The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Chapter 18
CHAP. 18.
I Am come now to the last place, to the speciall Sabbath duties, vntounto which all Christians are bound under the Gospell. In the right observation of the Lords day which is their holy Sabbath: And these speciall duties may be reduced to the common & generall heads before named. The first which come here to be handled in the first place, as the ground upon which the rest are builded, is the consideration of the particular day of the weeke which they are bound to keepe for their weekly Sabbath. This is that which is most controverted & called in question among the learned in this age, & therfore comes to be first proued and clearly demonstrated by testimonies and proofes out of the holy Scriptures, which being performed I proceed in the next place to the dutie of rest, & will shew how far Christians are bound unto it on their weekly Sabbath the Lords day. And in the last place, I will come to the speciall duties of sanctification by which that day is to be kept holy to the Lord now under the Gospell.
First for the day it selfe. Some are of opinion that it is the same which was from the begining, that is: the seventh & last day of the week This opinion is grounded upon the bare letter of the law, as it was giuen both in the institution, and sanctifying of the seventh day, & renewed againe in the fourth Commandement, and understood by the fathers in the old Testament. J confesse that the words of the law, if we take them as they were limited to the fathers, not considering wi…hall how and upon what grounds and conditions God made the seventh day the weekly Sabbath, they seeme to favour their opinion. For if we conceiue no mo…e but a mere cessation and rest of God from his works on the six daies created, to be the ground of the law, then we may also conceiue that the law of the weekly Sabbath binds all mankind to that particular day in all ages, because the ground is the same to all men & equally belongs to all men, in all times to the worlds end.
O…hers are of opinion that the law of the Sabbath, being but a mere ceremoniall law is a bolished by the comming of Christ, and bindes not us under the Gospell to any particular day. And that it is free for the Church of God, to appoint any day for their holy assemblies, and that Christians hauehave no Sabbath, neither are bound to keepe any such rest as the law required in the old Testament.
Others hold that the law of the Sabbath is naturally simply morall, in the generall nature of it as it requires a weekly Sabbath to be sanctified and kept holy, and that the particular determination of the daie is an honour and prerogatiue which belongs to Christ the Redemer who is the Lord of the Sabbath. And that it was the purpose of God from all eternity and in the first giving of the law, as to consecrate the seventh day in memory of God perfecting all the works of creation, & resting from them on that day, so also to consecrate by the resurrection of Christ; the first day of the weeke to be ever after the weekly Sabbath in honour and memory of the worke of redemption, which on that day was fully perfected by Christs rising from the dead, and entering into that state of glory, in which he rests for ever, hauing no more to do for the ransoming and redeming of mankinde. Gods justice being full satisfied.
The first of these opinions being grounded vponupon a carnall vndestanding, and imperfect sence of the words of the law, hath but a weake and sandy found…tion, and because as the first authors of it were blasphemous hereticks which erred in diuers fundamental points of christian faith and Religion: Soe also the reviuers of it, are either cursed Anabaptists, or men who doe not rightly vnderstand the law nor the groundes and conditions vponupon which it requires an holy weekly Sabbath. Therefore it is justly hated and rejected as a Jewish errour, & the maintainers thereof hauehave in all true Christian Churches of all ages beene branded with the name of hereticall and Iudaicall Sabbatarians. And I need not spend any precious time in confuting it, and the frivolous fallacies by which it is maintained.
The second opinion being too rashly conceived, and vnadvisedlie professed and held by some godly Divines of the reformed Churches, who in this point do much contradict themselves, also being an unsound opinion and therefore well relished by Popish Schoole-men, malicious Iesuites, licentious Liber…ines and men of profane hearts, hath no ground in the Scriptures, nor any sound Orthodox writings of any auncient fathers: Yea bringing great confusion into the Decalouge which is the summe of the morall law, and laying a foule staine upon our Church which hath appointed the commandement of the Sabbath, to be read among the tenne Commandements, and enjoynes the people to pray that God would incline their hearts to keepe that law, as well as all and everie one of the rest. Therefore I shall not spend any time in the confutation of it: The arguments which are brought for the confutation of the contrary truth, will sufficiently raze and vtterly abolish it, out of the hearts of all true Christians.
