A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 2 · Commentary · Section 7
SECT. VII.
We hauehave finiſhed the former, and affirmatiue part of the com. vve novv come to the latter, and negatiue part in thes vvords, But the ſeuenth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou ſhalt not doe any worke &c. See the ſame repeated Exod. 31.15. Exod. 35.2. Exod. 16.26.28. Exod. 23.12. Leuit. 23.3. Deut. 5.14. in vvhichwhich textes, the 7th day is deliuered in praeceptiue and commanding termes, prohibiting ſtraightly, the prophanation of it by vvorking, and that vponupon paine of death &c. In this negatiue part of the Com. I vvill inciſt by vvay of expoſition, onelyonly vponupon the vvord ſeuenth: for the true ſenſe of this vvord, vve muſt note that there are two ſortes of numbers, a Cardinall, and an Ordinall: the Cardinall number runeth thus, one, tvvo, three, foure, fiue, ſix, ſeuen &c. The Ordinall number runeth thus, the firſt, ſecōd, third, fourth, fifth, ſixth, ſeuenth &c. the due vnderſtanding vvhereof, bringeth much light to this point; as for the Cardinall number, be it foure, ſix, or ſeuen, it comprizeth all and eueryevery one of the number; as all the fowre, all the ſix, all the ſeauen: but novv the ordinall number, it euer notifieth but one of the number, and that is euer the laſt of the number alſo; for example, The Third, it compriſeth not all the Three, but onelyonly one of the Three: againe it ſignifieth not the ſecond, nor the firſt, but the third, vvhichwhich is the laſt of that number. 2. The fourth, it compriſeth not all the 4, but onelyonly ſome one of the 4; againe it pointeth not to the ſecond, or third of the number, but to the fourth only, which is the laſt of the number. Novv to apply this, vve muſt knovv that this vvord in the 4th com. (ſeuenth) it is not a cardinall, but an ordinall number, the propertie vvhereof is to notifie one onelyonly, and alſo the laſt of the number; vvherefore, vvhen the Lord ſaid, But the ſeuenth day is the Sabbath, &c. hereby he gaue vsus to vnderſtand, that he meant it of the laſt day of the weeke, and of the laſt day of that number, not of the third day, nor of the ſixth day, but of that vvhichwhich is laſt of the number, to vvit, the Seuenth day. And if you vvould knovv vvhichwhich day of our vveeke this 7th day is, ſee all the 4 Euangeliſts, calling the Lords day of reſurrection, which is our Sunday, the firſt day of the vveeke; if then our Sunday be the firſt day of the vveeke, then reckone onewards, and Saturday vvill be this ſeuenth day; and alſo the laſt of the number.
Come we now vntounto the vſes of the point, and firſt, is it ſo, that this 7th day, is commanded, and deliuered in preceptiue and commanding termes, as hath bene proued by ſondry textes of Scripture; then this bevvraieth the folly & madneſſe of ſome Diuines, vvho ſeeing that here the Lord God doth ſo directly point at the Saturday for his Sabbath, as they hauehave no way to auoide it. Herevpon they fall to a blaſphemouſe deniall, ſaying, that theſe vvords, But the 7th day, is the Sabbath of the Lord, in it thou ſhalt not doe any worke, &c. are no parte of the 4th com. and that they are nothing but appurtenances forſooth; thes men vvill take away no leſſe at once, then the Negatiue parte of a Com. they would hauehave no more in the 4th com. but thes words, Remember the Sabbath day, to ſanctify it. I might eaſily ſhew them, that thes words, Sabbath day, and ſeauenth day, are vſed promiſcuoſly, ſo as take avvay the one, and take away the other, graunt the one, and graunt both, ſee Exod. 20.11. Exod. 23.12. Luk. 13.14. yea, they be vſed both, to notify one & the ſame day; like as Lords day, and Sunday, be both names for our firſt day of the weeke, ſo are Sabbath day, and, ſeauenth day, names for Saturday the laſt day of our weeke, if the one then belongs not vntounto vsus, no more doth the other; and if the one be a parte of the Com. ſo muſt be the other alſo.
