A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 2 · Commentary · Section 3
SECT. III.
Hauing laied forth the ſeuerall partes of this Com. in the foregoing Section, & detected ſome of the errours of our time, in abuſing the ſenſe & meaning of the Spirit of God, in this Com. it now remaineth, that I come to the Expoſition of the ſame: and whereas the com. is laid downe partly affirmatiuely, and partly negatiuely, we will in the former place, ſpeake of the affirmatiue parte, the which is conteined in theſe words, Remember the Sabbath day, to ſanctify it: Sixe dayes ſhalt thou labour, and doe all thy worke. In this affirmatiue parte, firſt we will ſpeake of the word day: ſecondly of theſe words, Sabbath day: thirdly, of the Commandement, in this word Remember, &c.
For the word Day, to giuegive an Expoſition of it according to the minde of the holy ghoſt, we muſt ſerch how the holy Ghoſt vſeth this vvord in Scripture: for this purpoſe ſee Geneſ. 1.5. And God called the light, day, but no where hath he called the darkneſſe day; wherefore the light only is the day, in Gods accounte: ſee alſo 1 Cor. 3.13. eueryevery mans worke ſhal be made manifeſt, for the day ſhall declare it. Where, by the word Day, the holy Ghoſt meaneth the light: ſee 1 Theſ. 5.8. But let vsus who are of the day be ſober. Where by day, is meant light, as appeareth by the Oppoſition of, the word night, in the former verſe: ſe Joh. 11.9. are there not 12 howres in the day, if any man walke in the day, he ſtumbleth not, becauſe he ſeeth the light: the day therefore is the time of light, by Scriptures accompt: wherefore by the word day; in the fourth Com. I vnderſtand the time of light, and of light only.
A ſecond querie may be to know, how long this day is, and when it beginneth, and when it endeth. For the beginning of it, we are to giuegive it the largeſt extent, as to begin early in the morning by day breake, or day peepe, euen whilſt it is but a little light, and much darkneſſe, ſee Ioh. 20.1. and Mark. 1.35. this laſt text is to be reade as Chemnitius well obſerues thus; In the morning, whilſt it was very much night, &c. foreign, and ſo Beza readeth it alſo. Now as the day beginneth, with the leaſt light appearing in the skie, ſo we are to thinke, it laſteth ſo long, as there is any ſunne light in the skie, or vntill the day be quite off the skie: thus much be ſpoken of the word day ſhewing 1. what is meant by it, to wit, the time of light. 2. How long this day is, to wit, from the firſt approch of the ſunne light, vntounto the laſt departure of its light.
The conſideration of theſe twoo Points diſcouereth vntounto vsus a threefold errour of our times; the one is of ſuch as hould that the Sabbath day, beginneth at midnight, and laſteth to the next midnight: the other, is of thoſe who hould the Sabbath day beginneth in the morning, & laſteth to the next morning: the other, of ſuch as hould it beginneth on the Euening of Saturday night: al which opinions in they hould as well a night, as a day, to be a parte of the ſabbath day: but theſe are all erroniouſe, becauſe growndleſſe; for the word day, in the com. ſignifieth the time of light, & this is the frequent vſe of the word in ſcriptures; & that the word day, muſt ſignify darkneſſe; as wel as light, I thinke cannot be ſhowne in the Scriptures. Wherefore, as to giuegive God leſſe then the wholl tyme of light, is to giuegive God not a day, but a peece of a day, ſo to giuegive God more then the wholl time of light, it to giuegive God more then a wholl day, and ſo more then God hath commanded.
But againſt this it may be ſaid, that there it a day naturall, & a day artificiall, the one cōſiſting of 24 howres, the other of 12 howres, now we muſt giuegive God the largeſt day, of 24. hovvres: But for this pointe, how euer this diſtinction may hauehave its vſe in ciuill affaires, yet is it not founded in Scripture: the Scriptures indeed mention a day of 12. howres, Ioh. 11.9. but of a day of 24. hovvres, I no where reade: it is not ſafe therefore, to expound the word day, in the fourth Comm. of a day of 24: hovvres.
