The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Chapter 12
CHAP. 12.
NOW hauing discouered the severall kindes of lawes, and commandements which God hath giuen to men, and having shewed what kinde of law this is which God hath giuen for the observation of the weekly Sabbath, and how and in what manner it bindes the sonnes of Adam in all ages, some in one kinde, and some in another, and Adam and all his posterity in some respects. There remaines yet for all that hath beene said before, one speciall point to be more fully proved. That is concerning the Chaunge of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day, what ground and warrant we hauehave for it, and how the law of God (by which God set apart the seventh day in the first institution, and still in the fourth Cōmandement and other repetitions of that law by Moses mentions on the seventh day for the weekly Sabbath) can bind us Christ ans to keep holy the Lords day, or warrant us to make it our Sabbath.
For the more full manifestation and proofe of this point, and satisfiing of all doubts: I will by the light of Gods sacred word, and by the helpes which I shall finde in the writings and sayings of the best learned both ancient and moderne Christian divines, do my best endeavour to shew and proue that the Lords day, which is the first of the weeke, and the day of Christs resurrection, the fittest day of all the seven to be the holy weekly Sabbath of Christians. That God before and in the first giving of the law of the Sabbath, did intend and foresee the chaunge & the grounds of the chaunge of it to the first day, that God by Christ hath chaunged it. And that the law of the Sabbath in the maine duties which it requires is more fully and in a better and more excellent manner obeyed by Christians in there observation of the Lords day; and keeping it for the holy rest; then it was by the fathers of the Old Testament; in their keeping of the seventh and last day of the vveeke; for their holy rest and vveekly Sabbath,
First to proue the conveniencie & fitnesse of the Lords day to be the Sabbath under the Gospell, aboue all other daies, we hauehave diuers arguments.
The first I frame thus. That day which is the first of dayes, & the first fruits of time especially of the time of grace, is the fittest to be the Lords holy day aboue all other daies of the weeke in & under the time of grace. The Lord himselfe teacheth this for a plaine truth requiring the fruits of all things for an holy offering to himselfe under the law, & from the beginning when he taught Adam, & Adam did teach his sonnes Caine, & Abell, to bring sacrifices of firstlings & first fruits for offerings to him. Gen. 4. Now the Lords day which is the first day of the week is the first of all daies in the world. In it God began the creation, the highest heavens which is the place of blessednes & the heavenly host, also the common masse & matter of the whole visible & inferior world, & the chiefest & most gracious element, the light, that is the fiery heavens with the first beginning of the creation, this day began, & so it is the first fruites of all times created, & although in the creatiō & during the state of innocency the first fruites were no more holy thē the rest of the lump, or masse, & sanctifying of things to holy use, came in by Christ & with the first promise of him▪ & the first time of Christ revealed being the seventh day was to be the holy Sabbath all the time in which Christ was onelyonly promised & not given.
Yet now seeing by the resurrection of Christ, in which Christ wa… exhibited a perfect redeemer, and became the first fruites of them that sleep. The first day of the weeke and of the world which was onelyonly the first fruits of time before, is by Gods providence become the first day & firist frvites of the time of grace vnderunder Christ a perfect redeemer. Therfore the first day which is now the first fruites of time both in the crea…ion and under pefect redemption, which doth perfect and sanctifie the creation, is now the fittest of all the dayes of the weeke to be the Lords holy Sabbath. And it is against all reason for any to think any other day so fit to bee offered vp for the first fruites of every weeke, and of our times to God, as this day which is the day of the Lord Christ, who is the true first fruites of all creatures, and doth sanctifie the whole masse and lumpe of mankinde and all other creatures which are gathered vntounto God in him. In which day Christ arose from death and became the first frutes of them that sleepe: that by the virtue of his resurrection hee might sanctifie the very grave to them that sleep in him, & might raise them up as to grace in this life, soe alsoe to glory at the last day in the generall resurrection.
