time from it because both hapned within the space of the age of one man as should be in the Text of Genesis before cited the sanctification of the Seventh day from Gods rest on the Seventh day if this being past on the first Seventh day after the Creation that came not to passe till the dayes of Moses which should be an intervall of more than two thousand yeeres For when two things separated and distant in time are to bee coupled together in a discourse if so bee the one hang upon the other those that are remote by many thousand of yeares may be joyned together as well as those of twenty or forty yeeres distance Neither doe I see wherefore it is not as allowable and convenient to rehearse at once a thing come to passe two thousand yeeres and more after another that it relyeth on notwithstanding there be a great intervall of time betweene as to recite one chanced twenty or forty yeares after another whereunto it hath some relation In the one and in the other there is the same reason and the same liberty 10 Wherefore the blessing of the Seventh day made in the dayes of Moses might bee fitly coupled with the Rest of God after the Creation which was the foundation thereof notwithstanding any whatsoever distance of time betweene them As indeed it is so joyned in the fourth Commandement Exodus Chapter 20. verse 11. where GOD speaking to the Israelites saith In sixe dayes the LORD made heaven and earth and rested the Seventh day wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it In which place cannot be understood a blessing and hallowing done at the same time that God rested first on the Seventh day but
that only which was made in behalfe of the Israelites as is cleere by the repetition of the Law in the fifth Chapter of Deuteronomie where that which was absolutely said in Exodus Therfore the Lord blessed the Seventh day is restrained to the Israelites v. 15. Therefore the Lord commanded thee to keepe the Sabbath day And in Exodus 16. v. 29. The Lord hath given you the Sabbath And in the 31. Chap. ver 16 17. The Children of Israel shall keepe the Sabbath to observe the Sabbath throughout their generation for a perpetuall covenant It is a signe betweene mee and the children of Israel for ever For in sixe dayes the Lord made heaven and earth and on the Seventh day he rested where it cannot be denyed but that with the end of the Creation and Gods rest on the Seventh day is immediately joyned the institution of the Sabbath to the Israelites at least in quality of a signe If then in that place Moses might speake after this manner and say God created in sixe dayes heaven and earth and rested the Seventh day and therefore he hath ordained to the Israelites the Sabbath day for a signe wherefore in the second of Genesis might he not say after the same manner God made heaven and earth in sixe dayes and finished them on the Seventh day and rested from all his workes and this his Rest on the Seventh day hath moved him to blesse ánd sanctifie that day to wit to the Israelites to be a signe unto them according to that hath been said in the places before mentioned which are an evident and cleere explication thereof 11 Neither is it any wise necessary as is pretended that in the second Chapter of Genesis in the second and third verses one and the same singular seventh day should be understood and that God hath precisely sanctified the same seventh day wherein he rested and rested on the same day that he sanctified and therefore because in the second verse the first seventh day after the Creation is understood it must be taken so in the third verse For it sufficeth to understand in the third verse the same seventh day in likenesse and revolution and generally a seventh day correspondent continually in order to that which GOD rested on after his workes of the sixe dayes And this reason that God rested on the first seventh day might have been to God a most reasonable cause to ordaine long after the sanctification of a seventh day answerable in all points to that first seventh day The sequell of Moses his discourse is as fitting in this regard as in the other As if I said our Lord Iesus Christ rose againe and rested from the worke of our redemption on the first day of the weeke wherefore the Church hath dedicated the first day of the weeke that hee rose in to be holy and solemne the sequele is good although it be not the same first singular day that Christ rose on and the Church hath consecrated but the same onely in likenesse and revolution yea although there passed a long time after the Resurrection of our Lord and Saviour before the first day of the weeke could be well setled as a day of holy and religious exercises We say on Friday before Easter this day Christ hath suffered on the Ascension day this day Christ is ascended into heaven At Whitsunday On this day the Holy Ghost is come downe although those things came to passe on a certaine singular day which is past long agoe But we name so all the dayes following which correspond to that first day according to the similitude which is betweene them And we call the day of the Passion of the Ascension of the descent of the Holy Ghost those which are not such properly but onely have by revolution correspondancie with the first dayes wherein such things were done Even so when it is said in the third verse of the second Chapter of Genesis And therefore the Lord hath blessed the Seventh day and hath hallowed it because in it he hath rested from all his workes that is to be understood not of the same first day wherein hee rested but of a Seventh day answering unto it in the order and continuall succeson of dayes 12 The Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 put in the third verse before the word that signifieth seven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 proveth not that it is a peculiar seventh even that seventh day that God rested in verse 2. For although the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be often used to betoken emphatically a thing singular and individuall already knowne and mentioned yet this is not universall For it is used much without any emphasis or expresse demonstration of any thing either singular or certaine yea simply to serve for an ornament and to make the word that it is joyned unto more full which use hath also in the Greeke tongue the article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Verily in the third ver which we speak of in this place it is cleere that the said Article cannot be restrained to a seventh singular day as it is in the second verse Nay it betokeneth more generally a seventh day comprehending in it many singular dayes which by similitude in regard of the order and succession of times have reference and analogie to the first seventh day mentioned in the said second verse and have followed it from time to time at the end of sixe dayes For it is such a seventh day that God hath sanctified and not a singular seventh And that seventh day may bee called a particular seventh and considered as particularised by the Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it is in effect in as much as it is not indifferently all seventh day or any of the seven dayes of the weeke that God hath sanctified but it is the last of them We seeke only to know when God began to blesse and to hallow it to men to be kept by them And I maintaine that this hallowing began not incontinent after the Creation was finished but more than two thousand yeeres after Neither is the contrary proved by this passage of Genesis 13 No greater weight hath another instance which is much urged that as in the course of the Creation when it is said that God after he had created every living thing blessed them Gen. 1. v. 21 22 27 28. is to be understood a present benediction and not put off to a long time Even so when in the second of Genesis with the perfection of the Creation on the seventh day is joyned the blessing and hallowing of that day a present sanctification is to be understood 14 For the reason is not alike in the one and in the other First the blessing of all living creatures and the blessing of the seventh day are not to be taken in the same sence That is a blessing of actuall and reall communication of goods and graces This is a blessing of destination to be solemnized by men Secondly
all living creatures as soone as GOD had created them stood in necessary need of this communication of his graces without which they could not have subsisted in their being And therefore we ought to understand that at that time God blessed them after that manner but there was no necessity that man should solemnize the seventh day as soone as it was made more than any other day of the weeke and therefore it was not necessary that GOD should then consecrate it to that use Thirdly it is clearely set downe in the Text that God blessed all living creatures as soone as he created them For it is added And God blessed them and God said unto them be fruitfull and multiply c. But it is not said that God blessed the day of rest and at that same time commanded Adam and his posterity to keepe it wherefore a like blessing and hollowing cannot be proved from thence to have beene made from the beginning of the seventh day 15 This first answer to the precedent objection is moreover confirmed by the conformity of the words which Moses maketh use of in this verse of the second of Genesis with those whereby the hallowing of the Sabbath was injoyned in the Law for they are the same which is an helpe to shew that Moses writing since God pronounced the Law spoke of the hallowing of the seventh day in regard only to the Ordinance that God in his time had made thereof seeing he imployeth the same words and the same discourse 16 Againe the same answer is confirmed by this that it is not probable that God from the beginning sanctified the seventh day to ordaine it to Adam for a day of rest because Adam in the estate of innocency should not have had any use of such a day For he was without sin which might have hindred him to serve God continually and therefore needed not a signe which by the similitude of a bodily rest and cessation might teach him to cease and rest from sin as if he had beene already obnoxious unto it and so be for that purpose a good help unto him And though he was capable of sin and had a possibility of falling into it afterward Yet as the holy Angells were and are still capable of sin and might of themselves fall into sin if God confirmed them not in grace and yet a day of Sabbath was not behoofefull unto them because they are in a perpetuall course of serving God Even so to man in that estate of innocency a particular day of rest was neither very necessary nor very sufficient to keep him from falling into sin For to prevent that mis-hap he stood in need of daily helps far more powerfull making him to cleave to God with purpose of heart to call upon him to thinke seriously on him and consider deeply his favours and graces which he might and was bound to doe seeing he had no distraction from Gods service by any temporall and earthly businesse For although it be true that God put him in the garden of Heden and commanded him to dresse it Genes 2. vers 15. yet seeing that place was unto him a place of pleasure delights and innocency the dressing of it could not hinder him to serve God every day with all necessary continuance and assiduity It had rather been unto him a recreation and delightfull diversion to keep him from idlenesse then a necessary occupation seeing the earth had of it selfe brought forth all fruits unto him no painfull imploiment because it had not bin accompanied with toilesome travell and wearinesse and had not required of him an oversight and imployment so long that a particular day would have bin necessary unto him to rest on it from his works and to apply himselfe without distraction to Gods service whereas the occupations of sinfull men are such that they are forced of necessity to win their bread in the sweat of their face Moreover in that estate of innocency Adam and Eve being alone had no outward exercises of Religion such as are those that are practised in a Church assembled and which to attend on them require of necessity a stinted time and a cessation from all bodily works But rather all the service that God required of Adam and which he might have applyed himselfe unto was a particular meditation and consideration of his works and the calling upon his holy name Which service he was able to discharge every day abundantly yea even then when he was busied about the dressing of the garden which was capable rather to stirre up and entertaine his spirit in the mediation of Gods workes then to hinder it 17 Of no weight is the instance that some make saying that although Adam in the estate of innocency had no distraction from Gods service nor trouble and wearinesse by his ordinary labour yet it was behoofefull unto him to keepe a seventh day of rest seeing God himselfe although he was in no regard wearied and distracted by making all his works in sixe daies neverthelesse rested on the seventh day Verily if God after the making of his workes in sixe daies had rested on the seventh day purposely to the intent that by an intermission of his painfull labors and appointment and solemne applying of that seventh day to some particular holinesse for himselfe and his owne use as having need thereof because he could not in the sixe precedent daies be earnest enough about it he might afterwards returne to the making of other works after the former and so continue that reciprocation the foresaid instance by far greater reason should be much worth But that saying that God rested on the seventh day signifieth nothing saving this that God ceased to make more workes and viewed them when they were made because in the former sixe dayes he had finished them all and this cessation was only a resultance and necessary consequence of the intire perfection of all his worke wherefore also it continued not only on that seventh day but ever sithence Because God hath never since made any new creatures Whence it is cleerely apparent that the instance is altogether vaine because there is not the same reason of Gods rest on the seventh day and of the rest the necessity whereof they would faine put upon man in the estate of innocency All that this example of God could oblige Adam unto was only to indeavour after he had done his worke to contemplate Gods workes and admire in them his glory which I say he might have done sufficiently every day Now if this example bindeth us not at this time under the New Testament as shall be proved hereafter how farre lesse obliged it Adam 18 No more force hath that which is also objected that if God ordained to Adam when he was in his integrity outward signes and Sacraments as the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evill he might as conveniently ordaine unto him a day of rest For the tree of life
that they were in the wildernesse ver 13. 7 Secondly supposing that some of the Israelites had put the ordinance of the Sabbath out of minde this fault could not be common to all not forsooth to Moses Aaron Caleb Ioshuah and to other persons eminent in godlinesse and authority If these had it in memory how did they not put the people in minde of it to make them keepe it as soone as they were in the wildernesse in a full liberty to serve GOD without hinderance But so far were they from remembring it that it is noted ver 22. that all the rulers of the congregation who should have had best knowledge of the divine and ancient ordinances when they saw the people gather and prepare on the sixth day Manna for that day and for the seventh following according to the expresse command which Moses had given them were astonished at it as at a strange and extraordinary thing whereby they were moved to come to Moses and acquaint him with it who upon that occasion informed them of Gods ordinance concerning the day of Sabbath not as of an ancient but as of a new thing which was unknowne before unto them and which he had a fresh learned himselfe verse 23. So in the 29. verse he said to the Israelites See that the Lord hath given You the Sabbath speaking of it as of an ordinance particular to them 8 It is also mentioned elsewhere in the same respect as an observation which God had injoyned them particularly and as a prerogative proper unto them whereby GOD had separated them from all other nations and consecrated them to himselfe as he had done by the rest of the ceremonies of the Law of Moses This the Levites made a religious confession of in Nehemiah 9. Chapter verse 13 19. Thou camest downe upon Mount Sinai and spakest with them from heaven and gavest them right judgements true Lawes good statutes and commandements and madest knowne unto them thy Sabbath c. This the Lord said to them by Ezekiel in the twentieth Chapter ver 10 11 12. I caused them to goe forth out of the land of Aegypt and brought them into the wildernesse and I gave them my statutes c. Moreover also I gave them my Sabbaths to bee a signe betweene me and them that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctifie them Which sheweth evidently that the Sabbath was never given but for the Iewes who also have acknowledged by those places and taught in their bookes that the Gentiles were not bound to keepe the Sabbath 9 They reply that the Sabbath is thus appropriated to the Israelites in the places which we have cited because besides the generall reason which was the cause of the institution and ordinance therof to all and for all since the beginning of the world to wit to bee a memoriall of the Creation and of the rest of God God renewed it againe to the Iewes for other reasons particular to them as to be a token for remembrance of their deliverance and rest which God had given them from the bondage of Aegypt and of the miracle done in the Manna 10 This reply which they bring cannot bee of any weight seeing it cannot be found that any one man hath kept the Sabbath day nor that GOD hath at any time commanded it to the Israelites for any reason whatsoever nor that the people of Israel had kept and observed it at any time before their abode in the wildernesse Nay it is said that God gave it to them in the wildernesse and the Sabbath is often appropriated to them absolutely even in its substance without mention of any circumstances or particular