A Golden Chain, Chapter 23
CHAP. 23. Of the fourth Commandement.
THe fourth Commandement concerneth the Sabboth: namely, that holy time consecrated to the worship and glorifying of God. The words are these: Remember the Sabboth to keepe it: sixe daies shalt thou labour, and doe …ll thy worke: but the seuenth day is the Sabboth of the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt doe no manner of worke, thou, nor thy sonne, nor thy daughter, thy man seruant, nor thy maid, nor thy beast, nor thy straunger that is within thy gates. For in sixe daies the Lord made the heauen and the earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seauenth day: therefore the Lord blessed the seauenth day, and hallowed it.
The Resolution.
Remember] This clause doth insinuate, that in times past there was great neglect in the obseruation of the Sabboth: and would that all degrees and conditions of men should prepare themselues to sanctifie the same: especially those that be gouernours of families, in corporations, and cities, to whome this commandement is directed.
To keepe it holy, or, to sanctifie it] To sanctifie it, is to seuer a thing from common vse, and to consecrate the same to the seruice of God. Here are described the two parts of this commandement: the first where of, is rest from labour: the second, sanctification of that rest.
Sixe daies] These wordes containe a close answer to this obiection. It is much to cease from our callings one whole day. The answer (together with a first reason to inforce the sanctification of the Sabbath) is in these wordes, which is taken from the greater to the lesse. If I permit thee to follow thy calling, sixe whole daies, thou maist well, and must leaue one onelyonly to serue me.
But the first is true. Therefore the second.
The first propositiō is wanting: the second, or assumption are these words, Sixe daies, &c. The conclusion is the commandement it selfe.
Here may we see, that God hath giuen vsus free libertie to worke all the sixe daies. The which freedome no man can annihilate. Neuerthelesse, vponupon extraordinarie occasions, the Church of God is permitted to separate one daie or more of the seuen, as neede is, either to fasting, or for a solemne day of reioycing, for some benefit receiued. Ioel 2.15.
The seuenth day] The second reason of this commaundement taken from the ende thereof.
If the Sabbath were consecrated to God, and his seruice, we must that day abstain from our labours.
But it was consecrated to God, and his seruice.
Therefore we must then abstaine from our labours.
The assumption is in these words (the seuenth day, &c.) where we must note, that God alone hath this priuiledge, to hauehave a Sabbath consecrated vntounto him: and therefore all holy daies dedicated to what soeuer either Angel or Saint, are vnlawfull: howsoeuer the Church of Rome hauehave imposed the obseruation of them vponupon many people.
In it thou shalt doe] This is the conclusion of the second reason, illustrated by a distribution from the causes. Thou, thy sonne, thy daughter, thy seruant, thy cattell, thy stranger, shall cease that day from your labours.
Any worke] That is, any ordinarie worke of your callings, and such as may be done the day before, or left well vndone till the day after. Yet for all this we are not forbidden to performe such workes euen on this day, as are both holy and of present necessitie.
Such are those works, which doe vponupon that day preserue and maintaine the seruice and glorie of God, as I. a Sabbath daies iourney. Act. 1.12. Which is now Hierusalem, containing a Sabbath daies iourney. II. The killing and dressing of sacrificed beasts in the time of the law. Matth. 12.5. HaueHave ye not read in the law, how that on the Sabbath daies, the Priests in the Temple breake the Sabbath, and are blamelesse? III. Iourneys vntounto the Prophets, and places appointed vntounto the worship of God. 2. King. 4.23. He said, Why wilt thou goe to him this day? it is neither new moone, nor Sabbath day. Psal. 84.7. They go from strength to strength, till eueryevery one appeare before God in Zion.