Further it may be ſaid, that by the word day, we muſt vnderſtand, the night and darkneſſe alſo, euen the wholl time of 24. howres: for ſo it is taken, Geneſ. 1.5. And the euening and morning were the firſt day: where the euening is put for the darkneſſe; and the morning is put for the light, and both theſe are called the firſt day. Where to I anſwer, that this expoſition is growndleſſe, to ſay that the Euening is put for the night or darkneſſe; for it cannot be ſhovvne in Scripture, that any where the word Euening, is put for the night or darkneſſe: Herevnto aſſenteth Mr. Perkins in his caſes of conſcience, at the end of the ſecond booke. Secondly I anſwer, to giuegive ſuch an expoſition of the Text, Geneſ. 1.5. as maketh a confuſion of things, is not ſafe, for to vnderſtand by the Euening the darkneſſe, and ſo making the vvord day, to ſignify or comprize both light and darkneſſe is to make a vvofull confuſion; for ſo one and the ſame vvord ſhall ſignifie things quite contrary; as vvel might one ſuppoſe hell to be ſignified vnderunder the vvord heauen, as night vnderunder the vvord day: God hath diſtinguiſhed the light from the darkneſſe as in nature, ſo by ſondry proper names, calling the light day, and the darkneſſe he called night, Geneſ. 1.5. let not vsus then confound them: a better expoſition of the vvord Euening, is therefore to be ſought; for this end it is to be noted, that the vvord Euening in Scripture, is vſed for the after-noone, and ſo vntill day light befully ended, according to our Engeliſh ſpeech, ſaying, good Euen to you Sir, when tis paſt noone; and calling them Euening prayers vſed in the Church about 2. or 3. a clocke in the after-noone; and ſo theire Euening Sacrifice in the Temple, in the after-noone; and in this ſenſe ſee thes Scriptures, Geneſ. 24.11. Mark. 15.42. Exod. 29.38.39. Deut. 23.11. Ioſh. 8.29. Ezra. 9.4.5. Ierem. 6.4. Deut. 16.6. Wherefore, according to the conſtant vſe of the vvord Euening, both amongſt vsus to this day, and alſo in the Scriptures, I wold interpret the word of the after-noone; and ſo vvhereas it is ſaid, the Euening and the morning made the firſt day, that is, the after-noone and the forenoone made the firſt day; vnderſtanding by morning the fore noone, as by euening the afternoone.
I knovv nothing againſt this interpretation, vnleſſe it be, that ſome may obiect and ſay, this is to make God put dovvne things miſorderly; for it had bene better to hauehave ſaid, ſo the forenoone and the afternoone made the firſt day, rather then, ſo the afternoone and the forenoone made the firſt day. Whereto I anſwer, 1. The darkeneſſe was for order before the light, and yet God put the light before the darkneſſe, in this very fifth verſe, and God called the light day, and the darkneſſe, he called night: and why might he not alſo put the afternoone before the forenoone? 2. Why might not God ſet the afternoone, which is the latter, before the forenoone, which is the former, as well as Chriſt our Sauiour ſetteth forth the Lord of the vineyard, commanding his ſteward, to call the labourers, and giuegive them their hier, beginning from the laſt vntounto the firſt, Matt. 20.8? and thus much touching the two formoſt erroures, holding the Sabbath day to beginne at midnight, and in the morning, ſo as they will hauehave a night, added to the day, or light.
Now, touching the third errour of thoſe who would hauehave the Sabhath day, to begin on the Euening before the day, and ſo to conteine all that night that goeth before the day; & theſe ſeeme to hauehave many Scriptures to backe them, as firſt Leuit. 23.32 from Euen to Euen, ſhall ye celebrate your Sabbath. Herevnto I anſwer, this is a peculiar law, for one of the annuall ceremoniall Sabbaths; and it therefore concerneth not the weekly morall Sabbath in the fourth comm. now we muſt not draw the law of this ceremoniall Sabbath, vponupon the morall Sabbath: for then 1. muſt the morall Sabbath be annuall only. 2. It muſt be vponupon the teenth day of the monethmonth, without regard had to the day of the vveeke; for ſo it was with this ceremoniall Sabbath. 3 It muſt laſt one wholl day, and a parte of the day before it alſo, for ſo it vvas vvith that ceremoniall Sabbath, it vvas to hold vponupon the teenth day, and vponupon a parte of the nineth day alſo Leuit. 23.27.32.