reasons as we proved in the places before cited out of the ninth Chapter of Nehemiah and the sixteenth Chapter of Exodus verse 29. in the last of which places God establisheth not the Sabbath for a memoriall of the miracle of the Manna but saith that he had ordained to the Iewes the Sabbath to be kept by them and for that cause rained not Manna on that day upon them 11 Moreover seeing there is not any of the reasons that moved GOD to institute the Sabbath found to be adapted to any other but to them it is unreasonable to extend the Sabbath it selfe to others then to them For although to be a memoriall of the creation as also to be a signe of sanctification are reasons capable of themselves to be common to others as well as to them yet God applyeth them never to others but to them only To them only he said Uerily my Sabbaths yee shall keepe for it is a signe betweene me and you throughout your generations that yee may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctifie you Exod. 31. ver 13. And verse 17. It is a signe betweene me and the children of Israel for ever for in sixe dayes the Lord made heaven and earth and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed which sheweth cleerely that God took not occasion of his rest on the seventh day from all his workes to institute that day for a day of rest but for the Israelites sake only to wit that it might bee a signe of their consecration to God to be his people of their sanctification and of their spirituall and eternall rest which were benefits peculiar unto them and not common to other nations For it is against reason to say that God would ordaine a signe of these benefits to other nations which he had excluded from the covenant of grace and consequently from sanctification and from eternall life 12 It is no more reasonable to say that it was a signe to the Patriarches and faithfull which were before the Law seeing that is not mentioned in the Scripture where it is said expresly that it was a signe belonging to the generations of the Israelites that is to the ages of the continuance of the Law under which the Israelites did live and not to them that had lived before or were to live after And as when God said to Abraham that he established his covenant to wit Circumcision with him and his seed after him in their generations Genes 17. vers 7 8 9 10. wee inferre from thence very well that before the daies of Abraham Circumcision was not used In like manner from the institution of the Sabbath to be kept by the Israelites in their generations we conclude soundly that before that time it was not observed Nay with as good reason may it be thought that circumcision was used before the dayes of Abraham and that GOD did onely revive it after some particular fashion although no mention be made thereof before Abraham as many doe surmise the Sabbath day to have beene kept from the beginning and that God did only renew it to the Iewes although that be not written 13 I acknowledge that in some places of Scripture some things may be found appropriated to the Israelites particularly which appertained and did still pertaine to
day such as the Law ordained afterwards hee had kept himselfe quiet and had not applyed so holy a day to let forth the Pigeon that it might flye abroad here and there and to observe what tokens she should bring unto him of the decreasing of the waters which was rather a violation then a sanctification of the Sabbath according to the tenor of the Law And therefore although Noah had let out the Dove on the seventh day of the weeke that should not be attributed to any particular designe tyed to that day rather than to another but taken as done on that day indifferently as it might have beene done on any other day without seeking any other reason thereof 5 To the other passage taken out of the 29. Chapter of Genesis I answer that the weeke there mentioned is not necessarily to bee understood of a weeke of dayes ordinary and regular But it may be taken for a weeke of yeeres or for a number of seven yeeres and the pronoune THIS twice repeated for Rachel the sence of Labans words to Iacob being this As thou hast served seven yeeres and hast received Leah for reward to bee thy Wife fulfill also a weeke that is serve other seven yeeres for THIS that is for Rachel and she also shall be given thee to be thy wife and so is this place explained by many interpreters But if the pronoune 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the first place is understood of Leah and the weeke of a weeke of dayes and if Labans words to Iacob be taken as if he had desired him to fulfill a weeke of dayes ordained for the celebration of the solemnity of his mariage with Leah promising that after these seven dayes hee should also give him Rachel as others take it that also availes not For from thence is proved only that the custome was to bestow seven daies on the solemnities and pastimes of weddings But that there was then a weeke regular and ordinary whereof the last day was the same that God rested on from all his workes and was also to that people an holy day of rest it is a conclusion which cannot be gathered out of that history and will never be proved 6 Seeing therefore there is no sufficient proofe of a stinted distinction of daies before the Law this may be to me a contrary argument to prove that the Sabbath day was not then kept For seeing out of the observation thereof followeth of necessity the distinction of weekes if it had been observed from the beginning of the world frequent mention had bin then made of weeks and the men of those daies had counted by weeks as well as by daies moneths and yeeres which is not to be found Nay it is most likely that the distinction of weekes beganne first among the Iewes as soone as the Law was given and from the Iewes came to the Gentiles as a distinction of time very commodious and convenient though they corrupted it consecrating the seven daies of the weeke to the seven planets which they made Idols of and imposing unto them their names whereas the Iewes named them according to their order with relation to the Sabbath the first second third c. of the Sabbath 7 Yet although the faithfull before the Law did not keepe a distinction of daies the inconvenience propounded in the beginning of this Chapter followeth not to wit that if so be they did not celebrate the remembrance of the creation which God finished in sixe daies and from which he began to rest on the seventh day or that they had otherwise forgotten that great worke of God For considering the creation absolutely they could not be ignorant that God had created the world seeing the thing speaketh of it selfe and all creatures cry with a loud voice that they have one Author that hath made them seeing also the distinction of daies and months that was knowne unto them by the ordinary course of the heavenly lights led them of necessity to a beginning no lesse then the distinction of weekes which had in it no particular thing capable to teach them so much As for the Gentiles which were ignorant of the creation of the World and weened it to be eternall that was in them a grosse and blockish error against the light and documents of Nature Yet it was not universall For there have beene some in all times who have beleeved and taught that the world hath had a beginning and was made though they have erred in their opinions concerning the framing thereof 8 Adde to this that in the holy generation of these first faithfull the Fathers had alwaies a speciall care to teach it to their children by a continuall tradition which with the manifestation of the creation in generall might also make knowne unto them the particular order observed of God in that wonderfull worke to wit that in sixe daies he made heaven and earth and rested the seventh day For it is likely that Adam learned it of God that hee kept the knowledge thereof and imparted it to his children who called it to memory and at all occasions glorified for it the Lord their God So they might know without any regular observation of weekes on what day God began and on what day hee ended the creation of the world For the foresaid tradition being supposed by the distinction of moneths and yeeres which was alwaies observed it was easie to make that supputation although some even of the chiefe men among the Iewes as Philo in the first Booke of the life of Moses sticke not to say that the natall day of the world wherein it was finished beganne not to be knowne but by the Israelites when God at first rained Manna upon them in the wildernesse and that it was wholly unknowne to the Fathers in which affirmation I see no inconvenience 9 But howsoever it was no manner of way necessary that they should celebrate ordinarily the memory of the creation and of the rest of God on a solemne and stinted day yea on the last of the seven daies wherein GOD rested and marke the revolution thereof from day to day Neither doth it appeare that they did any such thing Nay it is farre more apparent that God gave the first knowledge and commanded the ordinary and common observation of this day when raining Manna upon the Israelites sixe daies consequently he gave then none on the seventh day saying it was the Sabbath day which he would have them to keepe in time to come and which he enjoined expresly unto them in the Decalogue declaring that on that day hee rested from the workes of the Creation CHAPTER fifth Answer to the fourth Reason 1. Fourth reason for the morality of the Sabbath taken out of the fourth Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrewes vers 3 4. 2. Whence they gather that the Sabbath day was ordained to all men from the beginning of the world 3. And that by three arguments inforced upon the words
in some other place without house or Temple as the Christians were forced to meet together in the Primitive persecutions in such a state of the Church this sufficeth and no more is required as morall It is only the decency and commodity which obligeth us to have houses and Temples builded expresly for Gods service For these reasons GOD would not make mention in the Decalogue at a particular place as hee did of a time stinted for his service 19 This is a sufficient answer to another objection when they say that God might as well have put in the Decalogue Thou shalt keep the New Moones or the yeerely feasts as the Sabbath day because that command as well as this had taught us that there must be a time appointed and stinted for Gods service For I deny that such a command could have taught us this duty as well as the other because such dayes being rare and returning only from moneth to moneth or from yeere to yeere had not taught us the convenient and sutable frequency of GODS publike service as did the Sabbath day which returned weekely Therefore it being more frequent yea more holy and venerable then all the rest of festivall dayes ordained of GOD under the Law he made mention of it in the fourth Commandement rather than of them wherein GOD hath observed a way like unto that which he hath kept in the other Commandements which is to set downe a principall head under which he compriseth all other points that have relation unto it Wherefore as in the second Commandement he forbiddeth to make Images to how downe to them and under that point prohibiteth all will-worship As in the fifth Commandement under the name of Father and Mother and of the honour which he commandeth to give unto them hee comprehendeth all superiours and the respect due to them As in the sixth under murder he compriseth all other violences against our neighbour And as in the seventh under Adultery he understandeth all uncleannesse of fleshly lust so likewise in the fourth Commandement under the Sabbath day and the observation thereof which was his principall festivall he understandeth all other holy dayes and all the ceremonies which he had injoyned and the practice of them all As also which I have already marked his custome is other where in the Old Testament to range under that point all other semblable points of his service yea all godlinesse and Religion and make it in some sort to consist altogether in the observation of the Sabbath whereof the reason is that a man cannot bee pious and religious to God-ward unlesse he observe the externall meanes and aides of Religion and godlinesse which he hath ordained Now the principall meanes of this kind ordained by him at that time was the sanctification of the Sabbath All other meanes of the same kinde were referred to it and were established and dressed as it were upon the mould of it even as whatsoever is the first and head in every kind of things is the rule of all others that are inferiour and subordinate unto it wherefore it is no wonder that GOD would in expresse termes set downe this particular determination of the observation of the Sabbath day rather than any other and comprise under it the morall substance of that Commandement For having thought expedient to ordaine and stint to the Iewes the ordinary celebration of his publike service on a set day to wit on every seventh and on the last of the seven dayes of the week the morall substance of the said commandement which is to have a time regulate and frequent for his publike service could not be so well comprised and designed under any other ordinance relative unto it as under this which was the most notable and principall of them all So the fourth Commandement is morall and perpetuall in one respect to wit in this principall substance which it infoldeth covertly and ceremoniall and positive in another to wit in the foresaid determination as also of the sanctification which it expresseth 20 For when God saith in the beginning thereof Remember the Sabbath day to sanctifie it he understandeth by the Sabbath day not a day of rest indefinitely and without limitation but a seventh day and the last of the weeke wherein he rested as is manifest by that is said after in the same Commandement For in sixe dayes the Lord made heaven and earth the Sea and all that in them is and rested the seventh day Wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it where the day of rest or the Sabbath day signifieth manifestly the same day whereof mention is made in the beginning of the Commandement which is the day of Gods rest to wit the seventh that he rested on as it is likewise so restrained in the second Chapter of Genesis And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because that in it he had rested from all his workes Therefore it was not a day of rest in generall that he sanctified but the particular seventh day of the Creation and not any other Also this name The Sabbath day or the day of rest doth never signifie in the Scripture any other day besides the seventh and last day of the weeke which GOD had ordained to the Iewes For these two appellations The Sabbath day and the seventh or last day of the weeke are indifferently taken for the same thing and the one is the explication of the other as may be seene in infinite places Exod. 16. verse 29. Exod. 20. ver 10 11. Exod. 23. ver 12. Exod. 31. verse 15. Exod. 35. verse 2. Levit. 23. verse 3. Luk. 13. verse 14. c. Yea this name The Sabbath day is the proper and particular name of the seventh and last day of the weeke whereby it was distinguished from all the rest which as hath beene observed before did take from it their denomination being called the first second third of the Sabbath c. 21 Also by the sanctification of this day which God injoyneth in the foresaid words of the commandement is not expressed and particularised formally any other then that which consisteth in the abstinence of severall workes whereof mention is made in the words following which may be taken for an explication of the sanctification before injoyned even as in this abstinence is expressely established the sanctification of the said day Evod. 31. verse 16. Neh. 13. verse 22. Ierem. 17. verse 22 24 27. And it is indeed that sanctification which ordinarily God betokeneth and requireth of the people of the Iewes in the Old Testament when he speaketh of the sanctification of the Sabbath day as on the contrary the profanation of that day whereof he blameth them is that which they committed in doing workes which he had prohibited But if it be referred to a sanctification which was to be practised by the use of certaine actuall duties of Religion God understandeth a sanctification by the observation of legall ceremonies as
