Scriptures which mention the Sabbath speak of it as of a holy Sign looking towards Christ and the state of Grace and Glory in him and not towards the state of Innocency It is most certain Adam in that state was perfect with all natural Perfections and at all times equally disposed to obey and serve God to remember his Creation and to honour his Creator he needed no observation of any day to be put in mind of any thing he had before known and which God had revealed to him his Memory was perfect his Will was every day ready to do whatever he knew to be right he needed no Sign to admonish him of his Duty or to move him to do it in due season he did not labor nor weary himself every day to him was a day of Delight and Pleasure of Rest and Recreation In a word his whole Life was a constant and obedient serving oâ— God and there was no inequality nor lesâ— Worship of God perform'd by him in onâ— day than in another for he fully served God at all times Whoever denies this must needs deny Man's Perfections and constant Conformity to God in the state of Innocency For where one day is kept better than anâ—â—ther there is an inequality and no constaâ— Uniformity in himself nor Conformity to 〈◊〉 Will of God In the second place they who hold the Sabbath was first instituted after Man's Fall and yet written in Man's Heart in Innocency and that he was then bound to keep it fall into many Absurdities as 1. That Man was bound to keep a Sabbath before ever it was instituted 2. That God did by his Word teach Man in vain i. e. that which he was fully taught already and had written in his heart 3. That God gave Man a Law in vain after his Fall because he was become unable to keep it 4. They that hold that the Law of the Sabbath was not written in man's Heart but was by a Positive Law given in the State of Innocency of the same nature with that of eating of the Tree of Knowledg make this Commandment of the Sabbath utterly void by Man's Fall even as that of eating c. is now void Thus far Mr. Walker I might add certainly there was a vast difference as to the Cause and Design of God's giving a Sabbath to Man in Innocency and when fallen Could a Sabbath sute equally with perfect and â—allen Man Or could there be the same need of a Sabbath to both Certainly if God had â—ot given that Command by Moses the keepâ—â—g that precise Day would not have been known 〈◊〉 be the Duty of any of Adam's Off-spring â—om a positive Law given to him in Innocency Ninthly To put the matter further out of â—oubt pray mind the words of this pretended â—ositive Command God rested on the Seventhâ—â—y what then but he also blessed and sancâ—â—fied it what tho Because God sanctified 〈◊〉 Priest may others do so too He might 〈◊〉 the Seventh-day apart for his People in afterâ—â—es Because God sanctified it must Adam â—nctify it or keep it holy without a Comâ—â—and Is it said therefore Thou Adam shalt â—eep this Day as a Sabbath No doubt Moses â—ould not only have mention'd God's blessing â—nd sanctifying that Day had it been given to Adam as a Sabbath but God's express Command would have been mention'd by him and would also have called it the Sabbath-day I might now come to the last Argument viz. If it had been commanded Adam and all his Posterity to keep the Seventh-day after he fell â—he Patriarchs that lived before Moses kept it But more of this next time Tenthly If Adam had the Sabbath positively given to him in Innocency besure it was injoined with some Penalty as the Command of not eating of the Tree of Knowledg was We also find the Penalty of the breach of the Seventh-day Sabbath was Death but as we read of no Positive Command given to him to keep that Day so of no threatning if he broke or violated it therefore certainly it was never enjoyn'd upon him Elevehthly When the Sabbath was institured for the House of Jacob God declared it was a Sign between him and them or a Shadow of things to come Col. 2. 16 17. it referred to Christ or to that Rest all Believers do enter into Exod. 31. 13 14. Speak thou unto the Children of Israel saying Verily my Sabbaths it is a Sign between me and you throughout your Generations Ezek. 20. 21. that ye may know that I am the Lord that sanctify you Exod. 31. 13. Ye shall keep my Sabbath therefore it is holy unto you every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death For every one that doth any work on the Sabbath-day shall be cut off from amongst his People vers 14. It was a sign God set apart that People with a Ceremonial Sanctification to signify that alone by Jesus Christ all the true spiritual Israel should have Gospel-Sanctification as well as it was a sign of the Covenant of Works but it could be no sign of this Sanctification to Adam in Innocency nor of any other Gospel-blessing therefore doubtless the Sabbath was not given to Adam in Innocency Twelfthly What reason can be given that God should allow Adam in Innocency six days to labour in and require but one i. e. the seventh as a day to his Creator No it is evident from hence the Sabbath refer'd to fallen Man who God foresaw would need six days to do all his Labour and it shews God's great Mercy to Man and Beast in that woful condition of Servitude It might not be our Duty to keep the Sabbath tho given to Adam in Innocency under the Curse I might add should it be granted that God gave Adam a positive Command to keep the seventh day in Innocency how can our Opponents thence prove it the Duty of all to keep the said day A Command to him in Innocency may not oblige any Man in his fallen state except the same be renewed I find two of the chiefest Writers I have met with who are approved Orthodox plead not for the Sabbath as given to Adam in Innocency See Sabbatum Redi Part 3. p. 336. viz. Mr. Dan. â—awdrey and Mr. Herbert Palmer Take their words We purpose not to maintain that the Sabbath was given to Adam in Innocency before the Fall but they hint it might be given to him after the Fall and that he fell the same day he was created P. 337. Moreover they say If it was given before his Fall it doth not follow it should oblige at this day for the positive Precept of not eating of the Tree of Knowledg was given in Innocency and yet doth not universally oblige Adam's Posterity nor should if the Tree were at this day known A positive Precept binds only during the pleasure of the Lawgiver c. so say I the same must be granted when it was given Exod. 16. 20.
still and had its Patrons and Abettors Ebion and Cerinthus two of the wretchedest Hereticks of the Primitive Times And after them Apollinarius is said to countenance and defend it which doubtless made the Antient Fathers declare themselves fully in it as a dangerous Point it seemed to confirm the Jews in their Incredulity and might occasion others to make question of our Saviour's coming in the Flesh Hence Irenaeus Justin Martyr Tertullian and Eusebius Men of Note in the Primitive Times affirm that never any of the Patriarchs before Moses's Law observed the Sabbath which question less they must have done had that Law been moral and dictated by the Light of Nature He cites also Epiphanius and Theodoret on Ezech. 20. Procopius on Gen. 2. Damascen and our venerable Bede concurring with the former Fathers All talk saith he that the Observation of the Jewish Sabbath vanished utterly c I might mention other Authors to the same purpose But to proceed my Brethren because one of my Arguments against the precise Seventh-day Sabbath will be to prove it a Sign or Shadow of that Rest Believers enter into when they first close with Christ I shall say no more now by way of Explanation of my Text but proceed to those Points of Doctrine that arise herefrom Doct. 1. That it is not the Duty of believing Gentiles under the Dispensation of the Gospel The Doctrines raised to keep the Seventh Day as a Sabbath to the Lord. Doct. 2. That it is a dangerous thing for any to plead for and keep the seventh day so i◠to lay the same stress on the observation thereof as on a purely natural or simply mora◠Precept These two Propositions I purpose God assisting to prosecute and confirm in this method First I shall lay down several Explanatory Propositions Secondly Give many Arguments to prove th◠truth of the first Proposition Thirdly I shall taking in the second Proposition endeavour to prove that the observing the seventh day Sabbath so as to lay the same stre◠on it as on a natural and simply moral Precept ◠a dangerous thing Fourthly I shall prove that all Believers 〈◊〉 oblig'd to observe the first day of the week free from secular business in religious Worship as the time in season only under the Gospel-dispensation Fifthly I shall endeavour to answer all the main Objections brought by our Opponents against the Observation of the first day of the week To begin First Proposition premised Let it be considered that the Apostles perceiving the weakness of the Jews who believ'd in Christ to take them off gradually from Jewish Observation of days and other legal Rites and Ordinances did admit of the Practice of some of them for a time till they were better instructed in the Truth as it is in Jesus the nature of the new Creation and the change of the whole Law viz. the utter abolishing of all things Ceremonial or that were Signs and Shadows of things to come and the removing the ministration of all Moral Precepts from Moses as Lawgiver into the hand of Christ as Mediator in which capacity he had all Power delegated to him in Heaven and Earth as our only Lord and Lawgiver Mat. 28. 18 19 20. Thou seest Brother how many thousands of the Jews there are which believe and they are all zealous of the Law Acts 21. 20. Hence Paul complied with them to purify himself and to shave his Head v. 24. and on the like account in compliance with their weakness he circumcised Timothy I might from hence by the way note that had we such a Passage that Paul kept one Jewish Sabbath as we have here of his circumcising Timothy I suppose our Brethren would make no small advantage of it that it is our Duty from thence to keep it but that might have been on the same account and no better ground than it would be for us to plead for Circumcision and be circumcised as Tillam Skip and Cooly were as I am informed who called themselves the Ministers of the Circumcision But to proceed Upon the same reason perhaps the Jewish Rites Days and typical or shadowy Ordinances might and were called by their former and antient names as well as for distinction sake for tho those legal Ordinances were dead yet as our Annotators observe they were not then deadly if look'd upon as indifferent things however God was pleased they being his own appointments to vouchsafe them a gradual and decent funeral Second Proposition But nevertheless after they had been better instructed into the truth of the Gospel and the change or end of the Law they were more plainly dealt with I mean he more fully and clearly informed them and shewed them the great danger if they observed those legal Rites Days and Ordinances especially when he saw they laid such stress upon them as to make them necessary to eternal Life as a Rule of Obedience Hence the Apostle says I Paul testify unto you that if ye be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing Gal. 5. 1. And why if circumcised because it was a shadow and the keeping up the shadow was a virtual denying that the Substance was come and besides they were thereby bound to keep the whole Law Such was the natural tendency of observing one Legal Rite or Precept as given by Moses it being in that Ministration a Covenant of Works and he that kept one was obliged to keep all and he that broke one was guilty of all 1. And if so why might not Paul have told them the same thing and danger if they kept the legal Sabbath which led them according to the Tenor of it and in the strictest observance to perfect Obedience which is implyed in those words Thou shalt not think thy own thoughts nor speak thy own words 2. Or provided they made it necessary in order to a holy Life in point of Obedience as a pure moral Precept even of the same nature with the first Commandment viz. Thou shalt have no other Gods but me or the second Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image c. or the third or fifth or any of the rest I speak not of what is simply moral in the fourth Commandment but of that precise seventh day I say may not their danger be as great if thus they look'd upon those Jewish Sabbaths as if circumcised because then if they kept them not it necessarily must follow it would exclude them the Kingdom of Heaven as all other immoral Acts or actual breach of pure moral Precepts would do 3. Because Paul tells them that those Sabbaths were a Shadow or Sign so far as Circumcision was as I have and shall further make appear and so hereby unwarily they would deny that Christ was come to give us Rest and we do not yet cease working for Life in order to enter into Rest which was held forth as the Tenor of that Ministration of the Moral Law by Moses and particularly in their
all Work which God created and made These are the words which contain what is call'd the Institution and Command of the Sabbath to Adam in Paradise Tillam and others make a great noise of the Sabbath instituted in Paradise and given to Adam to keep but Brethren I must tell you that the Learned strangely differ among themselves who would have the Antiquity of the Sabbath thus early some of them affirming it was given to Adam in Innocency others say not till he fell One speaks thus Mr. Geo. Walker's Doctrine of the holy Sabbath p. 10. And for the time when God first instituted the Sabbath I conceiv'd it to have been not in the state of Innocency but after Mans Fall immediately and yet upon the seventh day wherein God rested These are his very words From hence I observe he believ'd Adam did not stand in his Innocency one day and this he endeavours to prove and others as well as he Men of great Learning and Wisdom Let me cite here one more * See Mr. Warren's Jewish Sabbath antiquated I shall propose saith he and endeavour to prove a counter Position namely that it seems more consonant to Scripture tho at the beginning yet after the Fall in Man's corrupt and vitiated state the probation whereof depends much tho not altogether upon the decision of that often canvassed Question whether our first Parents sinned the same day on which they were created Others not of less note and Learning say That the Sabbath did not commence till Israel came into the Wilderness and at the fall of Manna Mr. Primrose in his Treatise of the Sabbath in his Preface it appeareth not at all that God gave any Commandment to Adam either before or after his Fall binding him or his Progeny to the keeping of any such day whatsoever as to a thing moral and necessary neither is there any trace of such a Commandment to be found till the coming of the Israelites to the Wilderness and that God assign'd to them the seventh day of the week P. 20. as a particular point of Ecclesiastical Government whereof he prescrib'd unto them all the particular Rites Now my Brethren I shall shew you 1. What is said by those who affirm it was given to Adam in Innocency whose Arguments seem to me of no weight at all 2. I shall take notice what is said by those learned Men who deny it was given to Adam in Innocency and affirm it was not given as a Command till Israel came into the Wilderness To begin with those who affirm God gave it to Adam before his Fall in Paradise or in his state of Innocency 1. They ground it upon what Moses saith in Gen. 2. because it is there mention'd as the day on which God rested from all his Works 2. Because God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it Owen on the Sabbath p. 42 c. Dr. Owen after he had shew'd that some Jews and Rabbins affirm the Sabbath did not begin till the Israelites came into the Wilderness tho some of them differ'd in their Opinions about its Commencement comes to tell us P. 55. That the Opinion of the Institution of the Sabbath from the beginning of the World is founded principally on a double Testimony First From the Old Testament Gen. 2. 1 2 3. because Moses saith God blessed the seventh day P. 62. and sanctified it not saith he that God kept it holy himself nor that he purified it and made it inherently holy which the nature of the day is not capable of nor that he celebrated that which in it self was holy but that he set it apart to sacred use Secondly The Testimony to the same purpose saith he taken out of the New Testament is in Heb. 4. 3 4. For we which believe do enter into Rest as he said As I have sworn in my Wrath if they shall enter into my Rest altho the Works were finished from the Foundation of the World For he speaketh in a certain place on this wise And God did rest the Seventh Day from all his Works Now saith the Doctor the Works and the finishing of them did not at all belong to the Apostle's Discourse but only as they denoted the beginning of the Seventh-day Sabbath for it is the several Rests of God alone that he is enquiring after But to pass by what the Doctor saith 1. Let this be considered that in this place only of all Paul's Writings mention is made of the Seventh-day but not one word here intimating that 't was our duty to observe that Day under the Gospel which had it been the Christian Sabbath no doubt he would have given some hint of at this turn 2. By the manner of his Words and Expressions comparing these two Verses together it seems the Sabbath did not commence from the beginning of the world for tho God rested on the Seventh-day and might then set it apart yet he might give no Command to keep it till after-times when Sabbath-day Service or Worship was appointed This I rather think from these words Altho the Works were finished from the Foundation of the World yet the Day as Man's Duty was not given till long after for as our Annotators observe Paul alludes to Exod. 31. 17. For he speaks in a certain place on his wise c. Thus having given you the Proofs of those who assert the Sabbath was given to Man in Inâ—ocency I shall now give you the Reasons urg'd â—y others who affirm it was not given till Israel came into the Wilderness Their Arguments are of two sorts 1. Many of them affirm that Moses wrote â—ere in Gen. 2. by a Prolepsis or way of anticiâ—ation 2. Others do not so much assert that but â—low it might be set apart in the design of God from his finishing his Work and yet afâ—â—rm it was not given to any to keep till Israel's â—oming into the Wilderness when God was aâ—out to form them into an Ecclesiastical and Poâ—itical Church-State and appointed them Laws and Ordinances particularly the Worship Duties and Sacrifices they were to discharge on their Sabbath-day And indeed it may seem unreasonable to believe that the wise God shall give a Sabbath not only for Rest but for Divine Worship before he appointed those Duâ—â—es of Worship he would have them to perâ—orm on that day which were essentially neâ—essary for all to know as well as the special â—recise Day it self 1. But to begin with the first Argument that Moses wrote those words in his History by way of Prolepsis or Anticipation and so to be â—ead as it were in a Parenthesis that is Moses being the first Man that wrote by Revelation or Inspiration and having before he began to write received the Command of the Seventh-day Sabbath and the reason of its Institution coming to write of the Time when God finished his Work put in this concerning the Sabbath by way of Anticipation saying God blessed the
