The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Chapter 11
CHAP. 11.
The distinction of Gods lawsTHE Lawes of God which he hath given to men, are of two sorts, either lawes printed in mans heart which we cal lawes of nature: Or else Positiue lawes, which God hath commanded in his word over, and above, or besides the lawes of na…ure.
Th… Law of nature is that will of God which hee as Lord and creatour hath imprinted in mans heart in the creation, even that naturall disposition which God gaue to man, when he made him in his owne Image, by which he doth informe man in the knowledge, and moue him to the practise of all duties which belong to him, and which he requirs of him, for naturall wellbeing & continuance in that life, & good estate wherein he was created.
The law of nature may be distiguished into two sorts. The one is Generall and indefinit, which binds man definitly in a generall bond. The other is speciall and particular, which doth define & prescribe speciall & particular duties & workes to men.
The generall and indefinit law is this. That man being Gods creature and hauing his whole being, life, motion and all things from God, of free gift, is in duty bound to obey God to the utmost of his power in all things whatsoever God either by naturall light, or by his word either hath revealed, or shall at any time reveale and make knowne unto him, to be his will that he should doe them. The bond and obligation of this law is very large, and reacheth through all lavves, & binds men to doe whatsoever God commands by any law whatsoever.
The speciall definit and particular law of nature, is that commanding will of God engrauen in mans heart▪ and in his upright naturall disposition, which directs man to know & moues him to performe such speciall kinds of duties and such particular workes, as he ought to do and God reveales to him & declar…s to be his wi…l that hee should do them.
Of these speciall lawes some are primary. And some are secondarie lawes of nature.
A speciall primary law of nature is the will of God, concerning such speciall duties and particular workes, as mans owne pure created nature and naturall disposition did direct, lead & moue him vntounto, which his naturall reason in the state of integrity did shew unto him, and his pure naturall will and affections did moue and stirre him to performe. As for example, to know and acknowledge God for his sole Lord and Creatour, and one onelyonly God, to serue and worship him with such worship and reuerence, as his pure reason taught him to bee meet for God, to thinke and speake of God accordingly: to beare himselfe towardes the creatures, and to rule them according to the wisdome which God, had given him, to increase and multiply and to replenish & subdue the earth and such like.
A Secondary speciall law of nature, is a rule or precept concerning such speciall and particular duties and workes, as mans owne right reason, or Gods word discouers vntounto him, to bee in there owne nature good, and just, and profittable either for his owne naturall being, and wellbeing, as the cause now stands with him since his fall, and for any other good end and use agreeable to Gods revealed will. As for example, that men should not liue idle, but labour painfully to provide for themselves and families, this is a duty which vvas knovvne to man before his fall, but ever since the curse vvherevvith God cursed the earth for mans sinne, Gods vvord requires it, and mans ovvne naturall reason vvel informed, and his vvill and affections vvell ordered doe naturally moue him to the performance of it for his naturall vvelbeing.
So diuers negatiue precepts vvhichwhich forbidde such euils and sinfull deedes, as man never knevv nor had any thought of them in the state of innocency, but novv true naturall reason, affection and conscience; teacheth and moueth man to hate and abhorre them; they are lavves of this kinde.
And if vve should extend the lavv of nature to the utmost, as many do, and bring under it every law which commands duties which are in their owne nature just and honest and very vsefull and profittable to the doers and to others; …nd serve directly and naturally for Gods glory. We might reduce to this kinde of naturall lawes, every positiue morall and perpetuall precept commanding any just or holy work & duty which is just in it selfe, though there were no expresse commandement given for the doing of it. A Positiue law of God is that vvhichwhich God in his wisedome & by his word giues to man, by which he bindes man to some obedience which he of him…elf by his own naturall vvit & reason would not hauehave found out & discerned to be good & just, neither would hauehave done or performed by the instinct of nature, and the motion of his will & affection, for such an end as God hath appointed them unto.
There are diuers lawes and precepts of this kinde, all which as they require that which God justly & wisely willeth man to do, & do command things which are in respect of the present state & condition good for man, so they al are after a generall manner included in the generall law of nature, and bindes men to obey them all.