well as of morall duties Yea he understandeth rather that then this because the observation of morall duties is not tyed more particularly to one day then to another but is a service appertaining equally and alike to all dayes of the weeke whereas the ceremonies of Gods outward service were to be observed more particularly on that day then in all the rest And therfore this Commandement in as much as it injoyneth the sanctification of the seventh day is ceremoniall and if in regard of this sanctification it is abolished what inconvenience is there that it be likewise abolished in regard of the day Neither is it a thing singular to this Commandement to have some particular determination belonging to the Iewes only added to the substance which is morall universall and perpetuall For the preface of the Law which some had rather make a part of the first Commandement concerning the deliverance out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage and the temporall promise of long daies upon the Land of Canaan added to the fifth Commandement are manifestly circumstances which have relation to the Iewes only and have no morality in them nay were ceremoniall and typike Now if a ceremoniall promise hath found a roome in the Decalogue there is no greater inconvenience that a ceremoniall and temporall Commandement be found in it also Neither is it a whit more repugnant to say that the fourth Commandement is both morall and ceremoniall because it is not so in the same but in a diverse sense and respect as I have shewed Among the Lawes given by Moses many are to be found which are ceremoniall and temporall in that which they expresse and morall in their foundation and end As for example the Lawes forbidding to muzzle the Oxe when he treadeth out the corne Deut. 25. verse 4. to seethe a Kid in his mothers milke Exod. 23. vers 19. to take in a birds nest the Dam with the young ones Deut. 22. vers 6 7. to plow with an Oxe and an Asse together Deut. 22. vers 10. and others such like 22 And indeed those against whom I write must acknowledge nill they will they that in the fourth Commandement there is some thing that is not morall that obligeth not for ever and that did pertaine onely to the Iewes and to their ceremonies and Ecclesiasticall governement to wit the ordinance about the observing not onely of one day of seven but the last of seven For wee keepe not any more this last day under the new Testament wherein wee should sinne if it were a morall thing Neither can an instance be made from the fourth Commandement that the observing of a seventh day is a thing naturall and morall but by the same meanes it shall be proved against the intention of those that make use of this argument that to observe a seventh day is also morall because the Commandement ordaineth not without restriction a seventh day but stinteth particularly and by name the last of seven 23 There be some who to avoid the strength of this argument doe say that the fourth Commandement enjoyneth onely a seventh day as the genus and as a morall thing but none of the kindes whether the last of seven observed by the Iewes or the first of seven observed by Christians is particularly enjoyned because in this there is no moralitie Or if in the fourth Commandement besides the seventh day in generall a particular seventh is injoined the generall is injoyned as morall the particular as ceremoniall and so the genus to wit a seventh day as being morall continueth for ever as well under the Gospel as under the Law and the particular seventh to wit the last of the weeke is only abrogated by the Gospel This is a bold reply and maketh me to wonder at it seeing on the contrary it is evident by that hath beene already said that wee may affirme with good reason that the fourth Commandement maketh not at all any generall mention of observing an unlimited day but particularizeth expresly a certaine seventh day to wit the last For God after he had said Sixe daies shalt thou labour and doe all thy worke addeth but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God which expression alone and by it selfe although there were no other thing said sheweth that he meaneth the seventh in order following the other sixe When a man uttereth his minde in this sort the third the fourth the fifth c. his intention is to denote that which is such in order relatively to others going before neither is there any man that will take it otherwise But besides this God unfoldeth forthwith which seventh he meaneth to wit the particular seventh wherein he rested after he had made all his workes in the sixe daies which went before which was the last of seven Moreover it is evident that in the fourth Commandement the seventh day and the day of rest are the same as also wheresoever mention is made of them And the day of Rest is there taken for the day that God rested in as is manifest by these words following And he rested the seventh day wherefore he blessed the Sabbath day and hollowed it the which day wherein he rested is the seventh or the last day after the sixe of the creation as is evident by these words also He made his workes in sixe daies and rested on the seventh day Wherefore it is the last seventh and none other that is designed in the fourth Commandement as the object of the blessing and hallowing of God which is yet more cleare by the second Chapter of Genesis and third verse where after Moses had said that God in sixe daies made the heaven and the earth and all the hosts of them and after he had ended his workes rested the seventh day he addeth And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because in it he had rested from all his workes to wit that seventh which afterwards he blessed 24 For the Pronoune It hath a necessary relation to a particular day specified in the foresaid words as blessed of God and limited forthwith as the day of his rest so it is manifest that the day which God blessed is the same that he rested in the same I say by correspondency in the order and succession of daies as I have shewed before Otherwise what should be the sense of these words God hath blessed and sanctified the seventh day that is as is pretended a seventh day undetermined because in it he rested c. This Pronoune It can it fitly and conveniently denote a day uncertaine and unlimited Where is to be found a seventh day unlimited wherein God did rest Moreover Gods blessing and sanctification can it have an indefinite and uncertaine object so that God in particular sanctified nothing Againe can it be a convenient reason having any likelihood that God having rested on a certaine seventh day and having considered in it all his workes which hee
Deuteronomie are added to the fourth Commandement Keepe the Sabbath day to sanctifie it as the Lord hath commanded thee As for the Sanctification of the Sabbath day which God ordaineth and of which it is said that it cannot be called a ceremony I answer that indeed to speake universally and absolutely it cannot be so called For the Sabbath day was and ought to be sanctified by morall duties But in as much as it was tyed to the seventh day and was practised by sacrifices offerings and other services of the like kind and by an exact resting from all worldly travels such as GOD ordaineth in the fourth Commandement it is ceremoniall 3 Secondly they stand much upon the words following Sixe dayes shalt thou labour and doe all thy worke but the seventh day c. Where as they say there is a reason of the observation of the seventh day of Sabbath which hath its foundation in equity and justice For if God giveth to men sixe dayes for their owne affaires and for the workes of their worldly calling is it not more than just that they consecrate a seventh day to his service And is it not as just for Christians as for Iewes And therefore say they Christians sith they take sixe dayes for their workes are as much obliged as the Iewes to observe a seventh day of Sabbath to God They adde also that as the labour of sixe dayes which is mentioned in this reason and whence it is taken is not a ceremoniall thing no more should the rest of the seventh day be ceremoniall 4 I answer that in the foresaid reason there is a manifest justice and equity which continueth for ever But that justice is generally in this that if a man hath many dayes for himselfe and for his owne workes it is reasonable hee consecrate one amongst many for Gods service Yea there should be a great deale more justice to imploy if it were possible a greater number of dayes upon Gods service then upon our own businesse Nay to bestow them all Also in consequence of this justice and equity we have said before that under the New Testament in whose time the Christians are farre more beholden to God then the Iewes were sith God hath discharged them of many burdens of outward ceremonies which did lay heavy upon that people and hath called them to bee in some sort a people more franke and more affectionate to his service all the dayes of the weeke as much as possibly can be should be Holy dayes unto the LORD And because they cannot possibly meet together every day to serve in common which neverthelesse he looks for as well as for a particular service they must stint some ordinary day for that end and in this stinting must not shew themselves inferiors to the Iewes appointing lesse than one day among seven to Gods service This is all that can be gathered from the foresaid reason as it is obligatory for ever For to dedicate to God precisely a seventh day after we have bestowed sixe dayes upon our selves it cannot be denyed but that it is most just yet it is not more just nor better proportioned nor more obligatory of it selfe and in its own nature specially to Christians nay not so much as to consecrate to God one of sixe or of five or of foure For the moe we hallow to God the more doe we that which is just equitable and well ordered and the more doe wee performe our duty that wee are naturally bound unto towards him If then God ordained in times past under the Law that the day which he would have his people to dedicate unto him should be particularly one of seven it was not for any naturall justice which was more in that number or for any proportion which in it selfe was more convenient in that behalfe then the appointment of any other number but because it was his good pleasure to direct and rule for that season the time of his service and to impose no more than one day of seven upon a people loaden already with many ceremonies And therefore no particular justice being tied to this number of seven more than to any other this reason contained in the foresaid words of the fourth Commandement cannot be morall nor consequently perpetuall but only positive and for a short continuance in that it commandeth to worke sixe dayes and to rest the seventh day It is morall only in the foundation and substance thereof which is this that if God giveth us liberty to bestow a number of dayes upon our owne affaires it is reasonable that there be one day appointed wherein we ought to serve him We I say that are Christians and that as frequently nay much more than the Iewes did which we accord willingly to be perpetuall But with this restriction that under the New Testament the choice of one day amongst a number of other dayes is not stinted of God and that he bindeth us no more to one of seven then to one of sixe or of five 3 Whereas they adde that as the labour of sixe dayes is not a thing ceremoniall so neither should the rest on the seventh day be placed in that ranke I answer first inferring from thence a contrary argument that as to take paines in the workes of our temporall callings considering the condition of this present life is a thing just and necessary and may be called moral but to work of seven dayes six hath not in it any speciall necessity even so it is necessary just and morall to dedicate some time to Gods publike service but that such a time should be precisely one of seven dayes is by no meanes morall Secondly that which I say to be ceremonial in the 4. Cōmandement is the Commandement it selfe to wit that which God expressely and purposely injoyneth to be kept as belonging to his outward and publike service Now he commandeth not any thing in it precisely saving the observation and sanctification of the day of rest by refraining from all temporall callings And whereas it is said Sixe dayes shalt thou labour as that maketh no part of Gods service no more doth it make a part of the Commandement although God thereby warneth men that they ought not to passe their dayes in idlenesse but should apply themselves every day to the labour of an honest calling but is a permission put only by concession and relatively to the Commandement in this sence Thou art permitted to work six dayes but on the 7th day thou shalt abstaine from all kind of work Therefore it followeth not that if these words put occasionally in the Commandement doe not impart any ceremony the Commandement it selfe is not ceremoniall Thirdly the Scripture in the labour of sixe dayes establisheth not unto us any ceremonie as it doth in the rest of the seventh day which it maketh as expressely as can be a type of the heavenly rest as we have cleerely seene before And yet in relation to the heavenly rest figured by
the rest of the seventh day I may say that the painefull labour of sixe dayes before the Sabbath was a type and figure of these troubles and afflictions wherewith the faithfull are tossed to and fro during the ages of this life before they come to the rest of the kingdome of heaven and that so this labour also was ceremoniall 6 They take their third argument from these words The seventh day is the rest of the LORD thy God that is it is the day which God hath not only created and made as the other dayes but also hath put a part to the end that it be applyed to his service Whence it is often called The day holy to the Lord the rest of God or Gods Sabbath c. Of this they inferre seeing it is not lawfull to steale from God that which pertaineth unto him nor to commit sacriledge by devouring that which is holy Pro. 20. ver 25. we must if we will not incurre this crime consecrate alwayes to God one of seven dayes 7 But I answer first that if this argument be of any value it shall prove that it is the last of seven which all are bound to keepe alwayes as the rest of God For it is this particular seventh day which is understood in the words before alleadged and which also was the Sabbath holy to the Lord. Secondly I say that these words serve not at all to prove the morality and perpetuity of the Seventh day In them it is truly said that the seventh day is the Lords rest to wit because at that time he ordained it to the Iewes to be observed by them in their generations and if the Iewes had not observed but applyed it to their owne affaires undoubtedly they had beene guilty of sacriledge but doth it follow that because it is called the Lords Rest in regard of the ordinance whereby he injoyned the Iewes to keepe it we also are obliged under the New Testament to sanctifie it Doth he not also in the Old Testament when he speaketh of the Leviticall sacrifices and offerings c. call them most frequently His sacrifices His offerings and all the other Sabbaths of the Iewes His Sabbaths as well as the Sabbath of the seventh day In a word doth hee not claime all other things which hee commanded to the Iewes concerning his service as his owne Shall we then conclude by the same reason that seeing it is not lawfull to touch holy things and God did claime all these things as belonging unto him we must yet dedicate and consecrate them unto him under the New Testament Who seeth not the absurdity of this consequence and by the same meanes of the consequence which is inferred of these words The seventh day is Gods Rest For as these things which I have mentioned did belong to God but did oblige the Iewes only to observe them it fareth even so with the Sabbath 8 In the fourth place they urge also these words In it thou shalt not doe any worke thou nor thy Sonne nor thy Daughter thy man-servant nor thy maide-servant nor thine Oxe nor thy Asse nor any of thy Cattell nor thy stranger that is within thy gates Where they observe that God hath respect to the easing of servants and of cattell to the intent that when they have beene kept sixe dayes at worke a seventh of relaxation be given them to rest and as it were to breath a little and specially that the servants as well as their masters may set themselves about Gods service to learne and practise it For which cause in the fifth Chapter of Deuteronomie this particularitie is added at the end of the 4th Commandement That thy man-servant and thy maide-servant may Rest as well as thou The same is likewise to be found Exodus 23. verse 12. All this is of perpetuall justice and equity For God under the New Testament hath not stript and cast away the bowels of compassion and forsaken the care of servants and poore beasts They take also in consideration that the stranger is by name and specially obliged to keepe the Sabbath day by refraining from all kinde of worke from whence they inferre that it was not a Iewish ceremony but a morall point because nothing is universall binding strangers as well as Iewes saving that which is morall whereas the ceremonies were only for the Iewes and as it were a middle wall of separation between them and all strangers Eph. 2. ver 14. And therefore seeing the strangers which were Gentiles were by Gods command bound to keepe the Sabbath day as well as the Iewes and when they were in the Land of Canaan were constrained unto it by the Magistrates as may be seene in the 13. Chapter of Nehem. vers 28. it followeth that the observation of the seventh day of Sabbath is a morall point and not simply ceremoniall 9 I answer that to give refreshment to servants and poore beasts after they have beene wearied with labour and to be carefull that servants learne to serve God and apply them to so holy a duty as well as their Masters is a thing naturally just and equitable and that the words of the fourth Commandement as farre as they have respect to that duty doe denote a perpetuall morality and therefore Christians ought to give a time of relaxation and rest from labour to their servants and beasts instruct their servants in the feare of God and be carefull that they serve him both in their particular devotions at home and publike abroad with the rest of the faithfull in such times and places that are appointed for that service by the order of the Church which if they doe not they sin But to set apart for the rest and easing of servants and their imployment in Gods service one of seven daies rather then one of another number and to rest precisely on the seventh day according to the words of the Commandement The seventh day is the rest In it thou shalt not doe any worke that I say againe and againe is a thing simply belonging to order and Church-governement and bindeth not necessarily for ever As for the instance taken from the words whereby strangers are bound to keeke the Sabbath day it is altogether vaine and frivolous For there mention is made onely of strangers that were within the gates of the Iewes that is dwelling and sojourning among them These strangers were either Proselytes converted to the religion of the Iewes which were in effect obliged by religion to the observation of the Sabbath just as the Iewes themselves because they were of the same religion that the Iewes were of and by their conversion were become Iewes Or they were strangers Pagans and Infidels sojourning in Iudea for divers temporall occasions such as were those of whom mention is made in Nehem. Chap. 13. These indeed were constrained by the Magistrate to keepe or rather not to violate the Sabbath publikely as those were of whom mention is made in the foresaid Chapter
