Propositions and Principles of Divinity Disputed, Section 33
PRINCIPLES VPONUPON THE FOVRTH COMMANDEMENT OF GODS LAVVE. XXXIII.
1 EVen as in the reſt of the commandements of the firſt Table, there is ſet downe in what points the lawfull worſhip of God doth conſiſt: ſo in the fourth commandement, wee are taught eſpeciallie howe the faithfull ſhould exerciſe themſelues therein.
2 This commandement was not then firſt of all eſtabliſhed, wheh the Lord deliuered the Law at Mount Sinay, but euen in the verie creation of the worlde, and that before the fall of man. For although man had neuer fallen, yet had he ſtood in neede of ſome order and pollicie of the outward worſhip of God: the manner of which pollicye the Lord him ſelf did then ſet down, thereby condemning wil-worſhip euen in the integritie of man.
3 The fall of man comming vponupon this, made the Lord in renuing this commandement, which by little and little was decaied among men, to bring other reaſons thereof, which were partlie altogether morall, and to continue vntounto the end of the worlde, and partlie ceremoniall and temporarie, ſeruing onlie vntounto the tutorſhip or Poedagogie of the Law, which PAVLE calleth the rudiments of the world: And theſe reaſons were partlie ſet down by MOSES in this commandement, and partlie in other places of the word.
4 Hence it commeth to paſſe, ſeeing in this precept is contained not onlie the inward, but alſo the outward ſolemne obſeruation of Gods worſhip, that the Prophets (by ſetting down a part for the whole) do cōprehēd the whole worſhip of God, vnderunder the obſeruatiō of this cōmandemēt
5 It is no maruell then, that this commandement though in ſome things Ceremoniall, was yet by the Lorde himſelf, placed amongſt the nomber of theſe that are morall and perpetuall: becauſe at that time when this was firſt inſtituted, the inward perpetuall worſhip of God, did altogether agree with the outward and Ceremoniall.
6 The word SABBAOTH being deriued from SABBATH, which in the hebrew ſignifieth, to reſt or to ceaſe, dooth note vntounto vsus, reſt and ceaſing from our workes: and this name was at the firſt giuen vntounto the ſeauenth day, becauſe the Lord hauing finiſhed the work of the creation, did reſt vponupon this day, and it was afterward continued, becauſe the Lord had forbidden his people to do any ſeruile work vponupon the ſame.
7 Now this commandement conſiſteth of foure members: for firſt of all is ſet downe the ſanctification of the Sabboth, which reſpecteth GOD the authour thereof, who hath peculiarlie appointed vntounto his holy vſe, one certaine day exempted from the order of the reſt. Secondlye, the ſeuenth day from the beginning of the creation, is appointed vntounto this Sabboth: Thridly, the Ceremoniall rite of this Sabboth is ſet down to be the forbidding of euerie ſeruile worke: in the fourth place is laid before vsus, the ground of this ſanctification of the ſeauenth day.
8 The Ceremoniall things of this commandement, are the appointing of the ſeauenth day, the rites of the Sacrifices ordained in the Law to be done vponupon this day: & the reſting from all ſeruile works.
9 The morall thinges which are to bee continued vntounto end of the worlde, are the thinges which are ſhadowed out by thoſe ceremonies. This ſeauenth day therfore, wherof there is neither euening nor morning mentioned, did ſignifie that other euerlaſting Sabbaoth, to witt: the perpetuall reſt of aeternall life, begunn heere; but to bee perfected in the other worlde. Nowe the bodie of theſe legall rites and ceremonies, was Chriſt. The reſt from all outward labour ſignified, that in the true worſhip of God, we are required to aboliſh the ould man, and therefore to ceaſe from all the workes that are meerelie ours, that is, from all kinde of ſinne, to the ende that wee may conſecrate both our ſoules and our bodies; to knowe and to glorifie God.
10 Now whereas in other places, the reaſon why wee ſhould ceaſe from bodilie labour is ſet downe to bee, the eaſe which both our houſhold, and the beaſts we vſe in the neceſſarie affaires of this life ſhould hauehave from their continuall toile, it commandeth merciemercy vntounto vsus, which men are bound to ſhew in the moderate and ſparing vſe of the very brute beaſtes.
11 Theſe Ceremoniall things therefore being fulfilled at the comming of Chriſt, are juſtlie abrogated, but the things ſignified by thoſe Ceremonies, are juſtlie commanded to be done of vsus.
