A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 2 · Commentary · Section 6
SECT. VI.
The next vvords vve purpoſe to ſpeake of ſhall be theſe, Six dayes thou ſhalt labour, and doe all thy worke. Touching theſe words, I purpoſe to enquire but after two things; the one is, to know vvhither theſe vvords, be a Commandement or no: the other is, to knovv which dayes of our weeke, theſe ſixe dayes here mentioned are: for the former, ſome take theſe vvords, to be a permiſſion; but I determine vvith Perkins, in his Caſes of Conſcience Pag: 106. C. that they be a Commandement; and his reaſon ſhall be my reaſon, which is this; that they are a Commandement, becauſe they are propounded in Commanding termes, like as all Commandements are of the ſame iudgment alſo is Muſculus fol. 62. theſe vvords alſo, in the dayes of Chriſt, were houlden for a commandement; ſaith the Ruler of the Synagogue, there are ſix dayes, in which men ought to worke, &c. Luk. 13.14. Hee ſaid men (ought) as of duety, to vvorke in the ſix dayes.
If any ſhall obiect, that then a man is bound to labour all the 6 dayes: I anſvver it followeth not; for, ſo the Lord ſaid of the Sabbathday, in it thou ſhalt not doe any worke, Exod. 20.10. and yet for all that, workes of mercy, and vvorkes of neceſſity may be done: and ſo here, albeit that God hath ſaid, ſixe dayes thou ſhalt labour: yet lawfull recreationes when neceſſity is, may be taken, in the ſixe dayes.
Yet further, if any ſhall obiect, that then we muſt keepe no holy dayes: if we muſt labour the 6 dayes: I anſwer it followeth not: for, 1. the com. addeth thes words, and doe all that thou haſt to doe, ſo that, if a man can ſo finiſh all his workes, that he hath to doe, in leſſe then 6 dayes, ſo as no vvorke be left to doe on the Sabbath day, then he may keep that time which he can ſpare, for an holy day. 2. it is true that ſome holy dayes, may be keept, as Chriſtmas day, Coronation day, Gunpovvder Treaſon day, and the like dayes of publike thankſgiuing, & dayes of publike faſt, which are one day in a yeere, not a day eueryevery week; for, we hauehave examples for it in Scripture, Eſther. 9.27, Joel. 2.15. now theſe being extraordinary caſes, an exception or diſpenſation may be admitted in the com: but whats this to our caſe? for, the Com. is to be vnderſtood of an ordinary weekly practiſe, when there is no iuſt and weyghty cauſe to the contrary: but the caſe of holy dayes, is of a rare and ſeldome action, and vponupon extraordinary occaſiones.
The ſecond query ſhall be to knovv, which dayes thoſe are, vvherin God hath commanded vsus to labour? the anſvver vvill be thoſe ſix dayes, vvhichwhich were the firſt ſix dayes of the worlds creation; to vvit, thoſe ſix dayes vvhereof vve read, Geneſ. 1.5.8.13.19.23.31. the vvhichwhich went immediatly before the firſt Sabbath day, that euer the vvorld ſaw, the Sabbath day vvheron God himſelfe reſted, where of vve read, Geneſ. 2.2.3. theſe ſixe dayes, are theſe: 1. Sunday. 2. Monday. 3. Tevvſday. 4. Wenſday. 5. Thurſday. 6. Friday. Novv that theſe and none other, are the ſix dayes, inioyned in the 4th com. is proued.