of God's holy Nature and therefore commanded whether written in the Heart of innocent Adam or in God's Word or Law and doth universally and perpetually oblige the whole World to conform thereunto Now having let you know what is to be understood by a simple Moral Law I shall shew that the Law of the precise Seventh-day Sabbath is not a Law of this nature i. e. a pure moral Precept universally and perpetually obligatory on all Men tho I deny not but there is that in the fourth Commandment which is moral in the sense I have given viz. 1. A time Three things contain'd in the fourth Commandment a sufficient time to be set apart from all worldly Business for Rest and the Worship of God and this is all I can find simply moral in the fourth Commandment 2. There is something more contained in it which God by a positive Command requir'd from the Soveraignty of his Will as that which he sees just and reasonable namely that one day in seven be set apart as a day of Rest and for his Service and that this should be perpetual to the end of the World I know Divines call this positively moral and tho I cannot see reason so to call it yet I grant as much I think as they mean thereby 3. God did also command the whole House of Israel under their Legal and Typical Church-â—tate to observe the seventh or last day of the week in remembrance of his finishing the Works of the first Creation And now that the precise seventh Day was a â—hadow or a sign I have and shall prove and 〈◊〉 was only a Law to the Israelites during that Typical Dispensation and their Political Church-â—tate which Christ nailed to his Cross and â—uried with all other Shadows and Legal Ceremonies But before I proceed I might give you the Observations of divers Expositors on the order and manner of the Expressions in the fourth Commandment As first the essential part Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy not the seventh day True in the next words God declar'd that the seventh Day should be the Jews Sabbath whom he took into a Legal and Typical Covenant and Church-state to be his own People The seventh Day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God not thy God in Christ upon the terms of the new Covenant no no but thy God in a legal and external Covenant And so their Sabbath was given to them upon the terms of the Law of Creation or the Covenant of Works which is a legal relative and external Covenant God enter'd into with the whole House of Israel or Nation of the Jews even them and all their natural Seed as such My Brethren upon this foot of account was the Seventh-day Sabbath founded not in Christ or on a new Covenant bottom nor given to New-Covenant Children as such but it waâ— bottom'd upon the Covenant of Works and only given to that People whom God brought out of the Land of Egypt and redeem'd from Egyptian Bondage And when he enters into that Covenant with them he positively says therefore he gave them his Sabbaths Deut. 5. 1. which was a shadow of a far greater Work than that 〈◊〉 Creation and of a greater Redemption thâ—â— that out of Egypt I heard lately of one 〈◊〉 said this was his chief reason of observing 〈◊〉 Seventh-day Sabbath because it was given 〈◊〉 God's Covenant-People c. not being able to discern between that legal and typical Covenant made with the whole Nation of Israel which took in their fleshly Seed as such anâ— the Covenant of Grace Moreover Expositors observe concerning the close of this Commandment ver 11. Wherefore God blessed the Sabbath-day and sanctified it that 't is not said the seventh day here but the Sabbath-day One day in seven and not the precise seventh Day from the Creation is by a positive Command in this place intimated to be God's Will and Pleasure to be observed to the end of the World But the precise Seventh-day Sabbath given to Israel I shall prove is not the moral part of the fourth Commandment but a shadow of what was to come and principally refers to Christ and to that spiritual Rest Believers enter into when they first close with him I know Divines call one Day in seven a moral positive as I just now told you by moral they 〈◊〉 as I conceive that which ought perpeâ—â—ally to be observed but that Day which God from the Soveraignty of his Will commanded the Jews was 't is plain the seventh and when Christ came who has given us the true Rest and rose from the dead he appointed as I shall hereafter prove the first Day of seven upon the account of his finishing his Work i. e. the work of Redemption as God commanded the Israeâ—â—tes to keep the seventh-day because on it he â—ested when he had finished his Work viz. â—hat of Creation Now then tho there is something naturally â—nd simply moral in the fourth Commandment â—nd tho God doth here intimate from his own â—rerogative or Arbitrary Will that he will â—ave one day in seven perpetually observed as a â—ay of Rest and sacred Worship yet that â—art of it that speaks of the seventh-day was â—erely positive and typical and so ceased with â—he Covenant of Works Indeed Dr. Owen has excellently shewed how his Commandment is of a mixt or compound â—ature partly simply moral partly positively â—oral and partly typical or Ceremonial the â—â—st he refers to the precise seventh day when he says P. 120 121. It was instituted for an outward present religious Observation to signify and represent something to come And such saith he were all the particulars of the whole System of the Mosaical Worship whereof the Law of the Sabbath was a part And in â—rief the whole Law of the Sabbath was as 〈◊〉 its general nature positive and arbitrary â—nd so changeable and particularly ceremoâ—ial and typical and so is actually changed and abolished Now to proceed The precise Seventh-day Sabbath cannot be a simple moral Precept and therefore in that lies not the Morality of the â—ourth Commandment In order to prove this â—et me lay down this Proposition viz. If the Law of the observation of the precise seventh Day hath not in it one Character of a Law that is simply moral then the Morality of the fourth Commandment doth not confist in the observation of that precise Day but that it has not one Characteâ— of such a Law I shall endeavour to prove First That the precise seventh Day is not the Morality of the fourth Commandment proved largely A simple moral Precept that I meâ— which is naturally moral obliging all Mankiâ—â— for ever as to the very matter of it or this it self as so considered abstracted from 〈◊〉 positive Command is naturally holy as â—â—sulting from the Nature of God But the seventh Day in which our Brethâ—â— place the essence or substance of the fourâ— Commandment or the
for a Man to marry his own Sister Answ 1. Where all Uncleanness and Lusts of Concupiscence and Fornication are forbid there a Man is forbid to marry his own Sister 2. Is not this sort of Incest forbidden and condemned 1 Cor. 5. 1. where the incestuous Person is condemned for marrying his Father's Wife If it be unlawful for a Man to marry his Brother's Wife or his Father's Wife it is unlawful to marry his own Sister because nearer of kin 3. All manner of Incest is forbid to believing Gentiles in Acts 15. 29. this was one of those things contain'd in the Law that is given forth anew to believing Gentiles The Holy Ghost inspir'd the Apostles to write to the Gentiles to abstain from Blood Meats offered to Idols things strangled and from Fornication now Incest is by Paul call'd Fornication 1 Cor. 5. 1. I hear there is Fornication amongst you c. Tho in strict speaking say our late Annotators by Fornication we mean Uncleanness of single Persons yet by this word often in Scripture is understood all species of Uncleanness Nor is it probable that the Holy Ghost refers to the Uncleanness of single Persons in Acts 15. but to somewhat more doubtful and therefore I conceive all sorts of Incest in this place are forbidden 4. If any should say How can they know it was unlawful for a Man to marry his own Sister I answer 'T is not only known as I have shew'd by the New Testament and forbid there but also by the very Light of Nature for such Fornication 1 Cor. 5. 1. saith Paul is not so much as once nam'd among the Gentiles that is among the more civiliz'd Heathens who had no other Law than the Light of Nature which teaches Men to abhor such a Marriage For doth the Light of Nature teach a Man that it is a shame to wear long Hair and not teach him it is a shame to marry his own Sister 5. Moreover tho I said the whole Moral Law is transfer'd from Moses as a Lawgiver to Christ as Mediator yet the Old Testament and the Law as written by Moses as well as the Prophets are of great use in many respects 2 Tim. 3. 16. All Scripture is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction and Instruction in Righteousness c. Sixthly The Seventh-day Sabbath proved to be a sign of the Covenant of Works The Morality of the fourth Commandment consists not in the observation of the precise seventh Day because that day was a sign or shadow of something to come I did at first prove in opening my Text that the weekly Jewish Sabbath is comprehended in those days the false Brethren taught the Galatians to observe Gal. 4. 10. and gave many Arguments to evince that tho there is one day in seven by a positive Law perpetually to be kept Col. 2. 16. yet the old Jewish seventh day from the Creation and under the Covenant of Works was a shadow of things to come But I shall add here something out of an approved Author further to confirm this That Sabbath Warren on the Sab. against Tillam p. 106 107 c. saith he and the particular seventh day which the Jews observed was certainly of a shadowy nature being instituted at first with reference to Christ as all other Shadows were having a Type after fix'd to it And of this we may safely expound that forementioned Text Col. 2. 16. Let no man judg you in Meats or in Drinks or in respect of an holy day or New Moons or Sabbaths which were shadows of things to come but the Body is of Christ The only question is whether their weekly Sabbath was here intended Some are jealous lest in pressing it so far it should prove prejudicial to our weekly Christian Sabbath but this is a mere causless Jealousy For let us ponder the scope and design of the place and it will appear that the Apostles design is not to level Christian Days and Duties but such as the Jews observ'd and would have introduced with Circumcision 'T is apparent that in all those three places Rom. 14. 5 6. Gal. 4. 10 11. Col. 2. 16. he crys down the Ordinances of the Law or Old Testament not the Institutions of the Gospel Look what the Jewish false Teachers cry'd up St. Paul cried down So as to argue from hence against all difference of days under the Gospel is evidently to stretch the Text beyond the Scope but to urge it against all Jewish holy days their weekly Sabbath and all is not to force it For 1. The Apostle seems to speak distinctly and distributively enumerating the several sorts of days in observation among the Jews Holy-days New-Moons Sabbaths and the gradation from yearly Holy-days to monthly New-Moons and from them to weekly Sabbaths is visible enough to such as are not blinded with Prejudice Mr. Shepherd speaks much to the same purpose Sheph. on the Sabb. Part 2. The plural term Sabbaths is usually put for the singular the Sabbath or seventh day Thes 20. p. 204. now under dispute Yea I cannot find any one Text in all the New Testament where it is applied in the same number to any other day or Sabbath but the old Seventh-day Sabbath * Mat. 12. 15. Mark 1. 21. cap. 2. 24. cap. 3. 2. Luk. 4. 31. cap. 13. 10. Act. 13. 14. Seven or eight times the same word as is here set down in the plural number is used for the old weekly Sabbath and not so much as once for any yearly Sabbath therefore in all reason that precise weekly Sabbath must be here I will not say included only but principally intended Even in the Old Testament wherever New Moons and Sabbaths are coupled together unless the Phrase be figurative as in Isa 66. 23. the Jews weekly Sabbath is denoted by it as appears by those Scriptures cited in the Margin †2 Kings 4. 23. 1 Chron. 23. 31. ch 8. 13. ch 31. 3. Neh. 10. 33. Ezek. 45. 17. Amos 8. 5. in most of which their annual Sabbaths are excepted and distinguished by another name scil Feasts to which answers the word Holy-days in this place Col. 2. 16. For indeed the word in the Original signifies a Feast or Festival-day Thus let Scripture expound Scripture and Truth will be Truth in spite of Error take the whole Sentence together Holy-days New-Moons Sabbaths and if it be an Old Testament Phrase it always implies the old Seventh-day Sabbath or take the word Sabbaths singly by it self and if it be a New Testament Term as 't is like it is it ever signifies the same seventh day unless when put for week which here it cannot be The Conclusion then is undeniable that the Jews Seventh-day Sabbath was a shadowy Sabbath Dr. Owen also repeats what some learned Men say upon this place Col. 2. 16. Let no Man judg you in Meats or Drinks or in respect of an Holy-day or the New-Moon
Dr. Owen p. 214. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or of the Sabbath or Sabbath-days which were a shadow of things to come but the Body is of Christ From hence they affirm saith he it will follow that there is nothing moral in the observation of the Sabbath seeing it was a mere Type and Shadow as were other Mosaical Institutions and also that it is absolutely abolished and taken away by Christ And if they mean no more but that precise seventh Day they were certainly right Nay Dr. Owen himself as I conceive determines the matter so as to make that precise day refer to Moses and his Oeconomy But indeed I see some learned Men have wrote very darkly because they strive to preserve a Sabbath in the Gospel-day or a day of Rest and of solemn Worship and that tho not simply yet positively moral from the fourth Command and if by moral positive they mean one day in seven which God from his Soveraign Pleasure will have perpetually observed as a day of Rest and solemn Worship I am of their mind Quest But since the Jewish seventh Day was a Sign and a Shadow what was it a Sign and Shadow of Answ Before I give a direct Answer to this let me premise one thing which in a special manner we ought to regard viz. that the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath was bottom'd upon the Covenant of Works in that Ministration of it given to the whole House of Israel as suting with their Ecclesiastical Political and Typical Church-state And this Dr. Owen has fully proved Dr. Owen on the Sab. p. 221. speaking of that Covenant Now saith he this is not absolutely and merely a Law but as it contain'd a Covenant between God and Man A Law it might have been and not a Covenant which doth not necessarily follow upon either its instructive or preceptive Power Yet it was originally given in the Counsel of God to that end and accompanied with Promises and Threatnings whence it had the nature of a Covenant By virtue of this Law as a Covenant was the observation of a Sabbath prescribed and required as a token and pledg of God's Rest in that Covenant in the performance of the Works whereon it was instituted and of Man's Interest in it Again he saith Seeing therefore that the Moral Law as a Covenant between God and Man requir'd this sacred Rest we must inquire what place as such it had in the Mosaical Oeconomy whereon the true Reason and Notion of the Sabbath doth depend for the Sabbath being originally annexed to the Covenant between God and Man * The Dr. takes it for granted which I deny that the Sabbath was given to Adam the Renovation of the Covenant doth necessarily require a special Renovation of the Sabbath and the change of the Covenant as to the nature of it in like manner doth introduce a change of the Sabbath c. 1. From hence note that Dr. Owen saith the Law given Exod. 20. was a renewal of the Covenant of Works 2. That the Seventh-day Sabbath was given as a Token or Pledg of that Covenant and Rest 3. That the Seventh-day Sabbath of Rest was not a Type of our Eternal Rest in Heaven but a Type or Shadow of that true Spiritual Rest we enter into under the New Covenant when we believe in Christ and so this Rest is the Antitype of the Jewish Seventh-day Sabbath My Brethren this is that Rest of God which he referr'd to and in which he takes up his delight and complacence Moreover God shewed his People Israel by their Sabbath how impossible it was for them by the Covenant of Works to enter into this Rest where they should utterly cease from sin it was a sign between God and them that they should perform the whole Obedience due under the Covenant of Works signified by that Obligation that in six days they should labour and do all they had to do and then rest denoting that the whole Law must be kept or no rest the man that doth them shall live by them or have Life Rest and Peace on that Condition This I say did signify Man's working for Life before he could enter into Rest for if they could do all they had to do or God required of them or answer all the Demands of the Law then they should have Rest Peace and Justification thereby Here you have the Six-days Labour and the Seventh-day's Sabbath it being an Epitome of the Covenant of Works For their Sabbath as Calvin shews in the tenor of it put them upon the highest Acts of Obedience even to live and sin not or cease from all Iniquity in Words Thoughts and Actions Now if this did not tend to Bondage and so was a Law against them and contrary to them nothing could but now in Christ who hath kept the Law perfectly for us or has done all we were to do and suffer we come to have true spiritual Rest and Peace And Our Lord no doubt alludes to this Ma◠11. 28 29. Come to me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Brethren mind those two words labour and heavy laden On the Jewish Sabbath no servile labour was to be done nor any burdens to be born signifying that Believers in Christ cease from labouring for Life and must not bear any burden of Sin either in respect of the guilt or fear of the punishment Christ having done all and born the burden of all our sins in his own Body on the Tree so that we must cast our Burden on the Lord and he will sustain us And so we begin our Sabbath after all our Works are done and Burdens born by our dear Lord and blessed Surety on the first Day of the Week as he has directed us and from hence we work not for Life and Rest but from Life Rest and Peace Therefore to answer that Question what was the Jewish Sabbath a sign of you have in part heard but shall yet more fully hear 1. I affirm that it was a Sign of the Covenant of Works in that Ministration given to Israel written and engraven in Tables of Stone How often is that Sabbath called a Sign between God and them Exod. 31. 13. Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep it is a Sign between me and you throughout your Generations Again vers 17. 'T is a Sign between me and the Children of Israel Ezek. 20. 12. Moreover also I gave them my Sabbath to be a Sign between me and them that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctifieth them But still it is enquired what was it a Sign of Some say that Israel were in bondage in Egypt others that God created the World in six days Answ I answer but remotely if at all it was a Sign of either of them for they are laid down as the Reasons why God gave Israel their Sabbath and not as a Sign of those things But let it now be well considered that God
never since the Fall entered into a Covenant with any People but he gave a Sign or Token of it 1. When he entered into a Covenant with Noah and all the World in him that he would no more destroy the World by Water he gave a Sign viz. a Rainbow this was a Covenant of external Favour without any Restipulation 2. When God entered into Covenant with Abraham and with all his fleshly Seed as such he gave them a Sign of that Covenant namely Circumcision this is that which we call the Covenant of Peculiarity tho we deny not but God entered into a Spiritual or Gospel-Covenant with Abraham and with all his true spiritual Seed also which contained only a free promise of Grace in Christ but that Covenant with his natural Seed as such is called the Covenant of Circumcision Acts 7. because Circumcision was the Sign thereof Moreover they that can't see a twofold Covenant was made with Abraham are strangely blinded 3. And that there was a renewal of the Covenant of Works with the whole House of Israel given by Moses contained in the 20th Chapter of Exodus is most evident tho not given for Life but for other Reasons which I have mentioned and this Covenant contained Ten Commandments with the promise of Life upon the condition of universal Obedience thereunto And to this all the People consented and joined in with God by mutual Restipulation Exod. 24. 3. And all the People answered with one voice and said All that the Lord hath said we will do And now I say their Seventh-day Sabbath was given as a sign of this Ministration of the old Covenant of Works and hence also as Circumcision the sign of that Legal Typical Covenant made with Abraham and his fleshly Seed as such is God's Covenant so the Seventh-day Sabbath is call'd also God's Covenant Wherefore the Children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath to observe it throughout their Generations for a perpetual Covenant Exod. 31. 16. and this because it was a Sign or a Pledg to them of that Obligation they lay under to keep the whole Law I might here add that the Lord's-Supper is a sign of the Gospel-Covenant and it is also call'd the New Testament or Covenant in Christ's Blood And thus as Circumcision bound all to keep the whole Law that conformed to it that being a sign of that part of the legal Covenant to Abraham and his natural Seed throughout their Generations so the Seventh-day Sabbath is a sign of the same legal Covenant in that Ministration with the House of Israel Exod. 20. and obliged all that observe it to keep the whole Law also And that this is not my Judgment alone take what Dr. Owen has said on this account Whereas the Covenant which Man originally was taken into Dr. Owen â—n the Sab. p. 148 â—19 was a Covenant of Works wherein Rest with God depended absolutely on his doing all the Works he had to do by way of Legal Obedience he was during the Dispensation of that Covenant tied up precisely to the observation of the seventh Day or that which follow'd the whole work of Creation And the seventh Day as such is a Token of the Rest promised in the Covenant of Works and no other And those who would advance that day again into a necessary observation do consequentially introduce the whole Covenant of Works and are become Debtors to the whole Law For the Works of God which precede the seventh Day precisely were those whereby Man was initiated into and instructed in the Covenant of Works and the Day it self was a Token and Pledg of the Righteousness thereof or a moral and natural sign of it and of God's Rest therein and of Man's with God thereby And it is no Service to the Church of God nor hath any tendency to the Honour of Christ in the Gospel to endeavour a Reduction of us to the Covenant of Works What is now become of Mr. Tillam's Flourish who insults over such as call the Seventh-day Sabbath a sign The Sabbath is indeed saith he a sign of good things formerly produced Tillam on the Sabb. p. 18. as the Creation or else of good things at present enjoy'd as God's sanctifying Grace but never was set up for a sign of good things to come like the Ceremonial Sabbaths I might here retort the vaunting Language of the Preacher of Peter's of cutting off Goliah's Head with his own Sword for if the Morality of the Sabbath cease by being a sign to the Jews in their Generations upon the same account must the whole Law cease to be moral since God's Spirit hath set it also for a sign Answ 1. Tho the Marks of true Grace are call'd Signs yet there is a great difference between them and the Signs of Covenants Miracles also are call'd Signs and God's People are set as Signs and Wonders but what of this 2. He mistakes greatly when he affirms that God saith the Sabbath was a sign of his sanctifying the whole House of Israel with his sanctifying Grace Did God so sanctify them or were they spiritually sanctified No no it signified that God took the whole Nation of Israel into an external federal and legal Relation to himself or set them apart as so considered from all People in the World to be his own People and in that Covenant-relation he was married to them as he says elsewhere 3. To sanctify What is meant by God's sanctifying the whole Nation of Israel often in the Old Testament only refers to God's setting apart a Thing a Person c. for himself or to some holy legal Use or Service Thus the seventh Day was sanctified and the Priests and Vessels of the Sanctuary c. were sanctified And their Sabbath was a sign that they became God's People in that legal and typical Covenant or upon the terms of the Covenant of Works they promising that all the Lord commanded them they would do Exod. 24. 2 3. which confirms what we said before 4. Let none suppose that God took the whole House of Israel into a special Relation with himself according to the tenor of the new Covenant or Covenant of Grace or that that Covenant Exod. 20. was the Covenant of Grace Let them read what the Prophet Jeremiah saith Jer. 31. 31 32 33. Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will make a new Covenant with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah Not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the Land of Egypt which my Covenant they broke altho I was a Husband to them saith the Lord. But this shall be my Covenant that I will make After those days saith the Lord I will put my Law into their inward parts and write it in their Hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my People 1. Had the former Covenant been the