Such also are the works of merciemercy, whereby the safetie of life or goods is procured: as that which Paul did, Act. 20. 9. As Paul was long preaching, Eutychus ouercome with sleepe, fell downe from the third loft, and was taken vp dead: but Paul went downe and laid himselfe vponupon him, and embraced him, saying, Trouble not your selues: for his life is in him. vers. 12. And they brought the boy aliue, and they were not a little comforted. II. To helpe a beast out of a pit. Luk. 14.5. Which of you shall hauehave an oxe, or an asse fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day? III. Prouision of meate and drinke. Matth. 12.1. Iesus went through the corne on a Sabbath day, and his Disciples were an hungred, and began to plucke the eares of corne, and to eate. In prouision, we must take heede that our cookes, and houshold …eruants breake not the Sabbath. The reason of this is framed from the lesser to the greater, out of that place, 2. Sam. 25.15. Dauid longed, and said, Oh that one would giuegive me to drinke of the water of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate. vers. 16. Then the three mightie brake into the host of the Philistims, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem that was by the gate, and tooke and brought it to Dauid, who would not drinke thereof, but powred it for an offering vntounto the Lord. vers. 17. And said, O Lord, be it farre from me that I should doe …his: is not this the blood of the men, that went in ieopardie of their liues? therefore would he not drinke. The reason standeth thus. If Dauid would not hauehave his seruants aduenture their corporall liues for his prouision, nor drinke the water when they had prouided it: much lesse ought we for our meates to aduenture the liues of our seruants. IV. Watering of cattell. Math. 12.11. The Lord answered, and said, Thou hypocrite, will not any of you on the Sabbath daies, loose his oxe or asse out of the stable, and bring him to the water? VponUpon the like present and holy necessitie, Phisitians, vponupon the Sabbath day, may take a iourney to visit the diseased, Mariners their voyage, Shepheards may tend their flocke, and Midwiues may helpe women with childe. Mark. 2.27. The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.
Within thy gates] This word gate, signifieth by a figure, iurisdiction and authoritie. Math. 16.18. The gates of hell shall not ouercome it. Let this be a looking glasse, wherein all Inholders, and intertainers of strangers may looke into themselues, and behold what is their dutie.
For in sixe daies] The third reason of this commaundement from the lik… example.
That which I did, thou also must doe,
But I rested the seauenth day and hallowed it:
Therefore thou must doe the like.
God sanctified the Sabbath when he did consecrate it to his seruice; men sanctifie it when they worship God in it. In this place we are to confider the Sabbath, how farre forth it is ceremoniall, and how farre forth morall.
The Sabbath is ceremoniall, in respect of the strict obseruation thereof, which was a type of the internall sanctification of the people of God, and that is, as it were, a continuall resting from the worke of sinne. Exod. 31.1.3. Speake thou also vntounto the children of Israel, and say, Notwithstanding keepe ye my sabbath: for it is a signe betweene me and you in your generation, that ye may know that I the Lord doe sanctifie you. The same is recorded, Ezech. 20.12.
It signified also that blessed rest of the faithfull, in the kingdom of heauen: Esai 66. 23. From monethmonth to monethmonth, and from sabbath to sabbath, shall all flesh come to worship before me, sa…h the Lord. Heb. 4.8,9, 10. If Iesus had giuen them a rest, &c.
The Sabbath is likewise ceremoniall, in that it was obserued the seauenth day after the creation of the world, and was then solemnized with such ceremonies. Numb. 28.9. But on the sabbath day ye shall offer two lambes of a yeare old without spot, and two tenth deales of fine floure for a meate offering, …ingled with oyle, and the drinke offering thereof. 10. This is the burnt …ffering of eueryevery Sabbath, beside the continuall burnt offering and drinke offering thereof.
But now in the light of the Gospel, and the Churches professing the same, the ceremonie of the Sabbath is ceased. Col. 2.16. Let no man condemne you in meate and drinke, or in respect of an holy day, or of the new moone, or of the Sabbath: 17. which are but shadowes of things to come, but the bodie is Christ. The obser…ation of the Sabbath was translated by the Apostles from the seuenth day, to the day following. Act. 20. 7. The first day of the weeke, the Disciples beeing come together to breake bread, Paul preached to them. 1. Cor. 16.1,2. Concerning the gathering for the Saints, as I hauehave ordained in the Churches of Galatia, so doe ye also eueryevery first day of the weeke, let eueryevery one of you put aside by himselfe, and lay vp …s God hath prospered him, that then there be no gatherings when I come. This day, by reason that our Sauiour did vponupon it ri…e againe, is called the Lords day. Revel. 1.10. I was rauished in the spirit on the Lords day.
The obseruation of the Sabbath thus constituted by the Apostles, was neuerthelesse neglected of those Churches which succeeded them, but after was reuiued and established by Christian Emperours, as a day most apt to celebrate the memorie of the creation of the world, and to the serious meditation of the redemption of mankind. Leo and Anton. Edict. of holy daies.