But by theſe and the like euaſions, they vvill by hoocke or by kroocke, as vve ſay, by one bad means or an other, reiect the proper day, and time of the 4th Comm. and yet their very conſciences tell them, that the dueties of reſt and holineſſe, vvhichwhich vvere commanded together vvith the time and day, & in the ſelfe ſame com. doe belong vntounto vsus: novv vvhat an abſurd thing it is, for any to goe about to diuorſe, ſeparate, and diſioyne, thoſe things which God hath married as it were & ioyned together? in the 4th Com. God ioyneth together the time, and the duties to be performed in the time: novv vvhat God hath ioyned together, let no man put aſſunder. They thinke the dueties commanded to the Ievves, are deſcended to vsus, but not the time, wherin thoſe duties were to be performed: this conceipt of theirs, is much like abſurd to theſe; as if an houſe ſhould deſcend to the heire, but not the grownd whereon it ſtands: or, as if a bond of 10l paiable to the father vponupon the 7th day of May; ſome Lawyers ſhould be of opinion that the ſome of mony indeed, to wit, the 10l. is deſcended to his ſonne, after his deceaſe but not the time & day of its payment, mentioned in the bond: or, where as our Sauiour taught the Iewes his Diſciples, in the 4th petition of his prayer, ſaying, giuegive vsus this day our daily bread, to beg for two things, the one is bread, the other is the day, and time when to hauehave it, to wite, this day: ſome Miniſters ſhould imagine that indede the petition concerning bread is Morall, and concerneth vsus Chriſtian Gentiles; but for the day and time, that they vvould hauehave it this day, thats Ceremoniall, and belonged onelyonly vntounto thoſe Iewes the Diſciples of Chriſt, not vntounto vsus: iuſt thus, deale our Miniſters novv, vvith Gods 4th Comm. the dueties belong to vsus, ſay they, but the time concernd the Iewes onelyonly, not vsus: neuer were there any Expoſitions more abſurd, then are our Expoſitions of the 4th Com. no, for abſurdety, popiſh Ieſuites themſelues cannot out ſtripp vsus: rather then faile, a parte of the Com. ſhall be denied too.
A ſecond vſe may be for confutation of ſuch Miniſters as will by one means or other, ſo falſly expound theſe vvords in the Negatiue parte of the Com. vvhichwhich mention the 7th day, as they will make the people ſtrongly beleeue, that God meaneth the 8th day, or the firſt day: as if God had not knovvne hovv to ſpeake, but vvhen he nameth the 7th day, he meaneth the 8th day; vvhen he ſpeaketh of the 7th and laſt day of the vveeke, yet he meaneth the 8th or firſt day of the vveeke: who would think theſe to be faithfull expounders of Gods vvord? there are arguments & lights enough in the Com. as hath bene ſhovvn, wherby one that is but vvilling, may ſee vvhichwhich day of the vveeke God meant. Neuertheleſſe, vvhatſoeuer can be ſaid to the contrary, thes men vvil apply & vrge this 4th com. hardly vponupon mens conſciences for the 8th day, or Lords day; as if the 7th day, & the 8th day were all one: may it not truly be ſaid of ſuch Miniſters, as once the Lord ſpake of thoſe prieſts, Her prieſts hauehave wreſted the Law, Zepha. 3.4.
This vſe may alſo be preſſed againſt the people, for ſuffering them ſelues to be thus deluded, & blinded: it ſemeth they obſerue not the rule of the Apoſtle to Trie al things: nor the practiſe of the Bereanes, to ſerch the Scriptures, to ſee if the things be ſo, or not: but they handouer head, take all that is ſpoken for goſpell, if the Miniſter be an honeſt man, in their repute. As S. Paul ſaid, O ye foliſh Galatians, who hath bewiched you, that yee ſhould not obey the trueth? ſo may I ſay to many Engliſh people; O foliſh Auditoures, who hath bevvitched you, that yee ſhould not vnderſtand the trueth? doe yee not knovv the right hand from the lefte, the 7th day, from the 8th? the beginnig of the weeke from the end? vvil you ſuffer your ſelues ſo to be abuſed, that a Com. for the 7th day, you ſhould be brought to beleeue that it bindeth your conſciences, to the 8th day? finally it ſeemeth you chooſe rather to beleeue man then God; for God ſaith in expreſſe words, the 7th day is the Sabbath: but many Miniſters ſay, the 8th day is the Sabbath: novv vvhither of theſe tvvaine, you giuegive more credit vntounto, your ſelues ſhall be Iudges.
