vvhich is the last in the vveeke rather then any other if the Church so determine it if it bee obserued vvithout any superstitious conceipt of more holinesse in that day or annexed to it rather then any other The fourth opinion is that the first lavv for observation of the vveekly Sabbath vvas the fourth commandement given from mount Sina that is did bind only the Isralits to keep the seveÌ„â—h day of the vveek for an holy Sabbath untill the coÌ„ming of Christ but novv under the gospel it is abolishâ—d in respect both of the particular day also the strictnes of the obseruation only the equity of it remains in the Lords day the obseruation vvherof is commeÌ„ded to us by the example of the Apostles â—ovv the lavv of keeping it holy is only ecclesiasticall an holy ordinance of the Church· Thus you see vvhile men build vpon vnsure and vnstable grounds not upon the certain vvords of holy Scripture compared together made to runne in a svveet harmony hovv various different they are hovv contrary some of them in their opinions For the removing of all doubâ—s setling of mens judgments in a sure vvay so farre as God shal enable me I vvill endeavour to select single out vvhatsoever I finde in these severall opinions to be agreeable to the truth to the sacred vvord of God reject the rest vvill ad more over what is wanting to make up a perfect Doctrine not out of mine owne conjections but out of canonicall Scriptures for that is the sure rule of all necessary saving and sanctified knowledge that must be the sure guid when Fathers Councels Churches do lead vs into severall doubtfull wayes First for them who hold that the law of the Sabbath was written in mans heart in the Creation I hold it true insome part to weet thus far That God creating man in his owne Image did print this in mans heart That as he had his whole being from God especially his reasonable soule by which he was made able to understand the will of God revealed to him by his word so hee was bound to obey God and to serue him all his dayes with his whole heart and with all his might And if God did require of him any part of his time and commanded him to obsteine from some good and lawfull workes tending to his naturall good and well being to doe some speciall workes for his Lords pleasure in one day or more selected daies of the weeke or of every moneth or yeare he ought to doe it out of duty and obedience to his Lord and Creatour Thus farre J consent that the law is naturall written in mans heart to weet in generall and in respect of the common foundation J grant also that the law and commandement of God injoyning the rest of men their servants and cattell from hard labour the seventh day or one daie in every weeke is a thing so naturally helpfull needfull for the health and wellbeing of men ever since mans fall and the curse of barennesse laid upon the earth and the punishment of toyle some labour and faint sweating imposed on man kinde that mans own naturall reason will and affection must needes approue it and moue and incline his heart to the obedience of it and his inward thoughts cannot but accuse him of wrong done to his owne body and to the life of his labouring cattell and servants if he disobey it and in this respect it may be called a law of nature Yea I adde moreover that if wee take the law of nature in a large sence as some times it is taken that is for every law which commands such duties and such obedience as in there owne nature are very vsefull profittable to the parties commanded and which is grounded on such just causes weighty grounds as by the judgment of naturall reason are in their owne nature well worthy of such observance then the law commandement of keeping an holy Sabbath on the seventh day in the old Testament in thankfulnesse for Christ promised for a continuall memoriall of that great blessing one the first day of Christs resurrâ—ction now under the Gospell in thankfulnesse for Christ fully exhibited the worke of redemption by him perfected which so much excels the promise made on the seventh day as perfecting of a worke excels the beginning undertaking of it may both in respect of the particular day the sanctification of it be called a law of nature that is a law requiring such morall perpetuall obedience as is in the nature of it most just and worthy to be performed But that the law and Commandement which bound the fathers to keepe an holy rest one the seventh day of every weeke and us under the Gospel to keepe it on the first day especially and no other was in in the creation written imprinted in the heart of man so distinctlie and expressly that man had an inbred notion of it and a naturall instinct of himselfe to observe this law to keepe a weekly Sabbath on those uerie daies which God hath prescribed both to the fathers us This I must needs deny for these reasons following First Gods sanctifying of the Seventh day by his word and commandement and his institution of the Sabbath by a positiue law giuen as my text here shewes had beene vaine and needlesse if the law and the Sabbath of holie rest had beene expressly and particularly written in mans heart already For what man by the instinct of nature by his own naturall reason will and affection is lead and moved to do that hee is vainly needlesly vrged unto by any law or commandement being of himselfe without any monitor ready to performe it Secondly the very word Sanctify signifieth the setting apart of this day to a supernaturall and heavenly vse euen for the performance of such duties as are aboue the naturalll imaginations and thoughts of man and which his naturall reason would never haue revealed to him not his will lead him to do If God by his word and divine superturall revealation had not directed and moved him Therefore this law by which God sanctified instituted the Sabbath is not a naturall law but a divine and supernaturall precept Thirdly in the creation and state of innocency man was bound to serve God as his creatour and the author of all his being and to be content with that estate wherein God had placed him and saw to be very good and to looke no higher It was the inordinat desire of more knowledge and of an higher estate then God had revealed and promised which made our first parents so yeelding to the devils temptations and vndoubtedly it was an occasion of their sinne in eating of the forbidden fruite Now the serving of God as his Lord and Creatour was the duty of man euery day alike for the heavens aboue and the
Sina both by word of mouth in the audience of all Israel and also in Tables of stone written with his owne finger Iustine Martyr Tertullian Irenaeus and others of the Auncient seeme to have given the occasion of this opinion where they make it a question whether Adam Abel Noah Abraham Melchizedeck or any of the holy Fathers kept the seventh day for an holy Sabbath and affirme that Abraham beleeved and was justified and called the friend of God without circumcision or observation of Sabbath For from their words which are but doubtfull some late writers both Papists and Protestants doe goe about to prove that the Sabbath was not instituted by God untill the giving of the Law by Moses on Mount Sina And although the words of this Text written by Moses doe here plainely affirme the contrarie and tell us that on the seventh day God ended his worke rested and sanctified the seventh day Yet thus they wrangle and wrest the Text by a Childish forged sense and meaning First they grant the first words that on the seventh day God ended his worke and rested But they deny that he blessed and sanctified the Sabbath on the same day they say that here by way of Anticipation Moses mentions the blessing and sanctifying of the Sabbath not as a thing at this time done but as a thing which was first done in the giving of the Law on Mount Sina many ages after and that upon this ground which is here mentioned to witt his ending of his worke and resting on the first seventh day of the World And here Moses his purpose was to shew not the time but the equitie of the institution not the beginning but the ground of that Sabbath The paraphrase of the Text in their sense was thus And on the seventh day God ended his worke and rested and upon this ground he many ages after at Mount Sina instituted the seventh day to be kept by Jsrael for an holy Sabbath of rest But though some men of learning and divers out of effected errour and malâ—ce stand for this opinion yet indeed there is no ground for it in the Scriptures but many plaine proofes to the contrarie First this Text â—f we take the words as they runne shewes most manifestly that on the seventh day even thâ— next after the six dayes of the Creaâ—ion God ended or perfected his worke and on that day he restâ—d and also blessed and sanctâ—fied it to be his Sabbath Secondly there is no câ—lâ—ur of reason for any man to thinke that God shâ—uld lay the ground and foundation of the Sabbath on the first seventh day of the World and suffer it tâ— lye voide and of no use and never goe about to build on it till so many ages after God cannot endure to doe any thing in vaine nor to suffer any thing to lye void to be of no use which of it selfe is very useful Surely as he loved chos al the holy Fathers from the begining promisd to them the eternal rest of heaven wich they loked for and sought in tâ—e everlasting Citie which hath sure foundations and in the Countrie above in the World to come So he kept not back from them the outward signâ— sealâ— pledg therof his holy Sabbath wich was both a motive to make them bend tâ—eir whol cours towards that rest a meanes to further them in their way jorney to it also Thirdly the Lords owne words which he spake from Mount Sina in the commaundement of the Sabbath are most cleare and doe shew that God blessed and sanctified the Sabbath in the beginning on the first seventh day wherein he ended his