of Nehemiah not for their owne sake but only in consideration of the Iewes lest they should offend them and give them occasion to breake the Sabbath after their example For the observation of the Sabbath did no more oblige them naturally then the other observation of the Iewish religion lust as in all politick regiment which is well ordered it is usuall to hinder those that are strangers to the religion professed in it from giving any disturbance to the exercises of devotion namely in the solemnities and holy daies To urge this point is it not true that among the Iewes strangers were obliged to keep all other Sabbaths new Moons holy daies solemnities after the same manner that they were constrained to keepe the Sabhath that is not to violate them publikely and with offence Were they not forbidden as well as the Iewes to eate leavened bread during the seven daies of the Passeover Exodus 12. verse 19. as also to eate blood Levit. 17 vers 10. 12 13. Will any man upon this inferre that the ordinances of all these Sabbaths new Moones Feasts unleavened bread abstinence from eating blood were not ceremonies but morall ordinances obliging for ever all men and consequently all Christians under the new Testament Sure this must be concluded by the same reasoning the vanity whereof is by this sufficiently demonstrated and discredited 10 Fifthly they inforce their opinion with these words For in sixe daies the LORD maae heaven and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seventh day Whence they gather that sith the creation must be in perpetuall remembrance and God ordained to the Iewes the seventh day for a memoriall therof and of his rest all men ought to keepe it continually for the same end and in that follow his example which also hee proposeth in the words before mentioned to the end that as hee made his workes in sixe daies and rested the seventh day so likewise men following his example should give themselves to the workes of their calling during the sixe daies of the weeke and rest on the seventh day that they may apply it to the consideration of the works of God which they pretend to be no lesse obligatory towards Christians under the new Testament then towards the Iewes under the old Testament because wee cannot follow and imitate a better example then the example of God 11 To this I answer first that it may be denyed that Gods end in the institution of the Sabbath day was that it should be a memoriall of the creation of all his workes on sixe daies and of his rest on the seventh day That is not said any where but this onely is specified that God sanctified the seventh day because in it he rested from his workes after he had made them in sixe daies Which sheweth only the occasion that God tooke to ordaine and establish the Sabbath day but not the end of the institution thereof which is declared unto us in the foresaid places of Exodus 31. vers 13. and of Ezech. 20. vers 12. where it is said that God ordained it to be a signe between him and the Israelites that he was the Lord that did sanctifie them This end of the said institution as likewise the motive and occasion thereof are coupled together in the 16. and 17. verses of the said 31. Chapter of Exodus in these words The children of Israel shall keepe the Sabbath throughout their generations for a perpetuall covenant It is a signe betwene me and the children of Israel for ever Whereof a signe Certainly that they may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctifie them as it is written in the 13. verse This is the end of the Institution of the Sabbath which must be supplyed from thence After that it followeth For in sixe daies the LORD made heaven and earth and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed This is the occasion and motive of the said institution There be some that would faine of this For make That and joine the two members of the 17. verse as if they were but one after this manner It is a signe betweene me and the children of Israel for ever that in sixe daies the Lord made heaven and earth to inferre from thence that the Sabbath was ordained expresly to the end it might be a memoriall of the Creation but although the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth That as well as For yet that in the foresaid verse it should rather signifie For and that the said verse should have two distinct members and each of them its owne particular sentence it appeareth probably both by the changing of the forme of speech that God useth speaking of himselfe in the first person in the first member It is a signe betweene mee and the children of Israel for ever and in the third person in the second member For in sixe daies the LORD made heaven and earth whereas if it had beene the continuance of the same period without distinction hee should have rather have said It is a signe betweene me and the children of Israel that I have created in sixe daies or that I am the Lord who have created in sixe daies heaven and earth c. As also by the Hebrew accent Athnach which it put at the end of the first member and is an accent denoting usually a pause and notable respiration and a distinction of a compleate sentence 12 Secondly to stand longer upon this first answer although I should yeeld that the seventh day of Sabbath was instituted of God purposely to be a memoriall of the Creation the argument is neverthelesse inconsequent For although things past should be in perpetuall remembrance It followeth not that the signes and memorialls of such things instituted under the old Testament should be perpetuall Nay they ought not to be if they have beene therewith types and figures relative to the Messias God made a covenant with Abraham and promised unto him to be God unto him and to his seed after him Gen. 17. vers 7. which is a perpetuall benefit and worthy to be remembred by all his spirituall posterity till the end of the world Yet the signe and memoriall that hee gave him at that time of this covenant to wit the Circumcision was not to be perpetuall and hath continued onely till the time of the new Testament Likewise all the Sacraments under the old Testament have beene signes and memorialls of perpetuall benefits to wit of justification sanctification c. Notwithstanding they ought not to persist for ever because they also were types The same is the condition of the Sabbath We may and ought to call to minde under the new Testament the benefit of the Creation and of Gods rest after it although we have no particular signe thereof which by Gods ordinance is a signe of remembrance In the Kingdome of heaven we shall celebrate eternally the remembrance of our Creation and Redemption without any
signes And I cannot see a cause why under the new Testament we should burthen our selves with a signe which God declareth to have beene ordained by him to the Iewes in their generations as if without it we could not remember the thing signified unto them by it Let us content our selves with the gracions signes and memorialls which Iesus Christ hath instituted and given us of the worke of our Redemption fulfilled by him of our justification of our sanctification c. These are Baptisme and the Lords Supper which being signes of a worke farre more excellent then the Creation have caused the ancient memoriall of that other worke to cease which notwithstanding we may and ought to record having in nature continually many memorialls thereof before our eyes to wit the heavens the earth all the creatures which advertise us of their Author and of the beginning of their existance And in holy Scripture many documents which entertaine and hold us most frequently in the consideration of this worke Yea the Sacraments also signifying unto us our Regeneration and new Creation draw us back consequently to the meditation of our first Creation And we may in all places and times indifferently call to minde and for it glorifie the Lord our God possessour of heauen and earth although we be not tyed by the Law to any particular day For of him and through him and to him are all things To him be glory for ever Rom. 11. 36. 13 The example of God who made in sixe daies heaven and earth and rested on the seventh day is of no force to this purpose For to say without restriction that Gods example is of necessity to be alwaies followed as being of it selfe and of its nature imitable or rather that God in all his works proposeth himselfe as a paterne and president to follow is a proposition too generall God may be considered either in regard of his attributes or in regard of his actions Of his attributes there be some which wee ought to imitate and they are in the Scripture laid downe unto us as examples of imitation Such are his goodnesse his mercy his love his justice as it is written Be yee holy for I am holy Levit. 19. vers 2. 1 Pet. 1. vers 16. Be yee perfect and mercifull as your Father which is in heaven is perfect and mercifull Matth. 6. vers 48. Luk. 6. vers 36. Let us love one another for love is of God for God is love 1 Ioh. 4. verse 7 8. If yee know that he is righteous yee know that every one that doth righteousnesse is borne of him 1 Ioh. 2. vers 29. There be others which to speake properly are not paterns of imitation neither are we in any sort able to imitate them Such are his Eternity the Infinity of his Essence and Knowledge his omnipotency c. which also we are nevâ—â— exhorted to imitate 14 It is consequently even so of his actions and of his fashion in working Of them some flow immediatly from these first attributes of his holinesse bounty mercy love righteousnesse c. and are essentially actions charitable mercifull bountifull righteous c. These of their nature and of themselves are imitable and that alwaies For example God is bountifull and doth good unto all forgiveth all those that have recourse to his mercy giveth a convenient and sutable reward unto vertue and a due punishment to vice protecteth those that are strengthlesse and oppressed upholdeth those that are infirme and weake c. whereof hee hath given triall by divers experiences From thence wee may conclude truely and soundly that by reason of the righteousnesse holinesse goodnesse which are essentially imprinted in these actions men ought to imitate them in all times to their power and abilitie according to the calling wherein they are called and the rules that he hath in his holy Word prescribed unto them There be other actions proceeding from these other attributes or proprieties of God For example from his omnipotency Such as are his miraculous actions God hath created the world of nothing hath framed man of the dust of the earth and doth a thousand more or such great wonders These actions oblige us not to imitate Gods example in them also God propoundeth them not unto us as examples to be followed for we are not able to imitate them Likewise wee are not bound to immitate the actions and proceedings of God which are grounded on his Will pure and simple whereof although God had the reasons in his owne brest yet we cannot on our part alledge any reason taken from an essentiall righteousnesse inherent in them but onely say for all reason he hath done as it pleased him As that he made the walls of Ierico to fall downe by seven blasts of seven trumpets of Rams-hornes in seven severall daies Iosh. 6. vers 3. 4. 20. cured Naaman of his leprosie sending him to Iordan to wash in it seven times 2 King 5. vers 10. 14 c. 15 Like in all things is unto this the course which God did observe in the Creation making all his works in sixe daies and resting on the seventh day For no man can tell why he did so saving onely because he would the thing it selfe not having in it any naturall equity or evident morality And therefore no kinde of obligation to doe the like can be naturally inferred from thence I meane to observe sixe daies of worke and one of rest All these and other semblable proceedings of God are not an example and oblige not any man to imitate them saving in case God be pleased to command them to doe so as hee would not through any necessity which was in the thing and whereby he was bound to make such a Commandement but because such was his good pleasure command the Iewes to worke sixe daies and rest the seventh day who also afterwards observed that precept not through necessity of imitation taken from the thing it selfe nor that naturally it was emplary unto them but because it pleased God to command them so to doe As also in the fourth Commandement this reason that God in sixe dayes made and finished all his workes and rested the seventh day is not alleadged immediately for an example and a cause of obligation to the Iewes to doe the like but as an occasion that GOD tooke according to his free will to bind them by that Commandement to this observation which also in consequence of the said Commandement they practised For it is said in expresse tearmes In sixe dayes God made all his workes and rested the seventh day Therefore he blessed the seventh day and hallowed it to wit to be observed by the Iewes And it was this blessing and hallowing notified by Commandement which obliged the Iewes to the observation of the seventh day and not Gods course of proceeding immediately For undoubtedly this will be advowed that if God had not declared his will by a Commandement the Iewes had not thought
themselves bound to this observation and Gods proceeding alone had not beene obligatory unto them nor had the force of a Law among them Which sheweth that in it there is no morality no example binding the conscience necessarily and for ever 16 This being so it followeth not that if God was pleased to give this ordinance to the Iewes by occasion of the order that he observed in the Creation he would also have it to continue among Christians seeing it was not grounded in any morall thing which should have life and vigor for ever no more than so many other ordinances which he had given to that people upon good considerations oblige not Christians because the reasons were not morall And as these ordinances are changed and abolished without any blame of variablenesse or of turning that God hath incurred on his part even so that ordinance concerning the Sabbath might and ought to cease likewise All the morality that can be gathered from Gods example is that as God after he had made all his workes in the space of some dayes rested on another day so we should have some day wherein leaving off our ordinary occupations we may busie our selves about Gods service But not that Gods example obligeth us to the same day of rest which God observed 17 And indeed the Christians in the observation of their day of rest doe not any more ground themselves upon Gods example in the Creation For although they keepe sixe dayes of worke and a seventh of rest yet it is not the seventh day that God rested in for they work on that day and rest on the first day of the weeke which God began in to make all his workes and so they change Gods order Which sheweth that this example of God is not obligatory of it selfe and for ever For if it were we should be bound to keepe not only one of seven but the same seventh which God gave us example to rest in there being no reason wherefore one and the same example of God should neither be obligatory for ever in one of its parts to wit in that hee observed sixe dayes of labour and a seventh of rest then in the other to wit in that hee imployed the first sixe dayes of the weeke to worke in and the last to rest in 18 They get no advantage to say that under the New Testament the alteration of the Sabbath day hath beene made from the last day of the weeke to the first because IESUS CHRIST rising on this day rested from the worke of our redemption which is greater and more excellent than the worke of Creation seeing that by it man who was created in the flat mutable state of nature and of a naturall grace from which he fell away and was also to remaine upon earth is put in the supernaturall and immutable state of grace to be received in heaven to be admitted to the contemplation of God himselfe and to live there in a light and purity farre more perfect then that which he had in the first Creation That also heaven and earth shall be renewed and established in a state a great deale more beautifull and excellent then the state they were created in Nay that the Angels themselves have thereby received many and great benefits In a word that in vertue of that worke hath in part beene already made and one day shall be made compleately a new Creation of all things as Christ himselfe speaketh Matth. 19. verse 28. And therefore it deserved well that the day wherein Christ after he had finished it did rest should be consecrated by all those that pretend to have part in it and to whom the benefit thereof is offered if they reject it not by their owne fault to be a day of rest under the New Testament instead of the day which was observed under the Old Testament in remembrance of Gods resting from the workes of the Creation 19 For I grant willingly this to be true But with all I say that the altering of the Sabbath day upon the occasion of Christs Resurrection sheweth plainely that the example of Gods proceeding in the Creation and the observation of one of seven dayes and of the last of seven founded thereupon under the Old Testament was not morall For if it had beene no alteration no changing could have beene made of that time neither altogether nor in part for any occasion occurring and falling out sithence because all morall things are perpetuall have beene confirmed and ratified by Iesus Christ and have not been casheered by him nor by his Church Now it is constant by the practise of all Christian Churches that a change hath beene made and in the beginning of that innovation the order of the observation of one of seven dayes was of necessity subject to be changed and ceased to be obligatory For when Christians began or might have begun to omit the last day of the weeke and to keepe the first they might also then have neglected and violated the foresaid order of dedicating to GOD one day of seven which neverthelesse is pretended to be morall sith by the death of Iesus Christ all the Iewish ceremonies and amongst them the ancient day of Sabbath that is the precise observation of the seventh or the last day of the weeke which is not denyed to have beene ceremoniall being abrogated of right in the weeke wherein hapned the death of Christ and on the Friday of that weeke the Disciples were not obliged to observe the last day of that weeke which was Saturday or the Sabbath of the Iewes immediately following but they might have observed another in the weeke following which being true it followeth that they might have overslipt all the seven dayes of the said weeke without consecrating any of them to God And in effect in whatsoever time the Church begun at first to overpasse the last day of the weeke of necessity she passed a whole weeke wherein there was no seventh day of Sabbath which she could not have done lawfully if to observe one day of seven were a morall point 20 Furthermore according to this maxime which proposeth the necessity of the observation of one day in the weeke yea of a whole day as of a pointmorall sith none can institute such a day but God alone this also of necessity must be layd as a fundamentall point of our Religion that our Lord Iesus Christ on the same day that he rose from death to life made this alteration of the last day into the first and gave notice of it to his Disciples who other wayes could not have acknowledged so soone the necessity of this changing For if he did it not seeing they were no more obliged to the Sabbath day of the Iewes which was abrogated by his death they might have beene not only in the weeke wherein Christ died but also in the weeke following wherein he rose againe free from all obligation tying them to any Sabbath day which the aforesaid
