A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 4 · Commentary · Section 5 – Section 6
SECT. V.
A fourth text I will add, which is vſually aleaged to the ſame purpoſe: bake that to day which yee will bake, and ſeeth that which yee will ſeeth, and all that which remaineth, lay it vp till the morning for you &c. Exod. 16.23. heere (ſay they) the Iewes were commanded to dreſſe all their meate on the ffriday, the day before their Sabbath; & ſo by conſequence they might not dreſſe any meate on their Sabbath.
Herevnto I anſwer. 1. for aſmuch as we find, that God hath added and expreſſed an exception to ſome Sabbaths, we may therefore thinke, that the ſame exception, is to be vnderſtod, in all Sabbaths; ſee Exod. 12.16. no worke ſhall be done; ſaue about that which eueryevery man must eate: that only may yee doe, in which words you ſee, that albeit God forbad all manner of worke, yet he gaue an exception, allowing men to worke ſo farr forth, as may cōcerne their preſent neceſſity, that is, to dreſſe their meate on that day, which they muſt eate on that day: I confeſſe this was a ceremoniall Sabbath, but for aſmuch as, God put no difference, betwixt the ceremoniall & the Morall Sabbaths, for ſtrictneſſe of reſt (for it was death, to any man, that did any worke on either of them both, as you may ſee, Leuit. 23.30, & Exod. 31.15.) therefore we may thinke, that there is the ſame reaſon of both.
2. I anſwer, that this text is not rightly vnderſtod & applied: for they ſuppoſe that Moſes bad theſe Iewes bake to day, that was, on friday, all the Manna which they had gathered that day, to wit, the ij. omers, ſo as none ſhould be to bake on the next day being Sabbath day; but it is to be noted, that Moſes left it to their will, how much to bake that day, & how much to leaue vnbaked; for ſaith the text, bake that which yee will bake, and ſeeth that which yee will ſeeth; he ſaid not, bake all, & ſeeth all; but bake & ſeeth what ye will: againe, where he ſaith that which remanieth, lay it vp vntill the morning: they vnderſtand theſe words thus, that that which remanieth baked, ſhould be laied vp; but ſo much cannot be collected out of this text; but the contrary is rather the trueth, namely, that that which remained vnbaked was laid vp vnbaked vntill the morning: & this the context giueth light vntounto; for on other daies if they reſerued any vntill the morning it ſtank, v. 20. but on this day, what they reſerued, it ſtank not, v. 24. now foraſmuch as Moſes recordeth it, as a wonderfull thing, that it ſtanke not, nor was full of wormes, by reſeruing it; it giueth vsus to vnderſtand, that it was laied vp vnbaked; for what wonder had it bene, that it ſtanke not, nor had wormes in it, if it had bene baked? ſeing that baking, doth preſerue things from ſtinking, and wormes breeding: it is more likly therefore, that as they baked eueryevery other day, ſo much as they did eate on that day, ſo they did on the Sabbath day: So this text proueth not, that the Iewes baked & boiled all their foode, on friday.
One anſwer I heere giuegive vntounto all their 4. texts together; if the Reſt commanded to the Iewes in the 4th com. be a rigorouſe Reſt, & ſo ceremoniall, then is the whole Sabbath & 4th com. vtterly aboliſhed, as rigorouſe & ceremoniall alſo: for there is but one kind of Reſt in the 4th com. take away that, and take away all Reſt; & if that be rigorouſe & ceremoniall, take away that, and then may men follow their laboures, in their ſeuerall houſen, and in the fields.
An other anſwer I giuegive vntounto all their 4. textes, which is this, that if it could be proued, that the Reſt which the Iewes kept, was rigorouſe, then might we more ſafely hold, that the rigorouſneſſe of their Reſt was Iewiſh and ceremoniall, then that any thing commanded in the Morall Law, is Iewiſh and ceremoniall: for this Law of kindling a fier on the Sabbath, being not mentioned in the Morall Law, but written elſewhere, it may be queſtioned rather whither it was any branch of the 4th com. or expoſition of it; or whither it was ſome ſpeciall Law peculiar vntounto the Nation of the Iewe; becauſe in thoſe hote countries, they might better want a fier then wee in coulder rigiones can, and better feed on cold meates, dreſſed the day before, then wee in theſe colder countries cane: and ſo the Morall Law ſhould be maintained ſtill in its Integrity and perfection: & why may not theſe particular Lawes, not being written in the Morall Law, and Tables of ſtone, be aduentitiouſe, and onelyonly added to the 4th com. as peculiar to the Iewes, and thoſe times & Regiones, as was that Reaſon prefixed to all the 10. com. that God brought thē out of the land of Egypt, which is alſo added to the 4th com. Deut. 5.15. and as was that Law, of offering ij. Lambes, on the Sabbath daies Numb. 28.9.10.