Covenant of Grace no doubt but they had abode in that Covenant to this day and for ever but they are cut off and now are in no actual Covenant relation with God at all Sure the Covenant of Grace cannot be utterly broken 2. Moreover then they should not have needed to look for the Law in two Tables of Stone because that whole Moral Law should not only be written in the New Testament the Book of the New Covenant but in their Hearts also 3. Now when a Covenant is abolished as the old Covenant is will any dare to plead for the sign of it which obliges them to keep the whole Law No plain it is the sign i. e. the old Sabbath is gone with the Covenant it self Quest If the old Sabbath was a sign of that of which you say what was it a Type or Shadow of Answ It was a Type or Shadow of our blessed Rest in Christ Heb. 4. For we which have believed do enter into Rest This is the Antitype of the seventh-day Rest when no Labor is to be done nor any burden of Sin to be born by Believers this is that Rest God is pleased with and here we also rest from all Labour or Works of our own as God did from his at first Macarius saith Hom. 39. in Mat. 12. that Sabbath given to Moses was a Type and Shadow only of that real Rest given by God to the Soul My Brethren what comfort is here to you that enter into this Rest What Joy may hence spring in your Hearts who are delivered from Bondage and grievous Burdens Gal. 5. 1. Stand 〈◊〉 therefore in that Liberty wherewith Christ has made you free and be not again entangled with the yoke of Bondage lest Christ profit you nothing Seventhly I might prove that the Morality of the fourth Commandment consists not in the precise Seventh-day Sabbath even from that Memorandum that is fix'd in the beginning of the Command viz. Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy Now tho one day in seven be by a positive Law made perpetually obligatory in the fourth Command yet that is not as so considered a simple moral Precept much less not the precise seventh Day and this because it is brought in with Remember denoting clearly the difference between this Command as to any particular day and that which is purely moral in this Command for that which is connatural to us or an inherent Law of Nature is so engraven in our Hearts that inlightned Persons especially are not very subject to forget it But a mere positive Precept which is not so written in our Hearts by Nature we are too ready to forget therefore God as I conceive to this Precept added this Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy 'T is not said Remember ye have no Gods but me or remember you do not take the Name of the Lord in vain or remember you do not disobey your Father and Mother or that you do not steal commit Adultery Murder c. no such charge is given there why so because these Precepts being simply moral are written in our Hearts The word remember as one notes hath not primarily any reference either to the Works of God or to the finishing his Works but to God's destination of the Day to be in time to come the Churches Sabbath Not remember how your Fathers kept it or God instituted it from the beginning but it is a new Ordinance and of another nature i. e. the chief of all Ceremonies c. Eighthly 'T is naturally impossible for all Men to keep the precise 7th day throout the World To prove that the precise seventh Day is not a simple moral Precept I argue thus That which all Men throughout the World are not able precisely to observe or keep or which is morally impossible for them so to do can be no simple moral Precept but all Men throughout the World are not able to observe the seventh precise Day from the Creation it being morally impossible so to do therefore it is no simple moral Precept I shall not so much insist on that part that it is impossible for any Man much less for the whole World to know which is the precise seventh Day from the Creation as what some learned Men have shewn viz. that it is morally impossible to keep such a precise seventh Day 1. This must be premised that the Saturday Sabbatarians affirm that the precise seventh Day is to be kept saying in this the Morality of the fourth Command lies which consists of 24 hours and hath a Morning or Sun-rising and an Evening or Sun-setting throughout the whole year and it was that precise day of the week in which God rested from all his Works Now Dr. White p. 177 178 179. as one observes in some habitable Regions and under some Climates the year is not distinguished by weeks containing each of them seven days neither are there several natural days of twenty four hours consisting of Morning and Evening by means of the rising and setting of the Sun as these Instances and Examples following do declare Continuance of the Sun above the Horizon 1. deg 70. In the Southern part 〈◊〉 Groinland Finmark Lapland and in the North of Russia and Tartaria one day lasteth from the 10th of May unto July 14. 〈◊〉 five of our days 2. deg 75. In the North of Groinland the Isle of Chery Nova Zembla Lancasâ—er and Horse-Sounds the day continueth from April 21 until August the 2d of our day 102. 3. deg 80. In the North of Bassinsâ—Bay and Greenland the day continueth from April the 6th until August 17 and of our days 133. 4. deg 85. In Regions and Places undiscovered the day continueth from March 23. until August 31. of our days 161. 5. deg 90. Under this Degree the day continueth from March the 10th until September the 13th of our days 187. Now from the Premisses this Argument ariseth The Law of the fourth Commandment enjoyneth the observation of such a Sabbath day as is distinguished from the other days of the week by morning and evening by the rising and setting of the Sun and by the presence and absence thereof within the space of every 24 hours But in many Regions of the World and under sundry Climats there are no ordinary Weeks containing seven particular days distinguished each from other by morning and evening and by the rising and setting and by the presence and departure of the Sun Therefore the Sabbath-day of the fourth Commandment cannot be observed in many Regions of the universal World by such Nations as live under a Climate where there are no such Weeks and Days as the Law of the fourth Commandment enjoineth to be observed For the Subject of that Commandment is a natural day of 24 hours and where that subject is wanting how is it possible for any Law that wanteth its proper Subject to be in force Now if any shall conceive that altho
to these the most judicious pious and zealous Ministers and Martyrs of Christ who have liv'd and dy'd within the compass of these sixteen hundred years and most if not all of them will tell you that they never owned your Saturday Sabbath they liv'd without it dy'd without it and are I doubt not gone to Heaven without it Besides how many faithful Witnesses of late years has the Lord raised up to bear Testimony against it of whom I suppose the greatest part are yet alive tho some are fallen asleep In a word how many precious and gracious and pious Christians are yet upon the Earth Men and Women redeem'd from the Earth and crucified to the World of whom the World is not worthy who look upon your Sabbath as a Cypher can freely labor and travel upon it buy and sell upon it and this after accurate Inquiry about it and to this day their Consciences never reproach them their Hearts never smote them for it What will you say Are all these Hypocrites unrenewed unsanctified ones this were to condemn the Generation of God's Children and canonize your self with your few misled Associates for the only Saints in Christendom which I would hope you dare not do tho I know * Meaning Tillam you dare as much as another Well the Adversary is brought to this Dilemma either God has no People in the World but such as are of his Perswasion or his moral and immutable Laws are not written in their Hearts or the Saturday Sabbath is none of those Laws Thus this Author If the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath be written in the Hearts of Believers some one Man or another can produce some one Believer that was by the Law written in his Heart convinc'd of it without reading Moses's Law or any Book or Books compiled by Men about the Sabbath But no Man can produce any such Believer that will or can say this therefore it is not written in the Hearts of Believers Thus it appears that it is not the Duty of Gentile Believers to keep the seventh Day from the Law of God written in the Hearts of God's new Covenant Children which was the sixth and last part of the general Argument first proposed The last thing in speaking to the Seventh-day Sabbath I promised to do The dangerous Consequences of the Sabbatarian Principles was to shew you that as some hold and maintain it it is a dangerous Error 1. Is not that dangerous which caused Paul to fear he had bestowed on the Persons he speaks of Labor in vain Was it not because they observ'd Jewish Days laying stress on those things 2. Is not that a dangerous Error that leads Men to ratify or sign the Covenant of Works which binds them to keep the whole Law This I have proved is the natural tendency of this Practice Owen on the Sabb. p. 149. and the same thing Dr. Owen you have heard positively affirms also 3. Is not that dangerous that magnifies the first Creation Work above Redemption It magnifies Creation-work above Redemption or the new Creation Work when God began to create the new Heavens and new Earth which refers to the Gospel or new Creation What saith the Lord the old Heavens and old Earth shall be remembered no more that is in a day kept to that end for otherwise sure the great Works of the first Creation ought not to be forgot but the new Creation excelling the old the new Day must be kept in remembrance thereof and not the old day 4. Is not that a dangerous Error that tends It eclipses the Glory of Christ as the necessary Consequence of it to eclipse the Glory of Christ as the only Lord Head and Lawgiver to his Church and that gives part of this Honour to Moses 5. Is not that dangerous that tends to intangle and bring into Bondage and under legal Terror poor weak Christians as some who have kept the Seventh-day Sabbath have confessed till God open'd their Eyes they fearing they broke the Sabbath in some way or another for indeed no Man can perfectly keep it any more than he can keep the whole Law as has been hinted I was always in a trembling state saith one so long as I kept it c. or to that purpose Brethren it is not to be thought what Bondage it brought the zealous Jews under they not knowing when they had answered the strict observance of that day and if they brake it they must die without Mercy as the poor Man that gathered Sticks on that day they were not to speak their own words c. How should they know when they did this On Mat. 12. 2. p. 361. Nay live and sin not They would not Mr. Trap saith spit nor ease themselves on that day which is hard to believe tho some were superstitiously zealous 't is true yet others who were piously zealous by means of the strictness of the Precept continually were in fear and bondage And sad it is for any to be entangled again thereby 6. Is not that a dangerous thing Jewish Sabbath genders to Bondage that by the necessary consequence of it leads men to observe other Legal Rites and Ceremonies as not to eat Swines-flesh nor wear a Garment of Linen and Woolen nor mar the corner of their Beards Nay some of the chief of them formerly were led to Circumcision and to worse than that also I saw a Book published many years ago by two of them in which they called themselves the Ministers of the Circumcision That these things are the necessary Consequences of their Notion about their Sabbath appears because they go to Moses for it as the Law was in his hand and believe many other things that were meer Judicial Laws to be in force now They are for Moses's Law with the Statutes and Judgments and have declared that that Law is in force to stone to death such as break the Sabbath And no marvel for if that Sabbath be in force the Punishment is in force also Nay they believe I hear that a rebellious Son ought to be put to death 7. Is not that Error dangerous It renders all that keep it not guilty of horrid Immorality and of an evil Nature the necessary Consequence whereof renders all that keep not that precise Seventh-day as the Sabbath nor can be convinced 't is their Duty to observe it to be guilty of Immorality i. e. in breaking a moral Precept in the very Letter of it nay one of the Precepts of the first Table For it must be thus if the morality of the fourth Commandment lies in the observation of the precise Seventh-day Sabbath and it must be as great an Evil to violate it as 't is to have another God or to bow down to a graven Image or to swear or profane the holy Name of God or commit actual Adultery Murder c. and thus their Doctrin renders all true Christians to be guilty of a most
World and gave the Ten Commandments as well as he gave forth all the Ceremonial Law the three Persons being the same one God yet Christ is contradistinguished i. e. referring to his Human Nature or the Anointed of God as Mediator or God-man And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord in the New Testament is commonly and peculiarly applied to our Lord Christ as 1 Cor. 8. 6. But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ c. So Eph. 4. One Lord one God and Father c. and to this Lord doth the Day here refer Iâ— the fourth Commandment that which is called the Sabbath of the Lord thy God speaking of Israel is meant of God indefinitely and not of one Person contradistinguished to the other Two The Work of Creation is commonly ascribed to God the Father and so the old Seventh-day Sabbath is properly the Father's Day not Christ's tho all the three Persons created the World 6. This day is called the Lord's Day in a like sense as the Holy Supper is in some places called the Lord's Supper 1 Cor. 10. 21 22. ch 11. 27. in which places is meant the Lord Christ God and Man This may answer their common Objection viz. Object It might be called the Lord's Day in respect of God the Creator not of Christ the Redeemer and therefore may be meant the Seventh-day Sabbath Besides the World was made by Christ and he gave the Law on Mount Sinai I further tell them this Name or Appellation Christ refers to our Lord as Mediator or as he is God and Man But the second Person was not God and Man when the World was made or when the Law was given on Mount Sinai Tho the second Person or Christ as God created the World and with the Father and Holy Ghost is that one God that gave the Law yet Christ the Anointed or as Mediator God in our Nature actually existed not till the fulness of time was come 2. And why may not they call the Lord's Supper and the Lord's Table so with respect to God the Creator or Christ as Creator 3. Consider that in the New Testament Christ as Mediator is actually exalted to be Lord of 〈◊〉 of all Persons Men and Angels and of all things For to this end Christ both died and rose again and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living Rom. 14. 9. 4. So that as the term Lord is peculiarly ascribed to Jesus Christ as Mediator so certainly is the day here called his Day And as the Supper is called the Lord's Supper because he instituted it and it wholly refers to Christ so the first day is called the Lord's Day because the Lord Christ instituted or appointed it as the special Day of his Worship and as it refers to his glorious Resurrection Object If the Scriptures be the Rule to judg whether that day be not the Lord's Day which and which only as distinguished from other days of the Week the Son of Man is Lord of Answ 1. Christ is Lord of all days no doubt because he is Lord of all things but the Seventh-day Sabbath is no where appropriated to Christ as Mediator nor ever called the Lord's Day 2. When 't is said in the New Testament that the Son of Man is Lord also or even of the Sabbath-day he shews that it was in his power to dispose of it for he gives this as a reason for his doing that which the Pharisees counted Sabbath-breaking and by which he oftentimes offended them And so it is far from being a reason of his establishing it to abide a Sabbath in his Kingdom-state And as one well observes it seems plainly to mean that that being a positive Law belonging to Moses our Lord had power to change it or dispense with it as well as other Positive and Mosaical Laws As it is said Eph. 1. 22. He hath made him Head over all things to the Church not Head to all things So he is Lord over all Days but all are not separated to his Worship As it is said Joh. 17. 2. Thou hast given him Power over all Flesh So it may be said thou hast given him Power over all Days that he may sanctify one to his own peculiar service and use and leave the rest common to us to work in 7. There is On the Sab. p. 223. saith Mr. Shepherd no other day on which mention is made of any Work or Action of Christ which might occasion a holy day but this only of his Resurrection which is exactly noted of all the Evangelists to be the first day of the Week and by which work he is expresly said to have all Power given him in Heaven and Earth Mat. 28. 18. and to be actually Lord of the dead and living Rom. 14. 9. And therefore why should any other Lord's Day be dreamed of Why should Mr. Brabourn imagin that this day might be some superstitious Easter-day which happens once a year The Holy Ghost on the contrary not setting down the Month or Day of the Year but the Day of the Week wherein Christ rose therefore it must be meant of a weekly Holy-day here called the Lord's Day 8. This was the day in which Christ ceased from his Wâ—â—k and rested as the Father ceased from his Work and rested on the Seventh-day and therefore this is his Day as the other was the Father's Day there being a day remaining to him and to us thro him from the same foot of account in the times of the Gospel as we have proved 9. That 't is this day which is called the Lord's Day because of his frequent appearance on it after his Resurrection and because after his Ascension he crown'd it with that miraculous effusion of the Holy Spirit to put a Glory upon it and to confirm it as that day appointed for his People to wait upon him in 10. John Owen on the Sab. p. 292. in calling it the Lord's Day did not surprize the Churches with a new Name but denoted to them the time of his Vision by the name of the Day which was well known to them And there is no solid reason why it should be so called but that it owes its preeminence and observation to his Institution and Authority And no man who shall deny these things can give any tolerable account how when and from whence this day came to be so called it is the Lord's Day as the Holy Supper is called the Lord's Supper by reason of his Institution 11. Because as I have proved the Lord hath made it therefore it is called the Lord's Day This is an Argument saith a Reverend Author * Mr. Will. Fenner on the Sab. p. 81. used by the Church of God in all Ages for twelve hundred years St. Austin used it in his time The Psalmist prophesieth of the Resurrection of Christ â—sal 118.