Of these positiue lawes there are divers sorts. Some are Positiue commanding things which tend to preserve & maintain good order, society & peace, not onelyonly between God the creatour and man his creature, but also betweene man & other creatures, & among men themselves. Such was the law which God gaue to man, when he commanded him vnderunder the paine of death to obsteine from the fruite of the tree of knowledge of good and evill, & that for a wise & just end, even to put man in mind that he was not absolute Lord of all the visible creatures, to vse them at his pleasure, but that he was a subordinate Lord and ruler under God, and that all other trees berbes & fruites which God alowed him to eate of, were Gods free guift, & also to teach him, that hee was chiefly & aboue all to looke to the service of God & obedience of his will, & to omit the serving of his owne turne, & the doing of that which his owne vvill might moue him to doe, when God at any time should call him another way. And of this kind are all the judiciall lawes, vvhichwhich God gaue to Israell by Moses for the well ordering of their common vvealth, & all precepts of obedience, vvhichwhich inferiors ovve to superiours in things lavvfull and that for peace sake. Some positiue lavves are Evangellicall and religious vvhichwhich command vvorks & duties tending to an holy heavenly & supernaturall end & use, such are all lavvs & cō mādments vvhichwhich God hath given vpō occasiō of Christ revealed to mā, & in & through Christ vvhichwhich require duties, & service due to God as he is mās redeemer, & bind mā as he expects benefit by Christ the mediatour & redeemer, to such workes & such obedience, as come to be of vse in respect of Christ. These Evangellicall lavvs are of two sorts. 1. Some are vniversall & perpetuall requiring necessary works & duties of all such as are to be saued by Christ. 2. Some are special & temporary, which require some speciall service & workes of obedience, & them of some only, & for some times, & in some condition of the Church. Perpetuall & vniuersall Evangellicall lawes, which bind all Gods redeemed ones, & require things necessary to salvation by Christ, are the commaundements of God, by which he bindes all men to repentance & reformation of life, to godly sorrow, & humiliation for sinne, to beleeue in Christ under penalty of loosing salvation, & of perishing for euer, & condemned & cast into hell for their sins. Speciall or temporarie laws are they which bind men, or all men of some ages and in some times to some speciall service & worship, fit for the present state & condition of the Church, or to so some duties & workes vvhichwhich for the time are profittable to guid & lead men to Christ, & therfore are sanctified of God & set apart for that purpose: …uch are the lawes & commandements of sacrificing & bringing offerings & first fruits to God, of oxen & sheep & other cleane beasts & birdes, & of the increase of the earth, some of which lavves did binde all Gods people from the first promise of Christ even all the fathers from Adam untill Moses, & all Israell untill the comming of Christ, such lawes were that of Circumcision given to Abrahā, as a seale of the covenant wh…ch God made with him & his seed, & that of the passouer, and of the first borne, & all Leviticall ceremoniall lawes, given to Israell by the hand of Moses, & such are the commandements of Baptisme & the Lords Supper, which binde all Christians under the Gospell.
There are also besides these severall kinds of lawes, some mixt lawes, & of these some are partly & in some respects naturall, because they bind men to some duties vntounto which nature binds them; & in some respects civill, for they require things which tend to civill order & government; & partly in some respects also evangellicall commanding things which tend to salvatio… in Christ. Some are partly morall & perpetuall in that they require morall duties which are necessary & vsefull at all times to the end of the world; & partly ceremoniall & temporary in that they require obedience in things which are usefull onelyonly in some cases and at some times. As for example the law which God gaue from mount Sina, & wrote it in tables of stone it doth binde men not only to all morall duties which engrauen in the creation, to weet: all duties which man did owe to God as to his onelyonly creatour, & to men as fellow creatures; but also to such further duties & degrees of obedience as man doth owe to God his only Saviour & Redeemer in Christ, & to men & Angels as his fellow sevants brethren & mēbers of one & the same spirituall body under the same head Christ.
And therefore God presseth and urgeth obedience to that law, at the giuing thereof vponupon this consideration, and for this reason, because hee is the Lord God the Redeemer and deliverer, who as he delivered the naturall Israell from Egyptian bondage, so by that typicall deliverance did foreshew and prefigure the spirituall redemption of all the spirituall bondage under sinne, the world and the Devill.
To louelove God aboue all, and a mans neighbour as himselfe, to honour Parents, and to speake truth of eueryevery one, to giuegive leaue to every one freely to enjoy his owne, and many such duties requited in the ten commandements are naturall, and nature bound man to them in innocencie, and in respect of them that law is nature.
