The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Chapter 4
CHAP. 4.
THE third maine thing which here offers it selfe and which I hauehave propounded to be handled more largly, as comprehending in it divers speciall points of great weight and moment, as the Sanctifying of the sevēth day, … as Gods blessing of it, so far as blessing sign…fi…s Go…s setting of it apart to be kept & observed for a bl…ssed memoriall of the promise of Christ, & as it is apart of the fi…st institution of the sabbath.
F…r Gods blessing of a day or any other thing d…th signifie. 1. His giving of some notable benefit on that day, or to the thing blessed. 2. his setting of it apart to a blessed end & vse, in the former sence it belongs to the ground of the Sabbath and so I hauehave spoken of it before. Jn the later sence it belongs to Gods act of Institution; and as in effect the same with sanctifying of the seventh day, onelyonly this I conceiue to be the difference that Gods sanctifying of a thing is, his seperating of it by his word and commandement, to a supernaturall and extraordinary vse either profittable, or unprofittable to it selfe, as h…s seperating of things to be his instruments of just vengance for the destruction of his enemies, and seperating men to some holy offce for a time, as Saul to Prophesie, E…e… sonnes to bee Priests, and Iudas to bee an Apostle, by which office they received no true blessing; but it turned to their greater curse at last. But Gods blessing of a day, or any other thing, is his setting of it apart for a bl…ssed vse, and his pronouncing and demanding it by his holy p…werfull word, to be a blessed daie or blessed thing, and to serve for holie & blessed vse, and so blessing is that speciall sanctifying which is seperating of things to a blessed use, and come here to bee handled vnderunder Gods sanct…fyng of the …eventh day: For Gods sanctifying i… this place, is a blessed sanctifying of the daie to a blessed vse, and the word blessed is put before to make us clearlie see and vnderstand soe much. I will therefore insist only upon sanctifying which comprehends blessing in it; and will first open and exp…und the word and so proceed to points of Doctrine.
The Hebrew word, Kadash, is never vsed in any other sence in all the Scriptures, but onelie to signifie seperating of things from their ordinarie and naturall vse, to some vse more then naturall or aboue nature & the fitting & preparing of them for that use, as for example compining of nations in an holie league against Babell, or other wicked state to execute on them Gods just reuenge Jer. 6.4. & 12.3. & 22.7. & 51.27.18. and seperating some cities for refuge Iosh. 20.7. whensoever this word is attributed to God in all the Scripture, it signifies ei…her Gods seperating things or times for holy vse, by his word and commandement, or by some h…linesse shewed or some extraordinarie holie word done in them as Exod. 9.44. 2. Cron. 7.20. or else Gods infusing of his holie spirit, and of spirituall and supernaturall gr…ces & gifts of hol…nesse into men by wh…ch they are seperated from carnall men, and prepared for Heavenlie glory as Exod. 31.13. Levit. 20.8. Ezec. 2.12. Ier. 1.5. where God is said to sanctifie his people, and to make t…em holy, that so they may be fitt to come nerer to him. And frequently in the new Testament, the Greek word foreign is used in this sense as Eph. 5.26. Heb. 2.11.
Here the word signifies not sanctifieing by infusing holinesse and making holy, but Gods consecrateing, that is seperating the seventh day to an holy, heavenly spirituall, and supernaturall use, by h… word and commaundement, or by some holy worke done first in it, or some holinesse first revealed upon it.
For this was the day in which God by his gracious promise of Christ, and by the new covenant of life made with mankind in him, did communicate his spirit to our first parents, and wrought in them faith and all holy graces needful to salvation,foreign and so of, Ishah, a woman who brought wo to man made our first mother. Chavah. that is the mother of life in Christ to all liueing.
This day, God here upon, commaunded to be sanctified of men, and kept holy by holy exercises which tend to the honour & praise, and to the solemne commemoration and memoriall of Christ promised, and of his own rest in Christs mediation, and this day he appointed to man to be a signe and pledge of the aeternall Sabbath in heaven, after the end of the world which in six dayes he created.
Here therefore we see wherein especially Gods sanctifieing of the seventh day to be an holy Sabbath of rest, did consist. Which that it may yet appeare more fully and distinctly in all the particulars, J will reduce, the summe of all into a few positions, some negative, and some affirmative; which being by evident testimonies of Scripture, and by good arguments grounded on the word of God, proved and confirmed; The trueth will be so cleare and manifest, that the simple shalbe able to understand the true sanctification, both of the seventh day which was the old Sabbath of the old Testament, and also of the Lords day the Christian Sabbath of the new Testament under the gospell.