and the Courts at Westminster Saturday is called Sabbati or Dies Sabbati True as supposing by Tradition this day of our week to be what the Jews called the Sabbath in their week but do you not know also in the same Records Sunday is called Dies Dominicus the Lord's-day And if those prove Saturday to be the Jewish Sabbath why should not these as well prove Sunday to be the Lord's-day All the difference is as to that you were quick-sighted but blind as to this You may observe also that the one is Sabbati or Dies Sabbati in the Genitive case in the same form with Dies Saturni and as the other days are but the Lord's-day is Die Dominico in the Ablative meaning I suppose that Saturday is the day which had been the Jewish Sabbath but this the day which is the Lord's-day Which different Construction seems plainly to intend in our Law a different import of the words by Dies Saturni or Dies Lunae we do not mean a Day instituted by Saturn or the Moon as by Dies Dominica we do mean the Day instituted by our Lord like as by Coena Dominica we mean the Supper instituted by our Lord So that these Records do you no Service at all but Disservice I shall here before I close add a few Syllogistical Arguments for our Opponents to answer Arg. 1. If the holy Spirit doth write the whole Moral Law of God in the Hearts of all true Believers but doth not write the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath in their Hearts then the Seventh-day Sabbath is no Moral Precept but the former is true Ergo. Arg. 2. The holy Spirit doth convince all Gospel-Believers of all immoral Evils or of every simple moral Precept the holy Spirit doth not convince all Gospel-Believers it is an Evil not to observe the seventh Day as a Sabbath nor that this is a moral Precept Ergo 'T is not an immoral Evil to work upon that day c. Or thus Arg. 3. The holy Spirit guides all true Believers into all Truths that result from the holy Nature of God or that are good and therefore commanded the holy Spirit doth not guide all true Believers to observe the seventh Day as a Sabbath Ergo the Seventh-day Sabbath is no such Truth c. Arg. 4. If the New Testament be a perfect Rule of Faith and Practice and there is no Precept nor Precedent for the observance of the Seventh-day Sabbath the Seventh-day Sabbath ought not by us to be observed but the former is true Ergo 't is not our duty to observe that Day Arg. 5. If Christ and Paul after him have made known or declared the whole Counsel and Will of God or whatsoever we should believe observe and practise but have not made known or declar'd it is our duty to observe the seventh Day then 't is not our duty to observe it but the former is true Ergo. Arg. 6. If the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath as given by Moses belonged wholly or was annexed to the Judgments of the Mosaical Oeconomy and the Judgments of the Mosaical Oeconomy belong not to the Gospel-Church then the Law of the Sabbath as given by Moses belongs not to us but this is so because Death was the Penalty of the breach thereof Ergo. Object What if we grant that all the ten Commandments belonged or were annexed to the Mosaical Oeconomy are all the ten Commandments abrogated therefore or not in force to us Answ I have shewed that the whole Moral Law is given forth by Christ considered as Mediator and that we are not obliged to observe them as given by Moses and the precise seventh Day being no simple Moral Precept but merely Judaical pertaining to the Covenant of Works our Lord hath not nor could confirm that Precept in the Gospel so that it appears the Sabbath only belonged to the Mosaical Oeconomy and will you affirm that of all the Ten. One Sabbatarian * Mr. Edw. Stennett on the Sab. p. 50. saith That all the ten Commandments had the Penalty of Death annexed to them to be inflicted by the Magistrate which saith he is an evident distinction between Moral Laws and Laws Ceremonial c. Again he saith Pag. 53. See the Snare broken the Sabbath having the same Penalty that the other nine have it convincingly proves the Morality of it Answ 1. This shews that none of the ten Commandments as given by Moses are in force to Believers or oblige the Gospel-Church but only belong'd to the Jewish Policy as formally deliver'd Exod. 20. and tho the Moral Law given by Christ as Mediator doth oblige us yet the precise seventh Day being no Moral Precept but only Judaical is gone it not being given forth anew in the Gospel nor could be given with its old Sanction viz. the Penalty of Death to be inflicted on such that break it because the Gospel-Church is no Political Body or Civil State they can't inflict Death on such as transgress this or other Precepts 2. Nay nor ought such to die that profane the holy Name of God or disobey their Parents or commit Adultery c. by any Law given by Christ in the Gospel * And do not such as affirm otherwise strangely Judaize those Temporal Punishments only belonged to the Mosaical Oeconomy many in the Gospel-Church before call'd were guilty of the gross breach of divers moral Precepts yet were not to be put to death Christ came not to take away Mens Lives but to save them both from temporal and eternal Death 3. Moreover it is a grand mistake to say that the Penalty of Death distinguisheth Moral Laws from Ceremonial for he that in the days of Atonement did not afflict his Soul Levit. 23. 29. must die or be cut off and whosoever toucheth the Mount shall be surely put to death Exo. 19. 13. And he that was not circumcised must die or he cut off so for divers other Sins †Exod. 30. 33 38. Lev. 7. 20 21 25 27. 17. 4 9. that were not Moral Precepts Pray read Heb. 10. 28. Paul shews that in this respect we are not come to Mount Sinai but to Mount Sion Heb. 12. 18. and sad it is to see any so left as to endeavour to carry the People back again to that fiery Law which was so terrible as the Apostle shews ver 21. But it is no marvel they do thus when they that intimate the Law and Covenant Exod. 20. was the Covenant of Grace If I have an Answer God sparing my Life you shall see what some of their chief Writers have said as to this and some other things that may seem more distasteful to all pious Christians Arg. 7. If the first Day was observed as a day of Worship by the Apostolical Church and no other day of the week then the first Day is that day of Worship which we should observe but the first Day was so observed c. Ergo. Arg. 8. If Moses as
Benjamin Keach Minister of the Gospel Aetat 57. THE JEWISH SABBATH ABROGATED OR THE Saturday Sabbatarians confuted In Two Parts First Proving the Abrogation of the Old Seventh-day Sabbath Secondly That the Lord's-Day is of Divine Appointment Containing several Sermons newly preach'd upon a special Occasion wherein are many new Arguments not found in former Authors By BENJAMIN KEACH Gal. 5. 1. Stand fast therefore in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not again intangled with the Yoke of Bondage LONDON Printed and sold by John Marshall at the Bible in Grace-Church-street 1700. To the READER THere is not one Controvertable Point in and about Religion that I less thought to have been concerned with this way than that contained in these Sermons presented here to thy view until I was alarm'd on a sudden and provoked some few Months ago to undertake it there being one Person especially under my charge who for some time by his unsettled and wavering Spirit and aspiring Temper I feared would be troublesome who had for some considerable time unknown to me suck'd in the Notion of the Jewish Sabbath and laboured to corrupt many others of the younger sort some of which with himself fell into the Practice of keeping that Day and cast off the Lord's-day as not being of Divine Appointment Some of them being Apprentices declared they would and could do any Business or Work for their Masters upon the first Day of the Week And this Principle they received without acquainting me or the Church with it or ever coming to me to hear what I had to say against it insomuch that when it was publickly known it had almost put the whole Congregation into a flame but to prevent which I was desired by divers Members to endeavour to convince them by Scripture and solid Arguments which I laboured to do but found all was in vain as to several of them So that the Brethren saw it was necessary for me to preach upon this Subject which I my self perceived an absolute necessity to do and praised be the Lord who hath blessed my Undertaking herein and answered my hopes which was not so much to regain those hot-headed and conceited young Men as to establish confirm and strengthen all others many being much startled and doubting which Day they ought to observe which the Ringleaders I perceived much gloried at some of them giving it out that they hoped to bring over great part of the Congregation to their Opinion but these seasonable and timely Endeavours through the Blessing of God have I hope finally prevented their Design all generally save them who were at first corrupted being throughly established in the Observation of the Lord's-day in opposition to the old Seventh-day Sabbath And several that were wavering told me how fully all their Doubts were resolved by hearing some of these Sermons preached These things first mentioned being the occasion of my insisting upon this Controversy I hope all will say my Call was just and none will or can blame me that have no prejudice against me And now also at the request and desire of many some not Members with us the Sermons are published hoping they may be of some use to the Church of God in general As to the Work it self all may perceive that I have taken no small Pains according to my small Ability in searching not only into God's Word but also into the Works and Labours of many pious and learned Authors and I have cited to confirm my own Arguments many Passages out of their Writings 1. Thinking their words might do more with some Persons than any thing I my self might say whose Learning and Abilities far exceed mine 2. Because few may be ever saw some of these Books I have 't is true repeated some things two or three times which I look upon emphatical that they might make the greater Impression on such Readers for whose sake these Sermons are published viz. who are not learned for others need not my help Reader I did not for some reasons deliver from the Pulpit great part of what is here published and also some things I might say that are here omitted which being not in my Notes I could not remember Dr. Owen Dr. Wallis Mr. Warren c. in particular with several other Reverend Ministers have said enough to satisfy any on this Subject whose Books have not ever been answered In my Citations of divers Authors I have transcribed both the Greek and Latin that all may know the original words of which our Opponents would make some earnings and I can solemnly say I have not wilfully mist in any Quotation And if any of these Sabbatarians make Reply to me let them rather answer them especially those three I have now mentioned than me it will be more for their Honour And this I will say if they do think to reply unless they answer what these and other learned Men have said which I have here recited I shall take it for no Answer at all Let them therefore attempt to do it effectually or not meddle with it 'T is true I differ from divers learned Men in one or two things I have cited and from Reverend Dr. Owen particularly i. e. about Adam in Innocency and the Patriarchs keeping the â—eventh Day yet what the Doctor saith on Heb. 4. doth well comport with my Principle but tho as soon as God finished his Work he rested and that day of Rest ensued thereon to answer the end of Creation and the Covenant of Works yet I can't see any ground to believe it was given to any to observe until Moses's time Exod. 16. for reasons I and others have given Moreover Dr. Wallis has shewed in his Rejoiner to Mr. Bamfield p. 123. that that very Day before it rained Manna could not be a Sabbath because on that day Quails covered the Camp and they were not forbid to gather them Exod. 16. 8 13. But no more of that here I expect better usage or treatment from these Opponents than I met formerly with from some others about another Controversy who left the Argument to abuse my Person yet I may say with a late * Mr. Grascome Writer on this Subject as for the Leaders he saith Deceivers I despair of doing good to them but shall be glad if I may be an Instrument to recover any that are misled or deceived Self-denial is a hard Lesson You will find many new Arguments I think not found in former Authors I shall conclude with Advice to unsettled Persons who are ready to receive Novelties But first take a Note or two how you may know such they that are firmly rooted in the Truth will not be soon shaken or removed Erronious Persons 1. Are subject to cavil with Truth doubtfully uttered which by an honest Hearer will be well taken 2. They are subject to contradict plain evident Truth with a delight to gainsay it because they would not have it to be otherwise than they
believe 3. They have a vehement desire to infect others or to draw many to be of their Opinion 4. A desire of Conference under pretence of taking Satisfaction but on purpose to vent their Notions more freely and get the good opinion of others and occasion of insulting 5. Commend themselves thro Pride and diminish the Credit and Honour of others and care not what pious Congregations they divide and trouble to augment their own Company 6. Make a Profession of new Light that hardly any before them ever attained and that all are in darkness but themselves 7. Pretend to Conscience and that they would imbrace the Truth when they see it yet after clear Demonstration of Truth they remain stubborn and persevere in their Errors 8. They matter not Church-dealings nor any just and righteous Censure nor regard their own most solemn Church-Engagements so that they can but please their own fancy and feed on their new Notions the more greedily And hardly can a Man receive an Error but he will prove a Seducer of others 9. They shew great Zeal and concernedness of Mind if they find any oppose their Errors as if their All lay at stake 10. And if they receive one Error they are ready to receive more 11. They commonly seem uneasy under the Word where they are Members and catch at any thing to blemish their Minister and will wander abroad to hear as their fancies lead them as if under no Government tho they grieve and afflict the Church and Members to whom they belong breaking Christ's Bands and casting his Cords from them To close 1. Take heed of erronious Books and if you doubt do not presently turn your Doubts into Practice 2. Beware of your own private Interpretation of Scripture and confer with such as have better Judgments than your selves 3. Suspect all private Opinions which differ and dissent from the general Doctrine as taught by Christ and his Apostles and owned in the two next Ages after them or that dissent from the general Doctrine and Practice of such whom you believe in this Age have obtained the clearest Light remember the way of Truth is no By-path but trodden by the Primitive Flock or Gospel-Churches 4. Besure hear what can be said against your Notion as well as what you hear for it There is one thing I should have noted touching the Error of these Sabbatarians viz. their Notion brings in an external force upon the Conscience in matters of Religion for they must force their Children and Servants not only to rest but to worship God on the seventh Day tho against their Light or they are guilty of Sabbath-breaking But I will add no more O that God would put a Rebuke on and stop all the Errors of these evil days and increase Love among his People Let us all cry for more of the Anointing or for the latter Rain and the glorious Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ that is now just at the door And Reader if thou dost receive any profit by what is here wrote give the Glory to God and let me have thy Prayers who am thy Soul's Friend and Servant in the Gospel Horsly-down Southwark this 12th of Jan. 1699-1700 Benj. Keach The Contents of this Book The First Part. SErmon I. The occasion of these Sermons with the Scope of the Text Pag. 1 to 6. The Terms opened and eight Explanatory Propositions p. 6 to 16. Serm. II. The 9th Proposition containing many things about this Controversy out of Dr. Owen on the Sab. p. 23 to 27. The General Proposition from whence the Author proceeds in his whole Work in six Particulars p. 28 29. No Law of the Sabbath written in Adam's Heart in Innocency shewed in six Particulars p. 29 to 35. No positive Command given to Adam to keep the 7th day as a Sabbath proved by 12 Arguments p. 37 to 56. Serm. III. The Patriarchs kept not the 7th day proved in 12 Arguments p. 58 to 74. Serm. IV. The Sabbath begun in the Wilderness of Sin Exod 16. p. 75 76. What a Moral Precept is shew'd from the Learned p. 88 89. The simple Morality of the 4th Command consists not in the observance of the precise 7th Day proved by 4 Arguments p. 86 to 91. Serm. V. Eight Arguments more to prove the same p. 93 to 124. The 7th Day a sign of the Covenant of Works p. 〈◊〉 104. What a Shadow of p. 107. Serm. 6. The Law of the Decalogue was only given to Israel and Proselites p. 125 to 133. Objections answered from Rom. 3. 19. Gal. 4. 5. and James p. 133 to 135. The Moral Law in the hand of Christ as Mediator p. 136 to 147. No Precept nor Precedent to keep the 7th day in the New Testament p. 147 to 152. Serm. VII Ten Arguments against the 7th Day p. 155 to 158. The Law of the 7th Day Sabbath not written in the Hearts of Gospel-Believers p. 156 157. Twelve dangerous Consequents attending the Opinion of these Sabbatarians p. 161 to 172. The second Part. SErmon I. The Scope of the Text opened p. 175 176. The first Day of Divine Appointment Man has no power to appoint a weekly Day of Worship p. 178 179. The Equity of one Day in seven p. 180. How to distinguish Moral Precepts from Ceremonial p. 181 182. Pentecost proved the first Day of the Week A long citation of Mr. Warren who cites Dr. Ulher's Letter to Dr. Twiss from p. 186 to 198. Serm. II. The Foundation of the first Day partly containing Citations of Dr. Owen on Heb. 4. from p. 200 to 221. This is the Day the Lord hath made p. 210 to 214. First day confirmed by the Examples of the Gospel-Saints and Churches p. 214 to 223. Serm. III. First day proved from Acts 20. 7. p. 224. Also from Rev. 1. 10. The Lord's Day proved to be the first Day of the Week p. 224 to 248. Serm. 4. Proving there is one Day of the Week for preaching the Word in season and that 't is the first Day p. 248 249. The first Day proved from 1 Cor. 16. 12. p. 250. to 264. When the first Day begins and how it ought to be kept from p. 266 to the end Faults escaped the Press which before you read pray correct with your Pen. PAge 23. in the Contents line 6. for no read any P. 93. l. 5. for six r. eight P. 104. l. 11. for God's Covenant r. is called the Covenant P. 132. last line save one r. not without Law to God P. 140. l. 26. for breaking r. breakers P. 142. last line for by r. is P. 143. l. 3. blot out Law P. 147. l. 33. r. Sabbath was made blot out not P. 180. l. 27. for he r. our P. 205. Title for Heb. 4. 11. r. Heb. 4. 9. and so P. 207. P. 219. l. 16. f. had they met r. meeting together P. 249. l. 25. for approved it r. and he approved of it P. 263. l. 26. for when they that
