The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Chapter 15
CHAP. 15.
THE First point being thus proued. The second thing before propounded followes: that is, to shew how farr, and upon what termes and conditions the sonnes of Adam are bound to the duty of keeping a weekly Sabbath by Gods commandement, giuen in the sanctifying of the seventh day here recorded in my text, where God is said to sanctifie the seventh day, that is: by giving man a law to keepe it holy. First for such sons of Adam as are borne and liue in the Church of God, & hauehave the means to know Gods word, & to obey his law: There is no questiō to be made, it is cleare that they are bound to know & to keep this cō mandement of God, and to seperate one day in every weeke, even that which God hath blessed aboue all the rest, & to devote it to holy & heavenly exercises, ceasing from all worldly cares, labours, & delights, and so to keep it an holy Sabath. First, as they are Gods creatures, & God hath thus far declared his mind & will, that men in immitation of him their God, who rested on the seuenth day, & also for the refreshing of themselves, their children, servants, & cattell in their bodies, should rest from worldly labours: & for the comfort of our soules should spend it in holy & spirituall exercises, & in the worship of him their maker, and preserver: even the generall law of nature bindes them to this duty.
Secondly, as God hath revealed himselfe a Redeemer & Saviour of mankind by promising & giving Christ: So they are much more bound to keep all his commandements to the utmost of their power, especially this of the Sabbath, which God ordained to be a memoriall of redemption and eternall rest, to be found only in Christ promised on the sevēth day, and in fulnesse of time given and exhibited. Jf they beleeve that Christ is their redeemer, and that they are bought with the price of his blood, and are no more their own, but his, who hath bought them, this binds them to glorifie God with their soules, and bodies also which are Gods. 1 Cor. 6.20. And this they cannot do, except some time be set apart, at least one day in everie week, to celebrate in holy assemblies, the gracious goodnesse, bounty & louelove of God to them in Christ, & to sanctifie and fit themselves, for him in all their weekly works, and for the intending and seeking of him in all the labours of their hands, Thus much the Lord shews in his law giuen & expounded by Moses. Deut. 5.15. Where he tells Israell, that he gaue his commandement to them of keeping holy his Sabbath, for this end, that they might remember their slavery in Egypt, & their deliverance by his mighty hand, & stretched out arme. VponUpon which words wee must necessarily inferre, that if God bound them by his commandement vrging them and pressing often to keep the Sabbath day, for a memoriall of their deliuerance from temporall & tipical bondage, & thankfulnes to him for it, then much more were they & all Gods people still are bound, to keep holy the Sabbath day in thankfulnes & for a memoriall of spirituall deliverance from sin, death, and Hel, and that on the day of the Lord Christ, wherin he is promised or fully exhibited.
Thirdly, because there is none of all the Sonnes of men who live in the Church, and know the word & law of God, & discern their own frailtie but know how hard it is for them to continue in grace, & in the knowledge of Christ, & in the understanding of the misteries of godlinesse, without often exercises of religious duties, as well in publick as in private, & without much hearing & publick instruction in the word and law of God. Therfor every rational man must needs know & acknowledg himselfe bound by the light of reason, & his naturall appetite of his own happinesse, to use all means for continuance & increase of grace & of heavenly knowledg in himselfe needfull to salvation, especially this keeping of an weekly Sabbath which he findes by experience to be ameans to hold him fast to Christ. But if any who liue & are borne in the Church, in such times & places wherin they hauehave sufficient means to know Gods revealed will and law for the keeping of an holy Sabbath weekly, do through negligence, & idlenesse, malice, or perversnesse remaine wilfully ignorant of this law & will of God, as well as diuers alients. This shal in no case excuse them, neither doth it from the bond of this duty, no more then it doth frō the bond of any other laws of which they are wilfull ignorant, but God will punish them, both for their failing in this duty, & for their wilfull shutting of their eyes & eares and refusing to know his will & law. Now because a great part of mankind even of Adams posterity do liue out for the Church, & many nations for many ages even all pagans and Heathen infidels never heard of the Sabbath, nor of Gods word vvhichwhich requires the vveekly observation of it. We are in the second place to consider, vvhether this law of God, and this his blessing and sanctifying, of the seventh day, doth in any respect bind them to this duty. And first that ignorance of the law doth not exempt them from the duty, it is manifest by plaine reasons.