Secondly that day wherein the place of eternall rest and of the everlasting Sabbath which after this vvorld ended, remaines for the people of God, was created and brought into being, and vvherein eternall rest was purchased, and the way opened into that rest, must needes in the judgment of reasonable men be the fittest day for the weekly Sabbath, which is to all gods people a sure signe and pledge of eternall rest and of their everlasting Sabbath in heauen, which weekly Sabbath is to be kept holy and sanctified by mediations on Heaven and Heavenly rest, & by such Holy exercises of religion, as doe fit and prepare vsus for the life of glory in Heaven. Now the first daie of the weeke is the day wherin God created the place of eternall rest, euen the highest Heavens, which are from eternity decreed and ordained to bee the place in vvhichwhich his elect shall keepe rheir eternall Sabbath after this life.
In this day also Christ arose from death perfected redemption, and rested from that vvorke by vvhichwhich he procured eternall life and Heavenly glory for God people, upon this day hee opened the way to the Holie of Holies, and made his first enterance both in his owne flesh, & also for all his members into that life eternall and that rest which they with him shall enjoy in the Heavenlie mansions. Therefore vndoubtedlie: this day of all the daies of the weeke most fit and and worthy to be kept an holy Sabbath of rest and to be sanctified with mediations on heaven and heavenly glory, and with other exercises of religion which fit men for eternall rest in heaven.
Thirdly, that day wherein God first created the light of this inferior visible world, and wherein the light of the visible heavens did shine forth, when it is once blessed with the rising up of a greater and more glorious light, even the Sun of righteousnesse: It is of all daies become the fittest & most vvorthy to be the Lords holy weekly Sabbath, which is to be hallowed by meditating vponupon the inheritance of the Saints in light, and by such holy exercises as tend to make men meet to be partakers thereof. Now the first day of the weeke, the Lords day is the day wherein God first created the light of the visible world, even the fiery heavens which shine forth ever since, and give light to the inferiour world, soe it is testified Gen. 1.3. And on this day Christ the Lord, the sun of righteousnesse did rise up, and did bring to light immortallity & eternall life, and became the great and glorious light of the world.
Therefore this day is the fittest and most worthy to bee the holie weeklie Sabbath, and to be spent in meditation upon, & seeking for the inheritance of the Saints in light.
Fourthly, that day which hath not only the same grounds and reasons in it, upon which God first founded the Sabbath, and sanctified the seventh day, but also divers additions of the same kinde which make the grounds and reasons more forcible and excellent. This is most fit and worhy to be the holy weekly Sabbath, and such is the first day of the weeke and hath beene, ever since it became the Lords day, by the Lord Christ his resurrection. For proofe whereof consider the grounds and reasons upon which God sanctified the seventh day. 1. Gods ending or perfecting his created worke. 2. Gods resting from that worke. 3. Gods blessing of the seventh day by revealing on it the greatest blessing, farre aboue any given in the creation. These are the groundes here laid downe in my text, which are rehearsed againe by God in the fourth commandement of the law. And another reason drawne from the end and use of the Sabbath is also added Exod. 31.13. Ezech 20.12. to weet: that the Sabbath might be a signe and token from God that hee is their God who doth sanctifie them, that is: by giving his Holy spirit with all saving graces in this life vntounto them in Christ, doth fit them for the fruition & sight of his glory in the eternall rest in Heaven, & so makes the weekly Sabbath a pledge of the eternall Sabbath in the world to come also. Now the godly learned heretofore who had no thought of founding the Sabbath on Christ promised on the seventh day of the world, they do understand Gods ending of his worke, to be either the finishing of the creation on the seventh day by adding some perfection or natural blessing to the creatures more then he had given, on the sixt daies. Or else that God had already ended & perfected his worke before the seuenth day, & for this cause blessed & sanctified the seventh day for a memoriall of the creation of the world, and all things therein made perfect and compleat & so appearing on that day. And by Gods resting on the seventh day from all his worke which he created & made, they understand nothing else but Gods rest of mere cessation, & because this was the day wherein God hauing finished his worke, & made all things good, had no occasion to worke any more by way of creation, but rested from making more kindes of creatures. Therefore God commanded man to rest after his example every seventh day, and to keep it for a weekly Sabbath. And by Gods blessing of the seventh day, they doe understand Gods sanctifying of it to be a signe & pledge of the eternall rest.
