A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 3 · Commentary · Section 1
SECT. I.
FIrſt of all, a word or tvvo touching the name Lords day: It is to be obſerued, that this name Lords day, the which we now put vponupon our Sunday, or firſt day of the weeke; yea vponupon eueryevery S…nday, and vponupon eueryevery firſt day of the vveeke, it is not found to be ſo vſed in the Scriptures: that is, it is not found in the Scriptures, that eueryevery Sunday in a yeere was called Lords day: For all the iiij Euangeliſts, Mathew, Marke, Luke, and Iohn, yea & S. Paul alſo, they neuer called our Sunday, or firſt day of the vveeke, Lords day; for, they euer called it, the firſt day of the vveeke, by it old name, ſee Mat. 28.1. Mark. 16.2.9. Luk. 24.1. Ioh. 20.1.19. Actor. 20.7. 1. Cor. 16.2. OnelyOnly once it is found perhaps, to be called Lords day, but it was long firſt, as by S. Iohn Reuel. 1.10. ſo the oddes is 8 to one; for our Sunday, is found to be called 8 times, the firſt day of the vveeke, for once called Lords day.
The knovvledge of this point may be vſefull vntounto vsus theſe vvayes; firſt, is it ſo, that our Sunday had no nevv name put vponupon it by none of the Euangeliſts, but that it vvas frequētly called the firſt day of the vveeke ſtill, by its old name, & that after Chriſt his reſurrection; Then is it a matter very likly & probable, that this day had no new inſtitution or ordination, but that it remained after Chriſt his reſurrection, as it vvas before his reſurrection, in its old nature ſtill, that is, to be a vvorking day ſtill, as it was before: For it is very likely, that if the old nature and vſe of the day had bene changed, that the old name alſo would hauehave bene changed, and a nevv name put vponupon it. If this name Lords day, had betokened any change of the vſe of this day, from common vſe vntounto an holy vſe, in memory of Chriſt his reſurrection, me thinke ſome of the 4 Euangeliſts vvould hauehave ſaid ſome ſuch like thing; and ſome of them vvould in token thereof, hauehave altered the name of the day, and called it Lords day: but for ſo much as the Euangeliſts (who doe largly, & eueryevery one of them, ſet forth the Lords reſurrection) hauehave neuerthemore, either ſpake any thing, any of them touching the change of the day, in memory of the reſurrection; no nor ſo much as giuen it the nevv name Lords day; but conſtantly all of them agreeing, in retaining its old name ſtill; it is a thing very likly, that they knew nothing of the alteration or change of the day at all: It is moſt probable therefore, that our Sunday or Lords day, was a working day, in the dayes of the 4 Euangeliſts, after Chriſt his Reſurrection, and at that time, when they wrote their Goſpels.
2dly, but ſuppoſe we for argument ſake, that this name Lords day, had ſome ſecret virtue in it (as the patrones of it would make vsus beleeue) to betoken, that the day ſo named, muſt needs be a Sabbath day; yet it followeth not, that eueryevery of our Sundayes, and eueryevery firſt day of the weeke, muſt be kept for a Sabbath day; for, it is not found in the Apoſtles times, that they called eueryevery Sunday, Lords day, as we doe; for they, the moſt of them, neuer named our Sunday, Lords day, but ſtill called it, by its old name, the firſt day of the weeke; yea, 8 times it was called by its old name, the firſt day of the weeke, to once the Lords day: Wherefore, it is likly, that this Sunday was kept for a Sabbath, not conſtantly, but ſeldome, as namely, vponupon ſome one firſt day of the vveeke or other, once in a quarter or halfe a yeere, or once in a yeere, or the like: ſo often as it can be proued, that our Sunday, was called Lords day; ſo often it poſſibly may be, that our Sunday muſt be kept for a Sabbath, & not ofter: now I ſuppoſe, it will trouble the patrons of this weekly Lords day Sabbath, to proue, that euer there was any more Sundayes called Lords day, then one in a yeere onelyonly: ſo then, the moſt that can be made of this name Lords day, is to vrge the people to keepe it for a Sabbath day, once in a yeere onelyonly. What iniury then is done to the people, to cauſe them to refraine the workes of their calling, on eueryevery Sunday throughout the yeere; and that vnderunder this pretenſe that eueryevery Sunday in the yeere is the Lords day, & ſo a Sabbath day? let this be thought on.
Secondly as touching the name of the day; It is to be obſerued, that our Sunday is no where in all the New Teſtament named Sabbath day: but it is euer called, either the firſt day of the weeke, or the Lords day: Yea, S. Mathew, doth plainly diſtinguiſh betwixt the Sabbath day, and the firſt day of the weeke; as being the one the day before the other; the one vponupon the Saturday, the other vponupon the Sunday. Now in the end of of the Sabbath, when the firſt day of the weeke begane to dawne, &c. Mat. 28.1. the ſame doth S. Mark alſo; And when the Sabbath day was paſt, &c. they bought ſweete oyntments, &c. and erly in the morning, the firſt day of the weeke, they came to the Sepulchre, &c. Mark. 16.12. the ſame is plaine alſo, by S. Luke, Luk. 23.56. Luk. 24.1. and by S. Iohn, Ioh. 19.31. Ioh. 20.1. ſo then the Sabbath day, was the day before our Sunday, or firſt day of the weeke.