An other text they produce out of Nehem. 13.19. And it came to paſſe, that when the gates of Jeruſalem began to be darke before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates ſhould be ſhut, and charged that they ſhould not be opened, till after the Sabbath &c. Here ſay they Nehemiah tooke order for the Sabbath to begin, vvhen the gates of Ieruſalem began to be darke, and this is on the euening. Whereto I anſwer, it follovveth not that becauſe the gates vvere commanded to be ſhut, vvhen it began to be darke, that this vvas done, leaſt that euening ſhould be profaned by buying and ſelling; for it may be very likely, that ſuch as came into the citty with their packes of wares, and pedds of fiſh, (as v. 16.) ſo late in the euening, vvhen it vvas almoſt darke, vvould not open their packes that night, nor goe into the fiſh ſtales in the market place, at that time of the day, but rather Nehemiah foreſeeing, that if he permitted them to come into the citty laden, ſo late in the euening, that they minded to be at their marketing early the next morning; vvherefore to preuent that, he ſhut them out of the citty ouer night, but not becauſe the Sabbath began ouer night, in the euening. 2. I anſvver, if the Sabbath day began in the euening, at vvhat time Nehemiah cauſed the gates to be ſhut in, then theſe abſurdeties vvill follovv, 1. that they began the Sabbath, before it vvas Sabbath; and they kept the Sabbath, till after it vvas Sabbath; for ſo ſaith the text, that the gates vvere ſhut in before the Sabbath, and that they vvere not opened againe, till after the Sabbath. 2. If the ſhutting in of the gates, doe declare vntounto vsus the beginning of the Sabbath, ſo muſt it declare vntounto vsus by like reaſon, the end of the Sabbath: & then this abſurdety follovveth, that vve muſt keepe one day, and tvvo nights, for our Sabbath; for ſo long vvere their gates ſhut in: for if they ſhut the gates in, on fry day tovvards night, they opened them not againe, on Saturday, the Sabbath day, tovvards night, nor in all likely hoode, vntill our Sunday morning; ſo their gates remained ſhut one day and tvvo nights.
A third text they produce, is Mark. 15.42. And now when the euen was come, becauſe it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath: Hence they collect that the Sabbath began in the euening, and that then vvas the preparation of the Sabbath: for anſvver hereto, vve muſt knovv, that on Saturday the Sabbath day, vvherein Chriſt lay in the graue, there vvas tvvo Sabbaths mett together vponupon that one day, to vvit, the morall Saturday and vveekly Sabbath day, and alſo an annuall ceremoniall Sabbath day, as Beza, Piſcator and others affirme; this ceremoniall Sabbath day, it vvas the 15th day of the monethmonth, the day after the Paſſouer, and by the lavv it vvas a Sabbath day: for on it, they had an holy conuocation and aſſembly, vvherein they did no ſeruill vvorke, Leuit. 23.6.7. Novv the Ievves keeping their Paſſeouer on good fryday, it vvas the 14th day of the monethmonth and conſequently Saturday, vvherein Chriſt lay in the graue, muſt be the 15th day of the monethmonth, and ſo it vvas this annuall ceremoniall Sabbath day: Novv then here being tvvo Sabbaths on this one day, to vvit, the morall Sabbath, and a ceremoniall Sabbath, hence it is, that the text may be vnderſtood of the ceremoniall Sabbath, not of the morall Sabbath; and ſo the preparation ſpoken of on the euening before, may concerne the ceremoniall Sabbath, which vvas called the firſt day of vnleauened bread: and indeed vve reade of a preparation, that was euer vponupon the day before this ceremoniall Sabbath, and it was the making ready of a lamb, it muſt be ſlaine, and dreſſed, and roſted, before it could be eaten, and a conuenient place muſt be prouided for it to be eaten in, Exod. 12.6.8. Luk. 22.8.9.11. yea, that this preparation, had reſpect of the two Sabbaths, only vntounto the ceremoniall Sabbath, is plaine, in that it is called the preparation of the Paſseouer, Ioan. 19.14. rather then the preparation of the Sabbath: ſo this text it concerneth neither the morall Sabbath, nor any morall preparation.