woâ—k and rested For he doth not say I the Lord rested on the seventh day from works of creation and therefore I now blesse and sanctifie every seventh day of every weeke hereafter But the Lord rested the seventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath and sanctified it that is then of old in the beginning when he rested he blessed and sanctified it Fourthly the Sabbath-day was kept and observed by the Israelites a moneth before they came to Mount Sina Exo. 16.25.26 And Moses and the people knew that the seventh day after that God began to raine Manna from Heaven for to be their bread was the Lords Sabbath as his words doe plainely shew and that the Lord before that time hath by his word appointed it to be the rest of the holie Sabbath Veâ—s 23. And the words of the Lord to Moses when some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather Manna doe plainly shew that God had before that time given them Commaundements and Lawes concerning the rest of the seventh day For in the 28. Verse he saith How long will ye refuse to keep my Commaundements and Lawes Intimating that their going out on the seventh day was a refusing to kâ—ep his Lawes which of old he had given and before this had revealed to them For otherwise they could not be said to transgresse Lawes cannot be refused to be kept before they be given Wherefore it is a vaine praetence and shift which some use to decline this Argument viz. that the ceasing â—f the Manna on the seventh day and Moses his admonishing of the people to rest that day was but a praeludium of the fourth Commandement and a preparation to Gods promulgation of it For the words of the Text shew most plainely that the intermission of Manna was an evidence of the Sabbath already sanctified by the Commaundement of God the resting of the Jsraelites was observing and obeying of the Law already given the going out of some to gather Manna on the seventh day was refusing to keep Gods Law given in the first institution Now for Justine Martyr Tertullian Jraeneus their words doe not prove any thing for the maintaining of this opinion Tertullian denyes onely the perpetuall moralitie of the Law concerning the Iewish Sabbath and calls into question not the institution of it in the beginning but the observation of it by the first Fathers and Patriarches Iustine Martyr and Jâ—aeneus say that Abraham was justified without circumcision and observation of Sabbaths that is of the Ceremoniall Sabbaths commaunded by God in the Ceremoniall Lawes given by Moses not without observation of the weekly Sabbath as the word Zabbaton of the plurall number which they use doeth clearely declare That the weekly Sabbaâ—h was instituted from the beginning the best learned of the Fathers affirme as Origen Hiâ—rome Austine and others And although the Scriptures which briefly runne over the lives and acts of the Fathers make no expresse mention of their observation of the weekely Sabbath Yet we have divers places which minister very probable Arguments for this purpose In Genesis cap. 4.3 It is said that at the end of dayes Caine brought his offering to the Lord that is on the Sabbath which was the end of the weeke and the last of the dayes The
till then was not fully finished and that in memory and for joy of the finishing of his worke and makeing it fully compleat on the seventh day he sanctifyed that day to be his Holy Sabbath The Caldee paraphrase seemes to make the joy delight which God tooke in viewing all the worke of creation on the seventh day to be a ground cause of Gods sanctifying that day for his Sabbath Tremellius and the learned who agree with him seeme to hold that God had before on the sixt day ended all the works of the creation And all Being finished when the seventh day came that was the only day of the weeke in which God had no worke left to be finished nor any thing to make and therefore he made this his Holy day and day of rest This also seemes to be the meaning of the Greeke Septuagints who for this purpose haue changed the Hebrew text and instead of the seventh day put in the sixt day for the ending of the weeke and the seventh day they make the day onely of Gods resting Now of all these translations taken in these Uulgar sences there is not any on which can give full satisfaction and remove all doubts and scruples Yea if we receive and grant them all some difficulties will still remayne Aâ—d therefore for the removing of all doubts full manifestation of the truth I will endeavour to search and diue furâ—her into the words of the Originall Hebrew text and to finde out a further sence and meaning by comparing them with other Scriptures which giue more light unto them and in so doing J will make use of these severall traslations sences to gather some light and strength from them and from the difference which is among them for the more full manifestation of the truth which I shall commend vnto you First for the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here translalated Ended Perfected Finished it signifies in the first and most proper and full sence to bring a thing to the full end of it soe that now it hath al which belongs to it in any kinde Some times it is vsed in Scripture to signifie the beginning of a thing to the last end of it either by consuming of it and bringing it to an â—nd of beeing well beeing which it had before Iob. 4.9 By the Breath of Gods Nostrills the wicked are sayd to be consumed Isa. 1.25 or by ceasing to continue it if it be a transâ—et action or speech as Gen. 17.22 God ended his speech or talke with Abraham that is ceased to continue it and Exod. 34.33 1 Sam. 10.13 2 Sam. 6.18 1 King 7 40. where mention is made of Moses his ceasing to speake of Saulls making an end of prophicieing and Dâ—vid of offering Sacrifice Hiram of his working This sence is in no case to be admitted First because God consumed not the workes which he had made before neither did God bring his working and making of creatures to an end by ceasing to continue it for that was the sixt day when he had made the woman the last creature which hâ— made then hee ceased from his working and brought it to an end Secondly because consuming and destroying of creatures can be noe good ground of blessing and sanctifying the daie and time in which it is done Some times this word is vsed to signifie the bringing of a thing to the full end of perfection either by adding to the last vtmost thing which belongs to the nature kinde and beeing of it soe that now it wants no perfection which it ought to haue in that kinde thus the word is vsed 2 Chro. 7.11 wher it is said that Salomon finished the House of the Lord Exod. 40.33 Moses finished all the work of the Tabernacle Or else by adding to it more then naturally belongs to it even some supernaturll and extraordinary perfection thus the word is vsed Ezech. 16.14 where it is said that God made Jerusalem perfect by his beauty which he put vpon his people whom he placed to dwell therein even David and other holy men whom he beautified with supernaturall saving guifts graces In this last sence I conceiue the word to be especially here vsed For it is most certain that God brought al things to the full end natural perfection on the sixt day when he created man and woman and gaue them rule dominion over all living creatures and appointed all things which he had made to serue for their vse and soe much the last words of the first Chap. shew where it is said God saw euery thing which he had made behold it was very good this was before the end of the sixt day And therfore that giving of full naturall beeing and perfection cannot be this which is here said to be on the seventh day If we should here vnderstand that perfecting and finishing of the work we must either with the 70 Greek Translatours corrupt the text and for the seventh put the sixt day or else with Tremelius and others straine the plaine words of the text and make this the sence of them In the seventh day that is before the seventh day God ended that is God had ended his work already finished it before to weet on the sixt day which being granted It will herevpon follow either that this perfecting of Gods work is no ground of the Sabbath at all or else that the sixt should rather be the Sabbath because it was the day and time in which God brought the created worke to perfection But here in the originall text the Hebrew words are Beiem hashebingi In the seventh day that is within the compasse of that day God perfected his worke which he had before made and created on the six dayes and therefore I doe verily conceive and beleeve and dare be bold to affirme for a certaine truth that on the seventh day God gave to the which he had before made very good and perfect with naturall mutable perfection which the Devill by mans fall had marred and defaced now another second and greater even supernaturall perfection by promising Christ the blessed seed of the woman for the restauration of the work defaced and by Christ his vndertaking not only to redeeme us from all evills which entered in by mans sinne from that mutability of estate in which we were all created but also to exalt us to a farre more excellent state and condition even to the state of immutable grace here of eternall life aâ—d glory in the sight and fruition of God in Heaven hereafter in the world to come That Adam did sinne and fall on the sixth day which we call Fryday in all liklihoode towards the evening about the same houre in which Christ dyed on the Crosse to redeeme vs from that sinne and all sinnes which therby entered into the world I haue proved before That after mans fall and
