A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 4 · Commentary · Section 15 – Section 16
SECT. XV.
11. They fetch an argument from Deut. 5.15. where the 4th com. is repeated, and at the end of it there is added, as a reaſon, theſe words; For, remember that thou waſt a ſeruant in the Land of Egypt, & that the Lord thy God brought the out thence by a mightie hand: Therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to obſerue the Sabbath day. Hence they argue to this effect, that becauſe the Sabbath, doth depend vponupon the deliuerance out of Egypt; therefore ſince the deliuerance out of Egypt belongeth not vntounto vsus, no more doth the Sabbath day: this text M. Chappell vrged.
Herevnto I anſwer, it is true indede, that therfore God commanded the Iewes in this place, to obſerue the Sabbath day, becauſe he brought them out of the Land of bondage: but if hence men may gather, that we Christians are not bound vntounto the Sabbath day, as M. Chappell did; then 1. it followeth, that we now hauehave no Sabbath day by the 4th com, and ſo the 4th com. is vſeleſſe as a cipher, or aboliſhed: for, this reaſon of Gods deliuerance of the Iewes out of Egypt, it is added not to any parte of the 4th com. onelyonly, but vntounto all the 4th com. wholly: now in the 4th com. the aduerſaries of Gods trueth, doe diſtinguiſh betwixt the time of the 7th day, and the dueties of holineſſe and Reſt: now the time is that which they would faine trample downe, as for the duetie of an holy Reſt, this they would hauehave ſtill morall: but if this their argument be good, then hauehave they hereby at once ouerthrowne, not onelyonly the time, but alſo the dueties of holineſſe & Reſt, in the time; and ſo quite nullified the 4th com. the reaſon hereof is plaine: for, that argumēt of Gods deliuerance of Iſrael out of Egypt, which they bring to aboliſh one parte of the com. to wit, the time, it doth alſo aboliſh the other parte of the com. to wit, the holy reſt: for this reaſon brought by God, doth equally appertaine to the whole 4th com. & to all the partes there of, to the time, and to the Reſt in the time, as eueryevery eye may ſee, that but reades the text.
Nay the reaſon which M. Chappel vrgeth, hath ſpeciall reference vntounto the duety of r eſ…; for the reſt is plainly mentioned in theſe words. That thy man ſeruant &, thy maid may Reſt as well as thou. Deut. 5.14. what a caſe is M. Chappell in now? for in attempting to aboliſh Gods ſacred time, he hath alſo aboliſhed the duety of Reſt in and with the time. He hath not onelyonly made the time a ceremony, but alſo he hath made, the duety of Reſt a ceremony: whats become of your Reſt M. Chappel, which you vale morall? hauehave not your ſelfe made it a Ceremony?
2. If this their argument be good, then hauehave they not alone raſed the time in the 4th com. and defaced alſo the 4th com. it …elfe, but alſo which is more abſurd, they hauehave defaced the whole morall law, euen all the 10 com. ſo then, now we are not bound by the firſt com. to hauehave the true God to be our God; becauſe this com & ſo all the reſt, doe depend vponupon that reaſon which the 4th com. dependeth on, to wit, that God brought the Iewes out of Egypt: for this very reaſon, is by Moſes, prefixed to the firſt com. & ſo hath influence vponupon all the reſt; ſaying, I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt, out of the houſe of bondage. Exod. 20.2. wherefore if they aboliſh one …ote or title of the law by this reaſon, they muſt aboliſh the whole law.
3. We muſt diſtinguiſh betwixt the Sabbaths obſeruation, & its institution: the reaſons of the Sabbaths inſtitution are theſe 1. becauſe God himſelfe reſted on it, at the Creation. Geneſ. 2.3, Exod. 20.11. 2dly, that it might be for the benefite & commodety of man, both in body and in ſoule, Deut. 5.14. Mark. 2.27. The Sabbath day was made for man ſaith the text. Now the reaſons of the Sabbaths obſeruation, may be many, euen all the mercies of God, theſe ſhould moue to obediēce Deut. 28.47.48. & ſo this particular deliuerance out of Egypt, might be a ſpeciall motiue to keepe the Sabbath day Deut. 6.21.24? ſo then, albeit the Sabbaths obſeruation, depended in parte, vponupon this mercy of Gods deliuerance of them out of Egypt; yet its inſtitution depended not theron.