12 We may therefore juſtlie affirme, that the Apoſtles by the direction of the holie Ghoſte, in ſteade of that ſeauenth day obſerued vnderunder the Law, did appoint that day which was the firſt in the creation of the former worlde: yet not therefore, becauſe it was the firſt in that worke of the creation: but becauſe that Chriſt by his reſurrection vponupon that daye, did bring foorth that newe and aeternall light of an other world: and therefore this day hath bene named the LORDS DAY, euen ſince the time of the Apoſtles.
13 The obſeruation therefore of this Lords day, is not to be accounted as an indifferent thing, but as an Apoſtolicall tradition to be perpetually obſerued.
14 And that Chriſtians doe now ceaſe from their daylie labour vponupon that day, it grew vntounto vſe by little and little, by the authoritie of Chriſtian Emperours: and yet is it not anie Iewiſh obſeruation, ſeeing that neither euerye ſeruile worke is preciſelie forbidden on that day, (wheras it is rather lawfull extraordinarilie at ſometimes to recall againe the prohibition of thoſe workes that are forbidden:) nor yet the ſaid reſt is nowe commanded vntounto Chriſtians figuratiuelie, as it was in times paſt vntounto the Iewes, but to the end that laying all other cares aſide, we may ſo much the more freelie and earneſtlie beſtowe our ſelues in the hearing and meditation of the word.
15 And euen as the obſeruation of the ſeauenth day amongſt the Iewes, was not ſo to be taken, as though God had not bene to be worſhipped vponupon the other ſix dayes: ſeeing that the continuall ſacrifices was eueryevery day offered both morning and euening: Euen ſo in like ſort, the obſeruation of the Lords day, doth not forbid ſermons or praiers, to be on other dayes: but rather commandeth a certaine peculiar & a ſolemne profeſsion of the external worſhip of God vponupon that day in the publik congregation. The Lord herein deling moſt mercifully with vsus, in that he granteth vsus ſix dayes, to beſtow our ſelues in a holie ſort in our worldlie buſineſſe: and requireth no more to himſelfe, but one of ſeauen. The reuollution of which ſeauen daies being fetched from the creation of the worlde, doth meaſure the length of all ages and times.
The Iewes therefore are deceaued, and alſo thoſe, who together with EBION, CERINTHVS and other ſuperſtitious obſeruers of the Sabbaoth, doe at this day require that ſeauenth day to bee ſuperſtitiouſlie obſerued amongſt Chriſtians: and ſo by laying a yoak vponupon thoſe that are deliuered by Chriſt, do go about to make chriſt vnprofitable vntounto vsus.
16 And euen as alſo, beſides the obſeruation of the Sabbaoth, which came about euerie ſeauenth day, there were other dayes appointed vnderunder the Lawe, to celebrate ſome of the benefites of God, whereunto it was lawfull to add ſome others, ſo it were to the ſame purpoſe: and not to erect wil-worſhip, as were thoſe two daies named, PVRIM, inſtituted vnderunder ESTHER, and alſo the feaſt of the dedication of the Temple: euen ſo alſo, there is nothing to the contrary, but that both in particular churches, and alſo generallie in the whole church, ſome ſuch daies may be ordained, according as the neceſsitie of occaſions, and times do require.
17 Yet two things are heere neceſſarilie to bee taken heed vntounto: firſt, that thoſe daies bee verie fewe, leaſt that by ſuch holie daies, an entrie bee opened to idlenes and riot, the which abuſes manie of the auncient fathers doe complaine to hauehave come to paſſe in their time, at thoſe meetings which were celebrated at the ſepulchres of the martyrs. The other, that no leauen of ſuperſtition, much more of impiety, be intermingled with ſuch obſeruations: to be ſhort, thoſe holie dayes (if need ſo require) muſt bee ſo inſtituted, as all poſsible heed be taken, that no ſuch abuſes do creepe in: and eſpeciallie, that ſuch holie dayes be conſecrated vntounto none, ſaue vntounto God.
The Papiſtes therefore are to bee condemned, who frō the ſmal beginning of that impiety, which firſt ſprang vp, from the reſort to the graues of the Martyres, are growne to that paſſe, that they hauehave dedicated vntounto their Saincts, (as they call them) daies, Temples, and inuocations, which are joined, not onlie with vnſpeakeable riot, but euen with moſt open ſuperſtition and horrible Idolatrie.
18 Seeing then the caſe thus ſtandeth, and that this great wickedneſſe is ſo far growne, that it can not abide anie moderate remedie: thoſe godly Magiſtrates and Paſtors, hauehave done religiouſlie and wiſelie, who hauehave, either in part or whollie (as in ſome places) abrogated the obſeruation of theſe dayes; yet is not the peculier remembrance of ſome of the wonderfull acts of our Sauior Chriſt to be therefore aboliſhed.
Defended by IOHN WTERBOGAERT, a low country man of Vltraject