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
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
A TREATISE OF THE SABBATH AND THE LORDS-DAY Distinguished into foure parts WHEREIN IS DECLARED BOTH THE Nature Originall and Observation as well of the one under the Old as of the other under the New Testament WRITTEN IN FRENCH BY DAVID PRIMEROSE Batchelour in Divinitie in the Vniversity of Oxford and Minister of the Gospell in the Protestant Church of Roven Englished out of his French Manuscript by his Father G. P. D. D. LONDON Printed by Richard Badger for William Hope and are to be sold at his Shop at the signe of the Glove in Corne-Hill 1636. THE TRANSLATOR TO THE READER I Wrote to my Sonne Preacher of the Gospel at Roven desiring him to set downe in a paper distinctly and clearely his oinion concerning the Sabbath with the confirmation thereof by such arguments which hee should thinke most pregnant and a solide refutation of the contrary arguments which he did accordingly but in the French Tongue as writing onely out of a dutifull affection to condescend to my desire not thinking and far lesse desiring it should be Englished and made publike here Neither had I any such intention as being most unwilling that he who is a stranger to this nation although not a stranger to the Church should goe formost to breake this yee And therefore I kept it by me three yeeres till being advertised that others were gone before and their Bookes were on the Presse and finding no man that would or could translate it into our Tongue and take the wearisome paines to place the additions which he sent me at divers times afterwards in their roomes I undertooke this labour my selfe hoping that things being compared with things cause with cause reasons with reasons and the contrary arguments which are to be found in so many bookes for and against the morality of a seventh day of a weekly Sabbath being examined and conferred one by another the Christian charitable and judicious Readers shall be stirred up after they have proved all things to hold fast that which is good without imparing any thing of that religious service which they owe and yeeld publikely in the Church and privately at home with their families to the Lord their God who needs not the errours of men though never so specious for the upholding of his service If in this end of my translation I have done any thing amisse I say with David Let the righteous smite me it shall be a kindnes and let him reprove me it shall be an excellent oile which shall not breake mine head In the meane while let all Christians according to the exhortation of the Apostle put off anger wrath malice and put on charity which is the bond of perfection and so walk worthy of the vocation wherwith we are called with all lowlines and meeknesse with long suffering forbearing one another in love endeavouring to keepe the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace that living in peace the God of love and peace may be with us and live in us for ever and ever Amen THE PREFACE The state of the Question 1. All men are bound to serve God every day privately in some measure according to his word 2. They are also bound to serve him publikely and to have a day stinted for his publike service 3. There is among godly and learned Christians a great controversie about the Originall Nature and Observation of that day 4. Some hold the sanctification and observation of one of the seven dayes of the weeke to be morall and therefore of perpetuall necessity since the beginning unto the end of the world 5. Others maintaine that the stinting of a day for Gods publike service is a point of order and of Ecclesiasticall governement depending wholly on institution 6. This Treatise made for the defence of this last opinion is divided into foure parts 1 ALl men are obliged to honour and serve God all the dayes of their life by the heedfull practice of all the exercises of religion and godlinesse which hee hath prescribed in his holy word Neither ought they to let any day slip without the imployment of some time and the carefull applying of themselves in some competent measure to that duty that thereby they may thrive in the knowledge of truth which is after godlinesse and increase in sanctification without which no man shall see the Lord. Neverthelesse seeing God hath ordained that man in the sweat of his face shall eat his bread and live by the labour of his owne hands Gen. 3. v. 19. that this transitory and dying life is besieged with so numerous an hoste of difficulties that it cannot be guarded without many necessary imployments returning every day that the labour whereunto all men are tied will scarcely suffer them to take their breath they cannot for the most part apply themselves to the necessary actions of Gods service with such care vigilancie attention and continuance as is requisite 2 These ordinary paines of temporall callings are a far greater impeachment to the publike and solemne service that the faithfull are bound to render joyntly to God in their publike meetings For the King of heaven is not satisfied with their private devotions in their closets severally or together with their families at home but will have them also to doe unto him full and absolute homage abroad confessing him to be their Creator Redeemer and perpetuall Benefactor calling upon his holy name and setting forth his praise in their congregations and religious assemblies Now the dayes of man are a warfare upon earth and his dayes are like the dayes of an hireling and the life of the faithfull is intangled and diverted with so many necessary and toilesome affaires that it is very difficult unto them to have such holy and religious meetings every day yea in many places it is impossible Therefore it is altogether necessary that a day be chosen and picked out from amongst a number of other dayes and peculiarly appointed that in it as often as it returneth all persons setting aside the care of all temporall and worldly affaires and daily imployments may extraordinarily set themselves with one accord to serve God publikely in the assemblies appointed for that end and that each person may on that day serve him apart before and after the publike service with such a regard and assiduity that it goe beyond the ordinarie devotion of every day No body amongst true Christians which take to heart the honour glory and service of God will make a controversie of this Neither is this the subject of the controversie which is canvassed and sifted on both sides with great earnestnesse yea with too great eagernesse between many Christians which are learned godly and consenting in the profession of the same doctrine and truth of the Gospel of peace 3 Their variance and disagreement is about the nature beginning and particular observation of the day which is separated from all other dayes that it may be especially applied