haue the weâ—kely Sabbath in most high esteeme which was first grounded vpon Christ promised came in upon the seventh day of the world â—ogether with the word of promise and the glad tidings of the worlds redempâ—ion by Christ â—nd with the perpeâ—uâ—ll commandements of repenting and beleeving in Christ which are the great commandements of the Gospell which Holy and blessed Sabbath hath still continued and gone a long with Christ prâ—mised on the seventh day during the time of the old Testament and siâ—ce the full exhibition of Christ in his resurrection hath advanced forward together with Christs vnto the fiâ—st day of the weeke in whâ—ch day he perfected mans redemption triumphed over death rose vp and was advanced to glory immortallity Surely they who professe loue to Christ and profane the weekely Sabbath they are no better then painted Hipocrties yea rather they are to bee numbred among those bold audacious and scandalous sinners who presume to pull a sunder those whome God hath inseperably joyned together that is the sabbath and Christ the Lord of the sabbath who while they professe Christ in word doe indeed deny the power of true Chrâ—stian godlinesse and do what in them lieth to turne the publick worship of God into sacrilegious profanation and soe to provoke the eyes of his glory Thus much for the second maine thing herâ— offered in this text that is the ground of the holy weekly Sabbath CHAP. 4. THE third maine thing which here offers it selfe and which I haue propounded to be handled more largly as comprehending in it divers speciall points of great weight and moment as the Sanctifying of the seveÌ„th day â— as Gods blessing of it so far as blessing signâ—fiâ—s Goâ—s setting of it apart to be kept observed for a blâ—ssed memoriall of the promise of Christ as it is apart of the fiâ—st institution of the sabbath Fâ—r Gods blessing of a day or any other thing dâ—th signifie 1. His giving of some notable benefit on that day or to the thing blessed 2. his setting of it apart to a blessed end vse in the former sence it belongs to the ground of the Sabbath and so I haue spoken of it before Jn the later sence it belongs to Gods act of Institution and as in effect the same with sanctifying of the seventh day onely this I conceiue to be the difference that Gods sanctifying of a thing is his seperating of it by his word and commandement to a supernaturall and extraordinary vse either profittable or unprofittable to it selfe as hâ—s seperating of things to be his instruments of just vengance for the destruction of his enemies and seperating men to some holy offce for a time as Saul to Prophesie Eâ—â—eâ— sonnes to bee Priests and Iudas to bee an Apostle by which office they received no true blessing but it turned to their greater curse at last But Gods blessing of a day or any other thing is his setting of it apart for a blâ—ssed vse and his pronouncing and demanding it by his holy pâ—werfull word to be a blessed daie or blessed thing and to serve for holie blessed vse and so blessing is that speciall sanctifying which is seperating of things to a blessed use and come here to bee handled vnder Gods sanctâ—fyng of the â—eventh day For Gods sanctifying iâ— this place is a blessed sanctifying of the daie to a blessed vse and the word blessed is put before to make us clearlie see and vnderstand soe much I will therefore insist only upon sanctifying which comprehends blessing in it and will first open and expâ—und the word and so proceed to points of Doctrine The Hebrew word Kadash is never vsed in any other sence in all the Scriptures but onelie to signifie seperating of things from their ordinarie and naturall vse to some vse more then naturall or aboue nature the fitting preparing of them for that use as for example compining of nations in an holie league against Babell or other wicked state to execute on them Gods just reuenge Jer. 6.4 12.3 22.7 51.27.18 and seperating some cities for refuge Iosh. 20.7 whensoever this word is attributed to God in all the Scripture it signifies eiâ—her Gods seperating things or times for holy vse by his word and commandement or by some hâ—linesse shewed or some extraordinarie holie word done in them as Exod. 9.44 2. Cron. 7.20 or else Gods infusing of his holie spirit and of spirituall and supernaturall grâ—ces gifts of holâ—nesse into men by whâ—ch they are seperated from carnall men and prepared for Heavenlie glory as Exod. 31.13 Levit. 20.8 Ezec. 2.12 Ier. 1.5 where God is said to sanctifie his people and to make tâ—em holy that so they may be fitt to come nerer to him And frequently in the new Testament the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used in this sense as Eph. 5.26 Heb. 2.11 Here the word signifies not sanctifieing by infusing holinesse and making holy but Gods consecrateing that is seperating the seventh day to an holy heavenly spirituall and supernaturall use by hâ—â— word and commaundement or by some holy worke done first in it or some holinesse first revealed upon it For this was the day in which God by his gracious promise of Christ and by the new covenant of life made with mankind in him did communicate his spirit to our first parents and wrought in them faith and all holy graces needful to salvation and so of Ishah a woman who brought wo to man made our first mother Chavah that is the mother of life in Christ to all liueing This day God here upon commaunded to be sanctified of men and kept holy by holy exercises which tend to the honour praise and to the solemne commemoration and memoriall of Christ promised and of his own rest in Christs mediation and this day he appointed to man to be a signe and pledge of the aeternall Sabbath in heaven after the end of the world which in six dayes he created Here therefore we see wherein especially Gods sanctifieing of the seventh day to be an holy Sabbath of rest did consist Which that it may yet appeare more fully and distinctly in all the particulars J will reduce the summe of all into a few positions some negative and some affirmative which being by evident testimonies of Scripture and by good arguments grounded on the word of God proved and confirmed The trueth will be so cleare and manifest that the simple shal be able to understand the true sanctification both of the seventh day which was the old Sabbath of the old Testament and also of the Lords day the Christian Sabbath of the new Testament under the gospell CHAP. 5. FIrst we must not in any case imagine That Gods sanctifieing of the seventh day was the creating or inâ—useing of any naturall holynesse in to it by which it was distinguished from other dayes of the weeke and made more excellent then any
Churches of Galatia 1 Cor. 16.1.2 to weet that they should observe the first day of the week and in their Holy assemblies on that day offer up pleasing Sabbath sacrifices that is do good distribute to the necessities of the saints with which sacrifices God is well pleased Heb. 13.16 Therefore vndoubtedly it is the ordinance and commandement of Christ which the Apostle receiued from him That the first day of the weeke should be the Holy Sabbath and the day of weekly Holy assemblies to all Christians The 8. argument is drawn from the blessing of stability wherwith God hath blessed the Sabbath of the first day the joy and comfort great benefit which most godly religious christians finde in it and the tediousnes of it to carnall people the loathsomnesse of it to all such as are opposites to Christ and from his grace This is most true which graue and learned Gamaliell gaue in the counsell of the high priests and elders of the Iewes That which is of men and not an ordinance of God if it concerne religion it will come to nought it cannot continue in force nor prosper any long time Act. 5.38 And surely if the Christian Sabbath keeping holy of the first day of the weeke were an invention of men and not the ordinance of the the Lord Christ it could not prevaile and stand in force in all Christian Churches and in all ages by an uniforme consent without interruption The most godly zealous and religious Christians would find no solid joy and comfort in it nor any blessing from God in their religious obseruation of it And the world of carnall men who hate Christ his ordinances would not be so opposite to it as to hate and loath it For the world loveth her own But all carnall worldlings and profane persons do so hate it as they hate Christ and it is loathsome and tedious to them notwithstanding many and great oppositions of profane persons Yet we see it stands firme in all ages since the Apostles and in all Christian Churches None but Heretiques haue rejected it all godly Christians finde solid joy abudance of blessings in the strictest observation of it Therefore it is most certainly no humane invention but Christs ordinance It is he who hath made the first day of the weeke his owne Holy day and our weekly Sabbath The Ninth Arg. is drawn from the manifestatioÌ„ of Gods wrath against the open profaners of the Lords day and from the great fearefull judgments which God hath in former ages doth still execute on the dispicers polluters of the christiaÌ„ Sabbath It is certain that the Lord doth not cut of or consum meÌ„ in wrath but for some notable scandalous sinnes transgressions against some expresse law commandement hee makes no men examples of vengance by sudden and fearfull dâ—struction and notable plagues but for some notable sinne all notable sinnes are transgressions of Gods law comitted against his revealed will word Now as the Histories of all ages do afford many examples of fearefull judgments suddenly executed inflicted on wilfull profaners of the Lords day in former times So I could rehearse and relate aboue 30. examples of Gods vengance which he hath shewed openly in this land within the space of two yeares upon such as haue shewed open contempt of this Christian sabbath some of whith hee hath sticken with sudden death by his mediate hand others he hath devoured with waters and some he hath cut of by surfets which they got in dauncing drinking on the Lords day and soÌ„e he hath fired out of their