A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 3 · Commentary · Section 16 – Section 17
SECT. XVI.
An other argument they hauehave for the Lords day, and that is this; If the Iewes kept a Sabbath in memory of the Creation, then much more ought we Chriſtianes to keepe a Sabbath in memory of the Redemption. The reaſon hereof they ſay is this, becauſe the worke of Redemption, is greater then the worke of creation.
I anſwer firſt to their argument: & herein they hauehave altered the ſtate of the queſtion, by putting in the vvord keepe into their argument, in ſteade of the word institute or ordeine: for our queſtion is not about the keeping of the Lords day, but about the inſtitution & ordination of the Lords day: let them therefore firſt proue that the Lords day vvas inſtituted once, & appointed by God for a Sabbath, & then they may ſaue themſelues the labour of prouing vntounto vsus, that vve muſt keepe it: for vve are not vnwilling to keepe it, if once it be proued to be a Sabbath: this is but a peece of their Sophiſtry to proue one thing, vvhen they ſhould proue an other.
Behold vvhat difference there is betwixt theſe ij Sabbathes; and the practiſe of the Iewes, & our practiſe: for there vvas an expreſſe commandement to the Iewes to keepe that Sabbath in memory of the Creation; but there can be no commandement ſhowne vsus from Chriſt or his Apoſtles, for vsus to keepe the Lords day in remembrance of the redemption: wherefore we are not bound vntounto this new Sabbath, as they were vntounto the old Sabbath: for there is not the like reaſon: this ſophiſtry eueryevery man may ſee.
I come now to their reaſon, they ſay the Redemption is greater then the vvorke of Creation: Herevnto I anſwer, to know vvhither it be greater or not, vvould coſt more labour then this their reaſon is worth, vvherefore for argument ſake, I ſuppoſe it is greater: but heere I demaund of them to whom it is greater? Whither it be greater vntounto all men, or but vntounto ſome men? their anſwer vvill be, that the vvorke of Redemption is greater vntounto the elect, vntounto the redeemed, and to thoſe onelyonly vvhichwhich hauehave faith: Well then, the Redemption is neither greater, nor great, nor any thing at all, to thoſe vvhichwhich are not elected, not redeemed, and vvhichwhich liue & dye vvithout faith; of theſe ij ſortes of people, the elect are the fewer number; the vnbeleeuers are the greater number: Well then, ſee how theſe things hange together; the thing they muſt proue, is that we Chriſtians, that is all we Chriſtians, euen eueryevery one vvithin the pale of the Church that is baptiſed, all theſe ought to keepe the Lords day, for a Sabbath, in memory of the redemption, vvhen as the one halfe of theſe are not redeemed: and their reaſon to bind all & eueryevery man, thus to keepe a remembrance of this redemption, is becauſe the vvorke of redemption is greater vntounto ſome onelyonly of theſe men: How abſurd is this, that eueryevery man ſhould be bound to keep a ioyfull memory, of that thing, which doth belong but vntounto ſome of them onelyonly, as not to the one halfe of them! this is as if they would vndertake to perſwade not onelyonly Engliſh men, but alſo Dutch men, & French men, to keepe a yeerly ioyfull remembrance vvith vsus, for our deliuerance from the Spanyard in 88: Why, vvhat hauehave French & Dutch to doe vvith our deliuerance in 88? this concerned not them, it vvas not their deliuerance: ſo, vvhat hauehave ſuch to doe, to keepe a ioyfull remembrance eueryevery Lords day, for the redemption, vvhen it belongeth not vntounto them, they being vnbeleeuers, and ſuch as louelove not the Lord Ieſus? Wherefore, they cannot preſſe this their new Sabbath of Lords day, by this their reaſon, vponupon any but vponupon ſuch as they ſee by their fruits, doe alredy beleeue: ſuch as doe not yet beleeue, vvhichwhich commonly are the greater number, theſe are not tyed vntounto the keeping of this Lords day: behold vvhat a Sabbath they hauehave then; to vvit, ſuch a one, as onelyonly the fewer number of the Church & Pariſh are tied to keepe it, as for the greater number of our Citties, Townes, & Pariſhes, theſe are not bound to keepe it: this their reaſon therefore doth bewray the idleneſſe of the cauſe; for vve muſt hauehave ſuch a Sabbath, as the reaſon of it doth belong vntounto all, and to eueryevery man, none excepted, and ſuch is the Saturday Sabbath, vvhichwhich is to be kept in memory of the Creation; now all & eueryevery man hath a benefit by the Creation, and therefore all are bound to it, none excepted: but it is not ſo with the Sunday Sabbath: for a fewe onelyonly hauehave reaſon to keepe it.