First because they had means from Adam and their first progenitours to know this law, for when the earth was devided into severall nations and countries, the fathers and first founders of eueryevery nation did know, that God had, in sanctifying the seventh day given this commandement to our first parents and their seed in their loynes: But they by wilfull neglect of this duty brought the law into obliuion, and their children rejoycing to follow their licentious waies, and to put farre from all thoughts of this duty, and all regard of this law, became wilfully ignorant of Gods will, yea they skorne to hearken to Gods word if it be brought vntounto them.
Secondlie, no ignorance which is not invincible, but might be avoided by due care & diligence, can exempt a man from any dutie which God hath commanded all mankind to performe: Our Saviour tells us, that he which failes of his duty out of simple ignorance, and doth not his Lords will, because he knew it not, shalbe punished and beaten though with fewer stripes. Because God is the Lord of all, euerie man ought to enquire after & learn his will: And therefore Heathen people though they know not this law, shalbe beaten for neglect of this dutie, because they ought to know God, and to learne his will, who giues them life, breath, and all things. And if they who faile though simple ignorance, must be punished though in a lesse measure, then wilfull profaners. Jt must needes follow, that they are bound to the duty though not so strict lie, nor in that manner and measure as they who live in the Church, & in such times and places, where they know, or may know the law and word of God.
Thirdlie, all mankinde even the most barbarous and sauage nations, as they hauehave their being, and all guif…s of nature, from Gods creating hand and power. So they hauehave all these things continued vntounto them by the mediation of Christ, and by a common and vniversall virtue of him the Redeemer, they are vpheld in life and health and strength in this world: And Christ as Mediatour procures all these things to them, after a secondarie manner for his elects sake, which are either to spring after many ages out of their loines, or to receive benifit of their laboures in subduing the earth, making it habitable and fit for his people to dwell in, and so preparing a place for his Church, or the like. In this respect God is called the Saviour of all men, but especially of them that do beleeve. Of all, in as much as he preserues them innaturall life, but of the faithfull, fullie and perfectlie in that he saues them from eternall death, and hell, and brings them to life eternall. And hereupon it is, that all things are said to be and to consist in, and by, and for Christ. Coloss. 1.17. and hee is said to be a ransome for all men, that is reaching to all in some measure, manner, and degree, even to infidels to obtaine common guifts for them, and to the elect perfectlie to redeeme them. Now they who partake the benefit of the Christ the blessed seed promised to Adam, they are bound to the dutie which God requires in thankfulnesse for it, and for a continuall commemoration thereof. Therfore all mankinde even the most barbarous are bound to the duty of keeping an holie sabbath weeklie, though they doe not know that which bindes them to it, and leades them to the performance thereof.
Fourthlie, Gods blessing of a seventh daie, and sanctifying it by his commandement given to our first parents, is as easilie to be learned, and knowne, and kept in memorie as many other things of lesse moment, which Heathen Jnfidels doe learne and know, and kepe in memory for worldlie respects. As for example, to measure the times of the world by Yeares, and Yeares by months, and months by weekes, and weekes, by seven daies, this because the Heathen finde to be verie commodious for worldlie and civill respects, therefore they are carefull to learne and remember it, and all such things. And it is as easilie and as possible to to learne and know Gods law, concerning a weeklie Sabbath, and they would and might learne it, if they were as carefull for their soules, and to serve God, as they are for their life, and to serve their owne lusts, and this world. And if they would travell, and send abr…ad into farre countries to learne heavenlie knowledge and holy bevaviour, as diligentlie as they do to learne humane knowledge and worldly wisedome, art & skill, they could not be ignorant of Gods law, concerning the weekelie Sabbath: But they refuse to learne this, as they do to learne true religion, and shut their eyes against it, as they doe against the knowledge of Christ. Therefore as Turkes and other infidels, who hauehave Gods word professed in their Countries, cities and among them: though they cannot rightlie call vponupon God, nor beleeue in Christ without preaching of the word, which they will not looke after but skorne it: Yet they are bound to repent and beleeue, and shall perish for rejecting and not vseing the meanes to git faith. So it is with other infidels further of, they shall perish for not using such meanes as are in their power, wherby they might come to know this & other duties which they are boūd to performe in thankfulnes for Gods gracious promise of Christ the redeemer, & for the commō benifits which they receiue through him.