These being the grounds & reasons (in the opinion of the learned) vponupon which God sanctified the seuenth daie, are in a more excellent measure to be found in the first day of the week, on which day the Lord Christ rose from death· For first the Lord Christ on that day, who is the Lord of the sabbath. ended a greater worke then the creation, even the great worke of redemption which on that daie he did perfect and finish, by the last & highest act of it, even his resurrection in which he got the victorie & triumphed ouer death the last enimie, & ouer him who had the power of death that is, the Devill, and did shew to the world that he had fully paid the ransome & price of mans redemption, satisfied justice, & wrought & fulfilled all righteousnesse, sufficient to justifie all that beleeve in him & to settle them in Gods favour for ever. So that here is a better ending & finishing of a better work, then that of the creation was, which did perfect the mutable worke of creation, & so here is a b…tter ground of sanctifying the day in which it came to passe, as dive…s learned writers hauehave rightly observed.
Secondly, on this day the Lord Christ entered into a better rest, then any from the creation can be: he rested from all his laboures, paines, & sufferings, & all workes which Gods infinite justice required for mans redemption by way of satisfaction, Heb. 4.10.
And he tooke possession of eternall rest for himselfe as the head, and for his body the whole Church & for every elect member thereof.
So that this resting is a more farre excellent ground & reason of the sanctifying of this day to be the weekely Sabbath. Yea though I do by Gods perfecting of his worke, vnderstand his perfecting of the worke which was marred & defaced by mans fal, even the worke of creation, & his making of it more perfect and compleat, by his promising of Christ, and by Christs undertaking & beginning his actuall Mediation, & first bringing in of supernaturall perfection. And by Gods resting I vnderstand his resting so fully & wholy in Christs mediation, & in his satisfaction undertaken for the repairing & perfecting of the world, which man by his fall had brought under vanity & corruption, that he put from him all thoughts & purposes of going about any new worke of creation for the repairing therof, and so is said to rest, as I hauehave befor fully proved: Yet I must confesse that on the Lords day, which is the first of the weeke, in which Christ did rise from death. God did more fully & excellently perfect all his worke & brought in a rest, which doth so farre excell that perfecting of his worke & resting from creation on the first seventh day, as the actuall performance of a promise, & giuing and fulfilling of a good thing promised, vndertaken, & begun, doth excell the promise & the undertaking & beginning of it. And therefore J will bee bold vponupon these grounds & premises to conclude with the best learned both of the Auncient fathers and moderne Divines. That there is more conveniency and fitnesse in the Lords day, the first day of the week to be the Lords holy weekly Sabbath now under the Gospell. And there are more excellent grounds and sure reasons for the sanctifying of it, then any which are named or can be found in the seventh daie which was the Sabbath of the old Testament: yea this day by meanes of Christs resurrection to glory in it, is the surest pledge and token which outwardly can be given to Gods Church and people, that God who raised him up, is by him fully appeased, satisfied and reconciled to his people, and is the Lord who doth sanctifie them & will bring them to glory.
And thus I passe from the conveniency and fitnes of the Lords day, which is the first of the weeke, to shew the chaunge of the Sabbath unto that day both in Gods intention and purpose from the beginning, & also actually in the fulnesse of time by the glorious resurrection of the Lord Christ vp on that day.
Where by Gods assistance J shall make it appeare. That this chaunge of the Sabbath to the Lords day is no humane invention, or Eccesiasticall tradition, but a thing which God the lawgiuer did purpose and intend from all eternity, and foretold by the Prophets, and by divers signs foreshewed of old, and in fulnesse of time did by his Sonne Christ the Lord of the Sabbath, command and actually bring to passe.
serm. 251. de tempore.First Saint Augustine and divers other learned men hauehave heretofore obserued. That God by some notable things which he in his wisdome made to concurre in the first day of the ceration, did plainly foreshew in the beginning before the seventh day was sanctified, or the law of the Sabbath given, that it was his purpose and will, and he in his eternall counsell had determined to advance in fulnesse of time, that day aboue all other daies of the weeke to the honour of the holy weekly sabbath, to a day of meditation on the eternall rest in heaven, and a pledge to his people of the euerlasting sabbathisme, which there remaines for them, and the first fruites of their time offered vntounto God in Christ and sanctified in him.