houses in the middest of their drinking jollity consumed al their substance And these judgments haue suddenly unexpectedly befallen them in the very act of their transgression while they were in the midst of their actions very busie about their owne workes sports pleasure And these things are as cleare as the light and manifest to our eyes outward sences that God is most severe against the profanation of this day and that it is apparent that his sonne Christ made this day his Holy Sabbath and commands all men to keep it Lastly we haue clear testimonies both from the Apostles them selves that the day wherin Christians keepe their Sabbath even the first day of the week is the Lords peculiar day Revel 1.10 And also from all the most auncient fathers and learned Christian writers which succeeded the Apostles in the next ensuing ages that the Lord Christ changed the Holy Sabbath to this day consecrated it by his resurrection that all Christian Churches from the time of the Apostles kept their holy rest in it devoted it to publick exercises of religion and of Gods worship counted it the Queene of daies the supreme Lady princesse worthy to be observed sanctified with Sababaticall solemnities Ignatius cals it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epist ad magnesios Justin Martyr 2. Apol. pag. 77. discribes the observation of it in his times and tels us that Christians spent it in reading preaching prayer administration of the Sacraments offering of almes other publick worship of God in their publick assemblies besides priuate exercises of religion Tertullian also acknowledgeth this first daies sabbath none other lib. adversus Gent. p. 41. 155. Eusebius lib. 4. Eccles. Histor. cap. 22. brings in the profession of Dionysius Corinthius who saith thus This day we kept holy the Lords day St. Austen in his 119. Epistle and in the 22. booke De Civit Dei Cap. 30 serm de verbis Apostoli 15. And many other which it would be a tedious thing here to reherse especially seeing J haue before mentioned diuers of their testimonies which tend to this purpose and shall produce some also hereafter Now upon all these arguments laid togither J hope wee may boldly and confidently conclude against all both Iewish Sabbatarians who retaine the old abolished Sabbath of the seventh day and also vnchristian Antisabbatarians who deny the Lords day to bee the Sabbath vnder the Gospell which Gods people by Gods law and Christs appointment are enjoyned to keepe Holy to the Lord. And that this Sabbath of the Lords day cannot bee chaunged but must stand firme and be still in force among all Gods people vntill the end of the world and the last resurrection I will briefly demonstrate shew by two plaine reasons which I hope none will deny and thus I frame them The first is grounded on Christs wordes Mark 2. vers 28. thus I frame it That which hath Christ as hee is become the Sonne of man Lord of it must needs exist and haue a being under him as he is the sonne of man that is in the time of the Gospell The Sabbath hath Christ the sonne of man Lord of it Mark 2.28 Therefore it continues in being under Christ. Whatsoever ordinance of God is given to his People to bee unto
weeke an holie Sabbath to the Lord. But that indeed it came in after mans fall together with the promise of Christ and therefore is more fitly called a law of grace and a Positiue Evangellicall law requiring duties of obedience to God which chiefly and especiallie tend to begit grace and increase holinesse in men Yet it is not simply Positiue nor soe Evangellicallie morall but that it may in some sence and respect bee called naturall also For first it requires some duties of obedience which in their owne nature are Good and profittable though the law giuer had not by expresse commandement revealed his will that they should be done such is the giuing no wof rest intâ—rmission of bodilie labour and toile to our bodies and to the bodies of our servants and labouring cattell one whole day in everie weeke ouer and besides that which they haue in the time of sleepe in the darknesse dead of the night This is according to naturall reason and common equitie Secondly it commands some duties of Gods Worship and service which man by the law of nature was bound to performe in his innocency and which are naturally morall as lauding and praising God and giuing to him all honour and reverence in the most solemne and puâ—lick manner Thirdly it commands such holy spirituall works of grace such duties of sanctification as in theiâ— own nature worke to the sanctifying of men more more to make them capable of eternall rest in heaven of the full fruition of God As for example Meeting upon a set daie in everie week in holy assemblies for to heare read Gods word publick instructions exhortations mutuall provocations to piety sanctity Christian charity Fourthly the patticular day of the week which the law commands to be kept for an holy Sabbath is separated upon such a just ground reason in the first institution of the Sabbath and blessed by God with such a blessing aboue other daies of the week that whosoever knows the law true intent meaning of it rightlie undeâ—stands the ground of the Sabbath mentioned in the law he must by the light both of nature grace he forced to confesse acknowledge the particular day which the law commands to bee kept an holie Sabbath both in the old new testament For the law doth not command one day in seven to be an holy rest simply merely for the pleasure of the lawgiuer because he would haue it soe for no other reason but for very good reason upon a ground because he dignified the day of the Sabbath blessed it aboue all other daies with a singular blessing our owne reason doth tell us that the particular day of the weeke which hath in it the true reasons the honour blessing of the sabbath it ought by the law to be obserued for the holy sabbath none other while it retaines that honour blessing hath the true reasons properly annexed to it Now it it most manifest to all who read the Scriptures are well exercised in Gods word law That as the seventh last day of the weeke was blessed honoured adorned by God with the greatest blessing which God gaue to the world in the old Testament to weet the promise of Christ the Redeemer of the world Gods entring into the Couenant of grace of eternall life salvavation with man also Gods perfecting of the whole worke of creation by revealing giving in promise the worke of Redemption his resting in Christs mediation on that day vndertaken begun And therefor every reasonable man must by his own reason be induced lead to acknowledg that day the fittest most worthy of all daies in the week to be the holy Sabbath to be spent in thankfull commemoration of Gods free loue bountie to mankinde During the whole time of the old Testament before the comming of Christ. So likewise God hauing now under the Gospel transferred this honour to the first day of the week that is become a blessed day aboue all other daies being blessed of God with a blessing farr more excellent then that of the seventh day to weet the actuall performance of the promise by giving exhibiting Christ a perfect actuall redeemer in his resurrection without which resurrection all our preaching of Christ all our faith in Gods promises would prove vaine as the Apostle proueth 1 Cor. 15. Therfore every man must out of common reason equity conclude that together with the ground reason of the Sabbath which God hath now removed from the seventh to the first day he hath also remoued the honour festiuall solemnity of the Sabbath Also his first law which enjoyneth man to keep that day for the holy Sabbath which God hath blessed with the greaâ—est blessing doth bind all Christians to obserue the Lords day for their weekly Sabbâ—th under the Gospel And in a word that it were a thing most vnequall unjust if a man or any Church should goe about to set up for the weekely Sabbath any other day which God hath not dignified honoured with so great a blessing Now upon these prâ—missed reasons I hope it appeares manifestly First that though the Commandement of the weekly Sabbath is no dictâ—te of nature but a positiue Evangellicall law yet it doth by common naturall reason as well as by the light of grace direct every reasonable man to the partilar day of the weekly Sabbath as to the seventh day in the old Testament so to the first in the new Testament And no resonable man can deny it to be the most equall which this law binds men unto but vpon the true grounds of the Sab well weighed considered must be forced to confesse that as the seventh day was most worthy of the honour of the Sabbath had it before Christs full exhibition in his resurrection so ever since the Lords day the first of the week is become the true Sab of Christians none hath power to giue that honour to any other day Secondly it is here manifest that though Christ the sonne of God made also the son of man mans redeemer is the Lord of the Sab the determination of the particular day of the week depends on him and none other haue the honour prorâ—gâ—tiue to appoint the particular day but he only Yet we must not conceiue that Christ by his bare will sets downe the particular day that the day is to be obserued only because of his bare will commandement that any other is as fit worthy as the seventh the first if he would be pleased at any time to commâ—nd the same But we are to hold thâ—â— Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath hath the determinatioÌ„ of the particular day depends on him the Redeemer onely because the hoâ—y Sabbath is founded and builded upon him and in him alone
