The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Chapter 10
CHAP. 10.
BVT that this truth may yet shine forth more clearlie, and may soe m…nifestlie shew it selfe that no scruples may remaine, nor any doubts concerning it or any part of it. I will proced to the second special thing which is before propounded. That is, to inquire, search out, & discover the nature and kinde of this law and commandement of God, concerning the weeklie Sabbath: And how farre and in what manner it bindes Adam and all his posterity.
And her… I hauehave alarge field to passe through, wherein divers points offer themselues to our view, which J cannot passe by, nor lead you along withou… due consideration of them. First here J meete with divers and severall opinions, of the learned concerning the law of the sabbath which come first to be rehearsed and examined.
Secondly, I finde severall kindes of lawes which God hath given to men; mentioned in the Scripture, and divers sorts of commandements, which we must severally discribe, and distinctlie consider before we can determine that which principallie is here intended, that is, what kinde of law and commandement this of the Sabbath is, and how farre and in what manner all man kinde are obliged by it, & bound to obey it.
The severall opinions concerning the law of the Sabbath.The first opinion is, that the law of the Sabbath is naturall, morall, & perpetuall writen in the heatt of the first man in his creation. And that as he was bound to keepe the seventh day holy to the Lord in the state of innocency. Soe also are all his posteritie bound in all all ages even to the last man to keepe the weeklie Sabbath. But they who conceiue this law to be naturally writen in mans heart doe much differ & are diuided into two opinions. The one sort holds the law to be wholy naturall, and perpetuallie morall both in respect of the rest, and sanctification, & also in respect of the particular day of the weeke, even the Seventh from the beginnning of the creation.
Thus doe Iuda…zing Christians hold, who professe Christian religion, but reject the sanctification of the Lords day and embrace and cleave to the Iewes Sabbath.
The other sort do hold that there is a three fould vse of the Sabbath day. 1. Religious and holy, which is the exercise of holy & religious duties. 2. Politicall or civill, which is rest from worldlie weariesom labour of man and beast. 3. Ceremoniall or sacramentall which is a signification and shadowing of spirituall rest in Christ. That in the two first respects the Law is naturall, …mortall and perpetuall, and that nature requires, that a seventh day of everie weeke should bee for rest and refreshing, and for holy exercises of religion, they all affirme: And because the seuenth and last daie of the weeke, was the daie wherein God rested, hauing in the sixt dayes before perfected all the workes of the creatiō, therf… they hold that for the signifying & sh…dowing forth of spirituall rest in Christ; the seventh day was the fittest of all, & Gods people were by Gods Law bound to observe it, for their Sabbath vntill Christ had fully finished the worke of redemption, & then rested from it as God did from the worke of creation. And that ever since the resurection the signe and ceremony of Christs rest being fulfilled. The Sabbath is to be kept by the same law of nature, and commandement of God on the Lords day the first day of the weeke, which is one in seventh vntill the eternall Sabbath and rest in heaven, unto which Christ will bring all his elect at last. This is the Doctrine of many of the best learned heretofore in our Church, and divers godly divines do rest in this opinion which for the maine matter & substance of it, is pious & godly & approved by Aquinas the great Scooleman.