1. Becauſe elſe there would be a confuſion of Gods 7th day, wherin he reſted, vvith the other ſixe dayes; novv this muſt not be, for then God ſhall be defeated of his end and purpoſe, which vvas to hauehave the 7th day ſanctified, as appeareth by the 4th com. and that becauſe himſelfe reſted on it, Geneſ. 2.2.3. but if vve keepe not the dayes of the weeke diſtinct, it vvold come to paſſe, that vve ſhold worke ſomtimes, on that very day, wheron God reſted from vvorke, and vvhichwhich God bleſſed and Sanctified, for an Holy day. 2. The reaſon of the 4th com. Exod. 20.11. vvhichwhich God dravveth from his ovvne example, is by vvay of ſimilitude, vrging vsus to tread in Gods ſteppes, to be imitatores, and follovvers of him, that is, to labour, vvhen God vvrought, and to reſt vvhen God reſted: novv if vve ſhould labour on the 7th day, then ſlould vve not be like, but vnlike to God; for vve ſhould vvork vvhen God did reſt, ſo ſhould we not imitate God. Wherefore vve muſt chooſe thes ſix dayes, which vvent before the firſt 7th day, or Sabbath. 3. It appeareth by the conſtant practiſe of the Ievves vntill Chriſt; and by the Iewes now liuing at Amſterdam and elſwhere, that the 4th com. vvas to be vnderſtood of thoſe very ſix dayes, vvhichwhich vvere the firſt in the vvorlds creation, and vvhichwhich goe before our Saturday: for the Ievves euer made, and ſtill doe make, theſe their ſix vvorking dayes, Sunday, Monday, Tewſday, Wednſday, Turſday, and Friday. Yea, ſince Sabbath day, is a proper name, and a ſtanding day, by it the other ſixe dayes may be knovvne. 4. It appeareth by the Nevv Teſtament, for eueryevery vvhere, the day of Chriſts reſurrection is called the firſt day, of the vveek, Mat. 28.1. Mark. 16.2. novv the day of Chriſts reſurtection is our Sunday, confeſſed by all ſides; ſo then our Sunday is the firſt of thoſe ſix dayes, vvherin vve ought to labour by the com. and Friday then vvill be the laſt of our ſix labouring dayes: hauing thus fond out vvith dayes of the vveeke, we ought to labour in, vve come vntounto vſes of the pointe.
Here I might inciſt, by way of confutation, of that errour of Mr. Greenwood; vvho ſtifly defendeth it, that theſe vvordes in this 4th com. Sixe dayes thou ſhalt labour, &c. they are no parte of the 4th com. but a parte of the 8th com. as if God had not knovvne hovv to place his commandementes, but had mingled ſome parte of the ſecond Table, vvith the things of the firſt Table; and vvrote ſome parte of the 8th Com. in the 4th Com. either God hath miſplaced things, or Mr. Greenvvood hath miſtaken things; but ſuppoſing no other diuines will ſecond him, and that the bare mention of this abſurdety is enough to confute it, I paſſe on.
The firſt vſe of this point, is for the diſcouery of the errour of many, vvho being vrged by the 4th Com. to keepe the 7th day for the Sabbath: they anſwer, that Sunday, or the Lords day is the 7th day, to them: for they labour the ſix dayes which goe before the Sunday. To vvhom I reply, that albeit Sunday is the 7th day to them, yet is it not the 7th day to God: for that day, vvhichwhich they count the 7th day, the ſame day, God euer counted for the firſt day; our Sunday, is the firſt day of the vveeke in a diuine accompt, not the 7 day & laſt, as we hauehave proued: wherefore vvhoſoeuer rekoneth Sunday for the 7th day, he follovveth an vnvvarrantable and humane account, and forſaketh the Scripture account, vvhichwhich calleth Sunday, the firſt day of the vveeke conſtantly; now in diuine matters, vve muſt follovv a diuine accompt, and in Gods matters, vve muſt take Gods account: againe, whoſoeuer rekoneth Sunday for the 7th day, and therfore reſteth on Sunday, he doth not imitate God, in reſting vvhen he reſted, and in vvorking when he vvrought; according as is preſcribed in the 4th comm. but rather he croſſeth and thwarteth God, by reſting when God vvrought; and vvorking vvhen God reſted: for on our Sunday vve reſt, but on our Sunday God vvrought; in that he began the firſt dayes vvork in the creation vponupon our Sunday, making the light on this day, Geneſ. 1.4.5. againe, we croſſe God on our Saturday, for in it, we worke, but in it God reſted; yea, this day, God bleſſed it and ſanctified it for an holy day, Geneſ. 2.2.3. and yet this day vve profane it, and make it a working day. Thus it is plaine, that it is a foule errour in any to count our Sunday, or Lords day, the 7th day, and ſo a Sabbath or reſting day, when as it is one of the Six labouring dayes, and ſo a working day.