Hebrew words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifie at the end of dayes and howsoever they are taken to signifie in processe of time by some Learned Translaters yet in no other place of Scripture doe I finde that they signifie any other end of dayes but of a certaine sett number of dayes either of thirtie or forâ—ie or many dayes Or of the dayes of a whole yeare as 2 Sam. 14.26 where it is said at the end of dayes according to dayes tâ—at is of every yeare Absalom polled his head And 1 King 17.7 at the end of dayes that is of a yeare â—s Tremellius translates the words the brooke dried up Now I see no reason why we shâ—uld undeâ—stâ—nd by the end of dayes the end of the yeare that Caine and Abel did onely at the end of the yeare offer to God or after a long time but that on every seventh day of the weeke which is the weekely Sabbath they sacrificed to God undoubtâ—dly their Father Adam who taught them to sacrifice which Worshâ—pp God first instituted on the seventh day he also taught them the day of Gods holy worship even the Sabbath which God had sanctified and this was the end of the dayes of the weeke Also in the same fourth of Genesis in the last verse it is said that when Seths Children began to increase that then men began to call on the name of the Lord that is as learned Iunius well expounds the words they began to assemble themselves together in publicke assemblies to pray unto God and worship him even all Seths seed who were Gods people and were called by the name of the Lord that is the Children of God as we see Gen. 6.2 Now as they had solemne and set meetings so undoubtedly they had a set time even every Sabbath or seventh day and set places or Churches for without set time and place there can be no solemne invocation or worshipp in solemne assemblies as common sense teacheth And that Noah when he came out of the Arke began to observe the rest of the Sabbath and did offer a sacrifice of the rest that is of the holy Sabbath and that God was well pleased with it Me thinkes the Hebrew words in the originall Text teach very plainely for it is said that God smelled a savour of the rest that is he acceptâ—d it as a pleasing Sabbath sacrifice the Hebrew empâ—raticall and demonstrative particle here added to sett forth a speciall rest implies so much And the word which is in the Hebrew rest is of the same note and originall with the word which Exod. 20.11 in the fourth commaundement is used to signifie Gods resting on the seventh day Now all these things well weighed and laid together doe shew that this opinion though held by some learned men is but a meere dreame and idle fancie And indeed the very first words in which God gave the fourth commaundement to wit remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy are of themselves alone a sufficient argument to prove that the Lord did not in giving the Law from Mount Sina first institute the Sabbath day but onely did renew the memory of it and of the first institution thereof by renewing and receiving his old commandement by which he on the first seventh day of the World did sanctifie it There is another opinion which divers both auncient and moderne Christians do hold upon a better ground for they do gather coÌ„clude with one generall consent from the plaine words of this Text that God in the beginning immediatly after the creation ended did give the law of the Sabbath and did blesse and sanctifie the seventh day of the first weeke of the world and every seventh day of every weeke following and commanded it to be kept an holy Sabbath in memory of his rest on the seventh day But howsoever they all agree in the generall yet in divers speciall and particular things they doe much differ 1. Some hold that the law of the Sabbath was given to man in the state of innocency before his fall on the sixth day and that it was written in mans heart that he ought to keepe the seventh day holy and that if man had continued in his integrity he would have kept the seventh day of every weeke an holy rest unto the Lord his God 2. Others hold that the Sabbath was instituted not in the state of innocency nor before mans fall which happened towards the end of the sixth day but that on the seventh day when God rested from the worke of Creation he then did blesse sanctifie that every seventh day and appointed it to be a weekly Sabbath the law by which he instituted the Sabbath was no other but such as was written in mans heart in the creatâ—oÌ„ that man by the instinct of nature would haue obeyed that law and kept the Sabbath in the state of innocnecy if he hâ—d stood continued therein 3 A third sort are of opinion that the Sabbath was instituted and the Commandement for the keeping therof given in the state of innocency and yet not till the seventh day for they imagine that man stood more then one day and did in his innocency keepe the Sabbath and if he had continued would haue alwaies kept it not by any instinct of nature or light of naturall reason created in him moveing him so to do but by a possitiue law and Precept giuen by God of the same nature and kinde with the Commandement of abstaining from the tree of knowledge of good and euill In all and euery of these opinions I finde some failling and noe consent and perfect agreement with the word of God First they all go too farre and haue not one word in scripture to warrant their opinion that Adam in the state of innocency should and would haue kept every seventh day for an holy rest that God would haue required it at his hands For all Scriptures which mention the Sabbath do speake of it as of an holy signe looking altogether towards Christ and towards the state of grace and glory in him and not towards the state of innocency It is most certain that man in that state was perfect with naturall perfection at all times equally disposed to obey God to serue him and to remember his Creation and to honour his Creatour He needed no obseruation of any day to put him in minde of any thing which he had before known which god had revealed to him his memorie was perfect and he knew whatsoever was needfull for him to know or doe in that present state And his will was every mâ—ment ready to doe whaâ—soever he knew to be right hee needed no signe to adâ—onish him of his duty or to moue him to do it in due seasâ—n He did not labour nor weary himselfe every day was to him a daâ—e of delight and pleasure of rest and recreation and in every creature which he did see
as the Greeke writers speake Lastly it seems by divers other Reasons very probable that man did fall on the sixt day before he had eaten of the tree of life which if he had beene left to himselfe and if he had not beene prevented and seduced by the Devill he would haue done First because the Covenant of life by mans owne workes of obedience being sealed by his eating of that tree which was the seale of that Covenant as appeares by Gods speech Gen. 3.23 Man had beene confirmed in that naturall life estate wherein God created him and the Devill could haue had no power either to seduce him or to prevaile by his temptations Secondly the things which Adam did after his creation and before his fall could not be done orderly and distinctly in lesse then a good part of a day First God brought all living creatures before him and hee tooke notice of them and gaue to every kinde of creature fitt names before the woman was made as appeares ver 20. Then God cast him into a deep sleep and tooke one of his ribs and formed it into a woman and brought her to him After that God gaue them the blessing of fruitfulnesse and said be fruitfull and multiply he also gaue them rule and dominion over all creatures and appointed them all Trees bearing fruit and Hearbes bearing seed for their meat and set man to keep and dresse the garden and withall hee gaue them the commandement to abstain from the tree of knowledge of good evill before they were tempted drawne into sinne transgression Therefore their fall must needes be towards the end of the day after the ninth houre at the same time of the day in which Christ sufferd death and gaue vp the ghost as the Gospell shewes Math. 27.46 and soe the day and houre of mans first sinne was the daie and houre of death for sinne according to Gods threatning ver 17. Thirdly after their fall the sight of their nakednesse they sewed fig leaues together made them Aprones by this time we may suppose that the sunne did set the coole of the day approached even the breathing winde which coÌ„monly blowes afâ—er the setting of the sun did blow in the night of the seuenth day at which time they heard Gods voice walking in the garden which was tirrible vnto them partly by reason of the darknes of the night and partly through the conscience of their sinne and the shame of nakednesse which sin brought vpon them hereupon they hid themselues froÌ„ Gods presence among the trees of the garden which shelter was too vaine foolish no way able to hide them froÌ„ Gods pure eyes Therefore certainly they did sinne and fall towards the end of the sixt day in which they were created And justly might Adam haue cursed the day of his creation if Christ had not immediatly betimes on the seventh day been promised and had not actually and openly vndertaken to become the seed of the woman and began to be an actuall mediatour for mans redemption And thus I haue by the help light of Scriptures made it plaine and manifest that mans first sinne and fall was on the sixt daie And that the first institution of the Sabbath being vpon the seventh day must needs be after mans fall and not in the state of innocency CHAP. 2. NOw this proving demoÌ„strating of the first point in my text â—o weet the time of the first institutioÌ„ of the Sabbath doth lead vs directly as it were by the hand vnto the second maine point that is the ground upon which the Sabbath was founded and the true outward moving cause and occation of the first institution of it First we may hence collect that the ground of the Sabbath is not any thing revealed or done on the sixe daies of the creation therfore there was no vse of the Sabbath nor place for it in