But to beleeve in God as a Redeemer, to visite and comfort the sick, and distressed, to honour parents, pastors, superiours, as fathers in Christ, and divers duties of neglatiue precepts, as not to make images of God; not to pollute Gods name by vaine swearing and such like, the knowledge and thoughts of vvhichwhich man had not in his heart by nature in the creation, vvhichwhich come into the vvorld by naturall corruptions, and man vvas not subject to them, untill he vvas seduced and fallen and brought into bondage by Satan, they are posituallie morall, and as the lavv commands them, it is a positiue morall law, yea in respect of some of them Evangelicall. And as reverence and respect to civill Magistrates and men of higher place, as they are superiours and men of greater power and authority (which difference and equality came in by mans fall, and flowes from Gods distribution of his common guifts in a different manner & measure) as I say this honour giuen to them as civill rulers, ruling for our Good and the good of the common weath, is commanded in this law so it is ciuill. And lastly as all ceremoniall & religious ordinances, and outward significatiue, & worship sanctified by God, and appointed as most fit for the time and season, receiue their originall authority and first strength from that law given from mount Sina, especially from the commandement which bindes man to obey God, as his creatour & Redeemer in all ordinances, so farre as he requires, so and in this respect this law is Ceremoniall and bindes to obedience temporary, fit for the season, & opportunity.
Jn like maner the commandement which the Lord Christ hath given in the Gospell, for Baptizing of Christians and for the administration and receiving of the Sacrament, of his body and blood, as they command an outward sacramentall washing with water, and abodily eating of bread and drinking of wine which hauehave beene of use onelyonly since the comming of Christ, and not from the beginning, so they are ceremoniall and temporary. For whatsoever ordinances are in vse in the Church of God for a season onelyonly, that is during the time of the true and proper signification of the world Ceremonia: which is compounded of the Gr: wordes foreign, which signifies a set time or season, and foreign, whice signifies onelie, or rather foreign which signifies to abide or remaine. But because the time of the Gospell is perpetuall unto the end of the world, and they are commanded to be observed of all Christians at the time of the Gospell, in this respect these Commandements may be called vniversall and pepetuall. And as in these and all other Ceremonies, ordained by God, there are required besides the outward bodily rites & actions, many spirituall duties, as inward reverence and holy affections of the heart faith in Christ & the blessed Trinity beleeving of the covenant, commemoration of Christ & his benefits, confession of three persons in one God, and the eye of faith looking chiefly to the spirituall things signified, so the commandement and law enjoyning them may justly be esteemed positiuely and Evangellically morall. Thus much for the divers and severall kindes of Gods lawes which hee hath given to men.
J proceed to that which is the maine thing here intended, that is to shew what kinde of law the commandement of the Sabbath is, & vnderunder which of these severall kindes it is comprehended. And in a word J hold it to be of the last kinde, to weet: a mixt law that is partly naturall, and partly positiue, both ciuill and Evangellicall, and not onelyonly universall and perpetuall but also speciall & ceremoniall, and so indeed it takes part of all kindes of lawes which God hath given men, and which are mentioned in the Scriptures, which thing because the learned hauehave not heretofore obserued nor well considered, but some hauehave cast their eyes upon the common ground of this lavv printed in mans heart in the creation, and finding it among the ten commandements which are generally held to be the summe and substance of the law of nature, doe call it a law of nature.
Others hauehave considered it as a speciall commandement given by God immediatly after the creation by word of mouth and not written in mans heart, and do call it a positiue morall law. Others hauehave considered it as it commands rest one the seventh day, now altered by Christ, which rest was a signe of Christs rest from the worke of redemption & is a token & pledge of eternall rest in heauen, & there upon hold it to be a ceremoniall law: and hence ariseth the diuersity among Christians, and almost civill warre betweene the Pastors of severall Churches, yea & amōg learned preachers of one & the same Church: Whereas indeed they all hold the truth in part but not wholy: They all erre in this, that they limit it every one, to that speciall kinde of law, which he hath hath chiefly in his eye and upon which he hath set his conceit: Now make it a mixt law & proue it manifestly, & there needs no more contention, except some men wil contend without cause & against reason out of a spirit of contention & contradiction.
First, this law as all other lawes is indefinitly comprehended in the generall law of nature, for the generall law written in mans heart in the creation, binds him to attend the wil of God, & to be ready to obey God, his Creatour in all things whatsoever he either had already declared, or should at any time to come reveale to bee his will, and to bee a duty which he required of man. And therefore the observing & keeping of a weekly holy Sabbath, & devoting of a seventh part of every weeke to religious exercises & to rest from bodily labour & common worldly busines, being expresly commanded by God, & declared at severall times & upon severall occasions to be his will, man is by the generall of nature bound to performe it, & in this respect we may truly say that the law of the Sabbath is a law of nature, included indefinitly in that generall law & dictate of nature written in mans heart in the creation.