maxime rejecteth as unlawfull Now what certainty or probability is there that Iesus Christ on the first day of his appearing to his Disciples gave them this ordinance Further although he had given it sith he appeared not unto them till the evening following the day in the morning whereof he rose againe they were at least all that day preceding his first manifestation unto them free from all bond tying them to the observation of any particular seventh day and their obligation to the observation of a certaine day hath begun by the extremity of the day to wit at the same time when CHRIST appearing unto them injoyned them to heepe it which difficulties I see not how those that hold the aforesaid maxime can well resolve 21 They say that when the first change was made the Disciples kept two Sabbaths consecutively to wit the last of the weeke to put an end to the order of the ancient Testament and thereafter the first day of the weeke immediately following to begin the new order which was to remaine for ever under the New Testament and to keepe alwayes one day of seven But this saying is a pure imagination For who hath told them that the Disciples did keepe that course Besides this giveth no satisfaction to the difficulties afore mentioned For Iesus Christ being dead and having by his death abrogated all the ceremonies of the Law the last day of the weeke at the same very instant that he gave up the Ghost ceased to be obligatory And so although Iesus Christ shewing himselfe to his Disciples on the first day of the weeke that he rose in had ordained unto them expressely that day and made them to sanctifie it in quality of a Sabbath day to persist afterwards till the end of the world neverthelesse sith the day before which was the Sabbath had not obliged them to keep it and if they observed it they did it not through any obligation binding them thereunto because it was abolished it followeth manifestly that the obligation to one day of seven was caused in one weeke at least yea in more then one if he ordained not Sunday to be kept as soone as he shewed himselfe unto them after his resurrection Nay is casseered in them all if he gave them no ordinance at all concerning that or any other day which is more probable as we shall see more fully hereafter Howsoever of this ariseth this conclusion that the order of one of seven daies is not morall sith it could suffer once at least an interruption in the obligation or binding power which it had 22 I would againe faine know sith Christs resurrection might without inconvenience cause the changing of the particular day wherein the Sabbath was before observed which was the last day of the weeke into another day which was the first wherein it came to passe why it might not likewise without any inconvenience at all give occasion to change the whole generall order of the observation of one day of seven and deliver the Church from all obligation unto it Sith as we have already shewed there is no greater necessity to observe one day of seven then the last of seven Sith also this resurrection of Christ which was as it were his rest from the worke of our Redemption cannot be said to have happened as Gods rest from the worke of Creation after sixe daies of labour to ratifie thereby the observation of this number but to reckon since the day wherein Christ began to be in agony in the garden which was to speake properly the beginning of the worke of our Redemption till the day that he rose out of the grave which containeth the space of three or foure daies wherein he suffered died was buried came to passe after three or foure daies only of labour and of paine whereby he redemed us why may it not with as good reason be a foundation and powerfull motive to change one day of seven into one of foure sith Christ rose on the fourth day after the beginning of his passion as well as the observation of the last day of the weeke into the first in consequence of his resurrection on that first day For there should be as little evill or danger in the one as in the other 23 But here is the maine point of the matter For as much as the order which God observed of sixe daies for his labour in the Creation and of a seventh day for his rest carrieth not with it any necessary and naturall obligation to imitate it and was not obligatory under the old Testament but because it pleased God to command and establish it by his Law for that time onely under the new Testament there was no obligation to keepe it and therefore the necessity of observing it as of all other legall ceremonies having come to an end and being expired the last day of seven hath wihout sinne yea with good reason been changed into the first that Christ rose in the Church thinking it fit to do so whereunto she was not moved by an opinion that the consideration of Christs rising from the dead on that day was of it selfe obligatory For why should the day of Christs resurrection of its nature oblige us to observe it as a day holy and solemne rather then the day of his nativity or the day of his death whereby he said All was fulfilled Ioh. 19. vers 30. to wit all that was requisite for the expiation of our sinnes and redemption of the world conformably to the ancient prophecies and figures of the Law or the day of his ascension which might as well and better be called the day of Christs rest then the day of his resurrection Sure the Church might have in any of those daies called to minde and celebrated the remembrance of the worke of our Redemption as well as in the day of the Resurrection because all the actions of Christ have respect unto it Nay she might have as well changed the order of one of seven into a day of another number seeing the worke of Redemption was not tyed to the same number of daies was that the worke of Creation But because there was no necessity in this she thought it expedient to keepe this order of one day in the weeke observed by the Iewes amongst whom the weeke had its beginning and to change onely the particular seventh day of the Iewes into another to make a distinction between them and that servile people as also to keepe a memoriall of Christs Resurrection Of all this it appeareth evidently that the reason taken from Gods example as it is alledged out of the fourth Commandement hath no force to prove that which it is produced for and to shelter those that make a buckler of it 24 Finally they rely much upon these last words of the Commandement God hath blessd the Sabbath day and hath sanctified it Now say they if GOD hath ordained this seventh day to be observed and to be a
the fourth Commandement seeing it was a figure and type and that by fulfilling in himselfe and in his faithfull servants the truth of the thing figured by the outward Sabbath to free them from the necessity of the observation thereof was not a dissolving and overthrowing of it neither on his part nor on theirs but rather an effectuall ratification thereof as in the same sence he hath not dissolved any of the legall figures but hath fulfilled them all 13 Secondly I say that of necessity the broachers of this argument must advow that Iesus Christ doth not blame in this place all inobservation of the Sabbath neither doth he establish precisely and absolutely the observation thereof for ever according to all the tearmes and the whole sence of the fourth Commandement For it should from thence follow that he blameth for ever and ever the inobservation and commandeth for evermore the observation and sanctification of the last day of the weeke by a legall service in remembrance of the Creation of Gods workes in sixe dayes and of his rest on the seventh because the Commandement carrieth with it that necessity to which is contrary the practise of the Christian Church Therefore this limitation must be added that Christ's intention is to forbid the transgression and to command for ever the observation of the Commandement touching the Sabbath and of all the rest as farre as it may and ought to oblige us according to the tearmes of the Gospell Now we have shewed that it obligeth us not as it ordaineth one day of seven or a certaine seventh day or a legall sanctification but so farre only as it commandeth that Gods publike service be practised for ever according as it shall be established by him and that an ordinary day be appointed for that purpose And therefore Iesus Christ in this respect only and no further condemneth the transgression and injoyneth the observation of the fourth Commandement 14 Thirdly Iesus Christ in the place before alleadged hath not regard to the Decalogue only but universally to all the Commandements of God whether morall or ceremoniall contained in the Law and in the Prophets which he had spoken of in the 17. verse that is in all the bookes of the ancient Testament and to repulse the false accusation that the Scribes and Pharisees laid to his charge declareth what was his minde concerning all these Commandements to wit that there was not any one of them nay not of those that are the least or may by men be esteemed that ought to remaine unprofitable vaine and without effect and that the man whatsoever he be that either by teaching or by practise shall despise and reject any of them shall be despised and rejected of God That on his part he fulfilled them all and extended and setled the accomplishment of them for ever to wit of those that are morall by obeying them all in his owne person and charging his Disciples with their perpetuall observation and sanctifying them inwardly that they may observe them Of those that are ceremoniall by performing and exhibiting the truth of all things signified and figured by them which truth he should make to have an eternall continuance and efficacy towards all that are his although he was to make the use of the figures to cease as the intention of God and reason did require But that the Pharisees were the men who on their part made void the Commandements of GOD both ceremoniall and morall The ceremoniall by adding unto them over and above a thousand superstitious observations The morall by corrupting them with false glosses and interpretations and preferring unto them the traditions of men which he layeth to their charge in diverse places and namely in the verses following of this fifth Chapter of Saint Matthew Now according to this sence which is true and naturall it is evident that they which alleadge this passage can inferre nothing of it for their purpose 15 They pretend in vaine to fortifie and confirme it with the words of Saint Iames in the second Chapter and tenth verse where the Apostle speaking of the Law of the Decalogue saith that whosoever shall keepe the whole Law and yet offend in one point hee is guilty of all because the same God who hath injoyned one of the points hath also injoyned all the rest Whence they would inferre that the inobservation of the seventh day of Sabbath which is a point of the Law maketh a man guilty of the transgression of the whole Law that therefore wee are obliged to the observation thereof For I answer in few words that indeed Saint Iames saith that to faile or to commit a sinne against any Commandement of the Law maketh him that committeth it guilty of the universall transgression of the Law But I deny the inobservation of the Sabbath as it is commanded by the Law to be under the New Testament a sinne and a fault properly so called because in so farre as it commandeth the Sabbath it obligeth not any more For it was for the Iewes and not for us And therefore not to observe the Sabbath according to the tenor of the Law is not a fault and a sinne in any point as Saint Iames understandeth it So if one should say that he that hath kept the whole word of God if he offend in one point thereof should make himselfe guilty of all that saying should be true according to the meaning of Saint Iames But if any should inferre upon this that not to observe still under the Gospell all the legall ceremonies because they make a part and are points of the Word of God is a trangression whereby a Christian is made guilty of all this word and therefore he is bound to keepe them all it should be an absurd illation for not to keepe these ceremonies now is not a fault nor sinne to us because they oblige not any more No man sinneth against a Law or word but in as much as it obligeth But neither the word of God as it commandeth the legall ceremonies nor the decalogue as it commandeth the Sabbath is any more obligatory to us ward wherefore we sinne not now by not observing these points and therefore we make not our â—â—lves in that behalfe guilty of the Law and word of God who is author of all the points of this Law and of this word but hath not given them all to all men nor to continue in all times but some of them only to some men and to have vigor and being for a certaine time only CHAPTER Tenth Answer to the Eighth Reason 1. Eight reason Iesus Christ speaking to his Disciples advised them to pray that their flight should not be on the Sabbath day that is on our Sunday 2. First answer The Sabbath day is ever taken in the New Testament for the Sabbath of the Iewes and is so here taken by Christ. Neither is our day of publike service any where in holy Scripture called the Sabbath day 3. True
on the Sabbath day if not for your owne sake who being well informed and instructed in the faith shall know that yee may flee on that day and make no difficultie for conscience sake yet in regard of others who shall be distressed with the same necessity to flee with you but who being altogether ignorant of the liberty of the Gospell as the Iewes not as yet converted or the weake ones retaining after their conversion and profession of the Gospell a religious respect towards the ceremonies of the Law of Moses as many Christians who for conscience sake towards the Sabbath will be scrupulous to flie on it for whom in respect of their ignorance and weakenesse you ought to pray that your common flight be not on that day For yee are all members of one body 6 I say more that although Iesus Christ by the Sabbath day had signified the first day of the weeke which after his Ascension was to be observed by all Christians and had commanded his Disciples to pray that their flight should not fall out on Sunday least they should be compelled to imploy upon bodily working travelling and hurrying up and downe a day which otherwise they had applyed to GODs service of that no man can conclude neither that a seventh day of rest is a morall point nor also that Christs minde was to injoyne the observation of the first day of the weeke but only that he foresaw that after his Ascension the first day of the week should be kept by Christians of their owne free will through respect to his resurrection which should befall on that day and that it should be loathsome and grievous unto them to weary themselves with fleeing on a day wherein they were wont to rest from all worldly imployments and to addict â—hemselves to serve God in his house Verily although a day be not ordained of God to be stinted for his service yet if by the custome of the Church it be ordinarily imployed for that use a true Christian will be hartily sorry that hee should be forced by necessity to busie himselfe in other exercises then those which are proper to Gods service and he may with good reason make humble suit unto GOD that he be not brought to such a hard strait And therefore CHRIST might advise his Disciples to pray that their flight should not befall on the Saturday without any other inference that can be gathered from thence saving a future use and custome to observe such a day in the Church and not any obligation proceeding from him farre lesse a naturall and morall obligation towards a seventh day of the weeke which is the point in question CHAPTER Eleven Answer to the Ninth Reason 1. Ninth Reason the Apostles kept the Sabbath 2. First answer they entred into the Synagogues of the Iewes on the Sabbath day not for conscience sake but for the commodity of the place and time to convert the Iewes 3. Second answer In this and in the observation of other ceremonies they applyed themselves to the infirmity of the Iewes 4. Passages alleadged to prove that the Apostles absolutely and simply did keepe the Sabbath of the Iewes 5. First Answer Acts 13. ver 42. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be interpreted indifferently people folke 6. Second answer the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be interpreted of the weeke betweene 7. If wee read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they signifie in a day betweene the Sabbaths this answer is not refuted by the 44. verse 8. Third Answer The 44. Uerse may be truly translated not of the next Sabbath day but of the next weeke 9. Fourth Answer in both verses the Sabbath being taken for the next Sabbath they prove not that which is intended 10. The passage alleadged Acts 16. verse 12 13. cannot be understood but of those that were Iewes in Religion 11. Whether they had a Synagogue or not they met together out of the townes 12. There they had a place appointed for prayer c. called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an Oratory or place of prayer 15. Where Saint Paul and his fellowes joyned with them to seeke to gaine them to Christ. 14. Why the Apostles which taught sufficiently the abrogation of the Sabbath and of Holy dayes did not preach against them as they did against Circumcision and other ceremonies 15. Answer to the last Reason concerning the Sabbaticall River 1 IT is with as little shew nay it is rather against themselves that to prove a necessary and perpetuall obligation to keepe the Sabbath some make use of that which is noted in diverse places of the Acts of the Apostles as in the Chapter 13. verse 14 43 44. and 16. verse 13. and 17. verse 2. and 18. verse 4. and other where that the Apostles after the Ascension of Iesus Christ kept the Sabbath going to the Synagogues of the Iewes and expounding the Scriptures there 2 For this argument if it were good for any thing would prove that under the New Testament the Iewish Sabbath day to wit the last of the week is to be kept because in the foresaid places mention is made of that day only But the going of the Apostles to the Synagogues on that day came not from any obligation of the law tying them to the Sabbath nor from any religious respect to that day as if it had beene still a necessary point of Gods service but because it was the ordinary day of the congregations of the Iewes whom they desired to convert and it was expedient for that end that they should be present at such times and places that the Iewes did meet in to wit on the Sabbath day and in their Synagogues as for the same reason they observed also the annuall feasts and indeavoured to bee at Ierusalem on such dayes as may be seene Acts 20. verse 16. I adde that they applyed themselves in this point as in many other legall ceremonies to the infirmitie of the Iewes Acts. 15. v. 29. Acts 16. verse 3. Acts 21. verse 24 26. and 1 Cor. 9. ver 20. to gaine them more easily to the faith and to preserve them in it after their conversion For it is certaine that the faithfull Christians converted from the Iewish Religion to the faith of Christ kept still a great zeale for the ceremonies as it is said in the Acts Chap. 21. verse 20. and consequently for the Sabbath day 4 There be some who would have the Iewish Sabbath to be still kept in the Christian Church and to prove that the Apostles did particularly and carefully observe the seventh day of the weeke without any occasion of condescent to the Religion and devotion of the Iewes towards the Sabbath doe alleadge the thirteenth Chapter of the Acts verse 42 43 44. where it is said that when Paul and Barnabas were on the Sabbath day gone out of the Synagogue of the Iewes the Gentiles besought them that they would preach the word unto them the next Sabbath
