A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 3 · Commentary · Section 14
SECT. XIIII.
Amongſt all their reaſones for the Lords day Sabbath, this is one, that it is the fiteſt day for a Sabbath, & therfore it muſt be a Sabbath: & that it is of all other dayes the fiteſt, this they proue, becauſe Chriſt roſe on it, and Paul preached on it, and collectiones for the poore were made on it &c.
Hereunto I anſwer, 1. by demaunding of them in whoſe account this fitneſſe is to be allowed of? in Gods account, or in mans account: if they ſay in mans account, what hath man to doe in valuing & making choiſe of dayes for Gods worſhip? God neuer left it vntounto man to make choiſe of his Sabbaths; & for man to take vponupon him this office, it is but an vſurpation. If they ſay in Gods account, then I anſwer, as for the 6. dayes, they are vnſit for a Sabbath in Gods account: becauſe God appointed them for labouring dayes, Sixe dayes, ſhalt thou labour &c. Exod. 20.9. wherefore, if we may take that day for a Sabbath, which God eſteemeth fiteſt, then muſt we hauehave the Saturday Sabbath; for, that God eſteemed this the fiteſt day of all others, it appeareth in that he gaue a com. for the ſanctifying of this day aboue all others; God commanded this day, & he neuer commanded any day beſids this day.
But hereunto they will thus reply, but we meane it of the 6 dayes only: that day of the 6 (begining at Sunday for the firſt of the 6) which is the fiteſt, that day muſt be Sabbath day: for as for the 7th day, we hould that to be aboliſhed: I anſwer, admit for argument ſake that the 7th day Sabbath is aboliſhed, which is more then euer they ſhall proue; let vsus take them in their meaning, of the 6 dayes: yet it followeth not: for, this their arguing, is but a ſley begging of the queſtion, & that by taking that in their argument for granted, which they ſhould firſt hauehave proued, to wit, that ſome one of the 6 dayes muſt be a Sabbath: and then this being proued, in the next place they may conſider which of the 6 dayes is the fiteſt for the Sabbath, and that in Gods account: for things may be fit for an vſe in mans account, which God neuer ordeined to that vſe.
This their arguing is like in abſurdety vntounto this, a man hath 7 ſonnes, concerning theſe, thus one may argue, the eldeſt ſonne is a Lawyer, becauſe he is the fiteſt of all the reſt: the eldeſt ſonne, is a Phiſitian, becauſe he is the fiteſt for a Phiſitian: and yet for all this fitneſſe, he is neither Lawyer, nor Phiſitian: the eldeſt ſonne is fiteſt for a gentleman, & yet he may be a beggar. Saul of all men preſent, was fiteſt to offer ſacrifice, & yet God neuer ordeined him to offer ſacrifice: ſo the Lords day, may in a ſenſe be ſaid to be the fiteſt for a Sabbath, and yet God neuer ordeined, it for a Sabbath: but theſe are idle things; firſt therefore let them handle their argument prouing that Chriſt hath ordeined any one, or ſome one of the 6 dayes; and then let them proue it ſhewing that the Lords day is fiteſt: when a man goeth into a glouers ſhopp, he muſt not vſe ſuch logicke as this, this paire of glones is ſiteſt for mee, therfore they are mine: he muſt firſt know if the glouer will parte whith them ſo or not: for there muſt be ſomething elſe beſides fitneſſe, or elſe you muſt goe whith out them: ſo firſt let them ſhew vsus that Chriſt will hauehave one of the 6 dayes, and then let them ſhew which of the 6. hee will hauehave.
In the meane ſpace I will diſproue them, and ſhew that none of the 6 dayes are fit for a Sabbath: for 1. God with ut any repeale bath giuen a com. that theſe 6 day…s wee ſhould labour: Exod. 20.9. and therefore theſe 6 dayes are not fit any of them for a Sabbath. 2dly I will ſhevv that of all the 6 dayes, the Lords day is not fit for a Sabbath: and that becauſe Chriſt, and his Diſciples, vvith his approbation, trauailed on this day at leaſt 15 miles, vvhichwhich vve knovv of, as hath bene proued out of Luk. 24.13.15.33.36. the vvhichwhich hee vvould neuer hauehave done, if hee had iudged it fit for a Sabbath day. 3dly, S. Paul did voluntarily omit the keeping of the Lords day, vvhen he might hauehave kept it vvith thoſe Chriſtians at Antioch, for but a vvord ſpeaking, as hath bene ſhovvne out of Act. 13.14.42.43.44. vvhichwhich Paul vvould not hauehave omitted, if he had iudged this Lords day fiteſt for a Sabbath. Wherefore none of the 6 dayes are fit in Gods account for a Sabbath, no not the Lords day it ſelfe: they muſt therefore bring ſome other & better argument, then this of fitneſſe, to proue the Lords day a Sabbath: of all our Lambes, thoſe vvhichwhich are ſpotleſſe, are fiteſt for a ſacrifice, & yet no man muſt novv Sacrifice them.