Yet further to diſcouer the vanity of this argument, ſince they vvill hauehave vsus keepe a Sabbath in remembrance of the Redemption, I demaund of them, hovv often they vvould hauehave vsus keepe a Sabbaah in memory of the Repemption, once eueryevery 7th day, ofter, or ſeldomer? they vvill anſwer once eueryevery 7th day: vvhy ſay I, that is Iewiſh, and ſauoureth of Iudaiſme, to obſerue a 7th day: this they hauehave learned from the Iewiſh Sabbath; vvherefore, ſince they doe ſo abhorre Iudaiſme & the 7th day Sabbath, vvhy doe they imitate the Jewes herein, and the 7th day Sabbath, by chooſing a 7th day? the 7th day, is in imitation of Gods reſt on the 7th day: and in memory of the Worlds creation, finiſhed at the 7th day: but vve are Chriſtians, and as they ſay, all things are become new, old things are paſſed away, vvell then, vve muſt now imitate Chriſt the Redeemer, as the Iewes did God the Creatour; and we muſt fetch light from the vvorke of Redemption, to know how often to keepe our new Sabbath, as the Iewes did by Gods direction from the vvorke of Creation.
If then we muſt imitate Chriſt the Redeemer, as did the Iewes God the Creatour, then muſt we trauaile too & fro vponupon the Lords day, for ſo did Chriſt himſelfe. 2. If we muſt fetch light, hovv often to keepe our nevv Sabbath, from the vvorke of redemption, as the Iewes did from the worke of Creation, then muſt we (ſince all things are become new) take vp a new account of time alſo, vve muſt no longer regard a 7th day, but now we muſt regard the third day: for, as God was ſixe dayes in the worke of creation & reſted the 7th: ſo Chriſt vvas three dayes in the worke of redemption, & roſe, & reſted the third day: on good friday; he ſuffred vponupon the croſſe; on Saturday, & on a parte of the Lords day, he lay in the graue; ſo you ſee the vvorke of redemption, coſt Chriſt 3 dayes worke; vvherefore, if they vvill imitate Chriſt, they muſt keepe eueryevery third day, for a Lords day, & for a new Sabbath; & ſo they ſhall keepe two Sabbathes in a weeke or thereabouts: & if they doe not thus, they may talke vvhat they vvill, that all things are become new; & that as the Iewes kept a Sabbath in imitation of God at the Creation, ſo vve in imitation of Chriſt in the redemption; but vvhere is their imitation of Chriſt? doe they trauaile too & fro, & follow their callings on the Lords day, as Chriſt did? & doe they keepe eueryevery third day a Lords day, and Sabbath day, as Chriſt roſe vponupon the third day? no ſuch matter.
Furthermore, whereas they ſuppoſe, that we hauehave as greate neede of a Sabbath, to keepe a memory of the Redemption, as the Iewes had of a Sabbath, to keepe in memory the Creation. I deny it: for God had giuen the Jevves, the Sabbath day and it alone, to keepe in memory his Creation, & therfore it vvas neceſſary, becauſe they had no other helpes: but for vsus, & for the Redemption, vve hauehave two Sacraments, Baptiſme & the Lords Supper, to keepe in memory the Redemption, & theſe are helps enough, ſo as there is no neceſſity of a Sabbath day alſo, for the ſame end. Doe this in Remembrance of mee, ſo hereby then the Redemption ſhall be kept in memory, all though vve hauehave no Lords day Sabbath at all. There is neede therfore to hauehave a Sabbath to keepe memory of the Creation, when there is no neede to hauehave one to keepe memory of the Redemption.
