The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Chapter 14
CHAP. 14
THE thing which now followeth, next in order,Of mans sanctification of the Sabbath. is mans sanctifying the weekly Sabbath & keeping of a seventh day holy to the Lord, which God hath imposed on him for a necessary holy duty, when by his word & cōmādement he blessed & sanctified it, as here we read in the words of my text. For Gods sanctifying of daies, times, & places is not any infusing of his holy spirit into them, as he doth into his saints, even holy Angels & men, but this giving of a law & commandement to mē to obserue & keep them after an holy manner, & to use & imploy them to holy heavenly & supernaturall use, even to divine worship & exercises of piety & religion, as I hauehave before proued plainly. And in that Gods sanctified the seventh day, that is: gaue a law in the beginning to man to keep & observe it for an holy Sabbath, as my text shews. Therfore it is a necessary duty imposed by God upon man so to observe & keep an holy sabbath every seventh day, or a sevēth day in every week, & that duty of mans sanctification & keeping holy the Lords sabbath, comes now in order to be handled, which is here necessarily implied & included in the worde of my text. In the opening & handling wherof, I purpose to proceed in this method & order. First I will shew that this duty of sanctifiing an holy Sabbath to the Lord, is imposed by this act of God, on all mankinde, & the children of men are bound unto it from the seventh day of the world, after the first beginning of the creation, untill that last day of the generall resurrection & judgment, in which they shalbe called to an account & reckoning of all things which they hauehave done in this life. Secondly, I will shew how farre, & upon what termes & conditions men are bound to this duty by Gods law, given for that purpose in his act of sanct…fying the Sabbath. Thirdly I will shew more speciall, the speciall workes wherein the sanctification and observation of the weekly Sabbath consisteth.
The duties are of three sorts. 1. Some are common to all Gods people in all ages from the beginning, and all states and conditions of the C…urch, both in the old and new Testament.
Some are proper to the fathers of the old Testament, while the Sabbath was limitted to the last day of the weeke, and grounded upon Christ promised onelyonly. 3. Some are proper to the Church and people of God vnderunder the Gospell in the new Testament, when the Sabbath is ch…unged to the fi…st day of the week, even the Lords day, & builded upon the finishing of mans redemption, and Christ fully exhibited, and Gods resting in Christs satisfaction consummated, which is a more excellent ground. Of all these in order.
The …rst point (concern…ng the obligation of all mankinde to the keeping of an holy weekly S…bbath from the first seventh day of the world, vntounto the last resurrection, when the elect and faithfull shall both in their soules and bodies, enter into the eternall rest in Heaven) may be proued by divers Arguments.
1 Argument.My first Argument is drawne from the law by which God here in my text did first bind man to this duty: & thus J briefly frame it. That duty which God hath enjoyned by a commandement given to our first parents, without limitation, exception, or exemptiō of any, that he hath imposed by his commandement upon Adam and all his seed and posterity in his loynes, and they are all bound unto it to the worlds end.
The sanctifying of a seventh in every weeke, and keeping it an Holy Sabbath, is a duty injoyned by a Commandement which God gaue to Adam without limitation, or exemption of any of his seed and posterity. Therefore it is a duty imposed by God upon all mankinde, and they are bound unto it in all ages vntill the end of the world.
The first proposition cannot with any colour of reason be denied: if any shall object that God gaue to Adam upon the promise of Christ a law of sacrificing cleane beasts, and offering first fruites which bound him and his seed in his loynes: and yet they are not bound by it in all ages but onelyonly untill the comming of Christ: and his offering of himselfe a sacrifice which is the substance of all sacrifices, and after that men are boūd no longer to that duty. I answer, that though the last of sacrifices, & of other service & worship, which were types & shaddows, was given to Adam upon the first promise without expresse limitation, and reached to his seed in his loynes, and as Caine, & Abell, so Noah, Abraham and all the patriarches, & people of God were bound to that dutie vntill Christ, yet there was a limitation in the things commanded, which being types and shaddowes onelyonly of Christ promised, were of no use, but onelyonly while Christ was yet expected, and not actually offered up a sacrifice of perfect attonement, and Gods people had neede of such types and figures to lead them to Christ. Therefore this Objection doth not touch, nor infring this proposition which speakes of a law, & of a duty whi…h is of use to all mankinde in all their generations.