The second opinion is, that the law of the Sabbath was not naturall wr…tten in mans heart, neither did binde man to observe an holy rest the seventh day of every weeke, & onelie on the seventh day in which God rested, but that it was a possitiue law given by God, commanding more then the light of nature did clearly & distinctly shew to man, or bare naturall instinct move him unto, and that it was like the law by which God forbad man to eate of the tree of knowledge, which his own naturall appetite did leade him to eate of, being good for food & to the eye & appetite pleasant and desirable. But God restrained him from it, not but instinct of nature or law written in his heart, but by his owne voluntary commandement, to shew his authority over man, to teach man obedience, & to make man know, that he might as justlie hauehave restrained him from all, or the most part of either fruites, & that the use of the creatures, & the power which he gaue to man over them was his free gift, & therfor man ought to louelove & serve him his creatour, as for his whole being, so also for the use & benifit of all other crea…urs. And soe like wise they hold, that by nature all dayes are alike in themselvs, & mā by the light of nature can disc…rne no difference in thē, b…t yet God to make man mindfull of his creation, & of God his creatour, did by his word & everlasting commandement given to man, seperat one day fot the vses before named. 1. For holy use even performance of religious duties only. 2. For civill use, to weet: rest from hard labour. 3. For ceremoniall, to signifie the rest of Christ after the work of redemption finished, to admonish man of rest from sinfull works, & to be a token of eternall rest in heauē. & though any one day in the week is of it self naturally as fit as another, & that it is no matter what day be kept, so that one in sevē be for these uses set apart: yet because God rested on the seventh day from his work of creation, therfor in the old Testament he would hauehave that last day of seven to be the Sabbath untill the comming of Christ: intēding that when the greater work of mans redemption was perfected by Christ; then the day of his resurrection in which he rested from that worke even the Lords day, should be the Sabbath of Gods people to the end of the world; And so this law & commandement though it be not naturall, yet it is morall, & a perpe…uall, and vnchangable rule of Gods canstant will, & of mans duty in this particular: which is the main substance of it, viz, that man do keep one day in seven of every week for a Sabbath of rest 'though…ut all ages of the world, & that it is chaungable onelyonly in the circumstance of the day, & that onelyonly thus far. 1. That while the work of creation was, that work vvhichwhich had the preheminence in the eyes of the vvorld, the Sabbath vvas to be kept necessarily one the last of the seven, in vvhichwhich God did rest from that vvork, & so this lavv did binde men. 2. That after Christ had finished his vvorke of redemption, …ested the seventh day in the graue, & on the first day vvas risen & entered into his rest, & the vvorke vvhichwhich novv hath the preheminence vnderunder the Gospel, is redemption perfected by Christs resurrection, the day of his resurr…ction & rest, should bee the holy Sabbath to all christian people, wherby they should be admonished of the eternall rest in heaven, & wherin they should be holy devoted to such duties, as tend to bring thē on, to the fruition of rest with Christ in glory. The third opinion is, that the law of the Sabbath is not naturall nor perpetually morall at all, but only civill & ceremoniall, & some who are of this opinion doe hold, that it was giuen of God in the beginning to be obserued only untill the comming of Christ, partly in memory of the creation, vntill the greater worke of redemtion should come in, & partly to signifie things to come by C…rist, & of true rest to bee found in him, & that now it is vtterly abolish…d, together with all the festival Sabbaths, of the Iewes. Others of them hold, that because there was great equity in this law, & also seting apart of one day in the week for religious exercises, is a thing uery profittable & usefull for the propogation of religion, and for the upholding of order in Gods C…urch: therfor the lavv in respect of the particular day is abolish…d, for that vvas ceremoniall, but the equity of the observation of on in seven still rem…ines. And therfore all Christians in imitation of the Ap…stles, ought to keep one in seven, especially the Lords day vvhichwhich is the last in the vveeke, rather then any other, if the Church so determine it, & if it bee obserued vvithout any superstitious conceipt of more holinesse in that day, or annexed to it, rather then any other.
The fourth opinion is, that the first lavv for observation of the vveekly Sabbath vvas the fourth commandement, given from mount Sina, & that is did bind only the Isralits to keep the sevē …h day of the vveek for an holy Sabbath untill the cōming of Christ: but novv under the gospel it is abolish…d in respect both of the particular day, & also the strictnes of the obseruation, & only the equity of it remains in the Lords day, the obseruation vvherof is commēded to us by the example of the Apostles, & …ovv the lavv of keeping it holy is only ecclesiasticall & an holy ordinance of the Church· Thus you see vvhile men build vponupon vnsure and vnstable grounds, & not upon the certain vvords of holy Scripture compared together & made to runne in a svveet harmony, hovv various & different they are, & hovv contrary some of them, in their opinions.