The knowledge of this point, bewraieth the errour of our Miniſters, in calling our Lords day, and firſt day of the weeke; Sabbath day: this their practiſe is all together growndleſſe: for none of the Apoſtles euer called the Lord day Sabbath day: no, they did as you ſee proued, diſtinguiſh betweene the Lords day, and the Sabbath day, as being the one, the day after the other.
Nay they are much departed from the practiſe of the Apoſtles and Euangeliſts; for they called our Saturday, the day before our Lords day, Sabbath day; but many of our Miniſters, who vvill be thought to follovv the Apoſtles in keeping the Lords day for a Sabbath, yet will not follow them in calling our Saturday, Sabbath day: if they will imitate the Apoſtles, and Apoſtallicall times in one thing, why ſhould they not imitate them in an other? if the practiſe of the Apoſtles doth binde vsus, as they teach; then vvhy doe they not cale our Saturday, Sabbath day, ſince that vvas the practiſe of the Apoſtles? why is not Saturday honoured vvith that proper name which doth belong vntounto it? why doe they deceiptfully robb the Saturday, of its honourable name Sabbath day, and put it vponupon the Lords day? the very Papiſts ſhew more fidelity in this point, then we Proteſtants; for they imitate the Apoſtolike times, and to this day, they call Saturday, dies Sabbathi, and, Sabbathum, that is, Sabbath day, as did the Apoſtles: wherefore, if we vvill doe as the Apoſtles did, vve muſt call Saturday, Sabbath day, and if vve vvill not be worſe then Papiſts, vve muſt call our Saturday, Sabbath day ſtill.
Sometimes vve vvill borrow light, from the primitiue Churches; vvhy reade the Eccleſiaſticall Hiſtories, for 300. yeers & more after Chriſt; and you ſhall find them calling our Saturday, the day before our Lords day, Sabbath day, conſtantly: how cometh it about then, that our times are ſo farr denegerated from the primitiue churches, that vve abhorre to call the Saturday, Sabbath day? and inſtead thereof, the Lords day muſt be called Sabbath day: this nevv Chriſtening or new naminge of dayes, is a nouill thing, it is a nouelty of late inuention.
2. The knowledge of this point, may proue proffitable to common people, for their direction, in reading of the Scriptures, both of the Old & New Teſtament; for often times they ſhall in reading meet with this name Sabbath day: Now they muſt be carefull which day of the weeke to apply it vntounto, elſe a foule errour is committed, albeit hitherto men hauehave not thought ſo: by the name Sabbath day is meant our Saturday, as you ſee it proued by all the 4 Euangeliſts aboue mentioned; and as is plaine by the practiſe of the primitiue Church for 300 yeers and more after Chriſt: vvherefore when you meete vvith the name Sabbath day, as in Iſai. 58.13. Nehem. 13.18. Act. 13.14.42.44. Act. 16.13. Act. 17.2. and Act. 18.4. You muſt vnderſtand it of Saturday; and not of Sunday, or the Lords day, vvhichwhich wee novv call, and miſcall Sabbath day: it is ſtrange to ſee how ignorant people are in this point; for they make no difference betwixt Sabbath day, and Lords day, but take them for the ſame, when as Sabbath day, is on the 7th day, and Lords day, is on the 8th day: hence is their errour, that when they reade any of thoſe forementioned Scriptures, they apply them to the Lords day; as if in Eſaias, and in Nehemiahs times, the Lords day, had bene then in vſe for a Sabbath; vvhat a monſtrouſe errour is this? againe, when they reade the 4th com. Exod. 20.8. which ſpeaketh of the Sabbath day, they here againe ignorantly vnderſtand by Sabbath day, the Lords day; and yet that was on the 7th day of the vveeke, and this is on the 8th day of the vveeke; as if the Lords day, had bene in vſe for a Sabbath day, in Moſes his time, and at the giuing of the lavv: but let this already ſaid, be enough to reforme this errour for time to come; you ſee all the 4 Euangeliſts after Chriſts reſurrection, calling the day before our Sunday or firſt day of the vveeke, vvhichwhich is Saturday, the Sabbath day; vvherefore if here after, your Miniſters vvill miſapply the 4th com. to the Lords day, beleeue them not: for you ſee all the 4 Euangeliſts call Saturday, the Sabbath day; not Lords day, the Sabbath day; and the 4th com. is for that day only, which is named Sabbath day, as you may ſee by reading it. The rather this is to be noted, becauſe ſuch a miſtake of one day for an other, in a bond, may forfeit your bond; as in caſe through a miſtake, you carry your money in the 8th day of the monethmonth, when it is due on the 7th day of the monethmonth: now the 4th com. is a bond, wherein man ſtands bound vntounto God, to pay his diuine ſeruice, on the 7th day of the weeke, but if he delaies vntill the 8th day, I dare aſſure him that he hath forfeited vvith God, and broken the bond of the 4th comm: For this bond is not due and payable on the 8th but on the 7th day. Looke to it, as you vvill. Thus much for the name, now we come to the thing and queſtion it ſelfe.