contained in the Law and in the Prophets 7 Againe the same is clearely seene by the intention and end of Iesus Christ in the passage that is in question which is to shew for the justification and clearing of himselfe that although he urged above all the observation of the most weighty points of the Law such as are the morall points and blamed the Scribes and Pharisees for tying themselves principally to the ceremonies as to Sacrifices Purifications Sabbaths c. which were of little importance in comparison with morall duties and exhorted his Disciples to be carefull that their righteousnesse should exceed the righteousnesse of these Hypocrites and for that cause was by them accused as a Destroyer of the ceremonies commanded by the Law and authorized by the Prophets neverthelesse he was not come to destroy them but to fulfill them 8 The instance that they make saying that the Lawes which Iesus Christ expoundeth in the verses following of the fifth Chapter of S. Matthew are all morall is too weake For they are not all such In them there is something which hath expresse regard to the ceremonies and a comparison of them with the moralities vers 23. 24. And some other things which belong to the politike or judiciall Law vers 25. 31. 38. 9 But besides this although they were all morall that inforceth not by a necessary proofe that in the seventeenth and eighteenth verses Christ hath spoken of morall duties or that the twentieth one the twentieth two and verses following have so strait a connexion with the 17 and 18. verses which goe before that they speake all of the same subject and matter For how ordinary is it in the same sequele of a discourse to diversifie the particular subjects and to passe from one to another And indeed our Lord IESUS CHRIST passeth most conveniently from the Ceremonies which the Scribes Pharisees accused him falsely to destroy to the moralities which they destroyed in effect The tenor of his discourse being this I am accused by the Scribes and Pharisees to destroy the ceremonies and ordinances of the Law because I blame the superstitious usage and preferring of them to morall duties which are of greater importance But that is most false For I destroy them not but doe shew their true usage and am come to exhibite the truth of them in my person neither is there any of them nor of the Prophesies that shall not be fulfilled in me But this accusation may be truly laid in the dish of the Scribes and Pharisees For they are the men which destroy the Law yea in things that in it are of greatest moment debasing and disrespecting it as if it were nothing in comparison of their traditions and ceremoniall observations Therefore I say unto you that except your righteousnesse shall exceed theirs yee shall in no case enter into the Kingdome of Heaven For they make glosses upon the morall Commandements which pervert their true sense and in so doing teach men to breake them This then being evident that in the foresaid 18. verse mention is made of the Law as much nay much more as it containeth the ceremoniall ordinances then the morall the argument taken from it remaineth without force on the behalfe of those that alledge it if they will not by the same meanes render us necessary keepers of all other ceremonies of the Law as well as of the Sabbath day which is not their intention 10 Neither doth that follow of the saying of Iesus Christ. For it is most true that he was not come to annihilate and destroy the ceremonies of the Law either by his Doctrine or by his Actions Not by his Doctrine by declaring them to be vaine idle and frustratory things not by his Actions by saying or doing any thing contrary unto them by casseering and abolishing them without fulfilling the truth of things figured by them The verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used by the Evangelist imports as much for it signifieth often to overthrow and destroy and is here equivalent to the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 used by the Apostle in the same subject and to the same intention Rom. 3. vers 31. saying that through faith the Law is not made void but established where by the Law he understandeth not onely the morall Commandements but also the Ceremonies figures and prophesies as appeareth by the 21. verse where he speaketh of the righteousnesse of faith witnessed by the Law which belongeth to the whole Law given by Moses yea properly to the ceremoniall Law which led men directly to Christ which the morall Law did not but by an oblique and indirect way Christ I say was not come to destroy the Law of ceremonies but to fulfill them which he did both by teaching what was the end they tended unto and by a reall exhibition in himselfe of the body of their shadowes and of the truth of their figures which was no impediment unto him why he should not make them to cease after he had fulfilled them Nay much otherwise it was necessary hee should make them to cease seeing they had no other end but to figure and represent him which was not a destroying of them but rather the true meanes whereby he made them to obtaine their perfection making them to abut to their end In which respect the Apostle in the tenth Chapter to the Romans vers 4. calleth Christ the end of the Law Now the Sabbath day being a ceremoniall point of the Law injoyned in the 4th Commandement of the Decalogue in that wherein it was ceremoniall as hath beene shewed before Iesus Christ ought not destroy it but by fulfilling the truth that it figured make it to cease and expire as all other legall ceremonies And therefore although Iesus Christ in the foresaid passage had intended to speake onely of the Law of the ten Commandements the objection taken from this place should not be of any moment and consquence 11 Of this that wee have said ariseth an answer to the instance taken from the ninteenth verse following in the same Chapter Whosoever therfore shall breake or rather shall destroy one of these least Commandements and shall teach men so hee shall bee called the least in the Kingdome of Heaven Of which words presupposing still that Iesus Christ in them intendeth to speake only of the Commandements contained expresly in the Decalogue they inferre that seeing the Commandement of the Sabbath is one of them Iesus Christ condemneth for ever the inobservation or transgression and on the other part ordaineth and establisheth the observation thereof 12 Wherevnto granting unto them for their greater advantage that Iesus Christ in these words hath regard to the Commandements of the Decalogue only I answer that he speaketh of the dissolving annihilating and overthrowing of these Commandements For this the signification of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the originall And condemneth all those that dare to doe it But to abrogate the Sabbath day injoyned by
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