Those notable things are the three things before named. 1. That God made that day the first fruites of all time. 2. Created in it the place of eternall rest the highest Heaven, in which the blessed saints shal injoy their blessed Sabbath whereof the weekly Sabbath is a signe and pledge to them in this life. 3. In it he created the light of this visible world, which things concurring in one and the same day: (God in his wisedome soe ordering it, who doth nothing in vaine but every thing for some wise purpose) and being good reasons to prove and grounds to make that day the fittest to be sanctified in Christ, & made the Ch…istian Sabbath, as J hauehave before noted, the learned from thence do gather, and not without good reason: That from the beginning God intended for this day the Honour of his weeklie Sabbath, in the time of the glorious Gospel.
Secondly, diuers of the Auncients hauehave observed. That God raineing Manna first from Heaven to Israell on the first day of the weeke in the wildernesse: as we read Exod. 16. did therefore foreshew that this was the day which he had appointed to be the day of the Lord Christ, even the day wherein he who is the Heavenly Manna and bread of life should be given from Heaven in his incarnation, and the day in which he should come out of the furnace of fiery afflictions, and made a strong bread & nourishment by his resurrection able to feed our soules spiritually to life eternal. And from hence they inferr, with the approbation of diuers graue Divines and schoolemen of later times, that God did of old intend and purpose to make this day, in the times of the Gospel after Christ fully exhibited and giuen unto us, to be the bread of life, & heavenly Mann…, his Holy weekly Sabbath and day of spirituall provision, wherein Christians should make their weekly provision of spirituall food, and heauenly Manna to feed their soules.
Thirdly, diuers of the Auncient fathers hauehave observed, and diuers both Schoolemen and godly learned writers of the reformed Church therein conse…t with them. That the Lord did of old by his spirit-speaking in the Prophets, fortell the chaunge of the Holy Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the weeke, the Lords day, and day of Christs resurrection. The blessed M…rtyr Jgnatius who lived and was growne in the knowledge of Christianity in the time of the Apostles, and before the death of St. Iohn the Evangelilist as hee himselfe testifies, doth in his Epistle to the M…gnesians not onelyonly affirme that the Lords day is the Queene and supreme Lady of all dayes, but also endeavours to proue, that God from the daies of old had ordained it to be the true Christian Sabbath, and did foreshew so much by the wordes of the Prophet David in the title of the sixth Psalme, wherein it is called a Psalme unto the eighth day, that is in honour of the Lords day, which as it is the first of the weeke counting from the creation everie weeke severallie by it selfe, and the seventh if we begin our account with the next day after the Lords day, as the Iews did with the next after their Sabbath.
So if we reckon forward from the beginning of the creation into an other weeke it is the eight day. And also learned Augustine and others of the fathers, as also diuers late writers do in this point concurre with him, and affirme that God moving Dauid to make such Honorable mention of the eighth daie, did foreshew his purpose and will, to chaunge that day by Christs resurrection in to his Holy Sabbath. Some also from Gods institutiō of circumcision one the eighth day after the birth of the child which was to be circumcised, do gather that the eight day, after the birth of the world, to weet: the Lords day was befor ordained of God to be not only the day of Christs resurrection & victorie over sin & death by which sin should be cut of & destroyed, but also the Christian sabbath and so both a speciall day of Circumcising their hearts to the Lord in the state of grace, and also a pledge of the fulnesse of mortification and sanctification in the day of the last resurrection & of enterance into the eternall Sabbath in heauen. For this purpose also Saint Austen & many other learned men in all ages since even to this day,serm. de tempore. 136. doe alledge the plaine words of David, Psal. 118.24, where hauing Prophetically fortold the glorious resurrection of Christ. Thow after that the Iewes had crucified & put him to death, hee should rise up to be the head corner stone even the rock & foundation of the Church, (for so our Sauiour Mat. 21.42. & the Apostle Act. 4.11. do expound Davids words) he immediatly affirmes, that this is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoyce, and be glad in it. That this is the day of the Lord Christ as St. Iohn cals it Revel. 1.10. which the Lord hath made. That is, in his degree hath already appointed to be his holy day, we (that is in the time of the Gospell when this stone is become the head of the corner) will rejoyce & be glad in it: that is, rejoyce befor the Lord with all joy & serve him, be glad in him with Sabbatical & holy solemnity, & if we consider wel the matter and substance of the 92. Psalme, which is intitled a Psalme for the Sabbath, we shall see that it is most fit for the day of Christs resurrection, setting forth the fruites thereof plainely and after a lively manner, to weet: the soled joy of Gods people, and the florishing state of the righteous in Gods Church, and exalting of the horne of Christ the true M…ssiah and King of the Church.