They hauehave alſo an other argument, as vaine as this paſt: thus, If God inſtituted a Sabbath in memory of the creation, then ſo did Chriſt inſtitute a Sabbath in memory of the redemption. But they cannot proue this conſequence, it is onelyonly their naked affirmation; wherefore my bare deniall of it, ſhall be ſufficient, vntill they proue it: you may ſee this argument further inciſted vponupon, in my former booke, Pag. 48. others argue thus: the greater work muſt carry the honour of the day, &c. Anſ: the greater work may hauehave greater honour, though not of the ſame Kind: for the creation, may hauehave the greate honour of the Sabbath day, to remember it: and the Redemption, may hauehave the greater honour, of not one but two Sacramentes, to Remember it.
SECT. XVII.
An other argument for the Lords day they hauehave, & it is this; the Authority of the Magiſtrate hath Commaunded it; and therfore we muſt keepe it, &c. Let no man thinke I frame this argument of mine owne heade; for as I hauehave often heard common people vſeing it, ſo I hauehave bene vrged with it my ſelfe, by a diuine, and none of the meaneſt: neither neede they be aſhamed to heare of this argument in publike, which they doe vſe in priuate: I aſſure them, it is the beſt argument which they hauehave for the Lords day: none of all theſe paſt are like vntounto it: for eueryevery ſoule muſt be ſubiect vntounto the higher powers, Ro. 13.1. if therfore the Magiſtrate commaundeth vsus to keepe it, we muſt keepe it.
To this argument I anſwer, 1. that our queſtion is not whither vve muſt keepe the Lords day, or not keepe it; but whither Chriſt hath inſtituted & appointed it for a Sabbath or not; let this be firſt proued, & then vve vvill be redy to keepe it, though this argument of Authority be wanting.
2. I anſwer, if this Lords day hath no higher authority then from the Magiſtrate, then doth it not bind conſcience ſimply & & by it ſelfe, but as all indifferent things doe which are commanded by the Magiſtrate: Yea, the Lords day it ſelfe muſt be ranked amongſt indifferent things, where of the Magiſtrate, may properly make Lawes: Yea whereas the Magiſtrate now commandeth the Lords day to be kept, if it hath no higher Authority then of the Magiſtrate, then hee may alter the ſolemnity of the day, from Sunday, to Moonday, to Tewſday, or to any other day of the weeke: Yea, & not onelyonly alter it, but alſo at his pleſure nullifye it, & vtterly forbide keepeing of it any more. And ſo the Tenour of your new Sabbath will proue but a fickle and inconſtant thing.
3. I anſwer, if our Lords day ſtandeth by virtue of the Magiſtrate, thē is it not kept by virtue of the 4th com. but by virtue of the 5th Com. for it is the 5th Com. that inioyneth obedience to our Superioures: wherefore, then muſt Miniſters no more preſſe the 4th Com. vponupon the Lords day, but the 5th Com. they muſt no more ſay, Remember the Sabbath day: But now they muſt ſay, Honour thy Father, & thy Mother: when they would hauehave men ſanctify the Lords day. And people, they muſt no more ſay they keepe the Lords day in conſcience of the 4th Com. but in conſcience of the 5th Com. and thus alſo, ſhall the 4th Commandement be vtterly aboliſhed and out of all vſe in the Church.
This Lords day Sabbath then may be doubly conſidered of, as it is commaunded by God, or as it is Commaunded by the Magiſtrate; as it is commaunded by the Magiſtrate, ſo I doe no waies oppoſe it, let it ſtand ſo ſuch as it is in that reſpect, ſo long as the Magiſtrate pleaſeth, & as little while as hee pleaſeth: but I oppoſe our Miniſters onelyonly, who ſay this Lords day ſtands by diuine ordination from God, & ſo intangle the peoples conſciences in this reſpect, making more Commandements (as we ſay) then tenn, or making Lawes to bind conſcience, where God maketh none. For by their collections & conſequences, they make, or ſay they finde that there was a Law of God for the Lords day, which is moſt falſe.