Secondly, though J cannot conceive that the keeping of an holy Sabbath weekly, was a thing so disti…ct written in mans heart in the creation, that man of himselfe by the instinct of his nature, or by the light of his reason & motion of his will, would hauehave set either the seventh daie or any other of the seven daies of the weeke apart for rest, or other duties of the Sabbath, which God in the first institution required, & commanded also in his law giuen from mount Sina: Yet because the keeping holy of a weekly Sabbath upon such grounds as are mentioned in this text, & for such ends & vses as God hath ordained, to weet: commemoration of Gods mercy & bounty in promising Christ, preserving the knowledge & memory of the covenant of eternall life, & rest in Christ, training up of people in religion, the feare & worship of God, & in holines, by which they are made fit to see & enjoy God in glory, because J say, the keeping holy of a weekly Sabboth is in these respects a thing very good & profittable, yea & necessary for the helpe of man and for the reparing of his nature corrupted.
Thirdly, if we consider the law of the weekly Sabbath as it was given by God in the first institution, & in his blessing & sanctifying of the seuenth day, & againe renewed & inserted among the ten commandements given from mount Sina: & at other times upon diuers occasions repeated by Moses and by the Prophets from Gods mouth, If we also consider that neuer the Sabbath it self nor the ground; reason, & ocasion of it, (to weer: Gods perfecting the creation by promising & revealing redemptiō in Christ, & the rest which J hauehave before proved & demonstrated) were written …n mans heart in innocency, but were after mans fall revealed by God, & thereupon the holy rest commanded to bee kept on that day which God aboue other daies hath blessed and sanctified. We may truely affirme that the commandement of the Sabbath in these respects is a positiue law of God, & not a law of nature requiring such particular duties as man of himselfe without Gods positiue commandement would hauehave observed. Yea the word (Memento Remember) soe often added to the precept of the Sabbath as appeares Exod. 20.8. doth plainly shew that the keeping holy of a weekly Sabbath, was not a thing printed in mans heart, for then it had beene vaine & needlesse for God soe often to use this word Remember & to put them in mind of this duty by Moses & the Prophets, mans owne conscience would hauehave been his daily and continual Monitor & Remembrancer, & his own thoughts would hauehave ben ready to accuse him for every omision & neglect of it. As the Apostle testifies of the worke of the law written in mans heart, Rom. 2.15.
Fourthly, if we consider the law of the Sabbath as it commandeth man together with his children, servants & labouring cattell to rest from their wearisome labours & bodily paine; which came in by sinne, & by mans fall, together with servile subjection & difference of the Maister & servant, which weekly rest & intermission from toyle & labour granted to servants & cattell by their Maisters: as well as to themselves, makes very much for good order in every state & common wealth, & for peace & society among mē, & in every family, & serves for an excellent civill & politicall use, so it is in the judgment of many learned & godly Divines, not without good reason hold to be a civill and politicall lavv.
Fifthly, if we consider. First the time of Gods first institution of the Sabbath, as it fals under Chist, even upon the seventh day of the world, in which Christ was, promised to redeeme man who was fallen in the latter end of the sixth day as is before shewed. Secondly, if wee consider the ground and reason of Gods institution of the Sabbath and sanctifying the seventh day, even Christ promised the seed of the woman, & to breake the serpents head, by whose actually undertaking & beginning to mediate for man, God did perfect the mutable worke of creation, & setled the world in an higher estate of the perfection supernaturall, & did rest in Christs mediation, being that which was able to giuegive full satisfaction to his justice.
Thirdly, if we consider that in the first institution, the Sabbath day was sanctified & blessed aboue the other six dayes: that is, vvas set apart to heavenly & supernaturall vse; which cannot be imagined but in & under Christ in whome all things are sanctified. We must needes know & confesse that the commandement of the Sabbath even in and from the first originall and institution, is a law Divine and Evangellicall, commanding such an observation and service, as is of use onelyonly in and under Christ, and mainly tends to lead men to salvation in him.
Sixtly, if we consider the necessity of resting, one whole day in every weeke, from all our worldly affaires. First that with one consent the Church and congregation of Gods people may all generally meet together in their set places of holie assemblies, to heare and learne the Doctrine of saluation and word of life, and to honour God with publick holy worship and service, and with joynt prayers to call upon him in the name and mediation of Christ for all blessings. Secondly, that every man may instruct his family in private also at home, and by constant exercising of them a whole day together in religious duties every weeke, may make them to grow and increase in grace and religion and in knowledge and skill to order and direct all their weeke dayes labours, to Gods glory, their owne salvation, and the comfort and profit of their Christian Brethren. Without which religious observation once every weeke at the least, especially upon the particular day of the week, which God hath blessed with the most memorable work belonging to mans redemption, it is not possible for people to be well ordered in a Christian Church, nor Gods holy worship to bee either generally known or publickly practised, nor the vulgar sorts of Christians to bee brought to the knowledge and profession and practise of true religion neceessary to salvation. These things I say considered, we must necessarily grant that the law of the Sabbath is an Evangellicall universall and perpetuall law▪ such as the commandements of beleeving in Christ, repenting from dead workes, reforming of our lives, worshipping and invocating of God in the name & mediation of Christ, and by the motion & direction of his holy spirit, all which Commandements binde all Gods people of all churches and ages from the first day wherein Christ was promised in one measure or other. So that without obedience in some degree vntounto these Evangellicall lawes, it is not possible for any man to be and to continue a true child of God, and to attaine salvation in and by Christ.