Fourthly, if we consider the diversity and difference of things which are commanded in the law of the Sabbath, and are to be observed in the weekly Sabbath as it was instituted by God at the first, and againe reviued in the fourth commandement, if we call to minde that the law is a mixt law commanding some things which concern the uery substance and being of the Holy Sabbath, unto which it bindes men perpetually, such as are a fit proportion of time one day in every weeke, rest and cessation, from common workes of this life, and sanctification of it by religious exercises and devoting it to publicke assemblies and holy worship. And other things it commanded which were typicall, and ceremoniall, and were to hauehave there full accomplishment in Christ, and to be in force only vntil the ful exhibitiō & revelation of Christ, a pefect Redeemer, all which I hauehave largely shewed before, and the best learned hauehave euer held. It will upon these grounds necessarily follow, that there must be a chaunge of the Sabbath from the seventh day, and in respect of the tipicall and ceremoniall worshippe, at the full exhibition of Christ, into aday and a worship more fit for Christ giuen and revealed, and for the times of the gospell.
First it is generally held by the best learned. That God by sanctifying the seventh day and commanding his Holy Sabbath to be kept everie weeke on the seventh day, did thereby shew, that in his wisdome he saw it fit and necessary for man to observe this proportion of time, & to devote one day in everie weeke, both to bodilie rest and a totall cessation from his owne worldlie labors, pleasures, and delights, and also to Holie and Heavenlie meditations, and to religious exercises, and Holie assemblies. And in these respects they call the law of the Sabbath naturall, morall, and perpetuall, and they proue it thus.
First because nature it selfe and common reason and experience doe teach, that ever since mans fall it is naturallie necessarie for mans health and welbeing, and for the preserving and upholding of the life & strength of his labouring and …oyling cattell, that he, his servants & cattell should hauehave one daies rest in seaven. And that without this proportion of time dedicated to Holie assemblies, and exercises of pietie, the saving knowledge of God, and true religion and pietie cannot well be upheld, fraile men would by little forget God, become ignorant of heavenly things, and so of the way to eternall rest; if it were left in mans power to chuse his owne time; some would chuse none at all, the rest for the most part would differ that time which some thought fit. Others would refuse as inconvenient, and so there would be no set ordinary assemblies, Gods worship would grow out of use.
Secondly, true piety teacheth us; that we ought to think our selues bound in conscience to giuegive and devote so much of our time at the least to pious exercises, as God, in whose hand we and our times are, did require of his people in the obscurer times of the Old Testament, for the keeping of religion and his worshippe on foote, for preserving of the knowledge and memory of his goodnesse, and benefits, and for the sanctifying of their weekely laboures of his creatures to their use and of themselves to him, that they might be fitted to see him in glory, for the abundance of grace shed on us by the Gospel; is a bond and obligation to us of much more service and obedience which we owe to God. Now God required of them every seventh day to be kept holy, and that was the least which any of them in any age were bound to dedicate to his worshippe. And therefore true piety binds us much more to keepe an holy weekly Sabbath.