The assumption also is manifest. For here we hauehave a law giuen to Adam, when all mankinde were in his loynes, commanding a duty even the sanctifying of a weekely Sabbath, which hath beene and is, of as great use after Christ as before. For as the Isralites were bound unto this duty by God Exod. 16.23.28. & 20.8. euen in al their generations, as appeares. Jer. 17.21. so also Gods people are bound to it under the Gospell, whether they be strangers which joyn themselves to the Lord, and lay hold on his Covenant. Isa. 56.6.7. that is, Churches of the beleeving Gentiles, or naturall Isralites after their long hardnesse, in the last daies, converted to Christ the repairer of the breach and builder up of the old wast places after many generations. Isa. 58.12.13.14. And J do not thinke there is any man professing Christianity dare be so impudent as to affirme, that any of Gods people in any age are exempted frō the Holy duties by which the Sabbath is sanctified, and a seventh day in every weeke kept Holy to the Lord, or that we in these evill and perillous times, hauehave not as much neede of them, for the upholding of true religion, & for the increasing of grace & godlinesse in our hearts. Therefore undoubtedly all mankinde in all generations and ages are bound to keepe a weekly Sabbath.
My second argument is drawne from the duty it selfe, of keeping Holy a seventh day weekly to the Lord, and thus I frame it.2 Argument. Everie duty imposed on Adam and his posterity by Gods commandement, which is in it selfe perpetually Holy and just, and of as great use to all men in all ages, & as necessarily in all respects as it was in Adam when God first enjoyned it by his law. That belongs to all mankinde, and all the posterity of Adam are bound thereunto in all ages to the end of the world. The keeping of an Holy weekly Sabbath, and sanctifying of a seventh day in every weeke, is such a duty. Therefore it belongs to all mankinde, and all Adams posterity are bound to it in all ages to the end of the world.
The proposition is so manifestly true, th…t there can be no acception against it, to deny it is, to deny that greatest of Gods commandements, which saith that Gods people ought to feare the Lord, and walke in his wayes, & to louelove and serve them with all their heart, and with all their soule, and with all their might. Deut. 6.5. & 10.12. For whosoever exempts himselfe, or others from a duty which is perpetually holy & just, & usefull, & necessary for all men, he in so doing, refuseth to serue God with all his heart, soul, & might, and teacheth others to transgresse that great commandement. The assumption also is an undoubted truth. For first there can be no time nor age named since mans fall & corruption, which brought all mankind vnderunder the bondage of hand & toylsome labour, & eating his bred with the sweat of his face, wherin the rest of one day in every weeke is not usefull profi…table, & needfull for mens bodies, & most just & equall to be granted to their labouring servants, & toyling cattell, the verie light of naturall reason reqiures it for the cō mon good, & welbeing of all men. He who denies this to himselfe, and to his children, servants, & cattell, he is an unjust & unmercifull man, not to be numbred among the righteous who are good & mercifull to the life of their beasts. Prov. 12.10.
Secondly, justice & equity require, that seing the life of man is a pilgrimage on earth, & here on earth there is no abiding place for him, nor any felicity, true rest, or perfection to be found but in heaven, mā should not spend all his time, & all his thoughts & studies in, & about the things of this world, but that he should hauehave a set time at lest one day in every week, wherin he resting & ceasing from worldly cares; laboures, & delights, should wholy devote himself to heavenly meditations, and to holy exercises, which may fit him & prepare him for the place of rest, teach & direct him in the right & ready way thereunto, & enable him to walke wisely therin. Who thinks it to much to consecrate one whole day in seven unto religious exercises which may fit him for eternal life, he is undoubtedly most vnequall in his judgment & a judge of unjust things. Thirdly, it is a thing not only good & holy in it selfe, that man of his owne accord, & much more being commanded by God, should devote one whole day in every weeke to the mediate worship of God, in thankfulnes for his creation & redemption, & the vse of Gods creatures restored to him in Christ; with some advantage: But also very vsefull & necessary for the seasoning of mans weekly laboures with justice & piety, for the cōtinuance & increase of holines, & religiō in his heart and for the enlightening of his mind, rectifying of his will, sanctifying, of his affections, and fitting him to undertake and begin all his weekly laboures in the feare of God, to direct them to the right end, and to perfect and finish them happily by Gods favour and blessing. Jf any man shall dare to deny this, we may justly feare that he is rude & ignorant of those heavenly and spirituall things, whereof all Gods people hauehave continually experience in themselves. And the constant practice of Gods people who in all ages hauehave observed and kept a weekly Sabbath holy to the Lord, and therby hauehave profitted in all piety and holinesse, will convince them of grosse blindnesse stupidity. Adam no doubt did every seventh day devote himselfe to Gods worship, and taught his first sonnes, Caine & Abell to bring their offerings to God, at the end of daies that is: every last day of the weeke, for that is the most proper sence of the words in the Hebrew text. Gen. 4.3.4. And so soone as the posterity of Seth began to multiply and increase they gathered themselves into a Church & were called the children of God, or Gods people, and hereby they were distinguished from the carnall and profane progeny of Caine, & then they began to invocate and call upon the name of the Lord, that is to worship God in publick assemblies. Gen 4.26. Whereas Adam, Abell and Seth, had invocated and worshipped God in their own private families onelyonly, now the faithfull being multiplied did frequent publick assemblies, which could not be, but in set places, and at set times surely eueryevery weeke on the seventh day which God had blessed and sanctified.