them by actuall execution they have beene performed by the vertue of Christs Divinity after his Ascension into heaven from whence he sent the Holy Ghost upon his Apostles to beget and assemble his Church here beneath in all the parts of the world by their ministry 5 The Resurrection hath no other correspondency to the meritorious fulfilling of those things but of a token and marke evident certaine and necessary that Christ by his death hath merited them unto us having payed a most sufficient price for our redemption which had not appeared to be yea on the contrary had seemed not to be and indeed had not beene at all if Christ had remained in the grave of death and had not risen againe Even as the comming of a debtor out of prison is a demonstration that he hath payed although it bee not the payment it selfe But if he did remaine alwayes in prison that were an evident signe that he hath not satisfied We must take in this sence the Apostles words saying Rom. 4. verse 25. that Christ died for our sinnes and rose againe for our justification that is to demonstrate that justification is purchased unto us by his death and withall to confer and apply it unto us efficaciously To which efficacious collation and application of all that was purchased by the death of Christ and to the actuall accomplishment of the second Creation and of the re-establishment of the Church into a new estate his Resurrection hath no correspondency but as a necessary antecedent thereunto For it was necessary hee should rise as also ascend into heaven that from thence he might operate that great and notable alteration 6 Wherein is seene a manifest difference betweene the day of Christs Resurrection and the seventh day that God rested in from the worke of Creation For this day followed the Creation finished and intirely effected and it was a rest from it already done and accomplished But that day cannot be called the day of rest from the second Creation saving only as it was merited by the death of Christ For it goeth and that many dayes before the actuall execution thereof sith Christ began not properly to frame and establish the Church of the New Testament till many dayes after he rose againe Wherefore there is by no meanes the like reason to keepe the day of Christs Resurrection as there was to keepe the Sabbath Day 7 Yea the day of the Resurrection in it selfe hath no advantage beyond the dayes of Christs Passion or Ascension or of Pentecost wherein came to passe the solemne sending of the Holy Ghost wherby it was more worthy to be observed then they For it was inferiour to the day of Christs passion and death in regard of the merit to purchase and to the day of Pentecost in regard of the efficacy to communicate the spirituall and heavenly gifts The Ascension day is conforme and equall unto it in the same correspondency both to the acquisition and to the execution of the establishment of the Church 8 The preferring of it by the faithfull to all other dayes to bee kept ordinarily as a solemne day came not from any worthier prerogative that it hath in it selfe but because on it began to shine upon the faithfull a new light of joy and comfort The death and buriall of Christ had filled their hearts with sorrow and abated their hope because it seemed to them that his death and the Sepulchre had taken him away and ravished him out of the world for evermore No wonder for they knew not in the beginning the nature nor the consequences of that great humiliation as is apparent by the discourse of the two Disciples going to Emmaus Luke 24. verse 21. After then that he rose againe shewing himselfe to be the Sonne of God with power Romans 1. v. 4. and that their hopes were revived by his Resurrection they thought fit to observe solemnly and weekely the day thereof which began their joy shewing unto them the first beames of the rising of the Sunne of righteousnesse rather than others which afterward increased it much by a greater manifestation of his glorious brightnesse though they were not lesse unworthy to be kept and as frequently And further they did it to change the ancient day of the Law into a new day of the Gospell In which change that there was a convenient reason it cannot be denyed The thing I deny is that there was any necessary reason thereof 10 Yea although all that in the objection is attributed to the day of the Resurrection did belong unto it properly and particularly it should not follow that in vertue thereof and by a naturall consequence the said day ought to be observed rather than any other For if the day that God rested in from the worke of the Creation had no naturall obligation in it tying men to the observation thereof but it was Gods Commandement onely that bound them to that duty no more can the day wherein Christ rested though in another respect which is not so proper from the worke of redemption oblige us of it selfe to observe it To tye our consciences to such an observation it must needs have a divine institution whereby God hath commanded us to observe it which I say is not to be found CHAPTER Ninth Answer to the eighth Reason 1. Eight Reason from the excellency of things done on the first day of the weeke 2. First Answer Besides that this assertion is uncertaine it proveth nothing 3. Second Answer it is grounded upon a superstitious opinion of the perfection and mysticall signification of the number of seven 4. Seeing there is no certainty in the observation of numbers and the Scripture maketh mention of other numbers observed in many things 5. Whence no solid argument can be gathered and are disclamea by many which dispute for the authority and preeminence of the first day of the weeke 6. In what sence the number of seven is called mysterious and that there is no mysterie in it under the New Testament 1 SOme fetch an argument from diverse solemne things recited in holy Scripture which they marke to have beene done on the first day of the weeke as that on it the light was created the pillar of a cloud covered at first the people of Israel Manna rained from heaven upon them Aaron and his children began to exercise the Priest-hood God at first blessed his people solemnely gave the Law on the Mount Sinai CHRIST was borne baptized turned water into Wine fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes shall come from heaven to judge the quicke and the dead 2 But it is most uncertaine that all these things were done on the first day of the weeke For the Scripture saith no such thing Besides this although all these things had beene done on the first day of the weeke it shall never follow by any necessary argument that for such a cause the first day of the weeke ought to be
perpetuall 4 The first reply to this Answer refuted 5. The said reply is not well grounded on the example of a Pharisee who called Christ to eat bread on the Sabbath day 6. Confirmation of the refutation of the said reply by the Scriptures 7. By the testimony of Saint Augustine and of Saint Ignace and by reason 8. The second reply taken from equality yea from oddes of reason refuted 9. A mystery hid in the prohibition to cooke meat on the Sabbath day c. 10. Third Answer the prohibition to kindle fire was perpetuall and not referred to the building of the Tabernacle 11. If it was referred thereto it was onely by application 12. If it was not lawfull to kindle fire for the uses of the Tabernacle farre lesse for other uses 13. Confirmation of this answer by reason and by the testimony of Philo. 14. Fourth Answer The particular prohibitions were explications of the generall prohibition of the fourth Commandement 15. Fifth and last Answer God hath no where made an exception of any worke on the weekely Sabbath as he did on the Sabbath of the Passeover 1 SOme of the contrary opinion have seene the difficulty propounded in the former Chapter to wit that there is no reason to say that some workes which the Iewes were forbidden to do as wel as all other by the fourth Commandement are permitted but the rest are not permitted if it be true that the prohibition of the fourth Commandement obligeth us as they pretend Therefore they say that these workes which as they confesse we are permitted to doe as to kindle the fire and to make meat ready on the Sabbath day were permitted to the Iewes as well as unto us and are not comprised in the prohibition of the fourth Commandement and that the particular prohibitions which are made in Exodus Chapter 16. and 35. were temporall had respect only to the time of the peoples sojourning in the wildernesse and were grounded on reasons particular to that time 2 But this is an affirmation without ground and without all likelihood For to speake of the injunction given them to tarry every man in his place and not to goe out of it on the Sabbath day Exod. 16. vers 29. it is true that it was given them by occasion of the Manna to the intent that they should not goe forth to seeke any yet undoubtedly it was extended also to all other things of the like nature to wit to all bodily and earthly ends God by that one example forbidding them to apply themselves to the seeking of them there being a like reason for all I say bodily and earthly because a spirituall and heavenly end was excepted by the third verse of the three and twenty Chapter of Leviticus and there was no other end but such a one which might be an exception from the said prohibition Will any man say that during their abode in the wildernesse they might freely and without offence goe about other worldly businesses the gathering of Manna excepted This goeth beyond all semblance of truth And therefore if this was not left to their liberty the prohibition of the sixteenth Chapter of Exodus had a farther regard than to the Manna onely Now if they were restrained in the wildernesse and durst not goe forth for earthly imploiments as to gather Manna what reason can be alleaged why in the land of Canaan they were free to come and to goe and trouble themselves with the care and pursuit of the bread that perisheth and of other things of this world 3 The same judgement ought to be made of the prohibition to to cooke and dresse meat in the wildernesse on the Sabbath day which meat was Manna wherefore ought not this prohibition to have place in the land of Canaan for all other meats The Israelites had they not leisure in Canaan to prepare their meat the day before the Sabbath as much nay more than they had for the Manna in the wildernesse Neverthelesse the day before the Sabbath which was the sixth day of the weeke God said to them concerning the Manna Bake that which ye will bake and seethe that which ye will seethe and all that remaineth lay it up to be kept till the morning for you And why To morrow saith he is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto the Lord Exod. 16. vers 23. words which shew that the observation of the Sabbath day by him prescribed unto them with respect not onely to their pilgrimage in the wildernesse but also to their abode in Canaan was the cause why hee rained not Manna upon them and suffered them not to prepare any on that day and by his law forbade them universally in their generations to cooke and prepare any meat on the Sabbath day For if it were a thing that he left to their libertâ— by the Law wherefore did hee not raine Manna upon them on the Sabbath day Or if hee gave them not any lest they should goe forth and gather it on that day and if he obliged them to gather twice as much the day before giving them that day bread for two dayes vers 29. which necessity forced them to doe seeing the next day there was not any to bee found in the fields wherefore did he not at least suffer them to deferre till the Sabbath day the cooking of that portion which they had gathered and laid up for that day rather than to injoyne them as he did to make ready twice as much the day before and so take from them all occasion of preparing it on the Sabbath day which they might have done easily although there was none to be found in the fields that day Certes he did betoken that not onely the seeking and gathering but also the cooking and preparing of meat on that day displeased him because it was a day ordained by him to rest in which is a perpetuall reason for all the dayes and times that the Law of Moses was to continue 4 To say that God commanded both to gather and to prepare the Manna the day before and to keepe it till the Sabbath day because he would manifest his miraculous power in preserving from corruption the Manna which else had bred wormes and stunke Exod. 16. vers 20. from one of these dayes to the other is an unsufficient answer For first the same miracle had beene although the Manna had beene kept crude and unbaked to be sodden and prepared the next day Secondly God might have done if it had pleased him the same miracle in respect to another day as well as to the Sabbath day Wherefore then did he it for the Sabbath day but to ordaine to the Israelites the cessation from all workes and amongst others from making meat ready on the Sabbath day in their generations Also wee see no examples of preparing of meat on the Sabbath day among them 5 To prove that they did is unfitly alleaged the first verse of the fourteenth chapter of S. Luke