The third opinion is most agreeable to the holy Scripture, and the common Doctrine of the Orthodox writers both of auncient and later times, especially of the most godly and learned in the Church of England, who hauehave heretofore writen learned treatises of the Sabbath, and expositions of the ten Commandements of the Decalogue. And therefore I wilbee bold here againe to commend it to you for an undoubted truth▪ which I hauehave aboundantly proued & confirmed by many demonstratiue convincing arguments already, partly in that large search which J hauehave made before into the nature of the law of the sabbath; and that description which I hauehave made of it, but most fully in that passage where I proued the change of the day by the resurrection of Christ from the seventh to the first day of the weeke now vnderunder the Gospel, and brought diuers argumen…s to shew that the law which God gaue for the keeping holy of a seventh day in every weeke (at the first institution of the Sabbath here in my text; and renewed againe on mount Sina, and giuegive …f…en in charge by Moses to Israell) doth now as strictly binde us to keepe an holy Sabbath on the Lords day in everie weeke, as it bound the auncient people of God in the old Testament to keepe the Sabbath of the seventh day.
But for the confirming of your hearts in the beleife of this truth, and in the knowledge of this duty. I will not multiply any new arguments, onelyonly that you may more firmely retaine it in your memories and still beare it in minde, that you are in conscience bound to keepe only the Lords daie and none other for your weekly Sabbath in these times of the Gospell: J will bri…fly touch and explaine some principall heades which hauehave beene before laid down at large and in ample manner. The summe whereof is this; Namely: That although the law of the Sabbath is not a law of nature in …hat rigid sence in which some do conceive it, that is a law written in mans heart expresly and distinctly in the creation which by the mere instinct of nature, and direction of naturall reason did lead man to keepe everie seventh day of the weeke an holie Sabbath to the Lord. But that indeed it came in after mans fall together with the promise of Christ, and therefore is more fitly called a law of grace, and a Positiue Evangellicall law requiring duties of obedience to God which chiefly and especiallie tend to begit grace & and increase holinesse in men. Yet it is not simply Positiue. nor soe Evangellicallie morall, but that it may in some sence and respect bee called naturall also. For first it requires some duties of obedience which in their owne nature are Good and profittable, though the law giuer had not by expresse commandement revealed his will that they should be done, such is the giuing, no wof rest & int…rmission of bodilie labour and toile, to our bodies and to the bodies of our servants and labouring cattell one whole day in everie weeke ouer and besides that which they hauehave in the time of sleepe in the darknesse & dead of the night. This is according to naturall reason and common equitie.
Secondly, it commands some duties of Gods Worship and service which man by the law of nature was bound to performe in his innocency and which are naturally morall, as lauding and praising God, and giuing to him all honour and reverence in the most solemne and pu… lick manner.