Also after that generall Apostacy which came in by vnequall mariages of the sonnes of the faithfull with the daughters of the profane, & the destruction of the the old world with the flood. Righteous Noah who was saved in the Arke with his familie, immediatlie after began to observe the holy rest of the seventh day, for it is said, that the Burnt offering which he offered on the Altar, of every cleane beasts and cleane foule vntounto the Lord was a sweet smelling sacrifice of rest, that is sacrifices, of the sabbath. The Hebrew word in the text there used, with the emphaticall particle foreign signifies the most notable rest, even the rest of the holie sabbath, wherein man resteth in memory of Gods rest, in the satisfaction of his people the Isralites before the giving of the law from mount Sinah, by Gods owne voyce, they did obserue the Sabbath & were admonished by Moses so to do. Exod. 16.23.
And they who rested not, but went forth to gather Manna are reproved by God, as transgressours of his lawes and commandements ver. 28. And although we doe not reade of any Sabbath, kept by Abraham and the Patriarches before Moses, because the Church of the faithfull was but small, comprised onelyonly in their families, which could not keepe any great and publicke Sabbath assemblies, worthy of record in the sacred History: Yet undoubtedly they had their set time as well as set place of Gods worshipp, even a weekly Sabbath according to the law which God gaue to Adam when he blessed & sanctified the seventh day. But I shall more fully speake of these things hereafter. And here upon these grounds I conclude, that the assumption of this present argu: is manifest: And the conlusion which thence flowes is certaine, to weet: that the posterity of Adam in all ages are bound to this duty of keeping a weekly Sabbath Holy to the Lord.
3 Argument.A third argument is drawn from the ground upon which God founded the Sabbath, and commanded the duty of keeping it Holy to himselfe. For if the ground of the duty stand firme, throughout all generations, and do belong to all men of all ages, as well as to Adam who had the commandement given to him, and the duty imposed on him by God. Then the dutie also belongs to all men of all ages vntounto the end of the world. And whosoever do clayme any interest in the ground of the duty, and expect profit by it, ought to acknowledge that the duty belongs to them also, except they can shew some speciall dispensation from God Himselfe. Now the ground upon which God founded the Sabbath and imposed the duty of keeping it Holy, is such as doth equally belong to all men. For if wee cleave to the bare letter of the text (as diuers commonly doe) and take the ground of the Sabbath to be no more but this, that God finished the worke of creation on the seventh day, or hauing finished it and made every creature good & perfect before on the sixt daies, rested on the seventh from creating any things in the world. Then we must withall confesse, that this ground belongs equally to all mankinde, for all men of all ages hauehave interest in the benifit of Gods creating the world, and making all things so perfect, that he had no more to do but rested on the seventh day. But if that be the true and proper grounds which I hauehave before laid downe and proved, to weet: Gods perfecting of the creation, which left all things good but mutable: by bringing in redemption which Christ promised, did on the sevēth day, take upon him to perform in mans nature: And God resting in the al sufficient satisfactiō which Christ undertook, to make for man, and which saved God the labour of a new creation, & making new creatures, and of repairing by a mediation the breach which mans fall had made in the word; and so made for mans use. This ground doth belong to all mankinde in all ages. we now under the gospell hauehave as great, or rather greater interest in it, then Adam or the fathers in the old Testament. And by virtue of this promise of Christ, & by meanes of his undertaking to be mans Mediatour, and of Gods resting in his mediation, all living men, and all creatures made for the vse of man do consist, and hauehave them in being in this world. Coloss. 1.17. and God by him (the word of his power being made man and fully exhibited aperfect Redeemer) doth substaine and uphold all things. Heb. 1.3. And although the circumstances of this ground, are with the times and ages of this world mutable, and there is a great chaunge from Christ only promised and undertaking mans redemption, to Christ fully exhibited aperfect Redemer in his resurrection: Yet the ground it selfe, even Redemption by Christ, is still the same: the promise of Redemption which was made to our first parents on the seventh day being the greatest blessing, which was revealed to mankinde in the old testament, procured to that day the honour of the weekly Sabbath in all ages before the comming of Christ.