sixteenth year after Christ he lays it positively down that the Sabbath was now abrogated with the other Ceremonies which were to vanish at Christ's coming Let no man judg you c. the Sabbath saith he is well match'd with Meats and Drinks New Moons and Holy Days which were all Temporary Ordinances and to go off the stage at our Saviour's entrance And that Paul means the Seventh-day Sabbaths he cites Ambrose Hierom Epiphanius Chrysostom Augustin and their particular Books that they understood Paul thus in Col. 2. 16. as he did Praefat. in Galat. Apocal 10. take what Hierom saith as follows There is no Sermon of the Apostles saith he either delivered by Epistle or by word of Mouth wherein he labours not to prove that all the Burdens of the Law are now laid away that all those things which were before in Types and Figures namely the Sabbath Circumcision the New Moons and the three Solemn Festivals did cease upon preaching the Gospel In the Context and from these Verses the weekly Sabbath no doubt is included For 1. It is part of the Hand-writing vers 14. 2. It is a Shadow c. vers 17. 3. They are commanded not to submit to the Censures of men herein vers 16. And whereas it is objected Object The Apostle doth not mean the Weekly Sabbath 1. It is certain that the primary and almost constant use of the word Sabbath Answ is to denote that weekly Day of Rest which God commanded the Jews to observe Read Mr. Baxter on the Subject and whereas it is applied to any other Days 't is in allusion to this because of the Rest from servile Work upon them in which respect they were like to the Weekly Sabbath as appears Levit. 16. 31. and Chap. 23 24 32 39. which are all the places where the word Sabbath is expresly applied to any other days And therefore the primary and almost constant use of the word ought not to be forsaken 2. Wherever the word Sabbaths is used absolutely as here without any expression in the Text to limit it 't is to be understood of the Weekly Sabbath The reason of which Rule is obvious because otherwise the Scripture would be of doubtful Interpretation and as 1 Cor. 14. 8. the Trumpet would give an uncertain sound 3. Therefore as I said wherever the word Sabbaths is used as here with distinction from Holy Days or Feasts and New Moons it must mean the Weekly Sabbaths otherwise the Apostle would be guilty of an unnecessary Tautology it being certain there is no other Day called a Sabbath in Scripture but what is included in those two words Therefore I conclude by Sabbaths in this Text not only may but must be understood the Weekly Sabbath and consequently it proves not only that Christians are not bound to observe the Jewish Sabbath but that they ought not so to do Take here what Mr. Baxter saith on this Text Baxter on the Lord's Day P. 167 viz. How plainly and expresly Paul numbereth Sabbaths with Shadows that cease see Col. 2. 16. to pass by other Texts and what violence mens own Wits must use in denying the Evidence of so plain a Text. The Reason that he saith not Sabbath but Sabbaths is against themselves the plural Number being most comprehensive and other Sabbaths receiving their name from this And the word Sabbath is always used in Scripture for a Rest which was partly Ceremonial See what Dr. Young in his excellent Dies Domin saith c. III. Moreover can any serious thinking Christian suppose that Paul the great Apostle of the Gentiles would thus write of Sabbath Days New Moons Times and Years without exception if the Seventh-day Sabbath had remained as the Sabbath of the Lord and the Day of Gospel-worship What speak thus without restriction or intimation and yet not include the Seventh-day Sabbath Had not that Day been comprehended and meant by Sabbath Days sure he had let this Church have known it it behoved him to be faithful to us who was our Apostle and so he says he was and had declared the whole Counsel of God Acts 20. yet makes no mention of any such Jewish Sabbath to be our duty to observe but the direct contrary that it was a Shadow and that we are not to be judged or condemn'd who regard it not any more than other Times as New Moons c. But saith the Seventh-day Sabbatarian Object The Ordinances of the Law were glorious therefore Paul could not refer to them when he speaks of beggerly Elements Thus Tillam When compared to the Ordinances of the Gospel Answ they may be called weak and beggerly as Paul shews speaking of the Law written in two Tables of Stone which he calls glorious 2 Cor. 3. 7. yet a ministration of Death and Condemnation vers 9. For even that which was made glorious had no Glory in this respect by reason of the Glory that excelleth vers 10. The Shadow seems glorious till the Substance comes but what Glory appears in it then None at all What is the Glory of the Moon when the Sun appears and shines forth splendidly So what signifies the Shadow of Rest to the true Antitypical Sabbath of Rest which we have in Christ we that believe do enter into Rest Besides St. Paul calls Jewish Ordinances Carnal Ordinances which terms as much eclipse their Glory as to call them weak and beggerly Elements Heb. 9. 10. Meats and Drinks and divers Washings and carnal Ordinances Carnal Ordinances no doubt include all the Jewish Sabbaths viz. Days Months Times and Years as well as Circumcision legal Washings and Sacrifices The Apostle calls them not only carnal weak and beggerly Elements but unprofitable There was a disannulling of the Commandment going before Heb. 7. 18. for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof Take here what Calvin saith tho I in some things differ from him For seeing in the Lord's Resurrection is found the end and fulfilling of the true Rest Instit 2. c. 8. Sect. 34. which the old Sabbath shadowed by that very day which set an end to those Shadows Christians are admonished not to stick to the shadowing Ceremony He it seems concludes that the Jewish Weekly Sabbath as well as their Fellows was a Shadow of that Rest we have in Christ Take also what another nameless Author saith concerning the Antient Fathers St. Paul sharply reproveth those who allowed yet the Jewish Sabbath i. e. they observed Days Months Times and Years as if he had bestowed his labour in vain upon them Gal. 4. 10 11. But more particularly in his Epistle to the Colossians Chap. 2. 16 17. Let no man judg you in respect of an Holy Day or of the New Moons or of the Sabbath-Days which were a Shadow of things to come but the Body is of Christ Yet notwithstanding all this care both of the Apostles in general and more especially of St. Paul to suppress this Error it grew up
Command concerninâ— it * He alludes to Adam in Paradise where we can find no express positive Command and if it be not seated morally in thâ— fourth Commandment it is now certain thâ— the necessary observance of it is taken away 10. On the other extream whether thâ— seventh day from the Creation of the Worldâ—â— be to be observ'd precisely under the New Tâ—â—stament by virtue of the fourth Commanâ—â—ment and no other The assertion hereâ—â— supposeth that our Lord Jesus Christ 〈◊〉 Lord of the Sabbath hath neither chang'd 〈◊〉 nor reform'd any thing in and about the reâ—ligious observation of an holy day of Rest unto the Lord whence it follows that such an Observation can be no part or act of Evangelical Worship properly so call'd but only a moral Duty of the Law †Let our Jewish Sabbatarians consider well what the Doctor positively asserts here 11. Whether on the supposition of a non-obligation in the Law unto the observation of the seventh day precisely and of a new day to be observ'd weekly under the New Testament as a Sabbath of the Lord on what grounds it is to be observ'd 12. Whether from the fourth Commandment as one Day in seven or only unto some part or portion of Time or whether without any respect unto that Command as purely Ceremonial For granting as most do the necessity of the observation of such a Day yet some say that it has no respect at all to the fourth decalogical Precept which is totally and absolutely abolished with the rest of the Mosaical Institutions Others say that there is yet remaining in it an Obligation to the Sacred Separation of some Time or portion of Time unto the solemn Service of God and some say that it precisely requires the sanctification of one Day in seven 13. If a Day be so now to be observed it is enquired on what Ground or on what Authority there is an alteration made from the Day observed under the Old Testament to that now in use that is from the last Day to the first Day of the Week whether was this Translation of the Day of the solemn Worship of God made by Christ and his Apostles or by the Primitive Church c. 14. If this were done by the Authority of Christ and his Apostles whether by an express Institution of this new Day or whether a direct Example be sufficient no Institution being needful for the First Day for if we suppose there is no Obligation to the observance of one Day in seven indispensibly abiding and on the supposition that an Obligation to keep one Day in seven doth abide then no Institution is necessary or can be properly made as to the whole nature of it * No express Institution is needful for the observance of the first Day but Examples only if the 7th part of Time or one day in seven do abide in the 4th Command Thus far the Doctor who says many other things necessary to be considered about the observation of a Day of Worship whether as to the Work of the Day it ought to be kept with the like strictness as the Jewish Sabbath in all respects and what Duties are to be performed on it as also as to the proper Limits of that Day some pleading it ought to be from Evening to Evening as the Jews kept it or from Morning to Evening that is from after twelve a Clock in the Morning to twelve the next Evening c. From what the Doctor notes it appears that the Case in controversy calls for much study and diligence and it may be accounted an Act of great weakness in any Persons to observe the Seventh Day to the disturbance of the Church without enquiring of such as God has enlightned in these things and to whom the care of their Souls are committed to see what can be said against it Is it wisdom to advise with those only that are for it and not with such also as are directly against it This shall suffice for the Propositions I first proposed I shall endeavour to clear most of those things that seem difficult which may have been the occasion of some Persons if not all going astray and falling into the Error I purpose clearly and largely to detect This brings me to the next general Head of Discourse proposed Secondly I told you I should lay down diveâ—â— Arguments to prove the Truth of our Proposition That it is not the Duty of Gentile Believers to keep the Seventh Day as a Sabbath iâ— Gospel-times First The General Proposition I shall lay down one General Proposition to discover the Method I shall pursue foâ— proving what I have taken in hand 1. If the Law of God written in Adam's heart in Innocency did not oblige him to keep the Seventh Day as a Sabbath that Law cannot oblige Gentile Believers to keep it 2. If a positive Law or express Institution supposed to be given to Adam before or just after his Fall doth not oblige Gentile Believers to keep it 3. If the Law written in the Hearts of the Gentiles or the most refined and enlightned among them doth not oblige Gentile Believers to keep it 4. If the Law of Moses or the Law written in the two Tables of Stone doth not oblige Gentile Believers to keep it 5. If the Gospel by any Precept or Example doth not oblige them to keep the Seventh Day as a Sabbath 6. And lastly If the Law written in the Hearts of all Gospel-Believers by the Holy Spirit doth oblige them to keep the Seventh Day as a Sabbath to the Lord Then I infer it is not their Duty to keep the Seventh-Day c. for I know no other way or means whereby Gentile Believers can pretend to know they are obliged to keep the Seventh-Day as a Sabbath or a Day of Rest and solemn Worship But by none of these ways or means believing Gentiles are obliged to keep the Seventh-Day as a Sabbath c. therefore it is not the Duty of Gentile Believers to keep it To proceed 1. Let it be considered that if the keeping of the Seventh-Day as a Sabbath i. e. that precise Day from the Creation of the World were a purely natural or simply moral Precept no doubt but it was legibly written in Adam's Heart I mean as a Law of Creation and so part of the holy Image of God or of the same nature with all other moral Precepts that result from the Perfections of God's holy Nature and not from the Soveraignty of his Will only And if it was so written in Adam's Heart in Innocency he needed no positive Law to make it known to him What was any thing that was purely or simply moral even that which belonged to good Manners or to true natural Godliness or Righteousness not made known to Adam to perfect Adam this certainly cannot be That spiritual Worship which is due to God Charnock on the Attributes p. 131. saith Mr. Charnock is known
same need of knowing what special Worship he outht to be found exercised in on that day What a Sabbath instituted and no Sabbath-Service appointed on that day But this I shall further handle when I come to speak of the pretended Institution and express Command given to Adam in Innocency Thirdly If the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath was wrote in Adam's Heart some Remainders of the knowledg of that day would have been left in the Heart of his Offspring as there is of all other Precepts that are simply moral tho much blur'd and almost quite obliterated in some yet there were many Heathens who retain'd or recover'd much knowledg of God's Law first written in the Heart of Man yea they were led to the knowledg of all pure moral Precepts i.e. that there was but one God and that he was to be worshipped and his Name not profan'd that they should not murder commit Adultery steal c. nay and also to the knowledg of the fourth Commandment as to what was simply moral in it viz. a sufficient time to worship that God yet they were none of them led to know that they ought to keep the seventh day as a Sabbath Fourthly Moreover if the Seventh-day Sabbath had been a simple or pure moral Precept and written in Adam's Heart it would have been written in the Hearts of all God's New-Covenant Children as he promised he would write his Law there in Gospel-times and evident it is that all Believers in Christ whether Jews or Gentiles have the Image of God restor'd to them it being stampt upon their Hearts by the Spirit of God hence it is said who after God are created in Righteousness and true Holiness Eph. 4. 24. nay they are all said to be renew'd in Knowledg after the Image of him that created them Col. 3. 10. But in the second Impression of God's holy Law and Image thus written on our Hearts there is not one line nor lineament of any knowledg that it is our Duty to keep the seventh day as a Sabbath to the Lord which I shall further evince hereafter Fifthly Take what a learned Man saith If Adam was bound to keep the Sabbath I demand by what Law by the Law written in his Heart Why then he was bound to keep a Sabbath before there was a Sabbath to keep for the Law was ingraven on his Heart on the sixth day as a branch of that Divine Image of God concreated with him whereas the Sabbath to be sure could not be instituted till the seventh day if then Sixthly Before I close this let me note here what is said concerning this very thing by the Antient Fathers and Primitive Christian Writers who it appears deny'd the knowledg of the Seventh-day Sabbath was written in Adam's Heart Just Mart. Respon ad qu. p. 69. Theod. on Ezek. c. 20. See Justin Martyr Theodoret saith that these Commandments Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit Adultery Thou shalt not steal and others of that kind were generally implanted by Nature in the minds of Men but for the keeping of the Sabbath it came not in by Nature but by Moses's Law Chrysostom affirms saith my Author that neither Adam nor any Man liv'd without the Law imprinted on the Soul of Man as made a living Creature but neither he nor any other of them say the seventh day was one of those Laws Also Rivet and others who plead for the Antiquity of the Sabbath dare not saith he refer the keeping of it to the Law written in Adam's Heart So that I may from what has been said positively affirm the Precept of keeping the seventh day was not written in Adam's Heart in Innocency and therefore that believing Gentiles are not oblig'd to keep the seventh day from that Law From hence also I infer it could not be written in the Hearts of any of the Jews or Gentiles for doubtless Adam by nature knew that which corrupt Man never so perfectly knew and it were great Presumption in any since Sin was so generally prevailing to say they knew in a natural way that which Adam knew not Besides is it not great folly for any to say this since the Law in Adam's Heart was the original And shall a blur'd Copy be deem'd more perfect than that or the muddy Stream be clearer than the Chrystal Fountain Therefore since it appears the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath was not written in Adam's Heart but that he needed an express positive Law to know it or discover it to him I infer much more need there was for poor Gentiles nay for Believers to have an express Law to discover it to them And since our Opponents affirm that the Commandment of the precise seventh day as a Sabbath is of the same nature and quality with the first Commandment and all other simply moral Precepts i. e. not only a time of Worship or one day in seven but the precise seventh day from the Creation I infer then what a woful condition are all we in that break or violate in the very Letter a simply moral Command nay and teach Men so to do may and how could our Saviour then be without Sin who made Clay on that day and did many other Works and commanded a Burden to be born and also commended Acts of Mercy which was but a moral Duty above keeping of the Seventh-day Sabbath Matth. 12. comparing the strict Observation of that with Sacrifices which all know were but mere positive Laws to Israel under that Legal Dispensation But more of this hereafter Object But tho it was not written in Adam's Heart that he should keep the seventh day as a Sabbath yet it was given to Adam in Innocency by a positive Institution Answ This is sooner said than proved No positive Law given to Adam to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath but let me tell you that the Law of Nature our Opponents acknowledg was antecedent to the Institution of the Sabbath and that all purely moral Precepts were certainly written in Adam's Heart Now can the precise seventh day be Adam's Duty to keep before it was sanctified to that end this is to say a thing was before it was and that the Law of Creation teaches that which it was impossible to teach and also that Revealed Religion may be known by natural Dictates or Principles which is absurd to affirm besides all confess that mere positive Precepts or Commands in instituted Worship may be alter'd or chang'd as the great Lawgiver pleaseth But to proceed to answer what is affirm'd about its Institution in Paradise as given to innocent Adam we will come to and well weigh the words of this pretended positive Precept given to Adam in Paradise Gen. 2. 2. And on the seventh day God ended his Work which he had made and he rested on the seventh day from all his Work which he had made Ver. 3. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because that in it he had rested from
future â—â—mes for he foresaw Man would fall and need 〈◊〉 Sabbath for himself and a particular day to â—orship God in Now 't is evident a Law may 〈◊〉 instituted * Tho I do not say the Sabbath was instituted in Paradise long before the time of its Comâ—encement or being in force Divers great â—en both Antient and Modern Treatise of the Sab. p. 41. as Dr. White â—â—timates affirm that God by a Decree only destin'd that day to religious Service in future time he instances in venerable Bede and before him Justin Martyr Tertullian and Irenâ—us that God sanctified the seventh day Gen. 2. by his Decree and Destination only not by any present Imposition The Arguments on which this Opinion 〈◊〉 grounded are very weighty which shall 〈◊〉 next consider'd First All generally conclude that God gaâ—â— to Adam but one positive Law and in breaâ—â—ing of that as Dr. Lightfoot and others shewâ— he broke all the ten Commandments which 〈◊〉 to the matter or substance of them were wroâ— in his Heart and that this greatened his Siâ— viz. that tho he had but one Commandment he violated it Secondly Suppose Adam had had this positive Law given to him also to keep holy the seventh day and had broke it had he thereby been guilty of the breach of all the others For I have just now shew'd that most believe him guilty of all in breaking that one Command Thou shalt not eat of the Tree of Knowledg of good and evil But being every way guilty it must be supposed he broke both those positive Commands if he had two given him and so was guilty of the breach of the fourth twice Nay if what I say be consider'd and that which I inquire about be granted he was doubly guilty of the breach of them all Thirdly The Law of the Sabbath was as it is conceiv'd that Adam should keep that day holy nay he must be so oblig'd if any Command was given to him yea and keep it more holy than any of the other six Now if so would it not follow that Adam was not perfect in Innocency Doth Perfection admit of any â—urther degree of Holiness or require more â—anctity on that day than any other Certainâ—â— while he stood every day must be kept with â—e Holiness and Sanctity Or I say what â—ason can be given that Adam who was so â—ly and perfect and capable in the same deâ—ree of contemplating every day the Perfectiâ—ns of his blessed Creator should need one â—ecial day to do this in having nothing to â—vert his thoughts nor any need of a day of â—st from toilsom Labor If so doth not what â—ey say argue some Imperfection attending 〈◊〉 how then was he created in the Image of 〈◊〉 and perfect if he was capable of keeping â—y one day more holy than the rest whilst in â—nocency If any should say he was capable 〈◊〉 rest from dressing the Garden on one day 〈◊〉 answer if the dressing the Garden was any â—nderance to him in Divine Contemplation 〈◊〉 any holy Duty it argues still he was not â—erfect nor compleatly happy Fourthly If one special day was appointed to â—orship God in and this he stood in need of â—ill it not follow by the same reason that he â—eeded to be told what special parts of Worâ—ip he should perform to God on that day â—or as I hinted before it seems strange he â—ould need a special day of Worship by a poâ—â—ive Law to be appointed him and no Duties â—f Worship be instituted sutable to such a day â—vident it is when God commanded his Peoâ—le Israel to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath he â—old them how they should do it and what â—cts of Worship they should discharge on that â—ay Fifthly It may seem strange that any wise â—an should affirm that Adam was injoyned to â—eep a Sabbath from what is said in Gen. 2. whenas we read not one word of a Sabbath there all that Moses says is that God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it Now as one observes the seventh day is three times mentioned in this Text but the term Sabbath not at all nor indeed any where else till it came to be given to the Children of Israel in the Wilderness nor can they ever prove that the seventh day mentioned Exod. 16. or 20. waâ— the precise seventh day immediately succeedinâ— the six days of the Creation but more 〈◊〉 that hereafter Sixthly Since we read of no day call'd 〈◊〉 Sabbath till near two thousand years from thâ— Creation how should any before the Floodâ— or before Moses know of such a day for thâ— bear Expression that God sanctified the seventâ— day c. if that was known to the old World and afterwards which I much doubt of could not without some other Revelation discover that they were obliged to keep it as a Sabbath in religious Worship tho it is said God sanctified the seventh day yet it is not said that Adaâ— also sanctified it nor can they tell how Adam should know that God then sanctified it for being not created till the sixth day how could he without some special Revelation know the next day after was the seventh day from the Creation Could he tell how long God was in making the Heavens and the Earth c. Moreover 't is worth noting how strenuously our Opponents do urge that there is no express Command to keep the first day Now may not wâ— say there is no express Command for Adam in Innocency or when fallen or for any till Moses's time to keep the seventh day as a Sabbath yet they boldly affirm it was their duty to keep it Again Should it be granted that God commanded Adam to keep that very seventh day on which he himself rested from his Work and that Adam did sanctify that one day yet it is not â—aid that he did or was bid to keep holy every â—eventh day to the world's end and that he must â—egin every such day just at the same time as God did his seventh day or just at the same time â—f the day as it was in Paradise at that moment â—hen God ceas'd to work Dr. Wallis Answ to Mr. Banfield p. 12 13. Thus Dr. Wallis who â—rther saith It is not expresly said that all Manâ—ind must for ever after observe the seventh day 〈◊〉 every week of days reckoned continually from 〈◊〉 first Creation Let me here add what another Author saith â—s to the words of the Text blessed and sanctiâ—â—ed Mr. Gilb. Ironside on the Sab. p. 20 21. That this was done saith he we all agree when it was done is the question for this Circumstance we have not expresly in the Text. Things are said in Scripture to be sanctified two ways 1. By way of Purpose and Destination only as God sanctified Jeremiah to be a Prophet to him before he was born 2. By way of actual use and imployment as when the Levites were admitted to the actual Service of the