the state of innocency neither is it a commemoratioÌ„ of any thing then brought into beeing but rather of Gods resting from creation and ceasing to proceed further in perfecting the world by way of creation Secondly that the true ground must bee sought and found among the things which came to passe on the seventh day and after the state of innocency which ended at mans transgration and fall now this we will seeke in the next words of the text The ground of the Sabbath And on the seuenth day God ended his worke which he had made and on the seuenth day God rested froÌ„ all his workes which he had made and God blessed the seuenth day In these words we may obserue three distinct things concurring on the seventh day First Gods ending or perfecting of the whole worke or busines of the creation Secondly Gods resting from that worke and ceasing to proceed that way and â—iving over to vphold the world to repaire man other creatures which were â—rought vnder corruptioÌ„ through his fall made subject to vanity by the meer worke of creation Thirdly Gods blessing the seventh daie by revealling therein agreat blessing farre a boue all the good which he shewed in the sixt daies of â—he creation That these are the true grounds of the Sabbath and that God because of these concurring comming together on the seventh day did sanctifie it made it an Holy Sabbath to be kept by man for an Holy rest the words following immediately do shew where it is said God did sanctifie the seventh day because in it he rested from all his worke of creation and from dealing doing that way These three points I will therefore proue and explaine out of rhe words of the text in there order First for Gods ending or perfecting of his workes which he had made that is expressed in the first words God ended his workes which he had made the words in the Originall Hebrew text are these Vaiecal Elchim melachtâ— asher gnassah which are diuersly translated and expounded by the learned translaters and expositers of this text The Uulger Latine runnes thus Cumpleuitque Dâ—us opus suum quod fecerat That is God finished his worke which he had made or God made his worke compleat on the seventh day The Greeke Septuagints render the words thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is God perfected his worke on tâ—e sixt day The Caldee paraphraseth thus On the seventh day God delighted in his worke which hâ— had made Tremâ—llious Junious and many other learned expositers do reade the words thus That before the seventh day God had ended his worke had finished it on the seâ—enth day that is when the seventh day come he had ended the creation The words thus diversly translated seemes to haue severall meaning and may bee taken in divers and severall sences The Uulger Latine which is all one with our English translation seems to make this the sence of the words That on the seventh day God made an end of his worke which
of them My reasons are First because creating of naturall holynesse in any thing is a worke of creation But God rested from all works of creation on the seventh day and from making any thing which belonged to the naturall being of any creature or to the natural frame and perfection of it witnesse the wordes of my text and the wordes of the Lord him selfe Exod. 20.13 Secondly the Scriptures which are the onely rule of faith and so all Doctrines of this kind do never mention any naturall holynesse in any creature which God made in the whole created frame of heaven and earth all though God did create man perfect in his kinde even in his own image Yet I doe not read that this image comprehended any more in it but naturall gifts and endowments onely as light of understanding libertye of will most free to good onely and well ordered affections all upright also a comely frame and excellent temperatur of the body fitt to be the seat subject instrument of a liveing reasonable naturall soule and spirit and to rule over all other creatures Salomon the wise preacher describeing the image and excellent frame wherein God created man makes no mention of any holynesse but onely of naturall uprightnesse God saith he made man upright We never read of holynesse naturall to any but onely to God Thirdly true holynesse is a gift of supernaturall grace given onely in Christ and proceeding fâ—om the holy Ghost shed on men through Christ and dwelling in them as the immortall seed of God It belongs not to the naturall image of God wherein the first earthly Adam was created but to the spirituall and heavenly image of the second Adam Christ who is a quickening spirit the Lord from heaven heavenly whose image no man can bear but in the state of regeneration when he is borne of the spirit and begotten of God to a lively hope to the inheritance incorruptible and undefiled which fadeth not a way as I have largly here to fore proved by divers Scriptures which appose the image of true holynesse and undefyled righteousnesse which men have in Christ to the image of the first Adam but that upright image wherein he was first made and that corrupt image where in to he was transformed by his fall as appeares most plainely 1. Cor 15.45.49 Eph. 4.23.24 The thing which deceives many learned men and carries them to thinke that holinesse was apart of mans naturall image in which he was created is this First they take it for granted that all vprightnesse purity of man in heart soule life and conversation by which he is conformable to the law of nature and to Gods will revealed and his commandements given to him is true holinesse and is so called in Scripture Secondly they reade that Adam was made by God vpright and had that purity vprightnesse which made him conformable to Gods law and revealed will and this was Gods image in him herevpon they conclude that Adam was created in true holinesse To this I haue heretofore vpon another textfully answered by laying downe a plaine distinction gathered from Gods word and daily experience and by applying it to this purpose For I haue distinguâ—shed purity and uprightnesse by which man is conformable to the revealed will and law of God into two sorts First there is a created naturall purity vprightnesse founded upon naturall principles which God gaue to man in his fiâ—st creation by he which was conformable to Gods revealed will to the law of his nature in the state of innocency but this vprightnesse having no other roote or foundation but mans mutable nature and frame was also mutable and was quickly defaced and corrupted by the subtilty of the tempter and mans fall Secondly there is a renewed or new created uprightnesse and purity of man in his heart and soule life and conversation which is found onely in Gods elect faithfull regenerat Children by which they are here in some measure made conformable to the law and will of God this although it is much ecclipsed and obscured by the remainders of naturall corruption which still dwell in Gods Saints in this fraile life and mortall body and doth not shine forth in the true brightnesse of it yet it proceeds from an eternall fountaine the pure waters whereof spring vp unto life eternall and cannot be defiled but remaine pure though they passe through the dead sea of Sodom the filthy lake of mans naturall corruptions which dwell still in this body of death this pure fountaine is the spirit of regeneration which God sheds through Christ on the elect as our Saviour himselfe teacheth Joh. 14.4 8.38.39 And because this spirit even the holy Ghost which daily renues them being shed on them in there new birth Tit. 3.5.6 doth dwell in them as the mortall seed of God abides with them for ever Joh. 14 16. and is stronger then the spirit of malice the Devill which overthrew our first parents and ever since rules in all worldly men 1 Iob. 4.4 Therefore it is true puritie and vprightnesse which cannot faile nor deceive us as Adams did and this is that which the Apostle cals the new man and the righteousnesse and holinesse of truth Ephess 4.24 in the same sence that spirituall supernaturall and heavenly graces are called the true riches that is the riches durable and incorruptible which will neverly vnto vs nor by failing deceive vs Luk. 16. As for the created purity and vprightnesse by which the first Adam was conformable to the law it is never in all the Scriptures called by the name of holinesse neither is it or any morall virtue in any vnregenerate man any true holinesse because it proceeds not from the holy Ghost who dwels in the regenerate and works all true holinesse in in them I wish that all the learned would seriously weigh this truth embrace it with their hearts and beare it continualy in their minds and memories For this will at one blow raze to the very foundation all pelagian Popish Armian Hoeresies concerning the power of mans freâ— will the efficacy and merit of mans naturall workes don before regeneration and the falling away of men regenerate and justified from the grace of God and from justifying faith and true holinesse also concerning vniversall grace given to all men by which they haue it in their owne power to be saved And if it would please the Lord to open the hearts of our people râ—ghtlie conceive this difference betweene the image of the first and second Adam and betweene the created naturall vprightnesse of Adam and the spirituall vprightnesse and infused holinesse wherein the second Adam was conceived and framed by the holy Ghost This would ravish their hearts and fill them with admiration of the singular loue of God to his elect in Christ and of the singular excellencie of the grace holinesse and of those high prerogatives which the regenerate
