A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 5 · Commentary · Section 1
SECT. I.
IN defending the Lords Sabbath, I purpoſe to obſerue this method: firſt I will proue the point by arguments leſſe forcible, and then by arguments more forcible: firſt by arguments ſhewing that it is a thing meete, convenient, and very befiting vsus to keepe the Lords Sabbath, & then by arguments ſhewing that it is a thing very neceſſary, in regard of Gods appointment & ordination.
By the way, whereas there are many light and triuiall obiections, vſually brought againſt the Lords Sabbath, and ſome place would be reſerued to anſwer them, I think it vnfit, to place them, after the point is proued by neceſſary arguments: for when Gods will is once knowne, there is no place left for carnall and triuiall obiections againſt it: and therefore I hold it better to place theſe obiections, next after the point is proued by probable arguments, and arguments of conveniency: and ſo theſe triuiall obiections, ſhall rather come in by way of oppoſition vntounto arguments of conveniency, then vntounto arguments deriued from Gods ordination. Wherefore, I purpoſe to ſpend the firſt Section about arguments of conveniency, and the ſecond Section in anſwer vntounto ſondry obiections, and then the third Section in arguments prouing the point neceſſarily from Gods ordination.
To begine with the firſt of theſe, namly conveniency, and arguments leſſe forcible; in handling of this point, firſt I will proue by ſondry arguments, that it is meete we ſhould keepe a Sabbath day, one or other indefinitly; and then I will proue that it is moſt meete, & fiteſt, to keepe the Saturday or 7th day Sabbath, before any other. (One reaſon mouing me to handle theſe two points is, to preuent Prophane and carnall men thus to thinke, why you hauehave throwne downe the Lords day Sabbath, & now therfore, what need we any more Sabbaths &c? I procede therfore to giuegive ſuch reaſones as may take place in a carnall mind.) For the former of theſe, I proue, that it is meete we ſhould keepe a Sabbath day, becauſe it is a worke of mercy: that this may the better appeare; we will conſider of it in reſpect of man & beast: touching man, we will conſider of him generally, and then particularly: and firſt for man in generall; it is a greate comforte and worke of mercy vntounto all men to keepe a Sabbath day; for therein their bodies are exceedingly refreſhed and comforted: for looke as the Bedd at night, is a greate refreſhment, vntounto man that hath bene occupied all the day before in his painfull calling; ſo is the Sabbath day, a ſweete refreſhment vntounto men, after that they hauehave bene exerciſed Sixe dayes one after an other in continuall laboures: the trueth of this point eueryevery man findeth by good experience. We hauehave a prouerb, that men muſt worke to day, as they may worke too morrow: that is, that men doe not ſo ouerworke themſelues in one day, as they be vnfit for worke the next day: this prouerb may well be applied to our preſent occation, that men muſt worke this weeke ſo, as they may worke the next weeke alſo: that is, they muſt not ſo worke and tyre out their bodies, with continuall laboures in one weeke, as that they ſhall be vnfit to labour an other weeke: now common reaſon teacheth, that mans body cannot endure continuall and perpetuall laboures, day by day, without ceaſeing all his life longe; wherefore of neceſſity there muſt be a time for men to Sabbathize, & reſt in from laboures; & therefore it is meete that ſome one day in a weeke be ſet a parte for reſt, that ſo a man may ſo worke one weeke as he may worke an other alſo; it is a point of wiſedome alſo, for men ſo to follow their workes, as they may goe on, & continue with them; & not like vnskilfull Riders, who ride galloping vponupon the ſpurre in the forenoone, ſo as their tyred horſe cannot goe in the after noone; wherefore, if men doe but regard their owne bodies, it is meete they ſhould ſet a parte a day to Sabbathize in, and reſt from their laboures.