Thirdly, it commands such holy spirituall works of grace, & such duties of sanctification, as in thei… own nature worke to the sanctifying of men more & more, & to make them capable of eternall rest in heaven, & of the full fruition of God. As for example: Meeting upon a set daie in everie week in holy assemblies, for to heare & read Gods word, publick instructions, exhortations, & mutuall provocations to piety, sanctity & Christian charity. Fourthly, the patticular day of the week which the law commands to be kept for an holy Sabbath, is separated upon such a just ground & reason in the first institution of the Sabbath, and blessed by God with such a blessing aboue other daies of the week, that whosoever knows the law & true intent & meaning of it, & rightlie unde…stands the ground of the Sabbath mentioned in the law, he must by the light both of nature & grace, he forced to confesse & acknowledge the particular day which the law commands to bee kept an holie Sabbath both in the old & new testament. For the law doth not command one day in seven to be an holy rest simply & merely for the pleasure of the lawgiuer, because he would hauehave it soe, & for no other reason: but for very good reason & upon a ground because he dignified the day of the Sabbath & blessed it aboue all other daies with a singular blessing: & our owne reason doth tell us, that the particular day of the weeke, which hath in it the true reasons & the honour & blessing of the sabbath, it ought by the law to be obserued for the holy sabbath & none other, while it retaines that honour & blessing, & hath the true reasons properly annexed to it. Now it it most manifest to all who read the Scriptures, & are well exercised in Gods word & law: That as the seventh & last day of the weeke was blessed, honoured & adorned by God with the greatest blessing which God gaue to the world in the old Testament, to weet: the promise of Christ the Redeemer of the world, & Gods entring into the Couenant of grace & of eternall life & salvavation with man, also Gods perfecting of the whole worke of creation, by revealing & giving in promise the worke of Redemption, & his resting in Christs mediation on that day vndertaken & begun. And therefor every reasonable man must by his own reason be induced, & lead to acknowledg that day the fittest & most worthy of all daies in the week to be the holy Sabbath, & to be spent in thankfull commemoration of Gods free louelove & bountie to mankinde. During the whole time of the old Testament before the comming of Christ. So likewise God hauing now under the Gospel transferred this honour to the first day of the week, that is become a blessed day aboue all other daies, being blessed of God with a blessing farr more excellent then that of the seventh day, to weet: the actuall performance of the promise by giving & exhibiting Christ a perfect actuall redeemer in his resurrection without which resurrection all our preaching of Christ, & all our faith in Gods promises would prove vaine as the Apostle proueth. 1 Cor. 15. Therfore every man must out of common reason & equity conclude, that together with the ground & reason of the Sabbath which God hath now removed from the seventh to the first day, he hath also remoued the honour & festiuall solemnity of the Sabbath. Also his first law which enjoyneth man to keep that day for the holy Sabbath which God hath blessed with the grea…est blessing, doth bind all Christians to obserue the Lords day for their weekly Sabb…th under the Gospel: And in a word that it were a thing most vnequall & unjust, if a man or any Church should goe about to set up for the weekely Sabbath any other day which God hath not dignified & honoured with so great a blessing. Now upon these pr…missed reasons, I hope it appeares manifestly. First that though the Commandement of the weekly Sabbath is no dict…te of nature: but a positiue Evangellicall law: yet it doth by common naturall reason as well as by the light of grace direct every reasonable man to the partilar day of the weekly Sabbath as to the seventh day in the old Testament, so to the first in the new Testament. And no resonable man can deny it to be the most equall which this law binds men unto, but vponupon the true grounds of the Sab: well weighed & considered must be forced to confesse, that as the seventh day was most worthy of the honour of the Sabbath, & had it before Christs full exhibition in his resurrection, so ever since the Lords day the first of the week is become the true Sab: of Christians, & none hath power to giuegive that honour to any other day. Secondly, it is here manifest: that though Christ the sonne of God made also the son of man, & mans redeemer is the Lord of the Sab: & the determination of the particular day of the week depends on him, and none other hauehave the honour & pror…g…tiue to appoint the particular day, but he only. Yet we must not conceiue that Christ by his bare will sets downe the particular day, & that the day is to be obserued only because of his bare will & commandement, & that any other is as fit & worthy as the seventh, & the first if he would be pleased at any time to comm…nd the same. But we are to hold th… Christ is the Lord▪ of the Sabbath, & hath the determinatiō of the particular day depends on him the Redeemer, onelyonly because the ho…y Sabbath is founded and builded upon him, and in him alone are to be found all the meane and essentiall grounds and reasons both of the Sabbath and alsoe …f the particular day wherein hee requires that it should be obserued. If he had not undertaken mans redemption from death and hell, and mans exaltation to eternall rest and glory, there had beene neither any place for mans keeping of a Sabbath nor anie use of it to fit him for heaven or to be a pledg of eternall rest in heaven. Jf God had not on the seventh day promised Christ the blessed seed to redeeme man from death, to purchase life for him, and to continue to him the benefit of the creatures, and to perfect his creation. Surely it had not been the most blessed day of the weeke, neither would God hauehave instituted it to be a weekly Sabbath at the first, and soe to continue untill the comming of Christ. And if God had not raised up Christ on the first day of the weeke, and so exhibited him aperfect redeemer; and fully performed his promise.