Priests with all their robes and vestments also the sacrifices and all other holy things of the Tabernacle they all were sanctified by the speciall commandement of God and by direction of his word as Moses in the law testifies in Exodus 40. divers other places Soe the temple in Ierusalem and all the Holie things which are consecrated and dedicated to the service of God by Solomon are said to be hallowed and sanctified by God 1 King 9.3 and 2 Cron. 7.17 that is by Gods speciall commandement direction And Moses his dedication of all things in the law is said to bee by bloud and that by precepts spoken to the people according to Gods law Heb. 9. vers 19.22 And every creature of God is said to be sanctified to the use of the Saints by the word of God and by prayer 1 Tim. 4.5 Now if in all Gods word everie thing is said to bee sanctified by the word and speciall Commandement of God And wheresoever in all the Scriptures God is said to sanctifie any thing and to seperate it for holy Use The word Sanctifie doth necessarilye implie a Commandement and speciall law of God given for the seperating of it It were against all reason and common sence to deny heere in this text the wordes Blesse and sanctifie doe necessarilie alsoe implie that God gaue a speciall commandement and law for the keepeing of his holie weekelie Sabbath an holy rest unto him the Lord our God Thirdly whatsoever is sanctified by God and so dedicated to holy vse that it is not in the power of any creature to alter and chaunge and turne it to another use without sinne and transgression against God that is certainlie established by a spirituall law of God for where there is no law there is no transgression Now after that God had sanctified the seventh daie apointed it to be the rest of the holie Sabbath It was a sinne and transgression not to keepe it or to chaunge and alter it to common vse yea it was transgression against Gods commandements as appeares in the place before mentioned Exod. 16.23.28 Therfore Gods sanctifying the Sabbath was vndoubtedlie by giving of a commandement for the due keeping and observing of it But from this point thus proved there ariseth an objection the answering and removing whereof seemes to a matter of some moment For this being granted that God in sanctifying the seventh day immediatlie after the ending of the creation did giue a speciall law for the observation of the seventh day of every weeke as an holy Sabbath And if once consecrared by Gods law to holie use may in no case be turned to common and profane vse and whosoever doth chaunge it sinneth most greeviouslâ—e as appeares Exod. 30.32 Num. 16.38 and also by the destructâ—on of Kâ—ng Belshâ—zzâ—r for turning the hallowed Vessels of the Temple of Ierusalem to common and profane vse Dan. 5. It will here upon follow that Adams posterity in all ages are bound to keepe the weekely Sabbath on the seventh day and no creature may chaunge it to another daie without grieuous sinne And the Christian Churches which haue chaunged the Sabbath to the first day of the weeke haue made the seventh daie a common daie wherein they doe the workes of their private calling their worldlie businesse haue transgressed Gods law in so doing Neither haue they any warrant or ground from this first institution or the fourth commandement which the Sabbath of the Seventh daie to keepe their weekely Sabbath on the Lords day which is the first of the weeke For the satisfying of this objâ—ction and clearing of this doubt divers things may be answered First that in the most strict commandement of God by which he binds men to the keeping of holy assemblies and publick solemnities for the performance of religious duties worshippe and service to his majesties memorable of his extraordinary blessings and benefits though the solemne duties be limmited to some certaine and fit daies those particular duties be named in the law Yet if the substance of the Commandement be kept that is the holy solemnitie observed and the duties worship and service be performed in all full and ample manner as the law requires though the particular daies of the month yeare and weeke be chaunged vpon good reason and for weighty consideration The Lord doth dispence with alteration of that circumstance to another day and time which appeares by good reason and for just causes to bee more convenient and doth allow and accept that for the right performance of his law This is manifest by a plain instance and example given by God himselfe For the law of the passover which God gave to Israel did command them to keepe that feast in their generations vpon the fourteene day of the first month and that under paine of being cut off Exod. 12.14.18 Levit. 23.5 And yet upon just occasion such as Gods law approves either of uncleannesse of absence from home vpon a farre jouney it was lawfull to chaunge the particular time and to keepe the passover on another day more convenient even on the fourteenth day of the second moneth Num. 9.11 And soe Hezekiah and all the people of Israell and Iudah kept it and chaunged the day 2 Cron. 30. And hereby the Lord himselfe teacheth us that the Lawes which command holie solemnities and bind all his people in their generations to the due observation of them on certaine set daies such as the law of the weekly Sabbath the yearly Passover may stand in force and bee dulie observed though the particular daie of the weeke be chaunged vpon such grounds as Gods law approveth and for such causes and reasons as make that other day more fit and excellent for the solemnitie then that particular day of the weeke or of the moneth which is named in the law Secondly If any object that the law of the passover was ceremoniall and therefore might admit of some chaunges but it cannot be so in the law of the Sabbath if it be morall and perpetuall binding all man kinde to the worlds end To this I answere that for the time and season wherein ceremoniall lawes are in force they are equall in their obligation and binding of the persons commanded to lawes morall and perpetuall and therefore the argument and answer is good and firme and cannot with any good reason be rejected and denied Thirdly divers positive lawes which are morall and perpetuall and bind Adam and all his posterity in all their generations though they be firme and immutable in themselves in their obligation yet because the Duties of obedience which they impose vpon men and the men up on whom the duties are imposed are in their state and condition mutable and chaungable And the chaunges and alterations of the things commanded in times places and other relations and respects do not at all chaunge the law nor proue it ceremoniall and chaungable
to rest and cease from all worldly cares and all laboures and affaires of this life on the Lords day which is consecrated by the resurrection of Christ to be the weekly Sabbath of all Christians But if these Scriptures be diligently searched and all circumstances well weighed It will appeare vpon good reason that both sides are mistaken and that the forenamed Scriptures do not import any such rigorous rest or burden some cessation For first of all though the Pharises and other strict sects and Rabbinicall Doctors and expounders of the law did of later times alittle before and at the appearance of our Saviour in the flesh expound the law soe strictly in respect of the carnall and literall sence that thereby they laid heavy burdens vpon men as our Saviour doth charge them Matth. 23.4 Yet it was not so from the beginning but even the Isralites themselves who lived vnder the law as under a Scoole maister and under the rudiments of the world they had liberty to go out of them places and dwellings a Sabbath days journey which was as their Rabbinnes writes two thousand cubites that is as some take it an Italian mile in the opinion of others two miles And 2 King 11.6.7 It is recorded the Priests and people went in and out to and from the house of the Lord on every Sabbath day They did also kindle fire for sacrifices burnt offerings which they did offer unto God double morning and evening everie Sabbath daie after they had killed and dressed the beasts and this according to the strict sence and strained exposition of the Law which the Scribes and Pharises gaue of it was a breach of the law and prophanation of the Sabbath as our Saviour shewes Matth. 12.5 Secondly the scribes and Pharises did not expound the law as forbidding all bodily workes For they do circumcise Children apply medicines to heale the sores of the Circumcised on the Sabbath when it happened vpon the eight day after the birth of Children as our Saviour also shewes Joh. 7.23 They led their oxen asses to the water and if a sheepe or oxe or asse did fall into a pit they did pull it out on the Sabbath because these were works of necessity Luk. 13.15 14.5 And the chiefest and strictest of the Pharises did make great feasts invited many guests our Saviour himselfe amongst the rest who did not refuse to take part with them Luk. 14.1 did obserue how the invited guists did choose out the chiefest roomes ver 7. Which shewes plainly that dressing of necessary and convenient meat was not forbidden by the law on the Sabbath day neither did the Pharises so expound the law Thirdly for the places of Scrpture before alleaged let us take a perticular view of them in order and we shall see that they are much mistaken First that place Exod. 16.29 doth not enjoyne every man to keepe his place and not to goe out of their campe to gather Manna on the seventh day the reason prefixed shewes this plainly to weet because God gaue them on the sixth day Manna sufficient for that day the seventh The exposition which some make of the 23. ver is very idle ridiculous namly that the Isralites were commanded to bake and seeth on the sixth day that which they were to eate on the seventh And therefore it was not lawfull to bake and seeth on the Sabbath For Moses doth not bidde them bake for the Sabbath which was the morrow after but onely that which they were to eate on the present day and to reserve the ouerplus which they did not bake and seeth vntill