the injunction to kindle no fire these words are added And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel c. which may very well denote a discourse depending on the former made upon another matter and perhaps also in another time 11 But although this last discourse had beene made in dependance upon the other the other relatively unto it that is though Moses had forbidden in the third verse to kindle fire for the use of the Artificers handicrafts men that were to build the Tabernacle wherof he speaketh afterward lest the Israelites should surmise that it was lawfull unto them for to doe it for the hastening and setting forward of that excellent edifice which God had appointed to be his house it should be nothing else but an application of a prohibition in it selfe generall to a particular subject whereunto it extended it selfe as unto others even as the prohibition of the second verse to doe any work on the Sabbath day under the paine of death is undoubtedly in the meaning thereof generall although Moses had in that place referred it particularly to the edifice of the Tabernacle Yea Moses of set purpose had applied the one and the other to the particular subject or the building of the Tabernacle to make better knowne and to inferre from thence the generality and extent of both 12 For if it were forbidden to worke and to kindle fire on the Sabbath day for the edifying of the Tabernacle farre more was it forbidden for all other worke sith scarce could there be any more important than that and which could so well deserve a particular licence to labour and kindle fire to doe it as which had no other regard saving the accelerating and rearing up of the house of God 13 The prohibition to cooke meat on the Sabbath whereof I have spoken before sheweth that this kindling of fire should be referred unto it to wit that it was not lawfull to kindle any to make meat ready which must be also understood of all other ends of the same nature This is confirmed by Philo the Iew who in the Booke of Abrahams Pilgrimage and in the third Booke of the life of Moses among the works which it is not lawfull to doe on the Sabbath day putteth these two to dresse meat and kindle the fire 14 I adde that the fourth Commandement of the Law was to the Israelites the cause of their abstinence and cessation on the Sabbath day when they were in the wildernesse So was it in Canaan also and after the same manner as it was in the wildernesse The particular prohibitions given afterward unto them and which they received were onely explications illustrating the sense and the end of the Commandement Now sith the words of the Commandement are generall In it thou shall not doe any worke with what shew of truth can it be said that the workes to bake and cooke meat to kindle the fire and such like were not forbidden by these words but onely by particular and speciall commandements and that for the time of the abode of the Israelites in the wildernesse seeing there is no place to be found where they are excepted from this generall tearme Any worke expresly set downe in the Commandement and where licence is given to the Israelites to do them in the land of Canaan 15 If God had meant that it was lawfull to the Iewes to kindle fire dresse meat and travell on the Sabbath day questionlesse hee had made an exception particular declaration therupon as he did concerning the two Sabbaths the first and the last of the feast of the Passeover For he forbade also to doe any work on these two daies But he excepted the preparation and dressing of as much meat as every man must eat Exod. 12. vers 16. and he permitted them after they had rosted and eaten the Paschall Lambe in the evening to returne to their home the next morning Deut. 16. vers 7. Vndoubtedly the same is to bee understood of the Sabbaths of other feasts but not of the ordinary Sabbath properly so called wherein God required a rest more exact because this day was ordained to be a particular type of the spirituall and heavenly rest as we have declared before and shall touch it againe hereafter CHAPTER Fourth Confirmation and illustration of the matter set downe in the precedent Chapters 1. All kinde of workes forbidden by the Law of Moses on the Sabbath day are in themselves lawfull to Christians on the Sunday 2. First Reason Cessation from all workes on the Sabbath was a part of the Ceremoniall Law and of Gods service 3. And not a helpe and furtherance onely of the said service 4. Second Reason It was a type and figure of the heavenly rest 5. Which our Sunday is not 6. Third Reason Gods service under the New Testament consists not in observation of dayes but in actions of godlinesse and righteousnesse c. 7. This is proved by application of the Apostles words Rom. 14. vers 17. 8. And most clearely by his warning given to the Collossians Chap. 2. vers 16. 9. Abstinence of workes is necessary in the Christian Church in any day whatsoever as it is a helpe to Gods publike service 10. The publike service being ended on Sunday Christians may use lawfull recreations c. 11. It is proved by reason that they may doe the like betweene the houres of Divine Service 12. Fourth Reason There is no injunction in the new Testament concerning a cessation from such recreations and workes 13. Fifth Reason The two Disciples went to Emmaus on the same day that Christ rose and Christ meeting them gave them no instruction to the contrary 14 Sixth Reason The faithfull of Troas did worke on Sunday till night 15. Seventh Reason The first injunction not to worke c. on Sunday came from Christian Emperours 16. Constantine the first permitted many workes on Sunday 17. Which sheweth that the Christians of those dayes tooke not Sunday to be an institution of Iesus Christ. 1 THerefore seeing those against whom this Treatise is made yeeld unto us that certaine outward and servile workes are under the New Testament permitted on the Sabbath day which as I have clearely shewed were forbidden to the Iewes by the Law I conclude againe that all other workes forbidden by the Law on the Sabbath day are likewise permitted to us after the publike solemne service of God that the prohibition of the Law to doe any worke on the Sabbath day concerneth us not Surely if it pertained to us as containing a point necessary of Gods service as well under the New as under the Old Testament I see no reason why we should not be as exact in this Service under the New Testament as the Iewes were under the Law Nay wee should be farre more affectionate to doe as well or more precisely with an equall or greater care than the Iewes were all things belonging to the true service
of God commanded by him 2 But here is the point which will furnish us with a new reason why it is neither necessary nor likely that although the Iewes were bound to abstaine from all manner of worke on their Sabbath day we should be bound to a like cessation on our Sabbath seeing the time of the Old Testament was a time wherein Gods service consisted in Ceremonies Elements and Rudiments which were servile childish weake and beggarly as the Apostle saith Gal. 4. vers 3. 9. Col. 2. vers 20. The observation of a certaine day of Sabbath rather than of another and on it a cessation from all outward workes made in it selfe a part of that service and was not ordained by accident as a helpe to Gods service required onely for that end but as being of it selfe properly a point of religion and of Gods service and an essentiall duty of the Sabbath day For which cause it was so exactly injoyned with an interdiction even of the smallest and least things as to gather and prepare Manna to kindle fire to walke a few steps abroad and such like which was not lawfull for any person to doe although hee were alone and out of danger by doing them to give offense to any man Although also they might have beene done as it were in a moment of time without any diversion of the minde to think on better things as on God on godlinesse and on other holy exercises because that not to doe such workes was at that time a part of Gods service and that which belonged to Gods service could not be too exactly recommended and observed 3 For otherwise if the substance of Gods service had not at that time consisted partly in this exact cessation from all workes and if it had beene injoyned but as a helpe and furtherance of that service such little workes which were of no paines and of lesse distraction had not beene forbidden because in effect they are no let to a true spirituall Sabbath And when the Iewes were come backe to their houses from the place of their holy convocations it is evident to consider the matter according to the state we live in under the Gospell that they might easily compasse these actions and other such like without any prejudice thereby to true godlinesse and to the sanctification of their hearts But as they were bound to serve God on the Sabbath day by divers sacrifices offerings perfumings with-incense and other ceremoniall and bodily exercises for which they had need of a carnall holinesse and purity and to restraine themselves from a great deale of ceremoniall pollutions as to touch a dead man or any meat declared to be uncleane c. and as Gods service consisted in keeping themselves unspotted with such things even so an exact refraining from all outward and servile workes made a part of that Sabbaticall holinesse and purenesse whereof I have spoken If they had put their hand to any ordinary worke that worke had polluted them And all the legall workes of the Sabbath such as were the sacrifices c. had beene in some sort profaned by the common workes of other dayes if they had beene done on that day Therefore they were bound by necessity to abstaine exactly from them all 4 I adde that as I have said formerly the Sabbath was given them expresly to be unto them a type figurative of the spirituall rest whereby a man resteth from all iniquity and namely of the heavenly wherein there shall be a perfect cessation not only from all sinne but also from all bodily labours that the Saints may give themselves wholly to glorifie God And therefore that the figure might correspond the neerest that could be to the truth the signe to the thing signified and to represent to the Iewes and give them to understand that they ought to abstaine from all kinde of sinne the most precisely and exactly as possibly they could because sinnes are verily opposite to Gods service and pollute all the actions thereof and that in heaven they should injoy an intire and perfect rest a most precise cessation from all bodily workes and imployments was injoyned them And these are in my judgement the true reasons of that injunction 5 Now these reasons concerne us not under the New Testament Wee have no day of rest ordained of GOD to be unto us a type and figure of the spirituall and heavenly rest And if sometimes our Sunday which is our day of rest bee imployed to represent the heavenly rest as it is by some of the ancient Fathers it followeth not that the end of the institution thereof was to bee a figure and a type seeing it is not so much as a divine institution Wherefore the Fathers have called it so by application and allusion onely grounded upon some outward resemblance 6 No more doth Gods service under the Gospell to speake properly consist in the observation of any particular day more then of another nor in the abstinence of outward workes on it And as one of the contrary opinion speaking of the prohibition given to the Israelites to kindle the fire on the Sabbath day hath vouched and said that it was unto them a childish restriction and instruction and as for us who are Christians and who live also in countreys farre colder than was Iudea that wee have a greater liberty than they had to kindle the fire and that the said prohibition tieth us not saving in the equity thereof to teach us that we must not abuse our liberty to the intertainement of a carnall licence and hinderance of Gods service Verily there is the same reason of all other outward workes which God prohibited so exactly to the Iewes on the Sabbath day for that was also a puerile instruction we have a liberty to doe them that they had not on that day and nothing obligeth us but the equity of these prohibitions to wit that we must not doe these workes licenciously making of them a pretence to neglect Gods service Indeed we are bound to serve God under the New Testament as much yea much more than the Iewes under the Old Testament because we are farre more beholden unto him than they were But this obligation is to a more spirituall service which is such essentially consisting in the carefull practice of actions of true godlinesse holinesse and righteousnesse But we are not obliged after the same manner as they were to serve him with a rudimentall materiall and servile service to which appertained this abstinence so exactly prescribed of all workes on a certaine day and which was one of the points of the unsupportable yoke of the ceremoniall Law And as wee are made free from these actions which the Iewes were obliged to performe on the Sabbath day with twice as much as on other dayes such as were double sacrifices double meat and drink offerings c. Num. 28. 9. by which things God fashioned them to the outward and typicall sanctification of the
leagues Now if it had beene the intention of Iesus Christ to ordaine the first day of the week for a Sabbath day and to injoyn to all Christians a leaving and discontinuance of all ordinary worke on that day it is likely that he would not have forgotten to warne his two Disciples thereof on that first day and thetwo Maries to whom he shewed himselfe earely in the morning of that same day and by the other Disciples to whom he sent them had made them practise the observation of that day and he had shewed them the example of that observation in his owne person which he did not then Neither doe we find that he did it at any other occasion 14 In the twentieth of the Acts we perceive although uncertainely as I have shewed before some observation of the first day of the weeke by the faithfull of Troas They met not together till about the evening of that day For mention is made of an upper Chamber of many lights of Saint Pauls long preaching untill midnight and thereafter till breake of day Apparently they made choice of the night time and of an upper chamber for feare of the Infidels even as the Apostles on the first day of the weeke that CHRIST rose in were assembled at evening and held the doores shut for feare of the Iewes Iohn twenty verse 19. Now who doubteth but all that day from the Sunne rising till the evening that they came together to breake bread they were busied as in the other dayes of the weeke about the ordinary exercises of their trades handicrafts and callings as having liberty to worke on that day like as on all other dayes besides the care they had to shunne all giving of discontent to the Infidels amongst whom they lived and the drawing by an unnecessary cessation a most certaine persecution upon themselves There is no question to be made but that all Christians in the places of their residence among Iewes or Gentiles did the like 15 This is also a reason considerable in this question that albeit among the Lawes of Christian Emperours there be sundry which forbid the ordinary occupations of trades and handicrafts on Sunday as to keepe a Court of pleading and to goe to Law to open the shops for buying and selling to act stage playes in play houses and publike places to hold Markets and faires c. which Lawes were made to prevent in time to come the contempt of the exercises of Religion used on that day and to establish an order in the state and in the Church which they most judiciously and religiously thought to be more recommendable decent and well suting to the holy actions whereunto it was appointed yet all these Lawes shew that before they were published Christians were wont saving the houres of the publike exercises of Religion to apply themselves on that day to all the ordinary workes of this present life Yea there be many other Lawes of other Emperours and amongst others of Constantine that great and holy Emperour which permit on Sunday some of these ordinary imployments as to labourers to sow the ground to weed to reape to plant and set Vineyards if need bee to Bakers to bake bread to Masters to give liberty to their slaves to Iudges to put to death malefactors which undoubtedly these Christian Emperours had never permitted by their Lawes if it had beene in their time a received opinion in the Church that the observation of Sunday and cessation from all workes in it was necessary by vertue of a Commandement of our Lord Iesus Christ. 17 But knowing certainely that no dayes are instituted of God under the New Testament that Sunday was not kept by a commandement from heaven but by the use and custome of the Church That a discontinuance and intermission so exact of all workes pertained to the Ecclesiasticall policie and regiment of the Iewes and is no where and in no wise commanded in the Gospell they made no bones to permit diverse occupations which might seeme to have some pretext of necessity yet were not of such importance but that they might have beene done before Sunday or put off till the next day following it CHAPTER Fifth Declaration of diverse absurdities and difficulties insuing upon the contrary opinion 1. The opinion is that Christians are bound to refraine from all workes during the 24. houres of Sunday 2. First absurdity this opinion bringeth backe the servitude of the Iewish ceremonies 3. Second absurdity No man can tell where must be the beginning of the said 24. houres 4. Diverse disputations thereupon amongst the authors of this opinion 5. Third absurdity it troubleth the conscience leaving it without information concerning the imployment of that time and the doing of unnecessary workes therein 6. As also about the doing of charitable and necessarie workes 7. Fourth absurdity Confusion of the Doctors in the explication of this opinion 8. First they consent not in the explication of Christian abstinence from bodily workes on Sunday 9. Secondly they distinguish workes of necessity into those that are of present and those that are of imminent necessity and permit the first onely whereby they trouble tender consciences 10. They contradict their distinction by suffering some handicrafts men to worke on Sunday 11. As also by the permission of many actions which have no present necessity 12. Likewise by forbidding some workes in an apparent danger as to gather corne c. 13. Great absurdity and inconvenience of this prohibition 14. The Commandement Exod. 34. v. 21. to rest on the Sabbath day in earing time c. serveth not their turne 15. They hold that it is not lawfull for a man to receive any reward for his necessary labour done on Sunday 16. Great inconveniences and absurdities of this opinion 17. Answer to their objection about servile workes forbidden in the fourth Commandement 18. They hold also that servants ought not to serve their masters on Sunday 19. This doctrine crosseth their other decisions 20. They intangle themselves in the distinction of bankets 21. Absurdity of theâ—r rigid prohibition of all kind of recreation to all men on the Sabbath day 22. How farre Christians are bound to abstaine from worke on that day 23. How working is not or may be an hindrance of our sanctification 24. We ought to leave our workes on Sundayes during the time of service 25. Saving in some important necessity 26. Objections taken from the care of worldlings c. 27. Answer concerning the care of worldlings 28. How we ought to make the Sabbath our delight 29. Our Sunday is improperly called the Sabbath day THose against whom we dispute doe hold that our Sunday called also by them the Sabbath day which is the name given in the Scriptures to the day that the Iewes hallowed weekly obligeth us to keepe it during the whole space of foure and twenty houres by a religious abstinence from all manner of workes during all that time conformably to the