The obseruation of the Sabbath is morall, in as much as it is a certaine seauenth day, preserueth and conserueth the ministerie of the word, and the solemne worship of God, especially in the assemblies of the church. And in this respect we are vponupon this day, as well inioyned a rest from our vocations, as the Iewes were. Esai 58.13. If thou turne away thy foote from the Sabbath, from doing thy will on mine holy day, and call my Sabbath a delight, to consecrate it, as glorious to the Lord, and shalt honour him, not doing thine owne waies, &c.
Finally, it is morall, in that it freeth seruants and cattell from their labours, which on other daies doe seruice vntounto their owners.
The affirmative part.
Keepe holy the Sabbath day. This we doe, if we cease from the workes of sinne, and our ordinarie calling: performing those spirituall works, which we are commanded in the second and third Commandement.
I. To arise earely in the morning, that so we may prepare our selues to the better sanctifying of the Sabbath ensuing. This preparation consisteth in priuate praiers and taking account of our seuerall sinnes. Mark. 1.35. In the morning very earely before day, Iesus arose and went into a solitarie place, and there prayed. The day following was the Sabbath, when he preached in the Synagogues. 39. Exod. 32. 5, 6. Aaron proclaimed, saying, To morrow shalbe the holy day of the Lord: so they rose vp the next day earely in the morning. Eccles. 4. vers. last. Take heede to thy feete when thou entrest into the house of God.
II. To be present at publique assemblies, at ordinarie howers, there to heare reuerently and attentiuely the word preached and read, to receiue the Lords Supper, and publikely with the congregation, call vponupon and celebrate the name of the Lord. 1. Tim. 1.2,3. Act. 20.7. 2. King. 4.22,23. Act. 13.14, 15. When they departed from Perga, they came to Antiochia, a citie of Pisidia, and went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sate downe. And after the lecture of the Law and Prophets, the rulers of the Synagogue sent vntounto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye hauehave any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
III. When publique meetings are dissolued, to spend the rest of the Sabboth in the meditation of Gods word, and his creatures. Psal. 29. from the beginning to the ending. Act. 17. 11. These were also more noble men, then they which were at Thessalonica, which receiued the word with all readinesse, and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so. We must also exercise then the workes of charitie: as, to visit the sicke, giuegive almes to the needie, admonish such as fall, reconcile such as are at iarre and discord amongst themselues, &c. Nehem. 8.12. Then all the people went to eate and to drinke, and to send away part, and to make great ioy.
The negatiue part.
Pollute not the Sabboth of the Lord.
This is a grieuous sinne, Matth. 24.20. Pray that your flight be not in winter, nor on the Sabboth daie. Lament. 1.7. The aduersaries saw her, and did mocke at her Sabboths. Leuit. 19.30. Ye shall keepe my Sabboths, and reuerence my Sanctuarie, I am the Lord. In this part are these things forbidden:
I. The workes of our calling, wherein if we doe ought, it must be altogether in regard of charitie, and not in regard of our owne priuate commodity.
II. Vnnecessarie iourneyes. Exod. 16.29. Tarrie eueryevery man in his place, let no man goe out of his place the seuenth day. By this reason, the master of the family must that day remaine at home, to sanctifie the Sabbath with his household.
III. Faires vponupon the Sabboth daie, Nehem. 3.19. When the gates of Ierusalem began to be darke before the Sabboth, I commaunded to shut the gates, &charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabboth, and some of my seruants, set I at the gate, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabboth day. read v. 15,16,17,18.
IV. All kind of husbandrie; as plowing, sowing, reaping, mowing, bringing home haruest, & other the like. Exod. 34. 21. In the seauenth day shalt thou rest, both in earing time, and in haruest shalt thou rest.
V. To vse iestes, sports, banquetting, or any other thing whatsoeuer, which is a means to hinder, or withdraw the mind from that serious attention, which ought to be in Gods seruice: for if the workes of our calling must not be exercised, much lesse these, whereby the minde is as well distracted from Gods seruice, as by the greatest labour.
VI. An externall obseruation of the Sabboth, without an internall regard of godlines. Esa. 1.14,15. My soule hateth your new moones, and your appointed feastes, they are a burden vntounto me, I am wearie to beare them: and when you shall stretch forth your handes, I will hide mine eies from you, and though you make many praiers, I will not heare: for your handes are full of blood. 2. Tim. 3.5. Which hauehave a shew of godlines, but denie the force thereof, such therefore auoyd.
VII. The manifest prophanation of the Sabboth, in pampering the belly, surfeting, adulterie, and other like prophanenesse, which is nothing els, but to celebrate a Sabboth to the diuell, and not to God.