And the full exhibition of Christ, and the perfecting of Redemption in the resurrection of Christ, on the first day of the weeke, did merit, & procure to that day the honour of the Christian Sabbath in all ages vnderunder the Gospel: For God did not rest soe much in the undertaking of Redemption on the seventh day, as in the actuall performance and full perfecting of it, on the first day of the weeke, the foresight of the full performance made the promise a ground both of Gods rest, and of the Sabbath in …he old Testament. And if Christ had suffered, dyed, and been swallowed up of death and corruption in the graue, and had not gotten the victory ouer death, and all the powers of darknesse in his resurrection, then had we remained in our sinnes, & all our preaching of Christ, and all our faith in him had beene vaine. 1 Cor. 15.17. Jt was Christs resurrection which consumated the great work of mans redemtion, and on the day wherein he a rose from death, did he rest from that great worke, as God on the seventh day did from the worke of creation, and consecrated that day to bee the Christian Sabbath. But yet all this while Redemption both promised & undertaken and also actually performed is the same common ground of the holy weeklie Sabbath: And Christ is the same Redeemer to all mankind, and the onlie mediatour and Saviour. Yesterday, and to day, and the same for ever. Heb. 13.8. And the duty of keeping an holie weeklie Sabbath is grounded on him throughout all ages, who is the common Saviour, and Redeemer of all mankinde. Therefore all men of all ages are bound to this dutie, & none exempted from it, in any nation age or generation.
Fourthlie, that which God hath given to all mankinde in Adam, for a perpetuall law to them of future benefit,4. Argu. which he hath promised and hath in store for them, that they are bound carefullie to keepe untill they fullie obtaine the blessing and benefit promised, for if he that hath given a pledge, doth take it away from them to whom he hath given it, this is an evident signe that he hath altered his minde and purpose of giving the benefit to them. And if they do at any time loose this which is the pledge, or wilfully cast it from them, they hauehave no evidence or token any more to assure them of the benefit, nor any witnesse of the covenant, or signe wherby to challenge the blessing.
Now the holie weeklie Sabbath is ordained of God, and given in Adam to all mankinde to be a signe and pledge to them of spirituall and eternall rest in Christ, which they shall never fullie obtaine vntill the last resurection in the end of the world: For the full rest & Sabbatisme whereof the Sabbath is a pledge, doth till then, still remaine for them. Heb. 4.9. and they shall not enter into the full possession of it untill the last resurrection. And Gods giving of himselfe unto his people to bee their God, which doth sanctifie them whereof the Sabbath is a signe, token, and pledge vntounto them as he himselfe testifieth. Exod. 31.13. is not fully manifested, nor perfected untill they bee fully sanctified both in soules and bodies at the last day, and made fit to see and enjoy God to rest with him in glorie for ever. It is true which the auncient fathers hauehave observed and taught, that the old Sabbath as it was limited to the the seventh daie of the week, was a signe of the spiritual rest of the faithfull from their own sinfull works, and of their steadfast rest upon Christ by faith, when they are regenerate and renued by the holie Ghost, which is shed on them abundantlie through Iesus Christ vnderunder the Gospel. Tit. 3.5.6. and therefore that old Sabbath of the seventh daie of the weeke, is so farre fulfilled in Christ, and hath the accomplishment in him: But because the fulnesse of eternall rest wherof the weeklie Sabbath absolutelie considered is the signe and pledge shall not be obtained vntill the last resurrection of the just, when by virtue of Christs resurrection, their bodies shalbe raised out of the dust and be made like the glorious body of Christ, which they still exspect in hope. Therefore the keeping of a weeklie Sabbath as a pledge of that perfect eternall rest, still belongs to all Gods people, and they are bound to keepe it on that day of the week in which Christ arose, which day by his resurrection is made a sure pledge that they shalbe raised vp in the perfect image and similitude of his resurrection.
Fifthly, that which is ordained by him and given to men, to fit them for eternall rest in heaven,5 Argument. & to be a speciall means to conduct & lead them in the right way therunto, and which of it selfe is very good, profittable, and excellent for that purpose. That Gods word and will, and every mans reason guided by the word, bindes him to obserue & keepe, and to hold himselfe constantlie and perpetually vntounto it, vntill he comes to the end of his race, even the eternall rest in Heaven. This is a truth vndoubt…dly. For the Scriptures command us to runne our race vntounto the end, and to omit no meanes which may helpe to eternall life: and experience teacheth us, that the neglect of the ready way and meanes of gaining the pledge is the way to loose it. Now the keeping of an holy weeklie Sabbath after the best and strictest manner, by resting from all worldly businesse, so farre as our weaknesse and necessitie will suffer, and devoting our selves to Gods holy mediate worship, as prayer, reading, & hearing of Gods word both in priuate and publick assemblies, and to serious meditations of heavenlie things, is in it selfe one of the most powerfull meanes, to beg it and increase faith, and all holy saving graces in us, and God hath ordained it, for to conduct and lead men on, in the right and readie way to etenall rest in heaven. Therefore Gods word, & will revealed, & everie mans own reason guided by the word: binds all men to it in all ages, vntill they come to eternall rest in heavē.