Tabernacle God's resting from his Works He calls it Sabbath and sanctifying the seventh day were coetaneous in the first sense i. e. by way of Purpose and Intention which Moses relates but not in the latter by way of actual Execution As soon as he had ended his Work he ordained the seventh day the day of his own Rest to be that on which his Church should rest and follow his Example and this was the great Blessing and Prerogative bestowed on that day Muscul loc com Musculus saith he dos well express Sanctificatus by destinatus a day sanctified by a day destinated and afore-appointed Byfield against Brerewood Mr. Byfield has observ'd That the word in the original signifies to prepare to prepare is one thing and actually to appoint is another So then the Sabbath had not an actual existence in the World from the beginning it had only a metaphysical being as all natural things are said to be in their Causes for the cause or reason of the Sabbath's Sanctification God's Rest was from the beginning tho the Sanctification it self was a long time after Yet he owns God did sanctify the day then by way of Destination That as God then actually rested so he actually sanctified the day but that therefore he then commanded Adam to observe it doth not follow for that God did then sanctify that is destinate that day to be the Church's Sabbath in due time is one thing and to command Adam to observe it is another He proceeds to shew how the Medes were call'd God's sanctified ones that is destinated to be in time Destroyers of Babylon and the Father sanctified his Son and sent hiâ— into the World Joh. 10. 36. Also Cyrus Isa 45. 1. Seventhly Besides the Law of the Seventh day Sabbath ran thus Six days thou shalt work and do all thou hast to do but the seventh is the Sabbath c. Now the Old Testament Sabbath was the last day of the week they were to work six the six first but this he could not do I mean the six first from the Creation because he was not created till the sixth day So that the first six days tho the six days in which thâ— Lord did all his Work could not be Adam's six working days But if the Sabbath was given to him in Innocency no doubt as Tillaâ— says he kept the first Sabbath and then it â—ollows he begun with God and rested before 〈◊〉 labour'd six days contrary to the Order and â—ommand of the instituted Sabbath Exod. 20. Moreover Warren 's Jewish Sabbath c. in his full Answer to Tillam 's Book p. 2 3 4 5 6. many learned Men believe Adam â—ll the same day he was created namely on â—he sixth day and so could not keep one Sabâ—ath in Innocency But I desire such as would 〈◊〉 further inform'd of this to read Mr. Edw. â—arren's Treatise who shews 1. That Adam fell the same day he was created appears from the words of our blessed Saviour Joh. 8. 34. that the Devil was a Murderer from the beginning a Liar and the Father of Lies not saith he from the beginning of the World's Creation but of Man's Creation which most properly and precisely implys the sixth day 2. He says the parly betwixt the Woman and the Serpent intimates as much for both the Serpent's demand and the Woman's reply speak plainly that as yet they had not tasted the sweets of Paradise Hath God said Ye shall not eat of every Tree of the Garden the Serpent had not been so subtile to ask whether that might be done which had been done already Besides we may conclude that had not the Serpent immediately set upon the Woman his Craftiness had not been so great and Adam hearing of a Tree of Life we may suppose would have first tasted of that and Satan it may be fearing the Effects of it immediately set upon the Woman And says our Author the Tree of Life being sacramental hence may it well be thought that if Adam had stood one Sabbath he had tasted of the Tree of Life so had been out of a possibility of falling 3. Satan besure would take the fittest season and therefore tempts the Woman timely 4. 'T is said they heard the Voice of thâ— Lord God in the cool of the day or in thâ— evening Robert 's Myster p. 39. and as he notes Mr. Roberts saith thâ— this is the Evening mention'd after the Creâ—â—tion of Adam and the Covenant made with him Adam was arraign'd and sentenc'd toâ—wards the Evening of the sixth day therefore he sinned the same day and so kept 〈◊〉 Sabbath in Innocency 5. He mentions that Text Adam in honoâ— lodged not a night Psal 49. 12. but was like the Beasts thâ— perish for saith he so it is in the Hebreâ— word for word He further confirms what he says herâ— and answers all Tillam's Objections and thaâ— about the work Adam did of giving Names 〈◊〉 all living Creatures which he shews he might soon do and as to that of God's saying oâ— the sixth day he saw all his Works that theâ— were good therefore Man had not then sinneâ— he replys that God's days works were donâ— each day by a word speaking or in a moâ—ment he did not work as Man doth so thaâ— on the sixth day early or as soon as Maâ— was created he might say all his Works werâ— good yet Man might sin and fall before night 6. He argues from Adam's not knowing hiâ— Wife till he had sinned and shews that 〈◊〉 good reason can be given why he should noâ— have known her had he stood one day Now these things tho doubtful with the otheâ— being well observed why should any affirâ— the Sabbath was given to Adam in Innocency and that he kept the first Sabbath in Paradiâ—â— with his Creator for so saith Tillam Eighthly A Sabbath was not agreeable to Adam in Paradise either in respect to himself â—o rest from Labor or as a special day to worâ—â—ip God in Such was the happiness of his â—ate that he had no Burdens to bear nor â—y toilsom Labour nor was there any Curse 〈◊〉 the Creatures that they should need a day 〈◊〉 Rest he had no need of Servants c. â—o doubt the Sabbath refer'd only to the state 〈◊〉 fallen Man and was given in Mercy to â—â—rael God 's own Covenant-People under the â—aw I say in Mercy to them and to the â—asts who groan under their Burden Adam's â—bour if any in Innocency was matter of â—light and every day was a Sabbath to him â—nd as Tertullian observes Man lived in Paâ—â—dise in a fruition of God Let me close this â—ith what a Reverend Author says First Walker on the Sab. p. 8. They all go too far and have not one word in Scripture for their Opinion that say Adam in Innocency should or would have kept every seventh day for holy Rest and that God would have required it at his hands for all
the Sabbath is charged against them Now can it be imagin'd they should not have fail'd in this case or that God would overlook or take no notice of it Sixtly We have a Catalogue of almost all immoral Evils before and after the Flood as Idolatry Gluttony Drunkenness Lasciviousness Incest Murder Lying Covetousness Theft c. and how Sin had possessed the Thoughts Hearts and Lives of Men but no account of their Violation of the Sabbath-day Seventhly None from Adam to Moses reprehended for not keeping the Sabbath Let it be consider'd that since God so severely reprehended the Jews for profaning his Sabbaths and hardly reproved them more sharply for any one Sin than for this certainly in his enumerating the Sins 〈◊〉 his People and of the Wickedness of those that liv'd from Adam to Moses he would have reproved them for Sabbath-breaking and not have utterly passed it by in silence had they been guilty of it or can it be rationally supposed that tho they fail'd in all other respects yet that they did not in this No doubt had it been a known Duty and that some of them had been guilty of the breach of it as in all likelihood they would but God would have severely reprehended them for it Eighthly Since we read of no Sabbath till Moses's time Exod. 16. only that God sanctified the seventh day what makes our Brethren so boldly say that Adam in Innocence kept it and all the Patriarchs from Adam to Moses This may seem strange to any thinking Man i. e. that they should affirm this seeing they require an express Command from us for the keeping of the first day or else all is nothing with them Brethren this I will say that had we no more ground to keep the Lord's day in solemn Worship as a day of Rest than they can find for the Patriarchs keeping of the seventh day as a Sabbath we should not say one word more for it I challenge them to shew us one place where a Sabbath is so much as once mention'd or any express or implicit Command given to any to observe it or one Example from the Creation of the World that any Man or Woman ever kept the seventh day as a Sabbath until we come to Moses Exod. 16. I shall God assisting shew that we have more than meer Examples of the Gospel Primitive Churches for observing in a solemn manner the Lord's-day or the first day of the week when I come to that part of my Work Now let them produce but one Example that â—ne tho but one of the Patriarchs did keep the â—eventh day as a Sabbath I will conclude it might be given to Adam after his Fall for before his Fall it could not be a Law to him for the reasons I have urged but if they could produce such an Example yet say some learned Men it doth no more prove that precise day is a moral Precept or that it from hence follows that it is our Duty in Gospel-times to observe it than it proves 't is our Duty to offer Sacrifices which we read before the Ceremonial Law was given they frequently did But since there is not one Instance to be given of any one Person that kept that day till Moses's time but that the Word of God is wholly silent about it we must and may say according to that common Maxim used by Divines i. e. Where God hath not a Mouth to speak we ought not to have an Ear to hear Ninthly The Proofs of the Learned for the Patriarchs keeping the Sabbath Let us now consider what some learned Men have produced for their pretended Proofs that the Patriarchs kept the seventh day as a Sabbath which I fear hath imboldned the Jewish Sabbatarians to affirm with such Confidence that all the Patriarchs did keep it But by the way Dr. Owen who is one that asserted what I utterly deny doth yet confess that many of the Jewish Masters or Rabbins ascribe the original of the Sabbath to the Statute given to them in Mara Exod. 15. and others of them to Exod. 16. yet the said Reverend Doctor cites some of the probable grounds to prove that the Patriarchs kept it Dr. Owen on the Sab. p. 72. 1. The first and chief place I find he mentions is that in Gen. 18. 19. For I know him that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the ways of the Lord and do Justice and Judgment Answ That Abraham had this Charge and Commandment given to him is granted but what little reason there is from hence to conclude he kept the Sabbath or gave charge to his Children so to do I will leave to all Mens Consideration God gave to Abraham Commands we find that evident enough and some of them not very easy to Flesh and Blood as that of offering up his only Son Moreover none doubt of the faithfulness of the Patriarch Abraham but if the Sabbath was not then instituted nor any Command given to him to keep it there could not be any such Command meant or comprehended in that Charge given to him The truth is my Brethren learned Men who are Men also of great natural Parts can put a fair gloss on any thing and make that seem to be a Truth that there is not the least ground to believe is so Abraham did all he did in Faith and therefore he had Divine Authority for all he did in God's Service Dr. Twiss's main Argument to prove that the Patriarchs observed the Seventh-day Sabbath is this Dr. Twiss on the Christian Sab. p. 57. viz. The Lord blessed the seventh day and sanctified it therefore saith he the Patriarchs did observe it Answ I answer God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it but did not give any Command to Adam to keep it therefore the Patriarchs from thence could not know or see they had any ground to observe it Dr. Twiss saith in the same place i. e. And the truth is until the coming of the Children of Israel out of Egypt we read not of any Church of God any where but in single Families neither do we read of the Patriarchs before the Flood or a long time after that they kept any day consecrated to God's Service But we say with him that it doth not therefore follow that they kept no day at all in God's Service They owned the True God and worshipped him and knew that there must be a time a sufficient time to discharge that Homage or Worship to him and tho perhaps they observ'd one day in seven yet as I conceive they did not know what precise day they ought to observe above any other until God by some express positive Command made it known which was not till he constituted the whole House of Israel into a Typical Church-state and gave them an instituted Worship and commanded their Legal and Typical Sabbath Besides how could the Patriarchs know what Duties proper for Sabbath-observation
excellent Law God prefers it before Sacrifice which had you considered you would never have accused my Disciples who in this point are guiltless Why a more excellent Law Is it not because the one is a moral Law proceeding from God's Nature and the other but merely positive and Typical and so arbitrary And why do the Annotators apply that to Sacrifices Our Lord remotely refers to that but directly and immediatly to the Seventh-day Sabbath and mentions Sacrifices to show that the precise Seventh-day Sabbath was no moral Law but of the same nature with the Law of Sacrifices and that of the Shew-bread Besides our Saviour's bringing in on this occasion those words for the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath clearly shews that he as Mediator had power to change dispose of or take away the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath for what a Person is Lord of he may do what he will with So that it may be lawful for any man to do any work on that Day when it ceas'd and was abolished as indeed it now is with all other Shadows and legal Ceremonies But none sure will say Christ as the Son of Man or as Mediator is Lord of any pure moral Precept so that he can give liberty to men to worship other Gods or to make graven Images and bow down to them or take God's holy Name in vain or commit Murder Adultery or steal c. No no it would be Blasphemy with a witness to say this such is the vast difference between Laws that result from the nature of God and mere positives shadowy and Ceremonial Precepts which were given for a time as an Act of God's Prerogative and good Pleasure and when the Antitype is come were to cease for ever Obj. But what say some If Christ brake the Seventh-day Sabbath he sinned thus a rash Person lately exprest himself Ans 1. Because our Lord came not to destroy the Law c. but to fulfil it and was obliged exactly to keep the whole moral Law of God that it might be imputed to us with his passive Obedience to justify us before God as his full and perfect Righteousness that therefore he was obliged to conform to all Typical and Ceremonial Laws of which he himself was the Antitype none I think ever asserted he had another way to fulfil all such Laws than by his actual Obedience to them And 2. Let it be considered in respect to the Typical Sabbath the Antitype being now come which was that Evangelical Spiritual Rest in and by Christ which all entered into that believed in him at that time for having given rest to all that came to him he had thereby in part fulfilled that figurative and typical Law and by his shewing such strange indifference about his observance thereof and his carriage towards it at every turn did clearly intimate that that Typical Sabbath was departing or in a dying condition tho not quite dead till he himself suffered and dyed on the cross and was afterwards gradually and decently buried it having as one observes an honourable Funeral when further light was given to God's People about it But no more at this time SERMON V. Six Arguments more to prove the Seventh-day Sabbath not moral That it was a Sign and Shadow to Israel of the Covenant of Works Gal. iv 10 11. Ye observe days and months c. THE last Day I gave four Reasons to prove that the simple moral part of the fourth Commandment lies not in the observation of the precise Seventh-day Sabbath I have six more to add Fifthly The 7th day Sabb. not given forth afresh by Christ or his Apostles That the precise Seventh-day Sabbath cannot be that part of the fourth Commandment which is purely moral I argue thus Whatsoever is a simple moral Precept universally and perpetually obligatory is by our Saviour or his Apostles confirmed or given forth anew in the New Testament but the Seventh-day Sabbath is not so confirm'd or given forth therefore is not a simple moral Precept To prove the Major or first Proposition let it be considered that the moral Law is transfer'd from Moses to Jesus Christ or taken out of Moses's hands as a Lawgiver and put into the hands of Christ considered as Mediator and this was signified by those words Mal. 2. 7. The Priests Lips should keep knowledg and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts Whatsoever was doubtful the High-Priest Deut. 17. 9. was to determine In this the Priests under the Law were a Type of Christ signifying that when Christ came who is God's Messenger all should receive the Law from his Mouth who was to be the great Interpreter of it and accordingly we find he opened the nature of the moral Law in Mat. 5. and other places shewing the spirituality thereof and how men may be said to break the Commands against Adultery Murder c. by the lusts and malice in their hearts tho they never actually commit either of those Sins Nay I know not one simple moral Precept which our Lord or his Apostles did not confirm or give forth anew who no ways extenuated the guilt of the breach of it but with far greater severity aggravated every transgression thereof Rom. 1. 18. Paul shews how the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men. Now neither our Lord nor his Apostles seemed to confirm or give forth anew the old Jewish Seventh-day Sabbath but contrarywise as I have shew'd he seemed to excuse his Disciples when charged with the breach thereof and allow'd others to do that which was deem'd unlawful on the Sabbath-day as bearing a burden c. If our Adversaries can prove that every simple moral Precept of the Decalogue was not confirm'd by Christ or his Apostles let them do it Obj. I know they say that neither Christ nor his Apostles ever confirmed or gave out anew that Command Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image c. Answ As to Idols they are directly forbid 1 Cor. 8. 4. An Idol is nothing in the world there is none other God but one And St. John saith Little Children 1 Joh. 5. 11. keep your selves from Idols and again Flee from Idolatry Now what is a Graven Image but an Idol Every Graven Image made to be worshipped is an Idol tho every Idol is not a Graven Image Where do they read that an Image made of Bread is forbid in Moses's Law True the second Command forbids all Idols and all Idols are forbid in the Gospel Nay Idols are in a more nice manner defined and condemned in the Gospel than by the Law of Moses We read that a Man may idolize or make a God of his Belly Phil. 3. 19. and Paul declares that Covetousness is Idolatry Col. 3. 5. Object But where do we read in the New Testament that it is unlawful