By the way, the cleering of this text Mark. 15.44. wherein is mention of a preparation before the Sabbath: may be vſefull vntounto vsus, to diſcouer their errour, who vrge a preparation on the Eueuing before the Sabbath, from this or the like textes; as if the Church vvere bound on the euening before the Sabbath day, to make a preparation, as they call it, and to refraine all ſeruill labours, and begin then the ſanctification of the Sabbath in holy exerciſes; but this is groundleſſe. 1. For albeit vve read of a preparation to the ceremoniall Sabbath, which ſtood as hath bene ſhowne, in dreſſing of the lamb for the Paſſeouer &c. yet vve reade not of any preparation to the morall Sabbath enioyned, or vſed: they erre therefore vvho vvould from this, and the like textes collect any ſuch preparation for the Sabbath, as to begin it on Saturday at euen: all the preparation, which God requireth for the morall Sabbath, is no more but this, to remember it before it cometh, and that ſo, as all our ſeruill vvorkes may be compaſſed and finiſhed by the end of the ſixth day, that ſo nothing may hinder vsus from Sanctification of the ſeuenth day, vvhen it commeth.
Yet further I anſwere to the text Mark. 15.42. ſuppoſe vve that by Sabbath there mentioned, be vnderſtood the morall Sabbath, why then by preparation there ſpoken of, may nothing elſe be vnderſtood, but a preparation by finiſhing of the vvorkes of the ſixth day in the ſixth day, that ſo no vvorke be left for the ſeuenth day; and for this the context giueth ſome light, by the example of Ioſeph of Arimathea, v. 43. vvho vponupon the ſixth day, at euen, bought fine linnen, and tooke Chriſt from the croſſe, and embalmed him vvith ſpices, and wrapped him in linnen clothes, and laid him into the ſepulchre, and finally rouled a ſtone vponupon the ſepulchre, v. 46. Ioh. 19.40. all theſe vvorkes Ioſeph fin ſh…d on the ſixth day, and ſo prepared himſelfe for the ſeuenth day, the Sabbath day. So in vvhichwhich ſenſe ſoeuer you take it, heres no place for any ſuch preparation as they vrge. Yet further, this is to be noted, that it is one thing to make a preparation for the Sabbath, and an other to begin the Sabbath: this difference they note not vvho vrge the Sabbath to begin on the euening before the Sabbath day: for, vve may make prouiſion and preparation on the day before the Sabbath, for the Sabbath, by haſting on, and contriuing of our vvorks ſo the day before, as no worke may be left to be done on the Sabbath day, and yet not begin the Sabbath vntill the next morning.
Thus we hauehave done with the confutation of thoſe 3 errours, which vrge from the fourth com. more then a day for the Sabbath; as either all the night foregoing the Sabbath day; or all the night coming after the Sabbath day; or elſe halfe of the night foregoing the Sabbath day, and halfe of the night following the Sabbath day.