The ſecond vſe of this point, is for information: for if by the 4th Com. our ſix dayes, to wit, Sunday, Monday, Tewſday, Wenſday, Thurſday, and Friday, be thoſe ſix dayes, wherin we are to worke, after the example of God; then it follovveth, that no day of the weeke can be the Sabbath day, or Reſting day, but Saturday, the 7th day. This is to be noted againſt all thoſe, who by their vaine gloſſes, would expound the 4th com. ſo, as if ſome other day of the weeke, beſids Saturday, might be the Sabbath day by the 4th Com. now this cannot be, ſeeing God hath appointed all the dayes of the weeke beſids Saturday, for working dayes.
The third vſe of this point, is for confutation: is it ſo, that our Sunday, or Lords day, is by Gods com. a working day, it being one of the ſixe dayes, and the firſt of them; hovv vn aduiſed then are thoſe which goe about to ſet vp, and vphold the Sunday or Lords day, for a Sabbath day, and reſting day weekly? when God appointed it for a vvorking day, and alſo gaue it vsus vnderunder his ovvne example; himſelfe vvorking on it, for our imitation: neither can any anſvver, that this lavv, ſix dayes thou ſhalt labour: vvas a Ceremony and ſhaddow, and ſo aboliſhed by Chriſt: for there is no grownd for that in ſcripture: the contrary is rather manifeſt, for what God did at the creation in vvorking on our Sunday, Chriſt our Sauiour ratefied at the redemption; for being riſen from the dead; vponupon our Sunday, the day of his reſurrection, he trauailed, and two of his diſciples alſo, a matter of 15 myles, Luk. 24.13. wherefore Sunday is a trauailing day, a working day, whother you reſpect Gods example, at the Creation; or Gods 4th Comm. vponupon Mount Sinay; or Chriſts example and his Diſciples after the Redemption.
But chiefly and principally, I mind to urge this vſe againſt ſome Miniſters, vvho doe againe notoriouſly abuſe this 4th com. by prouing out of it, an inſtitution for the Lords day, or Sunday, to be a Sabbath: thes men ſeeme for the time, to hauehave laid aſide both wit, and learning: are they not aſhamed, to goe about to vvreſt that Com. to ſpeake for, and command the Sunday, to be kept for a Sabbath and reſting day, the vvhichwhich doth expreſly command the contrary? For, this branch of the com. Six dayes thou ſhalt labour. Doth command labour on the ſix dayes; Novv the firſt of thes ſix labouring dayes, is our Sunday or Lords day: novv vvas it euer heard before, that one commandement, ſhould command contrary things? or that one part of a commandement, ſhould command vsus to labour, on the firſt day of the vveeke, and an other part of it, command vsus, to reſt from labour on the ſame firſt day of the vveeke? is this to deale honeſtly and faithfully with the word of God in expounding it, to make it contradict it ſelfe; and that not in diuerſe places, but in one and the ſame text? I ſee it is not vvithout cauſe, that the Scriptures command people, to Trie all things, 1. Theſſal. 5.21. and ſo they had neede doe, leaſt they drinke in poiſon, in ſtead of an healthfull potion.
Thus I hauehave diſcouered an other ſhamefull abuſe of this 4th com. wherefore, vvhen hereafter you ſhall heare any of theſe, preach for the Lords day, and proue it to be a Sabbath day, out of the 4th com. then thinke of this vſe, collected from theſe vvords, Six dayes ſhalt thou labour. Yea, when you heare them preſſe mens conſciences for the Lords day, to keepe it holy, and reſt from vvorke; becauſe the 4th Com. ſaith, Remember the Sabbath day: doe you then call to minde, that this day which they vrge ſo, it is not named Sabbath day, but Lords day or Sunday; novv the 4th com. ſaith not, Remember the Lords day &c. but Remember the Sabbath day &c. and further call to minde, that the 4th com. ſaith, Six dayes ſhalt thou vvorke: one of vvhichwhich ſix dayes is the Lords day: Hovv then can theſe men vrge me to reſt vponupon the Lords day, which is one of the 6 dayes, and that by the 4th com. vvhen the ſame com. biddeth me to labour on the Lords day, as being one of the ſix labouring dayes? Thus if people vvill be vviſe, thes Miniſters, if they will deceiue, they ſhall but deceiue themſelues.