2. I anſvver to their reaſon vvhere by this argument is proued: they proue the Lords day, to be fiteſt for a Sabbath day, becauſe certaine famouſe vvorkes vvere done theron, as 1. Chriſt roſe on it. 2. appeared on it. 3. the holy Ghoſt deſcended on it. 4. Peter preached, converted 3000. & Baptiſed them on it; 5. Paul preached on it 6. there vvas collections on it, and this reaſon is very plauſible with common people: But I deny that theſe things doe fit a day for a Sabbath day, in Gods account: (as for mans account, I regard not what he accountes, or thinks fit in matters neceſſary to be obſerued vponupon paine of damnation, & in matters of Gods worſhip) & I deſire them to ſhew vsus, how they come to know Gods minde in this point; hath God at any time reuealed it, that ſuch actiones as are forementioned, ſhould fit the dayes wherin they were done, for Sabbathes? or hath the Church of God at any time, found out Sabbathes, or made choiſe of Sabbathes, by ſuch and the like actiones? or hath God left it to the liberty and vviſedome of men, to chooſe him out his Sabbathes, by ſuch like actiones? if none of theſe can be ſhovvne how dare they be ſo preſumptuous to affirme, that ſuch actiones doe fit the dayes vvherin they were done, for Sabbathes? mans reaſon, is a more blind thing, in the dueties of the firſt Table, then in the dueties of the ſecond Table, now the point of a Sabbath, is a matter of the firſt Table; dare men be ſo audaciouſly bould then vvith their reaſon & conſequences heere? yea, & ſuch poore reaſones, and friuolouſe conſequences? it ſtands not vvith the feare of God, and reuerence of Gods Majeſtie, to be ſo bould vvith God. I vviſh therfore, that men, eſpecially Miniſters, vvould make leſſe vſe of their reaſon & conſequences, and more vſe of the Scriptures and conſcience.
Further I anſwer, that if men will be directed by examples in the Scripture, for the erection & chooſing of dayes for publike ſolemnities, they ſhall find that ſuch famouſe actions, hauehave not cauſed thoſe very dayes, vvherein they vvere done, to be holy dayes, but God, and the Church, hauehave made choiſe of the next dayes after: Thus, God ended his vvorke of Creation on the 6th day, now he ſanctified the 7th day, which is the day after: & the Church Eſter. 9. did likewiſe; for thoſe Iewes, who had deliuerance from Hamans conſpiracy, on the 13th day of the monethmonth, they kept the 14th day of the monethmonth, the day after, a day of feaſting & ioye v. 17. & thoſe Iewes who had deliuerance on the 14th day of the monethmonth, they ſolemniſed the 15th day of the monethmonth, the day after v. 18. wherefore if they would follow the Church of the Iewes, then muſt they thinke, that theſe famouſe actiones, muſt be remembred, not on the day wherein they were done, the Lords day, but the day after it, on Moonday, & this day muſt be our new Sabbath: or, if they vvill imitate God, and borrovv any light from him, then muſt they thinke that the day after all is done, muſt be the Sabbath; and as God ſet vp the 7th day, in remembrance of his vvorke of Creation on the 6 dayes, ſo they are to thinke that Chriſt (vvho in this pointe imitated God, as they ſay) ſet vp the 9th day of the vveeke, in remembrance of his worke of Redemption, done on the 6th, 7th, & 8th dayes of the vveeke: & ſo all thoſe notable actiones, ſhould betoken vntounto vsus, that Moonday is our nevv Sabbath day, it being the day after. We vvill be thought to grownd this Lords day vponupon Scripture, & yet not follow either the example of God, or of the Church of God, recorded in Scripture; for we will not keepe the day after, but the very day, vponupon which thoſe actiones were done.