Then the first day had not beene made a more blessed day then the seventh and all other daies of the weeke. And the Lord Christ would never hauehave made that day of the weeke his Sabbath alwaies after, neither would his holy Apostles by inspiration of his spirit being moued to call it the Lords day, and to obserue it, and teach others to obserue it for their day of holy assemblies for the performing of all holy Sabbath duties. And thus we see Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath, and so determines the particular day of the weeke, not by his bare will & word, but by bringing in such blessings on the sevēth or first day of the week, as made the one of them most worthy under the new testament to bee the holy Sabbath, to be kept and obserued of all Gods people, vntounto the observation whereof they are justly lead by the light both of grace and nature: And it is not either in the power of man or any other creature or in the just will of God, or agreeable to the will of the Lord Christ and the wisedome of his spirit to appoint any other day for the weekly Sabbath, but onelyonly the day of the Lord Christ, that is the day of him promised in the old, and the day of him fully exhibited in the new Testament. The first of which and no other the fathers were bound to keepe for their holy rest of old. And the later and no other is our weekly Sabbath and the due obseruation of that particular, is the first speciall Sabbath duty of all Christians under the time of the Gospell untill the last resurrection.
The second sort of speciall duties vntounto which all true Christians are bound unto, in their obseruation of the Lords day, which is the christian Sabbath, are the duties of rest & cessation from all worldly affaires which now follow to be handled in the n…x… place. Concerning which J finde much diuersity both of opinion and practise, not only betweene true Christians of the reformed Churches, and Antichristian Papists & other hereticks, but also in the reformed Churches among themselves. First for the Church of Rome, and all that are of her faction devoted to her superstition and Idolatry, and marked with the marke of the beast which beares up the Romish Babylon, though diuers of their learned Scoole-men hauehave heretofore maintained a very strict obseruation of rest on the Lords day. Yet now in later times both in Doctrine & practise they are growne uery desolate, especially the Romish Catholicks which liue among us, turning the Lords day into a day of liberty, and spending a great part of it in sports, plaies, revelling other bodily exercises which are carnall, fleshly, prophane and impious.
As if so be their irreligious prophanenesse were at strife with their Idolatrous religion. and at great emulation contending which should out go & ouer runne the other in carrying them with greater speede to hell. Yea to shew and make it manifest to the world, that the Romish man of sinne is that great Antichrist, which exalts himselfe aboue al that is called God, euen aboue the true God, & the Lord Iesus Christ whose vicar he in hipocrisie makes himself. The Church of Rome doth teach and urge her Uassals to ke…p yearelie holie daies most strictly, which are of her owne devising, which the pope hath commanded to be observed in honour of his Cananized Saints: & in the mean time opposeth with many great profanations the Lords day, which the Lord hath consecrated by his resurrection. Which day being blessed by God with the greatest blessing aboue all other daies of the weeke, is by the law vvhichwhich God gaue from the beginning, commanded to bee kept for the Lords holy Sabbath vveeklie.
Secondly, there are of the hereticall faction of the Anabaptists, Antimonians, families & other such prophane Sectaries, which make little so… any lavv of God or man, saving onlie the dictate of their faniticall …pirit. And left the commandemēt of the vveekly Sab: least they should seeme to be subject to Gods lavv and to be be his (servants vvhichwhich they account slauerie) and not absolute Libertines and sonnes of Beliall vvhichwhich hauehave cast of the Lords yoke. These esteem and obserue no daie at all, but according to their own fancie, & make the Lords day so far as they dare for feare of men a market day of buying and selling wa…es, & a daie of labour, and of bearing and carrying our burdens as they well know who hauehave beene at Amsterdam where such heretickes and sectaries are tolerated.