These are arguments and proofes, sufficient to satisfie any man who doth not peruersly resist, and rebell against the law of nature. But let me here giuegive a cave at by the way: That when the learned call the sabbath and the law of it naturall, we are not to conceiue that by natural, they mean a thing writen in mans heart in the creation, which man was made to performe and obey simply as a reasonable creature and naturall man (For man was made for the Sabbath Marke 2.27.) Neither did he toyle and sweat or need a set weekly rest: Neither did he need a weekly solemnity, to helpe his memory, or to stirr up his affections, as I hauehave before proved. But that they understand by naturall, that which the uerie light of naturall reason shewes to be most convenient and necessary for men now corrupt, and which so soone as it is commanded and revealed by Gods word appeares so necessary in the very nature of it, both for men soules and bodies, that without it they can̄ot hauehave ordinarily any wel being on earth, nor escape hel & cōe to Heaven after death. This exposition learned Zanchyus, gives of his owne and other learned mens speeches,Zanch. lib de De Calog. thes, 1. when they call the law of the Sabbath naturall. Jf, saith he, it were so naturall as things written in mans heart in the creation, then the Heathen Gentiles would hauehave felt themselves bound by it, and would hauehave shewed it in their practise in some measure more or lesse. Neverthelesse the conclusion of Zanchyus, and other learned Divines is firme and sure, vponupon the former premises, to weet: That Gods first commandement of the Sabbath doth perpetually bind al Gods people to the worlds end, to keep a weeklie Sabbath even a seventh day in everie weeke Holie to the Lord.
Secondly, it is a thing vniversally held by all true Christian writers, that the Sabbath as it was limited to the seventh day of the weeke, and was to be observed by bodily sacrifices morning and evening, and by worshippe which consisted in outward rites which were tipes and figures of things which hauehave their accomplishment in Christ, so it was ceremoniall temporary and chaungable. The common ground of the sanctifying of the seventh day and tying the Sabbath to it, is held commonlie to be Gods rest on the seventh day from the worke of creation. And this is such a grounde as in the fulnesse of the time was to giuegive place and did giuegive place to a better rest arising, and brought in by the finishing of a more excellent and glorious worke of Gods goodnes and bountie even the worke of mans Redemption. The worshippe of God on the Sabbath of the seventh day in the old Testament, by double sacrifices & such ryts were but vanishing shadows the substance of thē was Christ, & therfor they were to cease whē the body & substance came in. And the particular day it selfe and the rest tyed to it was a tipe and figure of the death of Christ, and of his rest in the grave, and of the rest and ease which Christ by his death should bring to all Gods people from the burden of legall rites, and from the guilt of sinne and horrour of conscience, which as an heavy load did presse them downe, and from the masse of corruption like a weight hanging fast one them, all which Christ abolished by his death and redemption, and so put an end to the Sabbath as it was tied to the last day of the weeke.
This being commonly held for a certaine truth by the learned Fathers and writers of all ages after them untill this day, proues so farre as their authority and reason will reach: that though the keeping holy of a weekly Sabbath is a perpetuall day, to which all Gods people are boūd in all ages: yet the particular day was mutable, and another speciall day was to be appointed and consecrated by him who is the Lord of the sabbath, wherin an holy rest fitter for the time and state of the new Church must be kept, with better service and solemnity. Instead of bodily sacrifices, there must be offering up of spirituall sacrifices of praises, praiers, alms, & works of piety, & charity: for-slaughtering of beasts, ther must mortifying of corruption by holy contrition, and killing of all brutish lusts and carnall pleasures and delights, by seperating our selues and sequestring our mindes from them. Instead of darke shaddowes of the law, and obscure promises of Christ to come; there must be the light of the Gospel shining in the Church & preaching of Christ crucified, and raised up and set at Gods right hand, and there must be seeking of Gods face in his name and mediation, and of accesse vntounto God in him by one spirit.
Now what day can any man conceive in any reason so fit as the Lords day, the first of the week: wherin we christians keep our weekly sabbath? This undoubtedly is the most fit and convenient of all daies as I hauehave largely before proued. Yea that this vndoubtedly is the onelyonly particular day which Gods law bindes us to keepe holy all the time of the Gospell, even untill we come to the eternall rest in heaven. I will as briefly as I can proue and demonstrate, in the last place, and so conclude this point of sanctifycation of the Sabbath, as it is the worke of God the lawgiver, and is distinguished from mans duty and worke of sanctification.