the seventh day and though they did so and did not bake and seeth it yet it did not putrifie neither were any worms therin which had it beeÌ„ sodde or baked for baking and seething do naturally and as an ordinarie means preserue things from stincking and putrefaction In the next place the wordes of the fourth commandement in it thou shalt not do any worke they do not forbid religious workes which tend either to inward or outward sanctification of the Sabbath day nor workes of mercy charity or necessity which are necessarie for the safety and preseruation of the life of man or beast Though the perverse Scribes and Pharises out of their Hipocrisie did â—oo strictlie expound and interpret the law of the Sabbath against our Savious doeings and held it unlawfull to Heale the sick on the Sabbath daie though it were but by speaking a word yet their practise which they received from the fathers of killing and offering sacrifices circumcising their children leading their oxen to the water to drinke and drawing their sheepe asses and other profittable cattell out of a ditch did shew that they were taught from the beginning a contrary lesson of more liberty which our Saviour approueth and thereby convinceth them of grosse errour and Hipocrisie Thirdly that place of Exod. 3 35. where they are forbidden to kindle a fire in all their habitations on the Sabbath day is not a generall commandement binding all simplie at al times but a perticular precept binding in some cases for they kindled fires and burned sacrifices twice every Sabbath they also kindled fires to dresse necessary and comfortable meat Exod. 12 16. Where God forbidding all manner of workes on the Sabbath of the Passouer which were commanded to be kept as strictly and to be sanctified with holy assemblies and solemnities as much as the weekly Sabbath yet exceps that which is to be done in dressing necessarie meat Wherefore the kindling of a fire here forbidden is expounded by some Rabbines to be onely making of fires to burne malefactors But indeed if we looke to that which followeth it will appeare that Moses being about to summon the people to bring all materials gold silver brasse jron and other materials and also silke purple and other stuffe for the building of the altar the tabernacle and all things therunto belonging doth first call to their remembrance the law of the Sabbath and doth giue them a charge from God that in building of the tabernacle the place of his worship they abstaine from all worke on the Sabbath day vnder paine of death and that they doe not kindle a fire to melt gold or silver or brass for the Altar or the arke or any holie thing in the tabernacle For God abhorres the breaking of his law or prophaning his Sabbath vnder the pretence of building an House or tabernacle or altars to him And this is no more then our builders of the famous Cathedrall Church of Saint Paul in this city are on our Lords day the Christian Sabbath at this time bound to observe and do abserue very strictly Fourthly the forbidding of all worke vnder paine of death Exod 31.14.35.2 And the commanding of him to be stoned who gathered sticks on the sabbath day Num. 15.35 are not thus to be understood that every breach of the sabbath by any bodily
of the weeke which they are bound to keepe for their weekly Sabbath This is that which is most controverted called in question among the learned in this age therfore comes to be first proued and clearly demonstrated by testimonies and proofes out of the holy Scriptures which being performed I proceed in the next place to the dutie of rest will shew how far Christians are bound unto it on their weekly Sabbath the Lords day And in the last place I will come to the speciall duties of sanctification by which that day is to be kept holy to the Lord now under the Gospell First for the day it selfe Some are of opinion that it is the same which was from the begining that is the seventh last day of the week This opinion is grounded upon the bare letter of the law as it was giuen both in the institution and sanctifying of the seventh day renewed againe in the fourth Commandement and understood by the fathers in the old Testament J confesse that the words of the law if we take them as they were limited to the fathers not considering wiâ—hall how and upon what grounds and conditions God made the seventh day the weekly Sabbath they seeme to favour their opinion For if we conceiue no moâ—e but a mere cessation and rest of God from his works on the six daies created to be the ground of the law then we may also conceiue that the law of the weekly Sabbath binds all mankind to that particular day in all ages because the ground is the same to all men equally belongs to all men in all times to the worlds end Oâ—hers are of opinion that the law of the Sabbath being but a mere ceremoniall law is a bolished by the comming of Christ and bindes not us under the Gospell to any particular day And that it is free for the Church of God to appoint any day for their holy assemblies and that Christians haue no Sabbath neither are bound to keepe any such rest as the law required in the old Testament Others hold that the law of the Sabbath is naturally simply morall in the generall nature of it as it requires a weekly Sabbath to be sanctified and kept holy and that the particular determination of the daie is an honour and prerogatiue which belongs to Christ the Redemer who is the Lord of the Sabbath And that it was the purpose of God from all eternity and in the first giving of the law as to consecrate the seventh day in memory of God perfecting all the works of creation resting from them on that day so also to consecrate by the resurrection of Christ the first day of the weeke to be ever after the weekly Sabbath in honour and memory of the worke of redemption which on that day was fully perfected by Christs rising from the dead and entering into that state of glory in which he rests for ever hauing no more to do for the ransoming and redeming of mankinde Gods justice being full satisfied The first of these opinions being grounded vpon a carnall vndestanding and imperfect sence of the words of the law hath but a weake and sandy foundâ—tion and because as the first authors of it were blasphemous hereticks which erred in diuers fundamental points of christian faith and Religion Soe also the reviuers of it are either cursed Anabaptists or men who doe not rightly vnderstand the law nor the groundes and conditions vpon which it requires an holy weekly Sabbath Therefore it is justly hated and rejected as a Jewish errour the maintainers thereof haue in all true Christian Churches of all ages beene branded with the name of hereticall and Iudaicall Sabbatarians And I need not spend any precious time in confuting it and the frivolous fallacies by which it is maintained The second opinion being too rashly conceived and vnadvisedlie professed and held by some godly Divines of the reformed Churches who in this point do much contradict themselves also being an unsound opinion and therefore well relished by Popish Schoole-men malicious Iesuites licentious Liberâ—ines and men of profane hearts hath no ground in the Scriptures nor any sound Orthodox writings of any auncient fathers Yea bringing great confusion into the Decalouge which is the summe of the morall law and laying a foule staine upon our Church which hath appointed the commandement of the Sabbath to be read among the tenne Commandements and enjoynes the people to pray that God would incline their hearts to keepe that law as well as all and everie one of the rest Therefore I shall not spend any time in the confutation of it The arguments which are brought for the confutation of the contrary truth will sufficiently raze and vtterly abolish it out of the hearts of all true Christians The third opinion is most agreeable to the holy Scripture and the common Doctrine of the Orthodox writers both of auncient and later times especially of the most godly and learned in the Church of England who haue heretofore writen learned treatises of the Sabbath and expositions of the ten Commandements of the Decalogue And therefore I wil bee bold here againe to commend it to you for an undoubted truth which I haue aboundantly proued confirmed by many demonstratiue convincing arguments already partly in that large search which J haue made before into the nature of the law of the sabbath and that description which I haue made of it but most fully in that passage where I proued the change of the day by the resurrection of Christ from the seventh to the first day of the weeke now vnder the Gospel and brought diuers argumenâ—s to shew that the law which God gaue for the keeping holy of a seventh day in every weeke at the first institution of the Sabbath here in my text and renewed againe on mount Sina and giue â—fâ—en in charge by Moses to Israell doth now as strictly binde us to keepe an holy Sabbath on the Lords day in everie weeke as it bound the auncient people of God in the old Testament to keepe the Sabbath of the seventh day But for the confirming of your hearts in the beleife of this truth and in the knowledge of this duty I will not multiply any new arguments onely that you may more firmely retaine it in your memories and still beare it in minde that you are in conscience bound to keepe only the Lords daie and none other for your weekly Sabbath in these times of the Gospell J will briâ—fly touch and explaine some principall heades which haue beene before laid down at large and in ample manner The summe whereof is this Namely That although the law of the Sabbath is not a law of nature in â—hat rigid sence in which some do conceive it that is a law written in mans heart expresly and distinctly in the creation which by the mere instinct of nature and direction of naturall reason did lead man to keepe everie seventh day of the