The Sum of Christian Religion 2, Part 3 · Commandment 4
THE FOVRTH COMMANDEMENT.
REmember thou keepe holy the ſabboth day: ſix daies ſhalt thou labour, and doe all that thou haſt to do, but the ſeuenth daie is the ſabboth of the Lorde thy God, in it ſhalt thou doe no manner of work, thou, and thy Sonne, and thy daughter, thy man-ſeruaunt, and thy maideſeruaunt, thy cattel, and the ſtraunger that is within thy gate. For in ſix daies the Lord made heauen and earth, the ſea and al that is in them, and reſted the ſeuenth day: wherefore the Lord bleſſed the ſeuenth day and hallowed it.
The parts of this fourth commaundement are in number two, A commaundement, and a reaſon of the commaundement. The parts of the commandement are alſo two: The firſt is Moral: That the ſabboth be ſanctified, that is, that ſome certaine time be alotted to the miniſtery of the Church, or to the publick ſeruice of God. The other part is Ceremoniall and Temporarie, namely, that that time be the ſeuenth day, & that therin be kept the Leuitical ceremonies. That this part bee temporarie and the other perpetual, is vnderſtoode by the end of the commaundement, and by the cauſes of both parts, whereof more ſhal be ſpoken afterwardes. Now we wil in few words expound the wordes both of the commaundement, and of the reaſon adioined vntounto the commandement. Which being once knowen, ſo much the eaſier ſhal bee vnderſtoode thoſe things which are afterwardes to bee ſpoken concerning the ſabboth.
Remember thou keep holy the ſabboth daie, that is, with great care and religion keepe holy the ſabboth day. Not without cauſe doth God ſo ſeuerely commaund the keeping of the ſabboth, 1. Becauſe the breach and violating of the ſabboth, is the breach and violating of the whole worſhip of God. For the neglect of the miniſtery doth eaſily corrupt the doctrine and worſhip of God. 2. Becauſe by the exacting of the ceremoniall or typical ſabboth, God would ſignifie the greatneſſe and neceſſitie of the ſpiritual ſabboth. 3. Becauſe god wil hauehave the external ſabboth to ſerue for the beginning and perfecting of the ſpiritual ſabboth in vsus. 4. Becauſe he willeth the ſabboth to bee kept holy and to be ſanctified, that is, that ſinnes ſhould be eſchued and auoided therein, & good works done, and that it ſhould not be ſpent in ſlothful idleneſſe. Now god is otherwiſe ſaid to ſanctifie the ſabboth, than are men: God is ſaide to ſanctifie the ſabboth, becauſe he appointeth it for diuine worſhip: men are ſaide to ſanctifie it, when they referre it to that vſe vntounto which god hath appointed it.
Thou and thy ſonne, and thy daughter, &c. He will hauehave alſo our children and familie to ceaſe from their labours for two cauſes. 1. Principallie, that theſe alſo may be brought vp by their parents and maſters in the ſeruice of God, and may be admitted vntounto the miniſterie of the Church. For God will hauehave theſe alſo to be members of his Church. 2. Becauſe hee will hauehave, eſpeciallie on the Sabboth day, louelove and bountifulneſſe towards our neighbour to be ſhewed and ſeene in the Church.
The ſtrainger &c. Hee willeth alſo ſtraingers to intermit their labours, and that, if they were conuerted vntounto true religion, becauſe they were of the houſhold of the Churche if they were infidels, he commandeth it thē, not in reſpect of themſelues, but in reſpect of the Iſraelites; 1. Leaſt by their example they ſhould giuegive offence vntounto the Church. 2. Leaſt their libertie might bee an occaſion vntounto the Jewes to accompliſhe by them thoſe labours, which it was not lawfull for them to woorke by them ſelues, and ſo the lawe of God ſhould bee deluded. Hereby is aunſwere made vntounto three queſtions, 1. Whether other nations were alſo bound to the Moſaical ceremonies, if any of them liued among the Iewes. 2. Whether they which are aliens from the church may or ought to be forced to religiō. 3. Whether the ſacraments, among which was alſo the Sabboth, ought to be cōmon vntounto Infidels with the Church. VntoUnto theſe queſtiōs we thus anſwer. As concerning binding & conſtraint, the ſtrangers which conuerſed among the Iewes, were not forced either to al ceremonies, or to religion, but to external diſcipline, which was neceſſary for the auoiding of breeding offences in the Church, wherein they liued. For a Magiſtrat ought to be a maintainer of diſcipline & order, according to both tables of the Decalogue, amongeſt his ſubiectes, and to forbid manifeſt idolatry and blaſphemies.
Moreouer, as cōcerning the binding there was a peculiar conſideration and reſpect of the ſabboth, which was not then firſt by Moſes preſcribed vntounto the Iſraelits, but commanded by God from the beginning of the world vntounto all men, and ſo did bind all men vntill the comming of the Meſſias. Although indeed this commaundement and ordinance was ſo growen out of vſe among other nations, that they accounted it among the number of the chiefe reproches, wherewith they derided, and ſcoffed at the Iewes. Furdermore the ſabboth was no ſacrament vntounto Jnfidels, becauſe neither did the promiſes belong vntounto them, that God would be their ſanctifier; neither were they therefore conſtrained to ceaſe from their daily labours, as for a teſtification or confeſſion of this promiſe, but onelyonly for auoiding of offence, and for preuenting of ſuch occaſion of breaking the ſabboth, as might bee giuen by them vntounto gods people. Theſe thinges are alſo the better vnderſtood by this, that their cattle alſo are commaunded to reſt, whoſe reſt had no reſpect or conſideration either of Gods woorſhippe, or of a Sacrament, but was commaunded only in reſpect of men: 1 That all occaſion of labouring might be cut off by forbidding the labour, or vſe of their beaſts. 2 That alſo they ſparing brute beaſts, might learne how greatly God wil hauehave regard to be had of merciemercy and fauourableneſſe towards men.
