A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 3 · Commentary · Section 10 – Section 11
SECT. X.
A 5th text out of the New Teſtament, alleaged and abuſed, for the Lords day, is 2. Cor. 5.17. and this text as tis vſed by others, ſo it is ſtifly defended, by Mr. Greenwood: the words are theſe, If any man be in Chriſt he is a new creature: old things are paſsed away: behold all things are become new. Whence he thus argueth, what (ſaith he) can be plainer, to proue, that if all things be new, then a new day of worſhip alſo?
Hereunto I anſwer 1. if all things in Chriſts kingdome, be become new; then ſhew me vvhere Chriſt hath giuen you a new commandement, for your nevv Lords day: I am ſuer you can finde none in all the nevv Teſtament, in the ſteade of the old 4th com. 2. They ſay all things in Chriſt kingdome are become new, & yet they vvill needs hau the old 4th com. to ſtrengthen their nevv Lords day by it: do they not contradict them ſelues? if all things be nevv, then let them no more vrge the 4th & old com. for the Lords day. 3. the Iſralites vvere commanded to vvorſhip the true God, & that by the firſt & old com. ſhevv me then vvhat other God, or vvhat nevv God vve muſt vvorſhipp, if all things are become nevv. 4. S. Iohn ſaith, he wrote no n…w commandement, but an old commandement vntounto them, 1. Ioh. 2.7. & Paul telleth vsus, that whatſoeuer things are written afore time, are written for our lerning Ro. 15.4. & our Sauiour telleth vsus that, vntill heauen & earth paſſe, one iot or one title of the law ſhall not eſcape &c. Mat. 5.18. ſo then, all things in Chriſts kingdome are not become nevv.
4. This Text is ignorantly vvreſted, vntounto a ſenſe the which the holy Ghoſt neuer meant: for the holy Ghoſt ſpeaketh not in this text, of old & of new lawes & ordinances in the Church; as if this text were for the aboliſhing of the old Ceremonies, of Circumciſion, the Paſſeouer, and the like; and for the eſtabliſhing of new ordinances, as of Baptiſme, the Lords Supper, & the like, as they wreſt & abuſe it groſly: but it treateth of the old corruptions in men vnregenerate, and of new grace in men ſanctified: and that a man in Chriſt, is not an old man, but a new man in conuerſation: this is the true ſenſe, laying open to eueryevery eye; and yet for all this, they be not aſhamed to vvring & wreſt this portion of Scripture to old Sabbaths, & to new Sabbaths: what a ſhamefull abuſe is this of Scripture? me thinkes men that make conſcience of other things, ſhould alſo make conſcience of this, to giuegive the vvord of God, its due and proper ſenſe: to report a mans vvords, in an other ſenſe then he meant them, is in eſtimation falſe witneſſe bearing, a finne of the 9th Com. but to miſreport the ſacred word of God, and to giuegive ſuch a ſenſe of it, as the holy Ghoſt neuer intended, this is a ſinne, not againſt man, but againſt God; this is to be a falſe witneſſe, not againſt man, but againſt God: What, hauehave they no body to father their falſhoodes vponupon, but vponupon God, the God of trueth? vvill not the Lords day be vpholden for a Sabbath, vvithout ſuch vile & vngodly courſes as theſe?
SECT. XI.
A 6th Text out of the New Teſtament, alleaged and abuſed for the Lords day, is 1. Cor. 16.2. VponUpon the firſt day of the weeke, let eueryevery on of you put aſide by himſelfe, and lay vp as God hath proſpered him, that then there be no gatherings when I come. Loe here ſay they was a collection for the poore, which collection, was an ordinance of the Apoſtle, as I hauehave ordeined in the Churches of Galatia, ſo doe yee. Now when there were collections for the poore, there muſt be aſſemblies; and when there were aſſemblies, then there vvere ſermons; and on thoſe dayes in which were collections for the poore, and aſſemblies, & ſermons, thoſe were Sabbath dayes. This text M. Yates hath vrged vponupon me.
Herevnto I anſwer, 1. Here you ſee the foundation of all this argument, is from hence, that there vvas at Corinth a collection for the poore; and that there was alſo an Aſſembly; if therefore I ſhall make it appeare, that there vvas neither collection, nor aſſembly, then you will ſay this text is groſly abuſed, and that herein is no foundation for any new Sabbath. And firſt touching the aſſembly; that here was no aſſembly or congregation ordeined by Paul, is plaine from the vvords of the Text, foreign apudſeipſum reponat, or, apud ſe ſeponat: let eueryevery one of you, put aſide by himſelfe: the Apoſtle ſpeaketh not here, of putting vp mony, in the congregation or aſſembly, but of putting it aſide by himſelfe: Now it is one thing to lay vp mony by a mans ſelfe; and an other to lay it vp with others in an aſſembly: for a man may lay vp mony by himſelfe, when he is at home, & alone by himſelfe; and this is that vvhichwhich the text ſpeaketh of; and this is not done in an aſſembly as they ſuppoſe, but out of an aſſembly: if here vvere any grownd for them, for any aſſembly, the Apoſtle muſt hauehave ſaid, Let eueryevery one of you, contribute vvith others, or in the aſſembly; or let eueryevery one of you, put aſide from himſelfe, as men doe to Collectors in the Church; but he ſaith the quite contrary, let eueryevery one, put aſide by himſelfe; vvherefore this ordinance of Pauls, vvas a duety to be done by eueryevery man ſinglie & alone by himſelfe at home; here then you ſee is no grownd for any aſſembly or Congregation.