For the removing of all doub…s, & setling of mens judgments in a sure vvay so farre as God shal enable me. I vvill endeavour to select & single out vvhatsoever I finde in these severall opinions, to be agreeable to the truth, & to the sacred vvord of God: & reject the rest: & vvill ad more over what is wanting to make up a perfect Doctrine, not out of mine owne conjections, but out of canonicall Scriptures, for that is the sure rule of all necessary saving and sanctified knowledge, & that must be the sure guid when Fathers, Councels, & Churches do lead vsus into severall & doubtfull wayes. First for them who hold that the law of the Sabbath was written in mans heart in the Creation, I hold it true insome part, to weet: thus far. That God creating man in his owne Image did print this in mans heart That as he had his. whole being from God, especially his reasonable soule, by which he was made able to understand the will of God, revealed to him by his word, so hee was bound to obey God and to serue him all his dayes, with his whole heart, and with all his might. And if God did require of him any part of his time, and commanded him to obsteine from some good and lawfull workes tending to his naturall good and well being, & to doe some speciall workes for his Lords pleasure, in one day or more selected daies of the weeke, or of every monethmonth or yeare, he ought to doe it out of duty and obedience to his Lord and Creatour. Thus farre J consent that the law is naturall written in mans heart, to weet: in generall and in respect of the common foundation:
J grant also that the law and commandement of God, injoyning the rest of men, their servants, and cattell from hard labour the seventh day, or one daie in every weeke, is a thing so naturally helpfull & needfull for the health and wellbeing of men ever since mans fall, and the curse of barennesse laid upon the earth, and the punishment of toyle some labour and faint sweating imposed on man kinde, that mans own naturall reason, will and affection must needes approue it, and moue and incline his heart to the obedience of it, and his inward thoughts cannot but accuse him of wrong done to his owne body, and to the life of his labouring cattell, and servants, if he disobey it, and in this respect it may be called a law of nature:
Yea I adde moreover that if wee take the law of nature in a large sence, as some times it is taken, that is for every law which commands such duties and such obedience, as in there owne nature are very vsefull & profittable to the parties commanded, and which is grounded on such just causes & weighty grounds, as by the judgment of naturall reason, are in their owne nature well worthy of such observance, then the law & commandement of keeping an holy Sabbath (on the seventh day in the old Testament in thankfulnesse for Christ promised & for a continuall memoriall of that great blessing: & one the first day of Christs resurr…ction now under the Gospell, in thankfulnesse for Christ fully exhibited, & the worke of redemption by him perfected, which so much excels the promise made on the seventh day, as perfecting of a worke excels the beginning & undertaking of it) may both in respect of the particular day & the sanctification of it be called a law of nature that is a law requiring such morall & perpetuall obedience, as is in the nature of it most just, and worthy to be performed.
But that the law and Commandement, which bound the fathers to keepe an holy rest one the seventh day of every weeke, and us under the Gospel to keepe it on the first day especially and no other, was in in the creation written & imprinted in the heart of man so distinctlie, and expressly, that man had an inbred notion of it, and a naturall instinct of himselfe to observe this law, & to keepe a weekly Sabbath on those uerie daies which God hath prescribed both to the fathers & us. This I must needs deny for these reasons following.
First Gods sanctifying of the Seventh day by his word and commandement, and his institution of the Sabbath by a positiue law giuen, as my text here shewes; had beene vaine and needlesse, if the law and the Sabbath of holie rest had beene expressly, and particularly written in mans heart already. For what man by the instinct of nature, & by his own naturall reason, will and affection, is lead and moved to do, that hee is vainly & needlesly vrged unto by any law or commandement, being of himselfe without any monitor ready to performe it.
Secondly, the very word (Sanctify) signifieth the setting apart of this day to a supernaturall and heavenly vse, euen for the performance of such duties as are aboue the naturalll imaginations and thoughts of man, and which his naturall reason would never hauehave revealed to him, not his will lead him to do. If God by his word, and divine & superturall revealation had not directed and moved him. Therefore this law by which God sanctified & instituted the Sabbath is not a naturall law, but a divine and supernaturall precept.
Thirdly, in the creation and state of innocency, man was bound to serve God as his creatour and the author of all his being, and to be content with that estate wherein God had placed him, and saw to be very good, and to looke no higher. It was the inordinat desire of more knowledge and of an higher estate then God had revealed and promised, which made our first parents so yeelding to the devils temptations, and vndoubtedly it was an occasion of their sinne in eating of the forbidden fruite. Now the serving of God as his Lord and Creatour was the duty of man eueryevery day alike, for the heavens aboue▪ and the earth beneath, and all creatures in them serving daily for mans naturall good & welbeing, even every day equallie did put man continually in mind of his duty. to weet: that he was to louelove and serue the Lord with all his heart, soule, and strength at all times, for this is the righteousnesse of a mans owne workes and of his owne person, which God required of man in the first covenant in the state of innocency, even his constant obedience to the vvhole and law and revealed will of God all his dayes withou… one dayes intermission. Therefore the Sabbath which requires service of God and worship, & louelove of him as mercifull a Redeemer, and that upon one day of the weeke more then all the rest, vvas not knowne nor commanded nor observed by nature in the state of innocency.