I know well they think to ſalue vp the matter with a diſtinction of a 7th & the 7th: and ſo our 8th day, may be a 7th day, though not the 7th day. But we muſt know there is a Diuine accompt, and an humane accompt, now in diuine matters vve are to hould vsus to a diuine & ſcripture accompt, not to ſuch a one as vve may forge out of our ovvne braines, beginnig at what day of the weeke vve pleaſe for the firſt of our 7. Novv foraſmuch as God vſeth to begine at our Sunday or Lords day, for the firſt of the 7; both at the Creation, Geneſ. 1.5. and after the Redemption, Mat. 28.1. Mark. 16.2. Luk. 24.1. Ioh. 20.1. Act. 20.7. if vve vvill rekone the dayes of the weeke, as God rekoneth them, and beginne where he beginneth, vve muſt count our Sunday or Lords day, for the firſt day of the vveeke, or of the Seauen; vvhichwhich being ſo, rekone forwards, and you cannot poſſiblie make, any day of the weeke the 7th, beſids Saturday: yea, Saturday is the 7th day, euen in Nature, for it is the 7th day from the Creation: yea, Saturday is alſo the 7th day, in a Chriſtian accompt, if you rekone from the Redemption; for Sunday or our Lords day, being the day of Chriſt his Reſurrection, vvherin he had finiſhed our Redemption, and this Lords day, being the firſt day of the vveeke in a Chriſtian account, for all Chriſtianes ſo counte it, & ſo did the 4 Euangeliſts, Mat. 28.1. Mark. 16.2. Luk. 24.1. Ioh. 20.1.19. count forvvards and Saturday muſt needs be the 7th day, to wit, the 7th day from the Redemption: ſo that Saturday is the 7th day eueryevery vvay, both from the Creation, & from the Redemption: wherfore, they vvho talke ſo of a 7th day, as if any day of the weeke might be a 7th day, they are neuer able to ſhew vsus, any day of the weeke, to be a 7th in Scriptures accompt, but Saturday, what a folly is it then for them to talke of a 7th day, as if Sunday might beit? & yet ſo they talke, ſaying wee keepe a 7th day, on Sunday, though not the 7th day: it is a 7th day indeed, but a 7th of their ovvne deuiſe, but neuer of Gods allovvance.
Some expound thes words, the ſeuenth day, to be meant thus one of ſeauen: ſome one day of the 7. but what is this better, or other, then to ſay a 7th? for both wayes they make Gods certaine time, to be vncertaine: for God ſpake of the 7th day, which is for certaine the laſt day of the number & weeke, not of ſome one day or other vncertainely.
This one thing is to be noted, as a greate folly in the Patrones of the Lords day, they vvill hauehave a Sabbath in Remembrance of the Redemption, as the Iewes had in memory of the Creation; & this their new Sabbath alſo, that it may ſtand by the 4th Comm. it muſt be on a 7th day; & yet they cannot tell vvhere to find a 7th day, in any diuine accompt for it, vnles it be Saturday, which they abhorre; & therfore in roome of a 7th day, vvheron they tell vsus, they hauehave at laſt lighted on a firſt day; are they not neere the matter think you? furthermore, they abhorr the 7th day from the Creation, for their nevv Sabbath; well then, I would gladly knovv of them, vvhence they vvould hauehave a 7th day; it muſt be either a 7th day from the Creation, or a 7th day from the Redemption; there is no third to be imagined: I knovv they vvill chooſe a 7th day from the Redemption; vvell then, ſince Sunday or Lords day, is the day vvheron Chriſt roſe, and ſo the firſt day of Redemption, vvherin he brought light & liefe into the vvorld; let them rekone onwards, & Saturday (though it greeueth them) will be the 7th day, from the Redemption: wherefore, if they will be like them ſelues, Saturday muſt be their nevv Sabbath day, if they vvill keepe a 7th day from the Redemption, in remenbrance of it.
Saturday, is not onelyonly the 7th day from the Creation, but alſo from the Redemption; vvherefore, vvhat day can be more fit for a nevv Sabbath, then Saturday? for it anſvvereth both to the Creation, & to the Redemption, being the 7th day from both: hovv fitly then might the memory of both Creation, & Redemption, be celebrated both together, vponupon one day, to wit, Saturday eueryevery vvay the 7th day?
To conclude, ſuppoſe vve, that Chriſt had left a commandement for the Lords day, in theſe vvords, Remember the Lords day to ſanctifie it, &c. but the firſt day is the Lords day, &c. ſhould not they be cenſured for corrupters & wreſters of the Scriptures, who vvould attempt ſo to expound this firſt day, which is Sunday or Lords day, as it might be vnderſtood of Monday the ſecond day, vvhichwhich is the day after? why iuſt ſo doe they novv deale vvith Gods 4th comm. it ſaith, Remember the Sabbathday, &c. but the ſeaueuth day, is the Sabbath day &c. And yet they vvill make the 8th day, which is the day after, to be the Seauenth day: vvhy might not the ſecond day be vnderſtood, when Chriſt ſaid the firſt day, as vvell as the 8th day, vvhen God ſaid the 7th day?