A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 4 · Commentary · Section 17
SECT. XVII.
13. They fetch an argument from Rom. 14.5. This man eſteemeth one day aboue an other day, and an other man counteth eueryevery day alike. And from Gal: 4.10. yee obſerue dayes, & moneths, & times, & yeeres &c. In the former text the Apoſtle approueth of them that eſteeme eueryevery day alike: and here the 7th day Sabbath, is aboliſhed: In the latter text, the Apoſtle ſharply reproueth the Galatianes, for obſeruing of dayes, & times: and heere againe the 7th day Sabbath is aboliſhed: and in both textes, all difference of dayes, appointed in the law, is taken away.
To theſe textes I anſwer, firſt by ſhewing them whither this obiection tendeth: namly to Anabaptiſtry: for they hold from theſe textes, that there is no no difference of dayes a mong Chriſtianes: and take away the old Sabbath day, & it muſt be ſo indeed. 2. Such as manage theſe textes againſt Gods Sabbaths, they are guilty of horrible partiality: for they can find diſtinctiones, to ſaue the other 9 commandementes, and halfe of the 4th com. from ſuch as would aboliſh the law, ſaying, the law is aboliſhed for juſtification but not for obſeruation; and yet the ſame men, will neither finde, nor receiue any diſtinction, that ſo the other parte of the 4th com. may be alſo preſerued viz: the Sabbath day. Theſe textes, Mat. 5.34. Iam. 5.12. beare as ſtrongly againſt an oath before a Magiſtrate, as doth this text Rom. 14.5. againſt the 7th day Sabbath, and yet you can find wayes to preſerue an oath ſtill in the Common wealth, and can you not finde a way to preſerue the Sabbath day ſtill in the Church? ſee your partiallity, and be aſhamed.
3. A third abſurdety they fale into, is this, that they ſo expound one text of holy Scripture, as it contradicteth an other? yea ſo as it contradicteth a parte of the 10 commandements: now this is againſt the common receiued rule: for no text muſt be expounded, contrary vntounto the Analogie of faith, the Lords prayer, and the 10 commandements: but here they expound thes ij textes Rom. 14.5. and Gal. 4.10. quite contrary vntounto one of the tenn commandementes: for the 4th com. maketh the 7th day differ from all others, but they ſo expound theſe textes, as that the 7th day muſt not differ from the reſt of the working dayes: wherefore this their expoſition, directed againſt the 7th day Sabbath, it is erroniouſe, & to be reiected: for theſe abſurdeties, with others that might be added, an other ſenſe of theſe ij textes, is to be ſought.
Firſt therefore (that we may reconcile Scripture with Scripture, that is, the ſeeming contradictiō betwixt theſe textes in the new Teſtament Rom. 14.5. Galat. 4.10. & this text in the morall law of the old Teſtament Exod. 20.8.10.) we may expound theſe textes, of ſuch dayes, as were in vſe amonge theſe Romanes, and Galatianes, whilſt they were Idolaters, before their converſion to the faith: for as they had meate ſacrificed vntounto Idoles 1 Cor. 8.4. ſo no doubt had they dayes dedicated vntounto Idoles: now as ſome of the beleeuing Gentiles would eate of thoſe meates ſacrificed vntounto Idoles, and others refuſed & would not eate; ſo ſome might keepe thoſe dayes, thinking it fit to ſerue God on thoſe dedicated dayes, wherein they were wont to ſerue their Idoles; but others thought it vnfit &c: This the context giueth ſome light vntounto, ſee Gal. 4.8.9.10. where the Apoſtle putteth the Galatians in minde of the time when they knew not God, and did ſeruice vntounto them which are not Gods, and then he telleth them, that now they knew God v. 9. and then he addeth his reproofe ſaying, how turne yee againe vntounto beggerly rudiments &c. ye obſerue daies &c: by which orderly placing of theſe things, and by his minding them of the time wherein they were Idolaters, and herevpon ſpeaketh of their turning againe, this giueth vsus to vnderſtand, that he ſpeaketh of their turning againe vntounto ſomthing they vſed in the time of their Idolatry, when they knew not God: and ſo the dayes and times which he reproued them for obſeruing, might be the dayes dedicated vntounto Idoles: this ſenſe M. Perkines fauoureth, in his Caſes of conſcience, Chapt. 16. Sect. 3. pag. 108. and thus Walaeus on the 4th com. pag. 93. anſwereth to theſe textes, as ſpoken of the Gentiles white and blacke, dayes cleane and vncleane meates. The like may be ſaid of the dayes ſpoken of in Rom. 14.5. for, it is like that the dayes here mentioned, were of the ſame kind, with the meates, ſpoken of in the ſame chapter v. 2.3.14. now it is like that theſe meates here ſpoken of were meates ſacrificed vntounto Idoles, as 1. Cor. 10.27. of which, ſome beleeuers would eate, others being weake would not eate: & I doe the rather thinke theſe might be meates ſacrificed vntounto Idoles, then meates vncleane by the Leuiticall law, becauſe the Apoſtle ſpeaketh of eating of herbes Rom. 14.2. Now I remember no law, about eating or not eating of herbes: it is therfore more probable, that this eating of herbes by the weake, was an heatheniſh ſuperſtition, and of an indifferent nature, as they vſed it: and ſo, as the meates were meates ſacrificed to Idoles, ſo theſe dayes were dayes dedicated to Idoles.
Secondly, if this ſenſe pleaſeth not, but it will be rather, judged that theſe meates & daies, were ſuch as were inioyned by the Law to Gods people the Iewes; why then, I diſtinguiſh of daies: there were daies Morall, & daies ceremoniall: or daies which God ranked among his Morales, or daies that were excluded the hedge & pale of the Morals, & neuer came into the Tables of ſtone: the Morall daies, were the weekly Sabbaths on the 7th day; the ceremoniall daies, were the yeerly Sabbaths, their new Moones, & other feſtiuall daies: now the Apoſtle in both theſe textes, may be vnderſtod to ſpeake againſt theſe ceremoniall yeerly Sabbath daies, new moones, and feſtiuall daies: thus the Apoſtle may be vnderſtod, & yet no wrong or violēce at all offered vntounto theſe textes; & by this meanes theſe texts are ſo expoū ded, as they doe not contradict nor ouerthrow any other text of Scripture, or portion of the 10. commandements, nor doe we rune into thoſe abſurdeties, which they of the contrary opinion doe ruſh vponupon.
Behold how eaſy a matter it is, to reconſile ſcripture with ſcripture, the 4th com. with other textes ſeeming to contradict it, to ſuch as hauehave eyes in their heads, and affectiones in their hartes to doe it: but when they, theſe aduerſaries to Gods trueth, come to touch theſe & the like textes, with their polluted hāds, & impure minds, by way of expoſition & argumentation, they are ſo farre off from reconciling of the holy ſcriptures, as they will make no worke of it, but to ſet Scripture by the eares, as they ſay; text againſt text, making one text as fier, the other as water; the one iuſleing & ſhouldering out of place the other; the one text commandeth the 7th day, the other they make to forbidde the 7th day: & yet all this hurly burley, & oppoſition of text againſt text, is made needleſly, & cauſeleſly; no thing mouing therevnto, but the corrupt minds of ſuch as are enemies to this ancient ordinance of Gods Sabbath: for ſuer I am, thers nothing in the textes themſelues, to moue them & compell them herevnto: it ſeemeth therefore, that theſe men had rather be againſt God, then for God; & rather throw downe his ordinance, then vphold and maintaine it, thus you ſee, none of theſe textes hitherto alleaged, will proue, that the time, & 7th day commanded in the 4th com. is aboliſhed.