Thirdlie, among Christians of the reformed Churches there is a difference both in Doctrine and practise. Some of the reformed Churches, who out of their extreme hatred to Popish superstition, and to all Popish rites and Ceremonies, being unwilling to retaine any thing which was used in poperie, except there bee some expresse Commandement or example for it in the Scriptures, especiallie of the new Testament, and labouring to overthrow the whole Hierachie and gouernment of the Church by Bishops, & all bodily rites: they do in the heat of their zeale so violently set themselues against Popish superstious holie dayes, that they goe about to take away all observations of daies, and they hauehave proceeded so farre, as to deny that any either weekely Sabbath, or yearelie set feast, ought to be kept holy by any speciall law or commandement of God. They teach that the Sabbath as it was commanded to be kept of old, was a mere ceremoniall & shaddow of things which are accomplished in Christ, and that is now a bolished. But because it is a thing necessary for the hauing of holy assemblies, and for good order in the Churches, that there should be a set day either a seseventh or sixth day of eight dayes: And because the law of nature requires that Christian people should hauehave some daies of rest from hard labour for the refreshing of themselves, and their seruants and cattell: therefore the Church of God m…y appoint any day of the weeke. And in honour of the resurrection of Christ on that day, hath from the time of the Apostles agreed to keepe that day for the Lords day, not out of any opinion that God hath blessed & sanctified it aboue all other daies of the weeke, but onelyonly for good orders sake, and that it is lawfull for Gods people, after publick exercises of religion and some needfull rest and refreshing, to use necessarie laboures and bodily recreations; which in themselves are not sinfull and unlawfull, neither do hinder publick duties of religion and of Gods worship.
But on the contrarie it is the common doctrine of the most godly and learned in the Church of England, ever since the reform…ion of religion held, maintained & taught, that although Christians are by Christ freed from the observation of the seventh day, which was the Sabbath of the old Testament, and from that servile bondage and rigorous rest which the law litterally and carnally vnderstood did impose on them, or rather they by their carnal exposition & wresting of the law did impose on themselves, as not kindling of a fire, nor liberty to heal the sick, nor to do any worke of charitie and necessity on the S…bbath day, which could not without danger be deferred. Yet they are bound by the law which was first giuen here in my text, and after by Moses and the Prophets, to keepe in everie weeke an holy rest, and that on the first day which is the Lords day, because God hath blessed it with a blessing aboue all other daies, even by exhibiting Christ a perfect redeemer in his resurrection, and hath thereby consecrated that day to be his holie sabbath. And that all bodilie laboures, sports and recreations, and all worldly negociation, are by Gods law strictly prohibited now under the Gospell, as they were in the daies of the Patriarches, and Prophets, and under the law, Because indeed and in truth they crosse the holie purpose of God which he hath manifested in his law, and are impediments of those holy exercises, which are required in the sanctification of his holie day.
This doctrine and practise I hold to be the best, and this we are all bound to receiue and imbrace and to cleaue vntounto it, not onelyonly because it is the Doctrine of our Mother Church, commended to us in the book of homilies, established by divets lawes statutes and constitutions still in force: but also because it is most consonant to the sacred Scriptures, the precepts and practise of the Apostles, and to the common Doctrine of the purest and most holy Orthoxe of the auncient fathers in the Primitiue times, and ages next succeeding after the Apostles, as by Gods assistance as J shall make cleare and manifest.
In the justifying & proving of this Doctrine, and in laying open the speciall duties of Christians which concerne rest and cessation from all worldly negociation, and bodilie laboures, on the Lords daie which is the Christian Sabbath: I will shew: First of all. That rest and c…ssation from all bodilie laboures about the worldlie businesse, and from all servile and and earthlie workes which concerne this fraile life, is a necessarie dutie which God requires by his law of all Christians on the Lords daie, which is their Holie weeklie Sabbath vnderunder the Gospell.
2. That Gods law rightlie understood doth in respect of rest from worldly cares, and all bodily workes and pleasures, as strictly binde us vnderunder the Gospell on the Lords day as it bound the fathers upon their seventh day in the old Testament. 3. I will shew how far Gods word & law doth allow of bodily exercises which concerne this life, and how farre in such exercises we may goe with good warrant upon the Lords holy Sabbath, and what exercises are condemned in the word of God.