But ſuppoſe we, that ſome mans body, being of any oaky ſubſtance, & yron conſtitution, could hould out in laboures, day by day euerlaſtingly; yet how vnbeſeeming a thing is it, for man, whom God hath made Lord of all, to become a ſlaue & a drudge in this world, working and tuging day by day without ceaſeing like horſe in a Carte? neither can men pleade neceſſity; for, experience hath taught, that we can compaſſe all our workes within the 6 dayes: nor yet can the poore plead neceſſity, becauſe of their pouerty; for, as God gaue the Iſraelites, twiſe ſo much Manna on the 6th day, as vponupon any other day, that ſo they might reſt vponupon the Sabbath day; So hath God bleſſed the eſtabliſhed order in our kingdome, of working but 6 dayes in 7, that the poore can now earne as much in 6 dayes, as they ſhould doe in 7 dayes, if it were cuſtomary for vsus to worke eueryevery day; for did the poore worke 7 dayes, the rich would giuegive them the leſſe for eueryevery dayes worke, ſo as they ſhould but barely get a liuing then, and ſo much they get now; for becauſe they worke but a fewe dayes, therefore they hauehave the more for eueryevery dayes worke, that ſo they might liue of their worke: thus much for men in generall.
I come now to men in particular, & by name vntounto Seruants: It is needfull that we keepe a Sabbath, becauſe it is a worke of mercy vntounto Seruantes: now God was wont to take care for Seruants, leſt they ſhould be vnmercifully oppreſſed with labour, and therefore it is added to the 4th com. That thy m…n ſeruant and thy ma…de may reſt as well as thou. Deut. 5.14. what doth this teach vsus, but that maſters muſt ſhew mercy vntounto their Seruants, by reſting of their bodies, as well as of their owne? for if the one hath neede of reſt, ſo hath the other: Salomon telleth vsus, that a righteouſe man, ſheweth mercy to his beaſt Pro. 12.10. how much more then vntounto his man ſeruant, and maide ſeruant? were it not that we hauehave good Lawes in this caſe, prouiding for Seruants, by forbiding maſters to doe their workes on the Lords day, ſome vnmercifull, hardharted, and couetuouſe maſters, would worke their Seruants day by day, vntill they were weary of their liues: the neceſſity of a Sabbath in this caſe, appeareth by the Lawes now in force, whereby for the benefit eaſe and refreſhment of poore Seruants, it is enacted (no doubt) that many holy daies ſhall be obſerued yeerly & weekly.
In the 3d place I come to Beaſtes, it is needfull that we keepe a Sabbath, that ſo we may ſhew mercy vntounto our beaſtes: for God was wont to cale for mercy vntounto the labouring beaſt: In the 7th day thou ſhall reſt, that thine oxe and thine Aſse may reſt. Exod. 23.12. and it is a property (ſaith Salomon) of a good man, to ſhew mercy to the life of his beaſt Pro. 12.10. and ſhould a man labour his beaſt on eueryevery day weeke by weeke, he might ſoone hauehave his skine. Thus farre we hauehave conſidered of the needfulneſſe ca Sabbath day, in ciuill reſpects.
Now I come to ſhew the needfullneſſe of a Sabbath in religiouſe reſpectes: that God may be ſolemnely and publiky worſhipped; & that the Church and people of God, may be further edified in their moſt holy faith; for theſe two cauſes, it is needfull, that there ſhould be a Sabbath day: I ſhall not neede to ſpend time to amplify theſe two things; for they are ſo requiſite and needfull, that all men will grante me, that it is meete to hauehave a day ſet a parte for the publike worſhip of God, & the edification of the Church of God: to omit what elſe might be ſaid, the neceſſity of a Sabbath day appeareth in this, that our Church doth now celebrate many Holy daies for the ſame ends, & not onelyonly the Saintes daies yeerly, but alſo the Lords daies weekly.