Thus then you hauehave ſeene their textes, for the prouing of the Iewes Reſt, to be full of intollerable ſtrictneſſe & rigour; but you ſe how they faile in the matter; wherefore I may ſafely conclud, that it is but a ſlaunder, raiſed vponupon the Lords Sabbaths, to make men afraide of them, and to loath them: for God required no more ſtrictneſſe of a Iew; then he doth of a Chriſtian; nor any leſſe of a Chriſtian, then he did of a Iew; the 4th com. it is one & the ſame, to Iew & to Gentile, as are all the other 9. commandements.
SECT. V.
Hauing made anſwer vntounto their textes, whereby they would proue the Reſt of the Sabbath, partly ceremoniall, becauſe rigorouſe: we are now to come vntounto their textes, wherby they would proue the time, to wit, the 7th day, in the 4th com. to be a ceremony, & ſo aboliſhed: but firſt this would be noted, that ſince they cannot proue the Reſt in the Sabbath, rigorouſe and ceremoniall, now there is nothing commanded in all the 10 commandements, which they can except againſt, but onelyonly the queſtion it ſelfe betwixt vsus, to wit, the time, & 7th day: now how they will diſproue this you ſhall ſee.
Their firſt texte which I will produce is that Mat. 12.8. for the ſone of man is Lord of the Sabbath: hence ſome argue thus, that becauſe Chriſt is called the Lord of the Sabbath day, therefore he did alter & chang the Sabbath day.
Herevnto I anſwer, that admit, the Heire of a Mannour houſe, becauſe he is Lord of that houſe, he may deſtroy it, and pull it downe; yet it doth not therefore follow, that he will, or hath deſtroyed it, & pulled it downe; ſo, be it, that Chriſts as Lord of the Sabbath might deſtroy it, yet it followeth not that he did deſtroy it: no, the contrary rather followeth, that becauſe Chriſt was Lord of the Sabbath, therefore he did and for euer will, maintaine & vphold the Sabbath; for it is the property of Lords, to vphold their mannour howſen; & to defend thoſe things whereof they are Lords, to the vtmoſt of their power.
Chriſt is the Lord, both of the dead & of the quicke Rom. 14.9. will it follow, becauſe he is Lord of the quicke, that therefore, he will deſtroy the quicke? no, all that will follow out of this text, is no more but this, that Chriſt ſheweth vsus, how we may in a caſe of neceſſity vſe ſome labour, to plucke eares of corne & the like, to ſatiſfy preſent hunger: thus the Lord of a corne field, will in a caſe of neceſſity, permit his ſeruants, to make a pathway, thorough the mideſt of the corne; but yet wold be exceedingly wroth with them, if they ſhould trample all the field ouer, no neceſſity compelling them thereto; and ſo dealt Chriſt the Lord of the Sabbath, with his ſeruantes, he gaue them leaue to make a path thorrow it, as it were.
Laſtly it cannot be, that Chriſt did here at this time deſtroy the Sabbath day; for it was not yet time for it; for Chriſt deſtroyed & aboliſhed no ceremonies, vntill his death vponupon the Croſſe Col. 2.14. if therfore the Sabbath day, had bene a ceremony, we cannot thinke that Chriſt would aboliſh it, now whilſt he liued, & ſo long before his death: & thus much for this text.
SECT. VI.
A ſecond text, is ij Cor. 5.17. old things are paſſed away, behold all things are become new.
Hereunto I anſwer, but briefly, becauſe I hauehave touched this text before: wheras the text ſaith, old things are paſſed away, therfore they thinke the old Sabbath is paſſed away too; if this be a good reaſon, then may we further reaſon thus, that becauſe old things are aboliſhed, therefore all the 10 commandements are aboliſhed too, for they are old things: but the Apoſtles of Chriſt hauehave taught vsus better diuinity; for they in the new Teſtament, doe ſend vsus to thoſe old things, in the old Teſtament, ſaying, what ſoeuer things were written aforetime, were written for our lerning Rom. 15.4. and S. Iohn ſaith, I write no new commandement vntounto you, but an old commandement &c. 1 Ioh. 2.7.
2. I anſwer, this text is wreſted, becauſe it is not vnderſtod; for the Apoſtle ſpeaketh not here of old ordinances in the Church, as of Sabbaths and the like, but of old Adam, the old man, & of old vngodly practiſes; if any man be in Chriſt, ſuch old things are paſſed away from him, & aboliſhed &c. ſo here is nothing yet againſt the 7th day Sabbath,