sanctificemus sed ut sanctificemus diem Sabbati hoc est quieti destinatum quisquis ille sit The substance of this command so farre as it concerneth us also and was confirmed by Christ is not that we keepe holy a seventh day But that we sanctifie a Sabbath day that is to say a day of rest whatsoever day it be Item Praeceptum hoc quartum morale est quatenus hôc mandatur â—ura religionis exercitium etiam externi divini cultus ut certo tempore conveniat Ecclesia ad audiendum verbum Dei ad publicas preces ad debita sacrificia facienda ad collectiones faciendas Id quod etiam confirmavimus quoniam apud omnes gentes semper recepta fuit haec consuetudo ut certis diebus convenirent omnes ad Deum celebrandum colendum invocandum Mosaicum autem ceremoniale fuit ad solos Iudaeos pertinens quatenus talis dies septimus nimirum fuit illis praescriptus quatenus illis etiam praescripti fuerunt certi ritus quibus Deum die Sabbati colerent atque eatenus etiam fuisse abrogatum Ergò ut certo tempore conveniat Ecclesia cum scilicet potest ad Deum celebrandum ex Dei est institutione in animis cujusque inscripta This fourth command is morall so farre as by it is recommended unto us the care of religion and the exercise of Gods externall worship and that at a set time the Church assemble together to heare the word of God to publike prayers to offer up due sacrifices and to make gatherings for the poore Which also wee have proved because it is a custome received amongst all nations that on certaine dayes there be publike assemblies to praise worship and call upon God But it is Mosaicall and ceremoniall pertaining to the Iewes onely in this respect that such a day namely a seventh was prescribed unto them and in this also that they had certaine rites prescribed unto them by which they were to worship God on the Sabbath day and in this regard it was also afterwards abrogated That therefore the Church meet together at some certaine time to wit when it can conveniently is Gods institution engraved in every mans minde And in the very close of his explication of the fourth command treating of the abrogation of the Sabbath hee saith thus Prima cansa ob quam institutum est Sabbatum est ut figuraret cessationem eamque perpetuam ab operibus nostris scilicet à peccatis patrandis quietem in Domino sinentes scilicet Deum operari opera S. S. in nobis Et quantum ad hanc causam quia erat tantùm figura alterius Sabbatismi erat ceremoniale praeceptum ideoque abrogatum est sicut caeterae figurae adveniente Christo figurato ad praesentiam veritatis id est Christi evanuit figura id est Sabbatum Col. 2. Quatenus verò institutum est ut status dies esset quo ad legem audiendam ceremonias peragendas conveniret populus vel saltem quem operum Domini meditationi peculiariter darent omnes abrogatum non est Nam apud nos locum habet ut statis diebus ad audiendum verbum ad Sacramenta percipienda conveniamus The first cause for which the Sabbath was instituted was to typifie a perpetuall cessation from our workes that is our sinnes and also our rest in the Lord suffering him to worke in us the workes of his holy Spirit and in regard of this cause because it was onely a figure of another Sabbath or rest it was ceremoniall and therefore was abrogated as likewise the rest of the types at the comming of Christ who by them was typified when the truth that is Christ appeared the shadow that is the Sabbath vanished away Col. 2. But in that respect that it was instituted to bee a set day for the Church to meet together on to heare the Law to performe the ceremonies prescribed or at least to meditate on the workes of God it is not abolished For it is thus in force even amongst us that on appointed dayes we assemble together to heare the Word and receive the Sacraments In many places also of this his exposition of the fourth command he affirmeth that the Law concerning the Sabbath was onely given to the Iewes and not to other nations and they were not bound to the observation of it Lib. 6. de oper sex dierum c. 1. having said that the seasons of the yeare the new and full moones are times common for all people for the distinction of which God hath given to all the Sunne and the Moone and appointed them their courses he addeth Alterum est genus eorum temporum seu 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quae peculiaria sunt certis gentibus quae quisque sibi ex toto anni tempore ad certa actionum genera deligit ut quod Deus voluerit ut ipsius populus sex diebus operaretur septimo autem qui Sabbatum dicitur quiesceret ab iis operibus vacaret cultui divino Item quod voluerit Calendas observari certis temporibus non aliis festa celebrari Paschae Pentecostes c. Haec erant 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 populi Israelitaci Voluit vult ut singulae gentes habeant stata tempora quibus cultum praestent Deo sed libera cuique genti esse voluit There is another kinde of appointed times which are peculiar to certaine nations and which every one doth make choice of for himselfe out of the whole yeere for certaine actions As that God would have his owne people the Iewes to worke six dayes but to rest from those workes on the seventh day which is called the Sabbath and give themselves to divine worship Also that he would have them to observe the first dayes of every moneth and feasts of Easter Pentecost c. to be kept at certaine times and no other He would and willeth that every nation have appointed times for his worship but he hath left them to the liberty of every nation to be appointed by them Danaeus Ethic. Christian. l. 2. c. 10. speaking of the fourth Commandement Quatenus hoc praeceptum ceremoniale fuit hodiè cesset sed quatenus externa quaedam verae pietatis exercitia fieri praecipit praeceptum continent haec verba This precept so farre as it was ceremoniall is now of no force but so far as it appointeth some outward actions of true piety to be performed the words still containe a precept Item Fuisse ceremoniarum partem Sabbatum apparet ex eo quod appellatur signum faederis veteris inter Deum Iudaeos icti Exod. 31. 17. cum Sanctuario conjungitur Levit. 19. 30. item Paulus inter ceremonias enumerat Col. 2. 16. Heb. 4. 9. Dupliciter Sabbatum fuit ceremoniale quatenus fuit 1. cessatio severa ab omni opere servili corporali 2. Septima dies nominatim disertè à Deo praescripta erat
non autem tertia quarta quinta aut sexta It is manifest that the Sabbath was a part of the ceremonies because it is called a signe of the old Covenant betwixt God and the Iewes Exod. 31. 17. and it is joyned with the Sanctuarie Levit 19. 30. Also S. Paul reckoneth it amongst the ceremonies Col. 2. 16. Heb. 4. 9. The Sabbath in a double respect was ceremoniall first in that it was an absolute and precise cessation from all servile or bodily worke Secondly in that a seventh day was expresly by God commanded not a third fourth fifth or sixth Item Sabbatum significat ab omni opere vitioso ab omni peccato abstinendum esse Erat Sacramentum Iudaeis vitae quietisque aeternae in quo non modò ab omnibus peccatis liberatio contingit sed etiam cessatio ab omnibus operibus c. The Sabbath did signifie that wee must abstaine from all wicked workes and from sinne It was a Sacrament to the Iewes of life and rest eternall in which we shall not onely be freed from all our sinnes but also we shall rest from our labours c. PASSAGES Concerning the Lords-day commonly called Sunday its institution and how farre it obligeth us ANcient Writers when they speake of the Lords-day put this for the ground and reason of the observation of it that Christ did rise againe on that day But they say not that Christ ordained it Ignatius in epist. ad Magnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All that love Christ let them keepe the Lords-day as a festivall day which was the day of his Resurrection Iustin. Martyr Apolog. 2. versus finem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 On Sunday wee have our publike meetings because it was the first day that was in which God having changed the darknesse and Chaos or confused Masse in Heb. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made the world and because Iesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose againe from the dead Augustin tom 2. ep 119. quae est ad Ianuarium cap. 13. Dies Dominicus non Iudaeis sed Christianis Resurrectione Domini declaratus est ex illo habere caepit festivitatem suam The Lords-day was declared so to bee not to the Iewes but to Christians by the Resurrection of the Lord and with reference to him or since that time it began to be a holy day Idem l. 22. de civ Dei c. 30. Dominicus dies Christi resurrectione est sacratus aeternam non solùm spiritus verumetiam corporis requiem praefigurans The Lords-day became sacred by the Resurrection of Christ and prefigureth the eternall rest not onely of the spirit but also of the body Idem Tom. 10. Serm. 15. de verb. Apost Domini Resuscitatio consecravit nobis Dominicum diem Qui vocatur Dominicus dies ipse videtur propriè ad Dominum pertinere quia eo die Dominus resurrexit The Resurrection of the Lord hath consecrated to us the Lords-day That which is called the Lords-day seemeth to belong to the Lord properly because the Lord that day rose againe Idem Serm. 251. de tempore which notwithstanding and the most of the Sermons De tempore are suspected not to bee his Dominicum diem Apostoli Apostolici viri ideò religiosa solemnitate habendum sanxerunt quia in eadem Redemptor noster à mortuis resurrexit The Apostles and Apostolicall men have therefore appointed the Lords-day to be kept with a religious solemnity because on it our Redeemer rose againe from the dead S. Augustin in expos in Ioan. Tract 120. Una Sabbati est quem jam diem Dominicam propter Domini Resurrectionem mos Christianus appellat The first day of the weeke is that which Christians usually call the Lords-day from the Resurrection of our Lord. Calvin Institut l. 2. c. 8. sect 33. Dies Dominici citra Iudaismum à nobis observantur quia longo intervallo differimus in hac parte à Iudaeis Non enim ut ceremoniam arctissimâ religione celebramus quâ putemus mysterium spirituale figurari sed suscipimus ut remedium retinendo in ecclesia ordini necessarium We observe the Lords dayes without Iudaizing because in this particular we much differ from the Iewes for we doe not celebrate it as a ceremonie with a precise observation by which wee thinke a spirituall mystery is typified but we use it as a remedie necessarie to keepe good order in the Church Item Quod ad evertendam superstitionem expediebat sublatus est Iudaeis religiosus dies quod decoro ordini paci in Ecclesia retinendis necessarium erat alter in eum usum destinatus est Quanquam non sine delectu Dominicum quem vocamus diem veteres in locum Sabbathi subrogârunt c. The day which the Iewes religiously observed was abrogated which was expedient to take away superstition Another was substituted in its place which was necessarie to retaine decencie good order and peace in the Church Nor was it hand over head that the Primitive Church made choice of that which wee call the Lords-day in stead of the Sabbath c. Item Com. in ep ad Gal. 4. 10. Quando discernitur dies à die religionis causâ quando feriae pars divini cultus esse censentur tum dies perperā observantur Nos hodiè cum habemus dierum discrimen non induimus necessitatis laqueū conscientiis non discernimus dies quasi alius alio sit sanctior non constituimus illic religionē cultū Dei sed tantùm ordini còncordiae consulimus Ita libera est apud nos omni superstione pura observatio When a distinction is made betwixt dayes out of devotion when a feast or holy day is esteemed a part of Gods worship those dayes are observed amisse We in having now a distinction betwixt dayes do not put a snare of necessity upon mens consciences we make not such a distinction as if one day were holier than another nor in this doe we place religion or Gods worship but in so doing provide for the good order and peace of the Church And so such observation of dayes amongst us is free and pure from all superstition Bullinger Decad. 2. Serm. 4. Vetus Ecclesia diem mutavit Sabbati ne videretur Iudaizare ceremoniis affixa haerere caetus otiaque celebravit primâ Sabbati quam Ioannes appellat Dominicam haud dubiè propter gloriosam Domini resurrectionem Et quamvis nullibi legatur praecepta in Apostolicis literis Dominica dies quia tamen quarto hoc praecepto primae tabulae praecipitur cura religionis exercitium externi cultus diligenter alienum à pietate charitate Christiana foret Dominicam nolle sanctificare praesertim cum sine tempore stato citra otium sanctum cultus ille externus constare non possit Idem sentiendum arbitror de pauculis quibusdam Christi Domini feriis aut fostis quibus peragimus memoriam Nativitatis Incarnationis Circumcisionis
and just that this last day of the creation should yeeld the possession of the day of rest unto it 2 To underprop this opinion they have broached diverse reasons amongst which we shall order in the first place the reason taken out of the second Chapter of Genesis ver 3. where Moses after hee had said that God finished all his workes in sixe dayes and rested on the seventh day addeth And God blessed the Seventh day and sanctified it because that in it he had rested from all his workes which hee created and made Of which words they conclude that as soone as ever the Creation was ended and the Seventh day begun to subsist in nature it was blessed and sanctified that is consecrated to Gods service and ordained even then to our first Parents while they were in the state of innocency to be kept by them for this end and therefore the observation of a Seventh day is morall is of the Law of nature and is in no wise ceremoniall seeing it was established before sin came into the world at which time there was no shadowes and figures of Christ because in that state of innocency our first Parents had not stood in neede of him nor of any direction to him by ceremonies If then in that estate wherein no corruption of sin had hindred them to serve God continually and the bodily imployments had been no great disturbance unto them in the practice of that duty God judged necessary to injoine unto them a seventh day to the intent that giving over all other care they should in it addict themselves only to the actions of his service and all religious exercises how much more in the state of sin wherein men have so many hindrances from Gods service both by sin and by the laborious occupations of their worldly callings is it necessary that a set day of rest be ordained unto them to cease wholly in it from the turmoile of their secular affaires and to give themselves only to holy and religious exercises belonging to Gods service This necessity is as great under the new Testament as it was under the old and therefore God hath not omitted to ordaine under both a Sabbath day yea a seventh day of rest which being established before sinne and consequently being morall bindeth all men perpetually 3 There be divers meanes to answer this objection First nothing obligeth us to believe that the words written in the third verse of the second Chapter of Genesis should be thus translated And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it as if Moses had meant to expresse a time past long before his penning of this Booke and to tell that this blessing and sanctifying was made even from the time that the creation was finished and from the first seventh day of the world Whereas they may be translated thus And God hath blessed the seventh day and hath sanctified it understood as being said with a Parenthesis and in regard of the Ordinance which God had lately made in the daies of Moses concerning the seventh day when he gave by his Ministery the Law of the Israelites Which ordinance Moses made mention of in his relation to the history of the creation as of a thing established and knowne of the Israelites when he writ by occasion of that he had said that God after he had created all his works in sixe daies rested on the seventh day So we may give this exposition to Moses words God made all his works in six daies and rested on the seventh day and thence he tooke occasion to blesse and sanctifie now that day giving commandement by his Law to his people of Israel to keepe it in their generations So it shall be a narration made in this place occasionally according to the ordinary custome of holy Writers and specially of Moses when in the historicall relation of things that were come to passe long before they find occasion to speak of things happened since specially of those that were come to passe in their time when they wrote to interlace upon that occasion a short rehearsall of them with the narration of things more ancient and to speake of both in such a manner as if they had happened in the same time whereof I will here set downe some examples 4 First we find divers places named by anticipation As in the 12. Chapter of Genesis verse 8. It is said that Abraham removed unto a mountaine Eastward from Bethel which name of Bethel was not in the daies of Abraham the name of the place betokened by it in the foresaid words For it was not called Bethel till in it Iacob saw a ladder reaching to heaven and the Lord standing above it Then Iacob called it Bethel that is The house of God whereas before that time it was called Luz as may be seene in Genesis Chap. 28. vers 13. 19. But Moses writing the history of Abraham called it Bethel by an historicall anticipation because in his time Bethel was the ordinary name of that place We read in the fourth Chapter of Ioshuah vers 19. that the people came up out of Iordan and pitched in Gilgal which was not so called till Ioshuah in that place circumcised the people Chap. 5. vers 9. Likewise in the second Chapter of Iudges and first verse the Author saith that the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bokim because the place which he calleth Bokim was so called when he wrote that history although it was not yet so called when the Angel came thither but received that name afterward from the teares which the people shed and powred out before God after the Angel had rebuked them For the Text saith that when the Angel of the Lord spake these words to all the children of Israel the people lift up their voice and wept Therefore they called the name of that place BOKIM vers 4 5. 5 Secondly we find the same anticipation in the description of things and actions As in the 16. Chapter of Exodus where Moses reporteth how God began first to give Manna to the Israelites which I pretend also to be the time of the first institution of the Sabbath and how the Israelites carried themselves about the ordering thereof and immediatly he addeth how he by Gods command ordained that an Omer of it should be filled to be kept for the generations of the Israelites vers 32. and gave an injunction to Aaron to take a pot to put in it that Omer full of Manna and to lay it up before the LORD to be kept for their generation vers 33. He reciteth also at once that as the LORD commanded him so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony to be kept vers 34. which things as it is evident were not done at the first when God gave them that bread to eat because then there was as yet neither Tabernacle nor Arke nor Tables of the Law But because when Moses wrote all these things were done and