A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 3 · Commentary · Section 15
SECT. XV.
An other of their arguments for the Lords day, to be a Sabbath day, is becauſe on this day Christ roſe from the dead: & this is in eueryevery mans mouth, ſaying, why ſhould the Lords day be a Sabbath, doe you aske? why did not Chriſt riſe on this day? thus they argue ſo confidently, as if it could not be doubted of, but that the Reſurrection muſt needs raiſe vp a new Sabbath.
But herevnto I anſwer, by the like reaſoning, ſhewing that by as good reaſon as this is; we may hauehave eueryevery friday & eueryevery thurſday Sabbathes alſo: for friday, may not a man ſay thus, friday muſt be our Sabbath day; becauſe on this day, Chriſt ſuffered for vsus on the croſſe, it is Chriſts Paſsion day: and can any aske why friday ſhould be Sabbath day, ſince it was Chriſts Paſſion day? for thurſday, may not a man ſay as much for it alſo? Thurſday muſt be our Sabbath day, becauſe on this day, Chriſt aſcended vp into heauen &c. Thus you ſee by like reaſon we may as well hauehave 3 Sabbathes in a weeke as this one of Lords day. If any ſhall obiect that the Lords day was the greateſt, & therfore moſt fit, that it before the other ij ſhould be the Sabbath; I anſwer, if we may compare them, friday vvas the greateſt; for on it Chriſt bore the vnſupportable vvrath of his father for vsus, vvhichwhich made him cry out, my God, my God, why hast thou forſaken me? but on the Lords day, there was onelyonly Chriſts ſoule put into his dead body, & ſo reuiued againe, now it was agreater matter (as I think eueryevery one will confeſſe) for the Diety, to ſupport the humanity, on his Paſſion day, vnderunder that vnſupportable wrath of God; then to put his ſoule into his dead body, in his reſurrection day.
2dly I anſwer, how come they by this knowledg, that they can ſay, that this day muſt be a Sabbath day, becauſe Chriſt roſe on it? is not this one of their audaciouſe & preſumptuouſe aſſertiones, who are bold to affirme what they lift, in the matters of Gods worſhip? ſuer I am the Scriptures ſay no ſuch thing; nor doe they relate any ſuch matter, when they ſpeake of Chriſt his Reſurrection. I find the Scriptures thus ſaying, that Chriſt died for our ſinnes; & roſe againe for our iustification Rom. 4.25. where we heare, what vſe we are to make of Chriſts reſurrection, that is, that it vvas to iuſtifie vsus; but vve no vvhere reade, that Chriſt roſe, to make the Lords day a Sabbath day.
As for this action of Chriſts riſeing on this day, can any man thinke, that God vvould raiſe vp nevv ordinances in his Church as this Lords day Sabbath is, by a bare action, vvithout a vvord of inſtitution added to it? ſuppoſe vve that Chriſt at his laſt Supper, had onelyonly brake the Bread; & giuen a morſell to this man, & a morſell to that man, without any words of inſtitution added vntounto this action, to declare vntounto them what they ſhould doe with the breade, and what vſe they ſhould make of it: and ſuppoſe be had onelyonly giuen the Cup to this man to drinke, & to that man to drinke, and neuer ſaid any thing vntounto them, touching this Cup; tell me now, could the Apoſtles without a myracle hauehave knowne what vſe they ſhould make of this bread, & of this wine? Why ſo it is here, Chriſt roſe vponupon this Lords day, but neuer added any word of inſtitution vntounto it, to ſignifie vntounto vsus, that therefore he roſe on this day, becauſe his Church ſhould keepe it for a Sabbath; how then I pray can any the patrones of our Lords day Sabbath, gather by their conſequences, any thing from this bare action of Chriſts riſing on this day?
Nay let me come neerer, ſuppoſe the Iewes, had read it in the Scripture, that God himſelfe Reſted on the 7th day: but had neuer read it in the 4th com. that they ſhould imitate God, and Reſt on the 7th day alſo; how could they hauehave gathered, from that bare action of Gods Reſt on the 7th day, that they ought in conſcience to imitate God, & Reſt on the 7th day alſo, when God had added no com. or word of inſtitution vntounto his owne Reſt for their direction? what, can men know Gods minde, without his word to teach it them? yis doubtleſſe, our nevv Sabbathairans can; a bare action, vvithout any vvord of inſtitution, is enough for them: had theſe but ſene Chriſt breake the bread onelyonly, it had bene enough for them; or heard ſay, that God Reſted on the 7th day, theſe needed no more: it is enough they knovv thus much, that Chriſt roſe vponupon the Lords day, they can convert this to their owne vſe well enough, to deceine the ſimple, & cooſine themſelues.