a precise or particular Day 2. Nor in any thing that intervenes between 3. Nor in any thing that expresses the Revolution of Time wherein the day of holy Rest is to be observed Six days shalt thou labor Thus I understand this Limitation or Rule for Direction 1. Six days shalt thou labor unless God otherwise appoint and he did appoint in the old Administration other days to be kept holy which tho not always yet some times fell out on some or other of the six working days c. 2. Further Six days shalt thou labor no excluding the solemn Worship of God out of those six days for it would be no Sin to hear a Sermon or set some hour apart for Prayer any of these six days as it is for a Man to work upon that day of seven which God sets apart for himself 3. And yet further which is most of all to be taken notice of six days c. rest one not injoyning the last of seven which was instituted before but only six parts of the time shall be for your selves the seventh shall be mine So Gen. 47. 14. you shall have four parts saith Joseph the fifth shall be Pharaoh's let all be divided into five parts four shall be for your selves the fifth shall be for the King not telling them which fifth but only one of five Thus Lev. 23. 27. let all be divided into ten you shall have nine the tenth shall be the Lord's not appointing them which tenth but only one of ten So here I find not one word for the last of seven Moreover I perceive nothing at all in God's Example for it nothing there but one day in seven but when the last day of seven is required of Israel that refers to the Covenant of Works their labouring first doing all they had to do and so to rest which was a sign as I have proved of the Covenant of Works and a Pledg of their Obligation in their Restipulation with God according to the Tenour of that conditional Covenant hence their Sabbath was called a perpetual Covenant Exod. 31. and with that Covenant it is gone for ever Yet one day in seven as a day of Rest and solemn Worship is still to be the Lord 's by virtue of the fourth Command and tho God's Example of resting is mentioned yet it must be acknowledg'd to relate to some special end and purpose which may not only refer to Man's good but to God's ceasing from the Work of Creation for ever which being the first and greatest Work then done the day of his finishing his Work was to be observ'd upon that reason But when Christ God-man came and also had finished the Work of Redemption and ceased from his Work as God did from his there is the same moral reason why the Day in which he rested from redeeming i.e. the first day of seven should be our day of Rest because this is a far greater Work than that of Creation as shall be made plain and clear hereafter For we in Gospel-days as foretold shall not remember the old Heavens and the old Earth any more the new carrying away the Glory of that i.e. remember them no more by the observation of that old seventh day To this purpose Mr. B. of Dorchester Now I say God's Example under the Covenant of Works in working six days and then resting is no ways obligatory on us tho it was on Israel under the same old Covenant But we must ground and bottom our Observation of one Day in seven upon Christ's ceasing and resting from his Works and his Institution of a new Day upon the tenor or nature of the Covenant of Grace to rest first and then work six days not for Rest or to rest c. but from that Rest Christ enter'd into on the first day of the week when our Rest and Justification was compleated which we enter actually into when we first believe Now the reason saith Mr. B. to Mr. Banfield why herein I dissent from you Mr. B. of Dorchest p. 40. 't is this God blessed the seventh Day and sanctified it but not as it was the last day of the seven but as it was the day of his Rest declaring thereby Creation-work to be perfected Neither was his resting so far as I can see the ground of his blessing and sanctifying it but as consider'd in conjunction with the reason of his Rest i.e. his finishing his Creation and also with the Result and Consequence of his Rest viz. his magnifying and honouring that day for the time being above all other days for the greatest work in being For 1. God's resting cannot refer to any thing but his ceasing from creating-work because otherwise he ceaseth not working * My Father saith our Lord worketh hitherto and I work and his Example of resting as some learned Men observe is not alledged here to lay an obligation on our Conscience that that same Day we must observe for ever 2. It seems to relate to what God himself did rather than any way propounded as an Argument to prove that for which 't is urged Take a parallel case 1 Cor. 11. 23. where we have the Institution of the Lord's-Supper repeated out of the Evangelists and Christ's Example is related as to the time when which was not only in the Night but that particular Night in which he was betray'd Now this is not recorded as a binding Rule on us for our Imitation That is historically related and so may this of God's Example in the fourth Commandment There is one thing more worth noting Dr. Twiss Dr. Owen and many other learned Men cannot see how it can be said that God sanctified the seventh day Gen. 2. but that it must refer to Adam in Innocence as his duty to keep it and not that God then only by Destination Decree and Purpose set it apart for his Church and People to observe in after-times Now grant it was as I have last hinted pray do not they say as much as this comes to in respect of the Gospel-Sabbath Do not they say that in the fourth Command both in the first part and close of that Precept God only set apart or sanctified one day in seven and so conclude the original Sanctification of the first day of the week is comprehended in the fourth Commandment which I will not deny but was not this near 2000 years before he design'd his People should observe it or that it was the absolute Duty of any so to do And as there was an interval from Adam to Moses of such a state of God's People and things as render'd them not capable to observe the Seventh-day Sabbath according to the Law of it so there was an interval of such a state of the Church and things under the legal Covenant from Moses to Christ as render'd them not capable to observe the Lord's-day according to the design and purport of God therein tho that Day was by God's Destination set
can refer in these words to no Law but that of Christ or rather Christ's Gospel or to the Law as in his hands who hath fulfilled the whole Law for us by his own perfect Obedience and hence we are delivered from the Law as in the hand of Moses because as so considered it was not a Law of Liberty but a Law of Bondage or that which gender'd to Bondage And he shews it is a Rule of Righteousness to us only as Christ is our Lawgiver whose Law is a Law of Liberty but as he that offended in one point was guilty of the breach of the whole Law there he clearly alludes to the Law as in Moses's hand and as a Covenant of Works We are not to do nor speak nor live as the Law in Moses's hands directs or as he was a Lawgiver for then we should be under perpetual Bondage and nothing is more plain than that Moses's Law as to the strict observance of its Precepts brought the Jews into Bondage 't is call'd a Yoke of Bondage Gal. 5. 1 c. But so speak and so do as they who shall be judged by the Law of Liberty that is the Gospel for not by the Law as in Moses's hand but by the Gospel we shall be judged at the last day who live only under that Ministration And from hence let such as keep the Seventh-day Sabbath take heed lest they are brought into Bondage by obliging themselves to observe the whole Law since I have prov'd it was appointed as a sign or pledg of the Covenant of Works binding them to universal and perfect Obedience who were on their Sabbath-day not to think their own Thoughts nor speak their own Words but to make the Law of God their delight so as not to sin which none ever did or could do save Jesus Christ who thus kept the Sabbath even as long as he liv'd for us on the Earth that we might enter into his Rest or into the Antiâ—â—pical Sabbath Thirdly The third Argument to prove it is not the Duty of Gentile Believers to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath from the fourth Commandment in the Decalogue is Because that Law as there written and given is taken out of the hand of Moses as a Lawgiver as well as it was a Covenant of Works and put into the hand of Christ as Mediator My Brethren The moral Law taken out of the hand of Moses as a Lawgiver and put into the hand of Christ as Mediator could our Adversaries prove that the Law on Mount Sinai was given to all the World and so to believing Gentiles which I have shewn it was not yet this would not in the least do their business for the believing Jews are now no longer under the Law no not as the moral Law was given by Moses as a Rule of Life any more than they are not under it as a Covenant of Works 1. Indeed my Work is partly done in this respect already by what I have said in opening the plain sense of the Apostle James in that place just now mentioned 2. This appears because we have but one Lawgiver Isa 33. 22. namely Jesus Christ The Lord is Judg the Lord is our Lawgiver the Lord is our King he will save us that is Jehovah our Righteousness who came to save us There is one Lawgiver Jam. 4. 12. who is able to save and to destroy Now is not this our Lord Jesus Christ Obj. He doth not say we have but one Answ But 't is imply'd Paul says there is one God and one Mediator Doth not this imply that there is but one God and but one Mediator Who are you now that will introduce another Lawgiver a Co-partner or a Co-rival with Christ to partake of part of his Honour 3. Because our Lord declares that all Power is given to him in Heaven and Earth Mat. 28. 18 19. all Power consider'd as Mediator for as he is God it was not given to him but was his own essentially But this is a Power delegated to him i. e. all Power as sole Lord and Lawgiver to his Church who only is the Head thereof therefore we must look to him for Laws and how to be governed He governed by a Substitute before but now being come himself the Substitute is utterly devested of his Power 4. The Moral Law as a Rule of Righteousness must only be in the hand of Christ because our Lord saith the Law and the Prophets were until John Luke 16. 16. that is Moses and the Prophets were as Teachers by whom God spake to the People that is at the time of their Ministration and Prophecy but now the date of their Ministration is near expir'd they have Moses and the Prophets But in the Transfiguration which was a Figure or Representation of Christ's glorious Gospel-Church or Kingdom and his Ministration Moses disappear'd with Elias who being one of the chiefest Prophets might signify all the rest and John also The Disciples would have three Tabernacles one for Moses one for Elias and one for Christ i. e. they would have been under their Ministrations as Lawgivers and Teachers and would have them to share with Christ of that Glory But lo a Voice was heard from the Cloud saying This is my beloved Son hear him and when they lifted up their Eyes they saw no man but Jesus only Moses and Elias were gone and tho the Writings of Moses and the Prophets are of great use still for Comfort and Instruction Heb. 1. 1 2. c. yet now God only speaks to us by his Son whom he hath appointed Heir of all things On him all the Father's Love and Glory doth terminate no Lord no Ruler no Lawgiver but he is to be heard he being the Truth it self and having receiv'd the whole Counsel of the Father has revealed all things that we are to believe and practise He is the great Prophet Moses spoke of whom we are to hear in all things Acts 3. 22 23. Must we 〈◊〉 to Moses to know how Christ is to govern â—s Church or take any Law from him No â—is would be to eclipse the Glory of Christ 5. Because the Servant was not to abide in the â—ouse for ever viz. as a Lawgiver that is â—s Ministration of the Law was to cease 6. Because the moral Law or the Decalogue 〈◊〉 deliver'd by Moses had several things in it â—at only pertained to the Israelites or to the â—gal Church-state of the Jews and was given â—y him as a Covenant of Works mind the Preface to that Law Exod. 20. and the Proâ—ise annexed to the fifth Commandment Hoâ—our thy Father and thy Mother that thy days â—ay be long in the Land which the Lord thy God â—veth thee These things shew that the Law â—ven by Moses was not to last but till the end 〈◊〉 that Dispensation and Church-state 7. Because we are not come to Mount Sinai Heb. 12. 18. â—ot to receive the Law as there delivered
come in the Flesh at least of his being King and Law-giver to his Church And to lay the Foundation of all religious solemn Worship in the observation of a Day as the Seventh-day precisely had no relation to any natural or moral Precept nor was instituted or approved by Jesus Christ cannot but be unpleasing to them who desire to have their Consciences immediately influenced by his Authority in all their approaches unto God But Christ herein is supposed to have built the whole Fabrick of his Worship on the Foundation of Moses and to have grafted all his Institutions into a Stock that was not of his own planting 11. Moreover it is evident that the Consequence of their Opinion concerning the necessary observation of the Seventh-day Sabbath as the Doctor saith It tends to Schism tends to the increasing and perpetuating of Schisms and Differences among Christians And those are the worst saith he and most pernicious which occasion or draw after them any thing whereby men are hindred from joining together in the same publick solemn Worship whereby they yield unto God that reverence of his Glory But now upon a supposition of an adherence by any unto the Seventh-day Sabbath all Communion among Professors in solemn Gospel-Ordinances is rendered impossible For if those of that Perswasion do expect that others will be brought unto a relinquishment of an Evangelical observance of the Lord's Day Sabbath they will find themselves mistaken The evidence which they have of its appointment and the experience they have had of God's presence in its religious observation will secure their practice in this matter c. The Seventh-day Sabbath men on the other hand supposing themselves obliged to meet for solemn Worship on the Seventh-day which the other account unwarrantable for them to do on the pretence of any binding Law to that purpose and esteeming it unlawful saith he to assemble religiously with others on the First-day on the plea of Evangelical Warranty do absolutely cut off themselves from all possibility of Communion in the administration of Gospel-Ordinances with any other Churches of Christ And whereas most other breaches as to Communion are in their nature capable of healing without a renunciation of those Principles in the minds of men which seem to give countenance to them the distance is here made absolutely irreparable while the Opinion maintained is owned by any I will press this saith he no further but only by affirming that Persons truly fearing the Lord ought to be very careful and jealous over their own Understanding before they embrace an Opinion and Practice which will shut them from all visible Communion with the generality of the Saints of God in the World To which let me add How can they have Communion with us if they consider and observe the Consequences of their Principle Are not we guilty of absolute Immorality i. e. the literal breach of one Precept of the first Table Can they or we have Communion with such as bow down to a graven Image or profane the holy Name of God or are guilty of Murder c. And thus you may see what the natural and genuine Consequences of this Principle are and that it not only tends to lay the Generation of the Righteous under the guilt of the breach of a moral Precept and renders them guilty in their sense of the breach of the whole Law but hath other bad Consequents attending it also And this may tend to convince all that consider of what I say that the Morality of the fourth Commandment doth not consist in that precise Seventh-day Sabbath and discovers how blind these Men are Brethren tho I believe many who keep this Day and affirm it is a moral Precept are very pious and good Christians Some of them are for free Grace c. and do not affirm what I say nor may be see it not to be so or will not say thus What then yet I will appeal to all thinking impartial Persons whether I do not infer the direct natural Consequence of their Principle Moreover let me ask here this Question how it can stand consistent with a good Conscience for a Minister to forbear preaching in any Congregation some part of Morality or a moral Precept I grant that Love Wisdom Charity Peace c. may prevent some Men from preaching some Duties of mere positive right for a short time at least that are disputable and not Essentials of Salvation But what are such things to a simple moral Precept both materially and formally one of the Ten Commandments as they affirm their Sabbath is Suppose a Minister preaches to a Congregation that he knows are generally guilty of worshipping a Graven Image or of profane Swearing or of Adultery or of killing their innocent Neighbours would not he preach against these horrid Evils for fear he should offend the Congregation or if he forbear so to do would he not be shamefully guilty of great Sin and of their Blood also Happy is the Man that condemns not himself in the thing he allows I know what some have said about Polygamy if they answer me let them use that Argument I am prepared to reply But let none think I speak thus to expose any of them out of Prejudice for I can appeal to Almighty God I have none against any of their Persons But it is to expose their Principle and Practice in love to their Souls and to the Souls of other Persons But before I conclude with this old Sabbath I must add one dangerous Consequence more of their Principle 12. Is not that a dangerous Error that reflects nay casts Contempt upon the Holy Ghost in respect of his Work and Office which is to convince Believers of all Sin especially of all immoral Evils under his most clear and glorious Ministration since our Saviour's Ascension into Heaven Now I ask our Opponents Whether the holy Spirit doth convince all Believers that they ought to keep the old Seventh-day Sabbath or reprove them for Immorality in the non-observance thereof Sirs as these things aggravate their Evil in what they affirm so it clearly tends to overthrow the pretended Morality of that precise Seventh-day Sabbath for the holy Spirit never convinces Believers of any such Duty nor reproves them for working on that day or for bearing of Burdens on it any more than on any other day in the week to their dying day But it lets them silently fall asleep without the least sense of any such pretended immoral Evil. Besides the generality of Believers after their utmost inquiry search and seeking to God in all sincerity cannot be convinc'd it is their Duty to keep this Day Would the Holy Ghost thus leave the Generation of the Godly under Sin and such Ignorance think you were this a moral Duty And as to such as do observe it I am satisfied the Spirit of God never taught them so to do But they in this are left to themselves and have a Zeal
17. ch 66. 22 23. 2 Pet. 3. 13. Rev. 21. 1. Rom. 8. 19. 20. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Gal. 6. 15. This new Creation is accompanied with a new Law and Covenant or the Law of Faith and Covenant of Grace Rom. 3. 27. ch 8. 2 3 4. Jer. 31. 33 34. Heb. 8. 8 9 10 c. To this Law and Covenant a day of holy Rest unto the Lord doth belong which cannot be the same with the former no more than it is the same Law or same Covenant which was originally given Heb. 4. 9. Rev. 1. 10. That this day was limited and determined to the first day of the week by our Lord Jesus Christ is that which shall now further be confirmed First Pag. 366. On this day he rested from his Work by his Resurrection for then he laid the Foundation of the new Heavens and new Earth and finished the Works of the new Creation when all the Stars sang together and the Sons of God shouted for Joy On this day he rested from his Works The drift of the Apostle here is to shew how the first day is established as our day of Rest under the Gospel as God did and was refreshed as God was for tho he worketh hitherto in communication of his Spirit and Graces as the Father continueth to do in his Works of Providence after the finishing of his Works of the old Creation tho these Works belong thereunto yet he ceaseth absolutely from that kind of Work whereby he laid the Foundation of the new Creation henceforth he dyeth no more and on this day was he refreshed in the view of his Works for he saw it was exceeding good Now as God's Rest This the Doctor shews the Apostle chiefly intends and his being refreshed in his Work on the seventh day of old was a sufficient Indication of the precise day of Rest which he would have observed under the Administration of that original Law and Covenant so the Rest of our Lord Jesus Christ and of his being refreshed in and from his Work on the first day is a sufficient Indication of the precise day of Rest to be observ'd under the Dispensation of the new-Covenant now confirm'd and established And the Church of Christ could not pass one Week under the New Testament Pag. 267. or in a Gospel-state of Worship without this Indication For the Judaical Sabbath as sure as it was so and as sure as it was annexed to the Mosaâ—â—l Administration of the Covenant was so far abolish'd as not to oblige really the Disciples of Christ in Conscience to the Observation of it whatsoever any of them might for a season apprehend And if a new day was not now determined there was no day or season appointed for an observance of an holy Rest unto the Lord nor any pledg given us of our entering into the Rest of Christ Accordingly this Indication of the Gospel-day of Rest § 10. and Worship was imbraced by the Apostles who were to be as the chief Corner Stones in the Foundation of the Christian Church For immediately they assembled themselves on that day and were confirmed in their Obedience by the Grace of our Lord in meeting with them thereon Joh. 20. 19 26. And it appears on this day only he appeared to them when they were assembled together altho occasionally he shewed himself to sundry of them at other seasons Moreover from this time forward this day was never without its solemn Assemblies as shall further be cleared afterwards Thus the Doctor He then proceeds further to prove more fully from this of Heb. 4. the Foundation and Institution of the Lord's-day in which he has certainly not only out-done all Expositors before him but hath made it very plain that the first day is here by the Apostle declared to be established by Christ's Rest and our resting in him and to be the day of Rest and solemn Worship under the Gospel as God's resting from his Work was the Foundation of the old Sabbath He cites Heb. 4. 3 11. moreover he opens the many Rests mentioned Pag. 269 230 231 c. and proves the Rest spoken of in the Psalms to intend the Rest of Christ and his People in the Gospel-Dispensation and not the eternal Rest above but that Rest which all that believe do enter into after Christ had done all our Work and ceased or finished his Work for ever as God finished his and as a pledg of his Rest hath left us a day of Rest There remaineth therefore a Sabbatism for the People of God Here is both the Foundation and Institution of the first day as a day of Rest or a Gospel Sabbath and the manner of our entering into it as well as the abrogation of the old day The Foundation Pag. 279. saith he of the whole is laid down ver 10. For he that is entered into his Rest § 20. has ceased from his Works as God did from his i. e. that as God ceased working rested and took satisfaction and complacency in his Work never working any more in creating and so a Rest followed on that day so Christ ceased and rested from the Work of Redemption on the first day and a Rest followed for us on that day he taking Rest and Complacency in his Work There is the Rest of the one and the other and these saith he also have their mutual proportion Now God rested from his own Work of Creation 1. By ceasing from creating only continuing all things by his Power in their order and propagation to his Glory 2. By his Respect to them and Refreshment in them as those which expressed his Excellencies and set forth his Praise and so satisfied his glorious Design 1. So Christ also must cease working i. e. he must die no more suffer no more but only continue the Work of his Grace and Power in the preservation of the new Creation and the orderly increase and propagation of it by his Spirit 2. He takes delight and satisfaction in the Works he hath wrought for he sees of the travel of his Soul P. 284. and is satisfied In brief all that he did and suffered in and from his Incarnation to his Resurrection as Mediator of the Covenant with all the Fruits and Effects and Consequences of what he so did whereby the Church was built and the new Creation finished belongs to his Works His Rest that ensued on these Works hath two parts 1. A cessation from his Works which was eminent and answered God's Rest from his Works 2. Satisfaction in his Works and the glorious Product of them as those which had an Impression on them of his Love and Grace Psal 16. 7. Now lest any should suppose that Christ rather ceased from his Works Christ ceased from his Work on the day of his Resurrection P. 284. Sect. 23. when he died because it is said 't is finished c. which certainly refers to all those things that were Types or