Fourthly, the lavv of nature written in mans heart requires no particular duty, but such as his owne naturall reason and vvill did direct & lead him vntounto in the creation, and vvhichwhich belonged to him in the state of innocency. But the lavv of the Sabbath from the first institution commands and requires such things, …nd such vvorkes, and duties as did not concerne man in the state of innocency. As 1: Rest of man and beast from their vvearisome labour for their refreshing upon one day in seven. This man had no need of, neither vvas their any need of such rest, because the toile and labour of man and beast came in after the fall, vvhen God cursed the earth for mans sinne.
Secondly, it requires in generall sanctification of the seventh day, by holy and religious exercises, and in particular by sacrificing to God, by prayer and supplication, and by meditating on heavenly things, and on eternall rest, and by studying all holy duties vvhichwhich might fit men for the sight and fruition of God in heavenly glory. All which & vvhat soever other holy Sabbath duties and vvorks, are mentioned in the word of God, do belong to man, only since the promise of Christ the blessed seed. And in the state of innocency, man had no occasion of any such duties he had no need of sacrificing vntill Christ, his ransome and sacrifice for sinne vvas promised, he neither could have any thought ar meditations of glory in Heauen, or studies to fit and sanctifie himselfe for the fruition thereof untill Christ the onlie vvay to eternall rest, & glory vvas promised: vvhat use had he of prayers and supplcations to God for any good thing needful, vvhen he lacked nothing, or for deliverance from evill vvhen as yet noe evill vvas knovvne in the vvorld? What occcasion could he hauehave to praise God either for Christ, before he did so much as dreame of Christ or had any thought of him at all. As for naturall guifts and blessings he vvas by them admonished and provoked every day alike to louelove, serve, honour and praise God, vvherefore seeing the vvorkes and duties of the Sabbath are holy, and tend onelyonly or chiefly to the supernaturall and heavenl… life, and to the eternall rest which Christ hath purchased in heauen for man, vndoubtedly the lavv of the Sabbath vvhichwhich expresly commands such workes and duties everie seuenth day, is a positiue supernaturall and divine law, not any dictate of nature imprinted in mans heart in the creation.
Fiftly, every law of nature is common to all man kinde, and is written as well in the hearts of heathen as of Christians, so that the conscience of men whoe never heard of God or of his word, is a monitor, to admonish them of the duty which that law requires, and an accuser if they transgresse that law, and men hauehave no more need to be put in mind of those duties, then of any other which the law of nature requires: But the law of the Sabbath hath no footsteppe of impression in the hearts of barbarous heathen nations. It is quite forgoten among them, and onelyonly Gods people who have his written law, and word continually read and preached, do keepe the Sabbath: And God in giving it to Israell in written tables, & in repeating it often afterwardes, still calls upon them to remember it, thereby shewing that it is not as the law of nature printed in mans heart, but is a law giuen by word and writing, and from thence learned, and therefore easilie and quickly forgotten.
Sixthly, If it were a naturall law founded upon the creation, and binding man to keepe a weekelie holy day in thankfulnesse for his creation, and for the creatures made for his vse, then it should in all reason binde man to keepe Holy the six dayes in vvhichwhich God Created all things, and especiallie the sixth daie wherein God made man himselfe and gaue him rule and dominion over all creatures. For holy celebrations are kept weekely or yearely one the dayes in which the blessing and benefits solemnized and celebrated were first bestovved one men.
Therefore it is not a naturall law grounded on the creation.
Lastly Christ came not to chaunge the law of nature, nor to take away any part of the obedience therof, but to establish and fulfill it in every jot and title as he himselfe testifieth Mat. 5.17.18.
And yet the law of the Sabbath soe farre as it requires keeping holy the seventh day, as the fathers were bound in the old Testament is changed by Christ and by his resurrection, in which hee finished the worke of redemption, and was exhibited a perfect redeemer. And the observation of the seventh and last day of the weeke is abolished.
And the first day of the weeke even the day of Christs resurrection, is sanct…fied and substituted in the place of it, and so was obserued by the Apostles, & after them by all true Christian Churches for the Lords day, and for the Queene and ch…efe Princesse of all daies, as the blessed Martyr Ignatius cals it. Epist. ad magnesi…s pag. 31. Therefore it is not a law of nature printed & e…grauen in mans heart.
J could alleadge more reasons, but J hold this perfect number of seven sufficient for this present purpose. J will therefore proceed to the next thing which is the discovery of the seuerall kindes of lawes, which God hath given to men, & the briefe discription of every kind particularly, by which J shall come to demonstrate what kind this of the Sabbath is.