Finally, the paſſeouer was inſtituted, vponupon occation of Gods ſpareing the firſt borne of the Iſralites Exod. 12 now this reaſon and occation, could not concerne the gentile proſelites, and yet were the Proſelites obſeruers thereof; Exod. 12.48. and why then may not we obſerue the Sabbath, allthough this reaſon concerneth not vsus?
Behold then by theſe anſwers, and the weakeneſſe of this, & the foregoing arguments, if theſe Patrones of the Lords day, & aduerſaries to Gods Sabbathes, doe not voluntarily & wilfully ſet themſelues againſt Gods Sacred, and Sanctified Sabbaths; it appeareth manifeſtly, ſo as they cannot deny it: for what force of reaſon, or conſequence, doth inforce them to raiſe an argument out of this text againſt the Lords Sabbaths? If no force moueth them herevnto, then it muſt be meerly of their owne wills and corrupted mindes, which deſire to trample on Gods ordinance.
SECT. XVI.
12. They argue from Mat. 12. where Chriſt defending his Diſciples, for plucking the eares of corne on the Sabbath day, doth rekone vp, compare, and ioyne the Sabbath day, with ceremonies, as with the Showbreade, & Sacrifices, and the like; which compariſons and arguments (ſaith Walaeus on the 4th com. p. 21.) were of no force, if the Sabbath day, were not to be rekoned of as a ceremony in ſome ſorte.
Herevnto I anſwer. 1. why ſhould not Chriſts argument hauehave force, albeit the Sabbath day were rekoned of as a morall? for at that time when Chriſt made that argument, the ceremonies were all in force, as well as morales; and all bound men to obedience, as well as morales; and the breach of a ceremoniall was a ſinne, as well as the breach of a morall: wherfore Chriſt might very well fetch an argument from a ceremoniall vntounto a morall; ſhewing that if it were no ſinne to violate a ceremoniall law, in a cale of neceſſity, no more was it a ſinne to breake the morall Sabbath, by rubbing eares of corne on the Sabbath day, in a caſe of neceſſity: the argument could not howſoeuer but be good vntounto the Iewes, for they put no difference betwixt morals & ceremoniales, as we doe; they tyethed minte, & annyſe, & left the weightie matters of the law: and therefore Chriſt his argument might hauehave, and had force enough.
2. I anſwer, Chriſt doth not onelyonly rekone the Sabbath with ceremonies, and fetch arguments vntounto it from ceremonies, but alſo from morales: for example ſee Mat. 12.6. I will hauehave mercy and not Sacrifice: where you ſee our Sauiour, fetching an argument to the Sabbath day, from the worke of mercy, ſhewing that ſome worke may be done on the Sabbath day, in caſe of neceſſity, becauſe God will hauehave mercy exerciſed towards men; now mercy is no ceremony, but a morall: the like you hauehave Mat. 12.11, 12. where Chriſt fetcheth an argument to the Sabbath, from the helpeing of a beaſt out of a pit: now to ſaue the life of a beaſt is no ceremony, but morall. Thus it appeareth, that Chriſt fetched arguments to the Sabbath, from ceremonials and morals both, making no difference in this reſpect; wherefore it cannot be concluded, that the Sabbath is either morall, or ceremoniall from this argument
3. Whereas hee ſaith the Sabbath is to be rekoned among the ceremonies (in ſome ſorte) all this may be, and yet the morallity of the Sabbath nothing infringed: for in this ſorte it may be like them, that as Sacrifice & ceremonies were to giuegive place, in a caſe of neceſſity, ſo muſt the Sabbath day doe: thus then the Sabbath may be like vntounto ceremonies, & yet farre vnlike to them in duration, & ceremoniall typicalneſſe; ſee ſtill, how witty and willing men are, to invent ſomthing againſt Gods ordinances ſure I am, men ſhold imploy their Talents, rather to defend Gods Title, then to defeate him of it.