Now I come to the collection, and I ſhall make it appeare, that Paul made no ordinance here at Corinth, for a collection: for, his ordinance vvas onelyonly for a preparation to a collection: Now theſe ij differ much, to collect mony is one thing, and to prepare or make mony redy for a collection is an other thing: Paul indeed ſpake touching a collection, when he ſaid, concerning the gathering for the Saints, 1. Cor. 16.1. but yet he did not here ordaine, that this collection whereof he ſpake, ſhould be then preſently made; this he gaue order for afterwards concerning the time, when it ſhould be done; onelyonly he would hauehave them in a readineſſe with their money, that ſo whenſoeuer after, he ſhould giuegive order for the collectiō to be made, mens money and what they would beſtow, might not be to ſeeke, but laied vp by them, eueryevery mans money by himſelfe, in a readineſſe: foraſmuch as men were to giuegive with reſpect vntounto their eſtats and abilities, as God had proſpered them, it was needfull there ſhould be a day appointed for them, wherein to caſt vp their accounts and rekonings, to ſee how God had proſpered them in their eſtats, and then that done, to lay vp by them, what they could ſpare, againſt the day that Paul ſhould ſend for it.
For the cleering of this text therfore, we may borrow light from 2 Cor. 9.5. where S. Paul ſpeaking of collections v. 1. he hath reference in this his ſecond Epiſtle, vntounto the collection mentioned in his firſt Epiſtle 1. Cor. 16.2. as you may perceiue by theſe words, where he ſpeaketh of a collection appointed afore, or as our new Tranſlatoures hauehave it where of yee had notice before, 2 Cor. 9.5. now this collection, where of Paul had giuen them knowledg before, it was not made before, but to make ſtill, as appeareth by theſe things 1. in that he now telleth them of ſending the bretheren, as collectours, that they might finiſh their beneuolence, or make vp before hand their bounty foreign, whereby you ſee this collection was yet to be finiſhed and made vp. 2. he ſſeth an argument to perſwade the Corinthians to a liberall contribution 2 Cor. 9.6. now this perſwaſiue argument had come too late, if the collection had bene paſt firſt: ſo by this text 2 Cor. 9.5. it appeareth, that what Paul ſpake in the 1 Cor. 16.2. it was not of any collection then to be made, but only it was a preparatiue, to a future collection; wherefore you ſee their grownd whereon they build is falſe grownd; for they cannot proue by this text, that here was either any collection vponupon the Lords day, no nor any aſſembly: how then will they gather, that there was a Sermon on this Lords day, & ſo a Sabbath, if they cannot proue that there was any aſſembly or congregation, on this Lords day? thus you ſee that hitherto they cannot proue by any one text, that there was at any time ſo much as any one Lords day kept for a Sabbath.
Now when they are at their furtheſt & can goe no furder, then they fall to quaeries; but why (ſay they) was this collection, appointed vponupon the firſt day of the weeke, rather then on the ſecond day, or ſome other? ſurely there was ſomething in that. Hereto I anſvver, if ſurely there vvas ſomething in it, then let them ſhew vsus vvhat it vvas: for it is their parte to find it out if any thing there vvas, that might proue it a Sabbath day; doubtleſſe there vvas ſome thing in it, vvhy this collection or preparatiue, vvas on this day rather then on any other, but you knovv there may be many ſome things & reaſons of it, & yet none of them ſuch as will proue it a Sabbath day; let them refraine therefore this begging of queſtiones of vsus, & fale to prouing themſelves; let them proue it, that this collection or preparatiue appointed on the Lords day, rather then on any other day, muſt make it a Sabbath day.
2. I anſwer, if Paul did ordaine the Lords day for a Sabbath, to be kept by the Church of Corinth heere; vvhy did Paul him ſelfe, voluntarily omit the keeping of the Lords day, vvith the Church at Antioch, vvhen he had a moſt fit occation (as lately I hauehave ſhowne) & did rather keepe the Sabbath day Act. 13.14.42.43.44. When as yet he might hauehave kept the Lords day, if he vvould? one vvord of his mouth would hauehave done it. Surely had the Lords day bene a Sabbath day, Paul would hauehave kept it in all Churches vvhere euer he came, aſvvell in one as in an other.
3. I anſvver, let all be granted, and yet it vvill not doe; ſuppoſe therfore that here vvas a collection, & an aſſemblie, and a ſermon; yet it cannot by all theſe be proued a Sabbath day; all that can be hence collected is no more but this, that the Lords day vvas a collection day, & an aſſembling day, and a ſermon day; that is, a Lecture day; but not a Sabbath day. For, to a Sabbath day, is more required then to hauehave an aſſembly, & a collection, & a ſermon; for all theſe 3. we hauehave on lecture dayes, in London, & other partes of the kingdome, on Wedneſdayes, Thurſdayes & other dayes of the vveeke, vvhichwhich are no Sabbath dayes.
If the patrones of the Lords day, vvill proue that at Corinth they kept this day for a Sabbath, they muſt remember to proue theſe thinges; 1. That the people did refraine all ſeruile labour on the Lords day, from breake of day, till night; for this is a parte of the 4th com. In it, thou ſhalt do no manner of worke. 2. They muſt proue that they ſpent this Reſt, in holy exerciſes: And that they did both theſe in conſcience of the 4th com. the which ij things if they cannot proue out of this text, as it is moſt certaine they cannot, then hauehave they foully abuſed this portion of Scripture alſo; yea, & not only this parte of Gods word hauehave they abuſed & profaned, but alſo thereby hauehave they abuſed and corrupted, with errour, the mindes of ſuch their people, as are moſt ingenuouſe & tractable: a thing much to be lamented of eueryevery godly heart: thus by goeing about, to juſtifie their Counterfaite Sabbath, they add one ſinne vntounto an other.