Reason why any day besides this can be here intended Obj. The Prophet alludes to the general Gospel-day or else only to that very precise day on which Christ rose not that that day should successively be kept Answ We deny not but that the general Gospel-days of Grace came in with this day but in the days of the Gospel this Text also shews God hath made or appointed a particular Day to be observed with rejoycing and gladness of Heart not the seventh but the first Day For it is evident this day was the day when our Lord was made or became the Head-stone of the Corner viz. the day of his glorious Resurrection Where is the general Day of the Gospel called a Day made Is not this as much as that at the beginning the Lord blessed and sanctified the seventh day 'T is not there said he sanctified it for men successively to keep Now 1. Here is expressed a particular Day and what day 't is the Verses going before shew 2. 'T is a day made or instituted for singular use 3. It is a day made by the Lord to that end 4. For us to worship God in or to rejoice in before him with gladness of our Heart God meeteth him that rejoiceth and that remembers him in his ways 1. God hath made or instituted this Day for singular nay for the highest and chiefest End and Purpose 2. And what day have we cause to rejoice in keep and observe like this day For has not redemption-Redemption-work the preference of Creation-work The Glory of Creation-work was mar'd by Sin but Redemption-work Redemption-Grace restores the Image of God to us again and puts us into a far better condition than we were in at first In Redemption-work the glory of all God's Attributes shines forth so they did not in the first Creation The day of Christ's Resurrection is the day of our deliverance from Sin the Law Wrath Death Devils and all Enemies for ever This is the Day the Lord has made more honorable and glorious and more to be remembred than God's creating the Heavens and the Earth Are there any dare say that the first Creation ought more to be remembred than the second or the new Creation Or doth the Covenant of Works excel the Covenant of Grace or the Law the Gospel Did God's finishing his Work call for a day of remembrance and doth not Christ's finishing his Work call for the same Certainly it doth and therefore this is the day the Lord hath made and we will rejoice and be glad in it◠And doth not the Apostle say Heb. 4. 9. upon the same foot of account There remaineth 〈◊〉 Rest i. e. a day of Rest to the People of God This is the day in which Christ our Surety received for us our free Justification i. e. our discharge from the Curse of the Law from Sin and Eternal Wrath. On this day Christ made an end of Sin finished Transgression and brought in everlasting Righteousness therefore this is the day the Lord hath made and we will rejoice and be glad in it 1. The Lord made and created the Seventh-day and afterwards made it a Sabbath to answer the end and design of the old Creation and old Covenant So the Lord created the first day and when the new Creation was brought in he made it for a day of sacred Rest and for his solemn Worship answering the end and design of the new Creation 2. The Seventh-day Sabbath was made for Man under the legal and typical Church of Israel so the first-day was made for Man the new Man or for all the true Israel of God under the Gospel or for the Gospel-Church 3. God made the Seventh-day an honourable day answering his design in the first Creation and Christ has made this day a more honourable day answering his design in Redemption or new Creation 4. God made the Seventh-day a day of Rest because in it he ceased for ever from first-Creation Works and took complacency in his Works So the Lord Christ hath made the first day a day of Rest because in it he ceased for ever from the Works of Redemption never to die or offer any more Sacrifice for Sin and took complacency in his Work This is therefore the day the Lord hath made and we will rejoice and be glad in it How made saith one not by Creation for so it was made before 5. And as the seventh Day was instituted and confirmed before the Law was given to Israel Exod. 16. so the first Day was confirmed Act. 2. by the mighty effusion of the Spirit before any other Gospel-Precept was confirmed after the Resurrection of our Lord. It is called Dies Dominicus p. 71. saith Dr. Young Dominicum because as Austin notes the Lord made it this saith he perhaps will be of no great weight with some since the Lord made all days but he seems to have made this day after a special manner namely by his Resurrection from the dead the Commemoration of which Benefit exceeded the Memory of the old Creation or else because it was destinated for worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ c. Thus it was prophesied what Day Christ would ordain for his Service under the Gospel and which Believers should observe with Joy in his Worship Psal 118. compar'd with Acts 4. must needs saith Mr. Warren be meant the day of Christ's Resurrection and doth not the Spirit speak expresly this is the day the Lord hath made it is a day of the Lord 's making and will he that is Tillam make nothing of that what else can be made of it but a Prediction of a Divine Institution which is equivalent to a Precept especially when 't is expounded by an Apostolical Practice as this hath been what can a day made long before in respect of Creation be stiled the day which the Lord hath made then in respect to a Divine Institution an Institution then it is and that on the occasion of Christ's Resurrection Fifthly My next Argument to prove that the Lord hath appointed the first day of the Week as a day of Rest and solemn Worship shall be taken from those clear Examples we have in the New Testament of the Disciples and Churches of Christ meeting together in God's Worship upon this day 1. Let this be considered That that day which the Saints and Churches in the Apostles time observ'd must be the precise day in every week which ought to be kept till our Lord comes again And 2. That an Apostolical Precedent or Example is equivalent or of like Authority with an Apostolical Precept so that had we no more than this it would be a sufficient warrant for the observation of this day Now as the observation of the first day as I have proved hath its Rise Foundation and Institution from the Resurrection of our Lord from the dead so we find on that very day the Apostles were assembled Joh. 20. 19. tho Thomas was not there and our
solemn Worship And so all along down to this day 't was kept and observ'd even by our blessed Reformers as the Lord's-day or a Day of his appointing c. Therefore from the whole we note it was no Popish Innovation nor as Tillam falsly affirms a Device of Antichrist who changed Times and Laws c. But no more at this time SERMON IV. Proving there is one day of the week in season to preach the Word and that it is the first Day That Collections by Divine Authority are to be made every first Day c. and that the Churches did meet on that day That God hath inflicted dreadful Judgments on such as have profaned the Lord's-day Several Arguments further urged shewing when the Lord's-day begins and how it ought to be observed SEventhly The Lord's Day is that Day in season in which the Word ought to be preached c Another Argument for the observance of the first Day shall be taken from Paul's Charge to Timothy Preach the Word be instant in season and out of season c. 2 Tim. 4. 2. From whence I note there is one day above all others in the week as the day in season when the Word is to be preached 1. In season implies a fit time for doing a Work and so here a particular day Christ hath appointed for his Worship Prayer Preaching and Administration of all other Ordinances 2. But if there was not one precise day appointed by Christ to the end and all days were alike under the Gospel then on all days the Word would either be in season or out of season but since there is a time in season and times out of season I argue there is one special Day appointed for those great things to be done upon 3. Solomon saith Eccl. 3. 1. to every thing there is a season and a time to every Purpose under Heaven i. e. a certain set time appointed by God to be observed with the greatest diligence to the end for which it is ordained And hath God set a time to every thing and for every Purpose and Work and yet set no particular time for his Worship This cannot be for we have proved one day in seven he claims from the fourth Command and in Gospel-times it must be the first Day of the week 1. Because the old Sabbath is gone 2. Because on this day Christ rested from all his Works as God did from his 3. Because this Day he owned and confirmed by the miraculous effusion of his Spirit 4. Because on this Day his Disciples met together and he approved it by his gracious appearance and preaching Peace to them 5. Because 't is called the Lord's-day 6. Because no Church met in a special manner on any other day in the New Testament So that this Day is the day in season or there is none at all but that can't be because there is a special season appointed to every thing and purpose under Heaven 4. This Day is the day in season because it sutes with the state of Gospel-Believers we first entering into Rest through Jesus Christ who has done for us all we had to do and born all those Burdens we were to bear in order to our entering into Rest therefore it can't sute with us to keep the old Sabbath which injoyn'd the Creature to do and live i.e. to labor to do all that God commanded in obedience even to the whole Law if ever they would have Rest and Peace So that the Jews Day shewed they were to work for Life according to the tenor of the first Covenant but our Day shews we work from Life and we have Rest Life and Peace first or are justified and so obey and this from better more Evangelical Principles So that in Comparison of this day this special season all other days of the week are out of season for Gospel-work and Service Eightly The first day of the week is appointed by Christ under the Gospel to be observed Collections for the poor Saints to be made upon the first day of the week because all the Gospel-Churches were required this day to make Collections for the poor Saints 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. As I have given order to the Churches of Galatia even so do ye upon the first Day of the week let every one lay by him as God hath prospered him that there be no Gatherings when I come 1. Observe what was the Practice of one Church as a Church was the Practice of every Church Besides Paul saith that the same thing he had given Orders about in the Churches of Galatia and so no doubt in all Churches 2. Paul in causing the Churches to be obedient in this matter received this Authority from Christ as he intimates plainly enough in 1 Cor. 14. 37. If any Man think himself to be a Prophet or spiritual let him acknowledg that the things I wrote unto you are the Commandments of the Lord. And elsewhere he shews that without the same Authority he durst not make the Gentiles obedient either by word or deed 3. Here is a Duty injoyn'd then by Christ's Authority on all the Churches and not by Paul any other ways than ministerially which is upon every first Day to make Collections for the poor Saints they must deposite their Alms all on the same day which could not be done unless the Churches did assemble upon that day and besure it was injoyned on that day because they then did meet together for solemn Worship and because such Acts of Mercy suted Sabbath-Duties and were well-pleasing to God 4. Besides no Man can assingn a reason why the Churches should be required on every first Day to make Collections for the Poor if it were not the usual Day in which they assembled themselves together Object That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Greek for one and therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may as well be rendered one day of the week as the first day of the week Thus Mr. Bamfield on Acts 20. 7. Answ Take Dr. Wallis's Answer Christian Sab. p. 30 31 40 41. viz. Surely this Author cannot think that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth any where signify other than the first Day of the week Moreover all who well understood the Greek-Tongue agree that the word is here the same as in Mat. 28. 1. Mark 16. 2. Luk. 24. 1. Durham on the Commands p. 269. 'T is clear saith one to be the first Day of the week since the same Phrase used by the Evangelists is made use of here by the Apostle who no question follows the Evangelists Moreover our Adversaries acknowledg and cannot help it that by that Greek Phrase used by the Evangelists is meant the first Day of the week tho call'd one of the Sabbaths or the first from the Jewish Sabbath therefore this is a meer Cavil Now every one knows who understand any Dr. Wallis thing of this nature that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the proper name
a Lawgiver abode no longer than till Christ put an end to his Ministration See Isa 33. 22 and Christ as Mediator is our only Lawgiver under the Gospel yet hath not commanded us to observe the Seventh-day Sabbath then 't is not our duty to observe it but Moses as a Lawgiver abode no longer c. Ergo. Arg. 9. If all Sabbaths given to the Jews without exception were shadows of things to come whereof the Body is Christ then was their weekly Sabbath a shadow but all their Sabbaths without exception were shadows c. Ergo. Arg. 10. Whatsoever Practice it be that opens a door to Judaism and genders to Bondage can be no Truth of Christ but the observation of the old Seventh-day Sabbath opens a door to Judaism c. Ergo * They plead for the Law as given in Horeb with the Statutes and Judgments Arg. 11. Whatsoever Principle and Practice reflects upon the Honour of Christ as Mediator King and Lawgiver to his Church who was more faithful than Moses can be no Truth of Christ but the Principle and Practice of the old Jewish Sabbath reflects c. Ergo. evident 't is Christ hath nowhere taught or commanded it so that if it be our duty we must go to Moses's Law for it and 't is foolish to say Christ as Mediator gave the Law of the Decalogue tho as God he gave not that only but the whole Ceremonial Law also Arg. 12. That Principle and Practice that has many evil and dangerous Consequents attending it is no Truth of God but the Principle and Practice of some who keep the seventh Day is so attended c. Ergo. To conclude Let no Christian any more doubt that the Lord's Day is that day we ought to observe to him in all Sacred Devotion and Piety Consider 1. God hath built all things upon Jesus Christ and so this Day of Rest wherefore it stands as fast as its Foundation 2. God the Father declared Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee that is from the dead and this was on the First-day of the Week 3. This was the First-day of Christ's Kingdom 4. This Day Christ rested from his Work therefore this day remains as a day of Rest to us 5. This Day our Redemption was finished and Christ received our discharge from Sin and Wrath for ever 6. On this Day the Typical Sabbath was ceased and all Shadows of the Law vanquished 7. In him whom the old Sabbath shadowed forth must we seek our Rest and a day of Rest we in him being freed from all legal Labour servile Fear and from the burden of all Sin and Misery 8. On this Day the Disciples met and Christ preached Peace to them and on this day millions of Souls have been converted 9. On this Day John saw Jesus Christ walking in the midst of the seven Churches in Asia 10. This Day was confirmed by the miraculous effusion of the Spirit 11. On this Day the Gospel-Churches met together to break Bread and to discharge all parts of Gospel-Worship 12. This is the Day when preaching the Word is in season 13. On this day Collections were made for the Poor in all the Churches of the Saints 14. This is the Lord's Day all other days he allows us to do work upon but this is wholly his own Day he lays claim to this only O give it wholly up to him 15. This Day all the Godly have observed in every Age of the Church to these present Times 16. For profaning this Day God hath inflicted many sore and fearful Judgments And thus I shall close what I shall say at present for the observation of the First-day of the Week as a Day of Rest and solemn Worship When the Lord's Day begins 1. Some think we ought to begin it at the time when the Jews began their Sabbath When the Lord's Day begins others from Midnight to Midnight others from Morning to Evening Take what Dr. Owen saith to this which I think is very full and clear Some Owen on the Sabb. p. 323. saith he contend that it is a natural Day consisting of 24 hours beginning with the evening of the preceding day and ending with the same of its own and accordingly so was the Church of Israel directed Levit. 23. 32. Altho that doth not seem to be a general direction for the observation of the weekly Sabbath but to regard only that particular extraordinary Sabbath which was thus instituted namely the day of Atonement on the tenth day of the seventh month vers 27. However suppose it to belong also to the weekly Sabbath it is evidently an addition to the Command particularly suted unto the Mosaical Pedagogy that the Day might comprize the Sacrifice of the proceeding Evening in the Service of it from an Obedience whereunto we are freed by the Gospel Neither can I subscribe to this Opinion and that because in the Description and Limitation of the original Seven Days it is said of each of the Six that it was constituted of an Evening and a Morning but of the Day of Rest there is no such description it is only called the Seventh-day without any assignation of the preceding Evening unto it 2. A Day of Rest according to Rules of natural Equity ought to be proportioned to a day of Work or Labour which God hath granted unto us for our own use Now this is to be reckoned from Morning to Evening Psal 104. 20 21 22 23. Thou makest darkness and it is night c. Man goeth forth to his labour until the evening The day of Labour is from the removal of darkness and the night by the light of the Sun until the return of them again which allowing for the alterations of the day in the several seasons of the year seems to be the just measure of our Day of Rest 3. Our Lord Jesus Christ who in his Resurrection gave beginning and being to this especial Day of holy Rest under the Gospel rose not until the Morning of the First-day of the Week when the beamings of the light of the Sun began to expel the darkness of the Night or when it dawned towards Day as is variously expressed by the Evangelists This with me determines this whole matter 4. Meer cessation from Labour in the Night seems to have no place in the spiritual Rest of the Gospel to be expressed on this Day nor to be by any thing distinguished from the Night of any other day in the Week 5. Supposing Christians under the Obligation of the direction given by Moses before-mentioned it may intangel them in the anxious scrupulous Intrigues which the Jews are subject unto about the beginning of the Evening it self about which their great Masters are at variance which things belong not to the Oeconomy of the Gospel Upon the whole matter I am inclinable to judg and do so that the observation of the Day is to be commensurate to the use of our natural