And this law thus farre and in these respects cōsidered, can no more be abrogated and abolished, then Gods covenant of Redemption of salvation made with mankinde in Christ. But all mankinde even every one who seekes salvation in Christ, is at all times & in all ages bound to obserue this law of sanctifying a seventh day in every weeke, and of resting from all worldly affaires, that they may serve and vvorship and seeke God in Christ.
Lastly, if we consider the Lords Sabbath, as it is a significatiue éven a signe to us of the eternall Sabbath in Heaven, and as it is in respect of the particular day of the weeke and some ceremoniall worship used in it, chaungable and mutable according to the chaunges and motions of Christ the foundation and Lord of it, and according to the seuerall estates of Gods Church, and Gods seuerall dispensations of the misteries of salvation, and severall waies of reuealing Christ in the old Testamēt, and before and after the comming of Christ in the flesh. We must of necessity confesse, that the law of the Sabbath is in these respects a Ceremoniall law, commanding things which are temporary and mutable and fitted for some times and seasons onelyonly.
First as it commanded the seventh day of the week to be kept holy, as the most holy day because therein Christ was promised to be the redeemer of the world, and God rested in his creation, and perfected the creation by bringing in redemption, which was the greatest blessing of the old Testament. And as it required hallowing of the day by sacrifices and other outward service and worship which were tipes and figures of Christ to come, and by preaching and rehearsing the promises of Christ out of the lavv and Prophets, beleeving in the Saviour in heaven. Soe it was a ceremoniall and temporary lavv, and did stand in force and binde all Gods people to the obseruation of the last day of the weeke, all the time of the old Testament vntill Christ vvas fully exhibited a perfect Redeemer in his resurrection. And it vvas not in the povver of the Church to chaunge the Sabbath to any other day of the weeke that power rested in Christ the foundation and Lord of the sabbath. It also bound the faithfull of these times, to the ceremoniall …nctification, and to that tipicall seruice vnhich looked towardes Christ to come, as well as to the seventh day onelyonly and no other, during …hat nonnage of of the Church.
Secondly, as the law of the Sabbath (which requires that day to bee kept for an Holy rest in which God hath revealed the greatest blessing & so hath blessed it aboue all other dayes of the weeke) doth now ever since the perfecting of the worke of redemption in Christs resurrrection, binde all Gods people to keepe for their Sabbath the first day of the weeke which by Christs victory over death obtained fully in that very day, became the most blessed day aboue the seventh day and all other daies of the weeke. And as under the name of hallowing & keeping holy the Lords Sabbath, it enioines such worship as God requires of his Church in her full age & more perfect estate, to weet: spiritual sacrifices of praise & thanksgiving, preaching & teaching faith in Christ crucified & fully exhibited, aperfect redeemer, praying vntounto God in the name & mediation of Christ, & seeking accesse vntounto the father in him by one spirit. And as this law imposeth this holy weekly Sabbath, to be a pledg to the faithfull, of that Sabbathisme of eternall rest in heaven which remaineth for the people of Gods as the Apostle testifieth. Heb. 4.9.
So this law is like the commandements of Baptisme, & the Lords supper. It is ceremoniall commanding such duties to be performed, & such a day to be obserued as are fitted to the time & season of the Gospel, & yet it is so ceremoniall, as that it is also perpetuall, binding all Christians during the season & time of the Church during the time in the new Testament & under the Gospel that is perpetually to the end of the world, vntill we come to the eternall rest in heaven. And as there shalbe no chaunges in Christ, nor of the state of the Church vntill Christ shall come in glory to receive us into that eternall rest. So there shalbe no chaunge of the Sabbath to any other day of the weeke, neither hath the Church or any other whatsoever any power to alter either the day or the sanctification & obseruation of it, no more then to bring in such an other Chaunge in Christ, and such an alteration of the estate of the Church, as that was from Christ promised and obscurely revealed in the old testament, to Christ fully exhibited.