2. It is meete to hauehave a Sabbath day, becauſe it is a thing of good reporte, approued & allowed of by all Chriſtian Churches, now the Apoſtle calleth vponupon vsus to follow thoſe things which are of good reporte, Phil. 4.8. & thoſe things therfore which all Chriſtian people approue and allow of, are meete to be had in vſe. Papistes they allow of reſting from laboures, and the publike worſhip of God conſtantly vponupon one day of eueryevery Seauen: Lutherans doe the like: and Anabaptiſts, how euer they keepe no day by Diuine Inſtitution, yet they keepe, and hould it fit to keepe one day in Seauen, wherin they reſt from their labours, and performe publike worſhip vntounto God. laſtly, all Proteſtants doe allow and approue of one day in Seaven, as fit to reſt in from labours, and to worſhip God publikly: ſo here is a clowde of witeneſſes, houlding it meete to keepe a Sabbath day, and a thing of good reporte. If we ſhould aſcend vntounto the primitiue Churches who liued next after the Apoſtles, we ſhall find that they held it meete to keepe one day in 7 and ſometimes more, for the Seruice of God, and to reſt from laboures: thus we hauehave a generall and ioynt conſent of all Churches, both now liuing, and from the Apoſtles times, that it is a thing meete to reſt, and ſerue God publikly one day in a weeke: and ſo we hauehave proued this point, namely, that it is meete & convenient to keepe a Sabbath day indefinitly, one in 7 daies.
Now I come to proue, that of all the daies of the weeke, the 7th day, or Saturday is the moſt fit day: my firſt reaſon is, becauſe God Almightie Reſted rather vponupon the Saturday then vponupon any other day, Geneſ, 2.3. and therefore it is meete we ſhould imitate ſuch a preſident: were a man to make his choiſe on which day of the weeke to Reſt from laboures, and to refreſh himſelfe, I thinke he could not poſſiblie find a more fit day to Reſt in, then on that day, wherin God Almighty Reſted.
My ſecond reaſon is taken from this, that a man may doubt whither the old Sabbath day be aboliſhed or not, and if it be diſputable and doubtfull, then when the matter is in our choiſe, which day of the weeke to take, it is the ſureſt and ſafeſt to make choiſe of that day, whereof there is ſome doubt whither it be aboliſhed or not: we hauehave ſhowne, it is certaine that the 7th day is not aboliſhed; but ſuppoſe there were ſome doubt of it, as it cannot be but doubted of, by the ſtifieſt Anti Sabbatharians: ſince that ſome place is leſt for doubting, be it that we doubt neuer ſo litle of it, yet it is better and ſafer to keepe it, then to keepe any other day of the weeke: to neglect the 7th day, being once Commanded of God, and it cannot be cleerly proued, that euer God countermanded it, here vponupon ſome ſcruple at leaſt muſt remaine in mens conſciences touching it; and therefore it is fiteſt to keepe the 7th day; ſo ſhall we make ſuer worke, that God ſhal hauehave nothing againſt vsus out of his 4th cō. but doeing otherwiſe, we ſhall laye in perpetuall doubts & feares, that we liue in the tranſgreſſion of the 4th com.
So much be ſpoken for this point, the which I hauehave inſiſted vponupon, not ſo much hereby to proue that the 7th day muſt be the Sabbath, for that I ſhall doe after the next ſection, by ſolid arguments, but chiefly to this end, to ſtay & ſatisfie the minds of carnall men, with carnall reaſones, & with Teſtemonies, and the like: for ſome men there are (I feare me) that could wiſh in their hearts, that there were no Sabbaths at all; of ſuch an ignoble and baſe Spirit they are; all their minde is for worke, worke, vnceſſantly; it is meete therfore that it ſhould be declared vntounto ſuch men, that it is not onelyonly neceſſary to hauehave a Sabbath in religiouſe & diuine reſpects, but alſo in carnall reſpectes, as for neceſſity of nature, and the like: and that otherwiſe all Churches would condemne vsus; for not onelyonly the primitiue Churches, but alſo all Chriſtians eueryevery where, & of eueryevery Sect, doe ſet a parte one day in 7 for Gods worſhip: yea our owne Church would riſe vp in iudgment and condemne ſuch conceipts by hit contrary and daily practiſe.