For in ſixe daies. This reaſon which is annexed vntounto the commaundement is drawne from Gods reſt, & appertaineth to the ceremonial commaundement concerning the Seuenth day.
And reſted on the ſeuenth day. That is, hee ceaſed to create anie newe partes of the world, as being nowe perfect, and ſuch as god would hauehave it to be. This ſeuenth day he conſecrated to diuine ſeruice, 1. That by the example of his owne reſt, as a moſt forcible and effectuall argument hee might exhort men to the imitation thereof. And ſo the imitation of this reſt is double; Ceremoniall or ſignifieng; and Morall or ſpirituall, or ſignified. 2. That this reſt of the ſeuenth day might bee a monument of the creation then finiſhed and abſolued by God, and of his perpetuall preſeruation and gouerning of his worke euer ſince that day, vntounto his owne glorie, and the ſafetie of his choſen: and that ſo it might be a pricke to ſtir vsus vp to the conſideration & magnifieng of Gods workes towardes mankind. Furdermore, God did not therefore grant ſix daies vntounto labour, and the ſeuenth to diuine woorſhip, that on other daies the worſhippe of God ſhoulde bee omitted; but hee requireth theſe two thinges; 1 That on the ſabboth day, there bee not onelyonly a priuate ſeruing of God, as on other daies, but alſo a publike ſeruing of him in the Church. 2 That on that day all other labours ſhould giuegive place both to the priuate and publicke ſeruice of God, which on other daies euerie one doth exerciſe according to his vocation.
We are furder to beware of a Jewiſh ſuperſtition, which Chriſt alſo doth once & again refute in the Goſpel, namely, to thinke it vnlawfull to performe on the ſabboth day whatſoeuer woorkes belonging to the neceſſitie either of his owne life, or of anothers. For by the end of the commaundement it appeareth that only ſeruile woorkes, or ſuch as hinder the exerciſe of the miniſterie are forbidden of God, but not thoſe which hinder not the publicke ſeruice of God, but rather furder, foſter, and aduance the ſame. So, Matth. 12. Chriſt defendeth his Diſciples, pulling the eares of Corn on the ſabboth day, to driue awaie hunger; and himſelfe healeth a man hauing a dried hand. Luk. 14. Chriſt ſaith, that an Ox or any beaſt falling into a pit on the ſabboth may be drawen out thence, without any ſin. Macchabaeus fighteth on the ſabboth day, that there might be ſome preſerued which ſhould keep the ſabboth. 2. Mac. 15. And of the like actions there are two reaſons giuen. 1. Mac. 2.40. Jf wee all doe, as our brethren hauehave done, and fight not againſt the Heathen for our liues, and for our Lawes, then ſhall they incontinently deſtroy vsus out of the earth. Therefore they concluded at the ſame time ſaying; whoſoeuer ſhall come to make battle with vsus vponupon the Sabboth day, wee will fight againſt him. For the maintenance of their life and religion, they ſay it is lawfull to fight euen on the Sabboth day. By the ſame reaſons doth Chriſt defend his Diſciples and himſelfe, Mat. 12. citing a place of Hoſea, cap. 6. If yee knew what this is, J will hauehave merciemercy and not ſacrifice, yee would not hauehave condemned the innocent. And Mar. 2. The Sabboth was made for man, and not man for the Sabboth; that is, ceremoniall woorks muſt giuegive place to morall woorkes, ſo that rather the ceremonies muſt be omitted, than ſuch woorks of charity, as our neceſſitie or the neceſſity of our neighbour requireth. And Mat. 12.5. HaueHave ye not read in the Law how tha… on the ſabboth daies the Prieſts in the Temple break the Sabboth, & are blameleſſe? But I ſaie vntounto you, here is one greater than the Temple. Alſo, Ioh. 7.22. Ye on the Sabboth daie circumciſe a man. If a mā on the Sabboth receiue circumciſiō, that the Law of Moſes ſhould not be ye broken; be angrie with me, becauſe J hauehave made a man euerie whit whole on the Sabboth daie? By which words hee ſheweth that ſuch workes as hinder not the vſe of the Sabboth, but rather further & eſtabliſh it, (ſuch as are the workes which appertaine ſo to the ſeruice of god or ſacred ceremonies, or to charity and louelove towards our neighbor, as that preſent necesſitie will not ſuffer them to bee differred vntill another time) do not breake or violate the Sabboth, but are moſt of all required to the right and lawfull obſeruation and keeping of the Sabboth.
Now we are furder here to obſerue that there is a three-fold difference of forbidding works and ſinnes. 1. Labors are forbidden but in a reſpect only, to wit, as they hinder the miniſtery of the Church, or as they giuegive offence to our neighbour. But ſinnes are ſimply forbidden. 2. Labours are forbidden onlie to be vſed on the ſabboth daie, ſinnes are forbidden at al times. 3. The ceaſing from labors is a type of ceaſing from ſinnes, which is the thing ſignified by that type.
What things are remaining to bee knowen concerning the ſabboth, wee will now conſequently goe forward to declare. And becauſe one part of this commandement is ceremonial, we ſhall not vnfitly afterwards adioine the common place cōcerning ceremonies. Laſtly we wil annex in brief wiſe vntounto theſe the common place concerning the miniſtery of the church, becauſe by this commaundment is the external publique ſeruice of god enacted; and therefore alſo the miniſtery it ſelfe of the church, and the vſe & honor thereof.