A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 4 · Commentary · Section 14
SECT. XIV.
10. they argue from all the new Teſtament, negatiuly; ſaying, of all the 10. commandements, the 4th com. is no where mentioned, in all the new Teſtament; neither is the keeping of the Sabbath day vrged any where; wherefore the Sabbath day is not of vſe to vsus vnderunder the goſpell.
To this Anabaptiſticall obiection I anſwer, firſt ſee whither it tendeth: namly vntounto Anabaptiſtry & prophanneſſe: for, if the old Sabbath be aboliſhed we ſhall hauehave no Sabbath at all; for the Lords day can neuer be proued a Sabbath. 2. It tendeth to the ruine of the Integrity and perfection of Gods Law, ſo as we ſhall hauehave but a lamed and vnperfect Law. 3. It tendeth to make Gods morall Law, to be a Morall ceremoniall Law.
Further I anſwer, and will you acknowledge no more of the Old Testament, then what is particularly mentioned, & repeated in the new Teſtament; then what doe we with the old Teſtament? it ſeemeth then, that not onelyonly the old Sabbath is aboliſhed, but alſo, the whole old Teſtament is aboliſhed alſo, & now it ſtandeth for a cipher, if this arguing be good, why did S. Paul ſend vsus to the old Teſtament, ſaying, whatſoeuer is written a fore time, is written for our lerning? Rom. 15.4.
2. If you will acknowledge no more of the morall Law, then what is particularly repeated in the new Teſtamēt, then what will become of the 10th com. where is it repeated in eueryevery branch thereof particularly, in all the new Teſtament? I know, it is found writtē, Thou ſhalt not luſt: but to come to particulars, where is it written, thou ſhalt not luſt after, or couet thy neighbours houſe, thy neigbours wife, his man ſeruant, maide oxe, aſſe, or any thing that is thy neigbours? you may as well therfore conclude againſt ſondry things cōmanded in the 10th com. as agaimſt the Sabbath commanded in the 4th com. for neither of them are repeated, in the new Teſtament particularly in an expreſſe commandement.
3. I will ſhew you how the 4th com. is repeated in the new Teſtament generally, & conſequently the Sabbath is there vrged alſo, in a generall manner: ſee Mat. 5.18. where Chriſt prophecieth of the laſting of the Morall Law, and of eueryevery iot & title of it to the worlds end, now in theſe words is the 4th com. and the 10th com. & eueryevery commandement, yea eueryevery iot & title of eueryevery commandement conteined: the like may be proued by Rom. 3.31. Iam. 2.10.
It is to be obſerued, that of all the 10. commandements, there was the leaſt need, nay there was no neede to repeate the 4th cō. nor to vrge the obſeruation of the Sabbath day in particular: for in the daies of Chriſt, & his Apoſtles, both Iewes & Gentiles were very zealouſe for the obſeruation of the Sabbath day: for the Iewes, they were more ſtrict for the keeping of the Sabbath, if I may ſo ſay, then Chriſt him ſelfe was; for Chriſt would allow the plucking and rubbing eares of corne on the Sabbath day; & to carry a bedd, and the like; but the Iewes could not endure it; what hote contentions did the Iewes moue againſt Chriſt, & his Diſciples, for doeing ſome petty workes on the Sabbath day? yea, vponupon a time, they would hauehave ſlaine our Sauiour, for healing of a ſicke man, vponupon the Sabbath day, Ioh. 5.16. what neede then was there, that Christ or his Apostles, ſhould repeate the 4th com. to the Iewes? or vrge them to keepe the Sabbath day? ſince they were ſo hote for it alredy: it was enough that the 4th com. & the obſeruation of the Sabbath day ſhould be ſpoken of onelyonly in ſome generall termes, as you hauehave it, Mat. 5.18. Ia. 2.10. And for the Gentiles, there was no need to preſſe them neither; for, they coming into the Inheritance of the Iewes, & ioyning in communion with the beleeuing Iewes, did redely imbrace the very ceremonies of the Iewes, as circumciſion & the like; how much more then did they imbrace the Morals with the Iewes, as the Sabbath day? as you may ſee, Act. 13.42.44. Act. 16.13. looke therfore wherin the Iewes were very zealouſe, it is to be thought, that the beleeuing Gentiles were zealouſe alſo, therefore was it needleſſe, that the Sabbath day, or 4th com. of all the commandements, ſhould be vrged, & preſſed in the new Teſtament.
Neuertheleſſe, ſomthing we find touching the Sabbath in particular, in the new Teſtament, as Mat. 24.20. Pray (ſaith our Sauiour) that your flight be not in the winter, nor on the Sabbath day: In which words, Chriſt alloweth a conſcience to be made of the Sabbath day, for aboue 40. yeers after his death. 2. we find, that it was the conſtant practiſe of the Apoſtles, after Chriſt his aſcention, to obſerue and keepe the Sabbath day: ſee for this purpoſe, Act. 13.14.42.44. Act. 16.13. Act. 17.2. & Act. 18.4. that the Apoſtles, did here keepe the Sabbath with the Iewes, to beare with their weakneſſe, is a weakeneſſe in any to thinke ſo; they cā neuer proue it I am ſuer: when the Apoſtles yeelded obbediē ce vntounto Magiſtrates, which was commanded in the 5th com. & worſhiped God, which was cōmāded in the firſt Table, may any abſurdly & growndleſly ſay, they did theſe things to beare with the weakneſſe of the Iewes? and why then ſhould any ſay, when the Apoſtles performed the things commanded in the 4th com. that they did this for the weakneſſe of the Iewes? & where as ſome ſay, the Apoſtles kept not the Sabbath in cōſcience of the 4th com. they hauing no grownd for what they ſay, may as well ſay, when they worſhiped the true God, & obeyed the Magiſtrate, that they did not theſe in conſcience of the firſt, & 5th cōmandements. 3 In the new Teſtament, and after the death of Chriſt, and abolition of ceremonies, we find the Sabbath day kept, & in cōſcience of the 4th com. & the Holy Ghoſt commending it, by rekoning it among, & ranking it with other commendable actiones, ſaying, they rested the Sabbath day, according to the commandement, Luk. 23.56.