Before we can conclud this pointe, a caſe of conſcience wold be ſcanned, tis this, if it be ſo (may ſome ſay) that the Sabbath day is but the time of light only, vvhat ſhall become of the night then, or of that parte of the night, to vvit, an hovvre, two, or three before day in the depht of winter, in caſe a man riſe ſo ſoone? and of that parte of the night, to vvit, tvvo, or three howres after candles lighted; may men ſafely employ theſe times, in the ordenary workes of their callings? Where vntounto I anſwer, in ſuch a caſe as this, wherin God hath left no expreſſe order, Chriſtian prudency and diſcretion muſt determine the matter; as then in the longeſt dayes of ſommer, we giuegive God no more of the time of light, then we can well refraine from reſt and ſleepe, ſo in the ſhorteſt dayes of winter, we ſhould in reaſon and equity, as it were by vvay of requitall, giuegive God all that time, of the night or darkneſſe, the which we can well ſpare from reſt and ſleepe: for in the longeſt dayes, we ſleepe 2, 3 or 4. howres after day light, and againe goe to reſt one or two howres before day light bedone. 2. It is fit we ſhould deale by God in his Sabbath dayes, as we deale by our ſelues, on the ſix working dayes; if in any of theſe we be diſpoſed to riſe before day light, or to ſet vp after day be done, we ſpend thoſe times, in actiones or workes of the ſame for kind, which we doe in the day which belongeth vntounto thoſe times, to wit, in common laboures: and ſo let vsus deale by God in his Sabbaths, if vve riſe before day, and ſet vp after day, let thoſe times be ſpent in workes ſutable to the day, to wit, in holy exerciſes.
But more ſpecially, for the time in the morning, before it be day, ſince that we muſt ſerue God, with all our heart, and with all our ſtrength, in the dueties of his worſhip and ſeruice on the Sabbath day, it vndeniably follovveth, that a man may not fall to the laboures of his calling, 2. or 3. hovvres before the Sabbath doth beginne; for ſo the ſtrength of his body is vveakened, and the liulineſſe and freſh cheerfulneſſe of his minde is abated and dulled, and the edge of his affections is before hand taken off and blunted: and it cannot be doubted, buth that God vvold be ſerued in his Sabbathes, with as much liulineſſe and cheerefullneſſe, and ſtrength of body and minde as may or can be: the vvhichwhich cannot be, if a man ſpend vp and waſt his ſtrength and vigour, before hand by labors: Wherefore let vsus with the Prophet Dauid, when vvaking or vp before day, ſeeke God by prayer, and the like: I preuented (ſaith he) the dawning of the morning, and cried: J hoped in thy word, Pſal. 119.147. It is then, a fit time, for a Chriſtian to exerciſe his faith, and hope in God, and to pray vntounto him, namely, in the morning erly.
And for the time in the Euening, or after the euening, after the day, beſides what hath bene ſaid before in generall, this alſo maybe added in ſpeciall, that ſince there is a time for meditation vponupon the vvord of God, Pſal. 119.15. I will meditate in thy preceptes. Pſal. 119.55. I hauehave remembred thy name, O Lord, in the night. Pſal. 119.148. Mine eyes preuent the night watches: that I might meditate in thy word. And Pſal. 42.8. the Lord will grant his louing kindneſſe in the day, and in the night will I ſing of him &c. Since I ſay there is a time for meditation of Gods word, and for ſinging of Pſalmes in priuate, what time can be more fit, then that time of the night, which immediatly followeth the hearing of Gods word in publike? for then things are freſh in memory: we are to proue and try all things, which we heare, 1. Theſſ. 5.21. and to ſerch the Scriptures with thoſe Bereans, to ſee whither the things taught vsus, be ſo or no, Act. 17.11. Now what time can be more fit for this duety, then the time preſently follovving the hearing of the vvord? There is a precept vntounto parents Deut. 6.7. And theſe words which I command thee, ſhall be in thine heart, and thou ſhalt teach them diligently vntounto thy children, and ſhalt talke of them when thou ſitteſt in thine houſe, and when thou laieſt downe, and when thou riſiſt vp: Now what time is more fit, for parents and maſters, to whet the word of God vponupon their children and ſeruants, then preſently after they hauehave heard it in the Congregation? but this cannot be, if all ſortes may fall to their ſeuerall vvorkes, ſo ſoone as the publike aſſembly is diſmiſſed. And ſo much be ſpoken of the word Day.