A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 3 · Commentary · Section 18
SECT. XVIII.
Thus vve hauehave anſwered to all their Artificiall arguments; & now we come vntounto their Teſtimonies: the firſt whereof is Gods bleſſing of this day, & Gods curſeing of the profaners of it; & firſt of the former; ſay they, Gods bleſſing of this day, to the greate edification of the Church, is a ſigne that God approueth of this day.
Hereunto I anſwer, it is one thing for God to bleſſed this day & it is an other for him to bleſſe his ordinance in the day: Gods ordinance in the day, is preaching & praying, now God in mercy doth vſually bleſſe theſe ordinances of his, being conſcionably vſed, vponupon any day Sabbath day, or Lecture day: now we muſt carefully diſtinguiſh betwixt Gods bleſſing of the day: vvherin theſe are performed, & Gods bleſſing of the ordinances them ſelues; they therfore miſtake things, that argue thus, that God bleſſeth the day, when they ſhould ſay, God bleſſeth his ordinances in the day: for it followeth not, that becauſe God bleſſeth his ordinances done in the day, that he therfore bleſſeth alſo the day & time, wherein theſe ordinances are done; no more then God bleſſeth the place wherin theſe ordinances are performed.
Let me ſhew you the vanity of this arguing by the like caſe; Gods bleſſing doth vſually accompany painfull labour; now ſuppoſe ſome profane Tradſman ſhould vvorke all day long vponupon the Sabbath day, or Lords day, & finding at night his work to hauehave increaſed & thriuen in his hands; might he argue thus, God hath bleſſed this day vntounto me for a working day, & therfore here after I ſhall vſe it for a working day; for Gods bleſſing vponupon my laboures this day, is a ſigne that God approueth my action, & alloweth of it for a working day?
The other part of this argument, is that God hath curſed the profaners of this Lords day, and this is a ſigne that God approueth of the day. For we reade in bookes, ſet forth by ſome Diuins, of many remarkable iudgements of God, which hauehave befalne the profaners of the Lords day. Herevnto I anſwer, 1. that in controuercies about points of Religion, vve muſt not proue things, by the arguments of proſperity & aduerſity: for theſe are no certaine ſignes of Gods vvill and pleaſure; no man for certaine, knowes louelove or hatred, of all that is before them, Eccl. 9.1. vve muſt to the Scriptures in this caſe; for there God hath manifeſted his vvill; but you may perceiue they be almoſt out of breath, in as much as they are inforced to flye the Scriptures, and hale in any thing, that may helpe to make a noiſe, and put ſome culler vponupon the matter before the ſimple. By this argument vve may conclude that the Palatinate his cauſe vvas naught, and the Emperour his cauſe vvas good; becauſe God croſſed the Palatinate.
2. We are to diſtinguiſh of the day, from the dueties in the day: now we may impute thoſe curſes of God, vvhichwhich lighted vponupon men on the Lords day, vntounto their contempt of Gods ordinances of preaching and prayers performed in that day: it is rather to be thought, that God puniſheth the contempt of his ordinances, then the neglect of the day: for ſuch as profane the Lords day & come not at Church then to ſerue God, vvhen eueryevery body doth ſerue God, it is a ſigne that they be ordenary contemners of Gods worſhip & ſeruice; moſt iuſtly therefore may God plague them for contempt of his ordinances, when they are growne to that height of impiety, that they dare ordenarily neglect Gods worſhip, yea and vponupon ſolemne times alſo, appointed by the Church, and vvhen all men meete together to vvorſhip God; then to ſhew a contempt, is a greater ſinne then otherwiſe: ſo it is rather the contempt of Gods ordinances, then the neglect of the day, that God puniſheth.
3. Well nigh all men are perſwaded in their conſciences that the Lords day, is the Sabbath day inioyned by the 4th Comm. (albeit in trueth Saturday is the Sabbath day, & by the 4th Com.) now if men doe neither giuegive God the right day, through their ignorance, nor yet will giuegive God a wrong day, whereof they are notvvithſtanding well perſvvaded in their conſciences that it is the right day, then they ſinne againſt conſcience, whatſoeuer is not of faith, is ſinne, Rom. 14.23. now it is iuſt with God to plague men, if they will neither giuegive him the 7th day for a Sabbath, nor the 8th day neither; for ſo they are guilty of the breach of the 4th Com. in that they giuegive God no day, no Sabbath; no not that day vvhichwhich their conſciences tell them is Sabbath day; & thus God may puniſh them for a ſinne againſt conſcience, though not for the day ſake: and hereby it appeareth that their arguing is amiſſe, when they ſay that God puniſheth men for breach of the Lords day; for it is rather to be thought, that God puniſheth for other cauſes.