A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 5 · Commentary · Section 3 · Testimony 8
8.
My eight & laſt Teſtimony, ſhall be that of Ignatius, who liued about an 100 yeeres after Chriſt: Let not vsus (ſaith hee) keepe the Sabbath day, in a Iewiſh manner, pleaſing our ſelues with a reſt or idleneſse: for he that will not labour let him not eate &c: But let eueryevery one of vsus, keepe the Sabbath day Spiritually, reioyceing in the meditation of the lawe: not in a remiſneſse or idleneſse of the body; but in an admiration of the workemanſhip of God; not reioyceing in daunceings, and vnciuill Showtinges &c. And after the Sabbath day, let eueryevery one that loueth Chriſt celebrate the Lords day, beinge the quene of dayes &c. Ignat. in his Epiſtle to the Magneſianes. In this exhortation of Ignatius, we may note. 1. That hee ſpeaking both of the Sabbath day, and alſo of the Lords day, doth inſinuate a plaine difference betwixt them, as touching their eſtimation: for the Lords day he counteth as the queene of daies, and ſo leaueth a place for the Sabbath day, to be in account as the King of dayes: yea ſpeaking of the Sabbath day, he vſeth the word Sabbathizare, but ſpeaking of the Lords day, he vſeth the word celebrare.
2. We may note, that hee ſpeaking of the Sabbath day, doth conſider it doublie; firſt, as the Iewes in thoſe dayes did vſe it, or abouſe it rather, foreign reioyceing in idleneſse or ſlothfulneſse, as hee ſpeaketh, And ſecondly, as Chriſtianes ought to vſe it: for the former, we may note by Ignatius his words, that the Iewes in his dayes, did keepe the Sabbath day indeed, but yet they kept it profanly, as a feaſt of Bacchus, with idleneſſe, with daunceings, with ſhowteing, and the like: now this kind of Sabbath keeping, Ignatius did abhorre, ſaying it is better for the Iewes to labour on the Sabbath day, then thus to keepe it: for he that will not worke (ſaith hee) let him not eate; which words are to be referred vntounto the Iewes, not vntounto the Chriſtianes to whom he wrote, vnleſſe they would ioyne with theſe profane Iewes in reuelling and roioting on the Sabbath day: by which manner of ſpeaking, Ignatius alludeth vntounto a like forme of ſpeech vſed by God himſelfe, in a like caſe, ſaying, I cannot ſuffer your new Moones, nor Sabbaths &c. My ſoule hateth them &c. Iſa. 1.3. Now God did not ſimply hate their Sabbaths, ſince he had commanded them; but he hated their irreligiouſe & hypocriticale obſeruation of the Sabbaths; and ſo Ignatius did not meane ſimply, that the Iewes ſhould worke vponupon the Sabbath day, or elſe they ſhould not eate; but comparatiuly, and reſpectiuly, as if he had thus ſaid, rather then men ſhould keepe the Sabbath, as doe the Iewes, in reuelling, & ſporting, & idleneſſe, let them be forced to labour & worke in it, by denying them foode: for it is better to worke on the Sabbath day according to that commandement which inioyneth labour. 2. Theſ. 3.10. then to reſt according to that commandement. Exod. 20.10. when a man dothit onelyonly to pleaſe the fleſh, and not to further him in the worſhip of God: it is better to keepe no Sabbath, then to keepe it onelyonly in a carnall manner: honeſt labour is better on the Sabbath then carnall ſlouthfull & reuelling reſt: Now this kind of profane & carnall keeping of Gods Sabbath, is that which Ignatius doth admoniſh Chriſtians of, and doth dehorte them from, ſaying, Let not vsus keepe the Sabbath as doe the Iewes, or in a Iewiſh manner &c.
In the next place Ignatius ſpeaketh of the Sabbath, as Chriſtianes ought to keepe it: & that is, not profanly and carnally, but religiouſly and Spiritually; But let eueryevery one of vsus (ſaith hee) keepe the Sabbath Spiritually: and then he proceedeth to mention the dueties of the Sabbath particularly, the one whereof is, to reioyce in the meditation and Diuine contemplation of the Law of God: reioyceing in the meditation of the Law: the other is, to make an holy admiration, of the Creation of the world, & of the prouidence of God in the gouernance of the ſame &c. In an admiration of the workmanſhip of God: Now vntounto this Holy, Spirituall, & religiouſe obſeruation of the Sabbath day, did Ignatius exhorte thoſe Chriſtians vntounto whom he wrote, ſaying, But let eueryevery one of vsus, keepe the Sabbath day &c. In which exhortation, you ſee that Ignatius did not onelyonly permit: the keeping of the Sabbath day, among Chriſtianes; but he goeth further then ſo; for he falleth to a plaine & right downe exhortation and perſwaſion of Chriſtians to keepe the Sabbath day, Let eueryevery one of vsus (ſaith hee) keepe the Sabbath day. What cā bemore plaine? had Ignatius eſteemed the obſeruatiō of the Sabbath day, an aboliſhed ceremony, as many thinke now a daies; or Iudaiſme, as thoſe of the Laodicean Counſaile thought it, who liued 200 yeeres after Ignatius; and as many of vsus now a dayes iudge it to be; he would neuer hauehave exhorted and perſwaded Chriſtianes to the obſeruation of it.
Thus you ſee, that ſo long as the Church was in its greateſt purity and perfection, ſo long it retained in honour the Lords Sabbaths: for Ignatius liuing ſo neere vntounto the time of the Apoſtles, he liued in the moſt flouriſhing eſtate of the Church for purity: and euen in theſe ſo pure times, was the Sabbath day in honour & vſe; & ſo continued, vntill the Church begane to decline, which was 200 yeeres after this time, about which time they begane to corrupt the ſecond Command. & what maruaile if they then alſo made hauocke of the 4th commandement too? but this I ſay, ſo longe as the primitiue Churches, remained in their greateſt purity, ſo longe Chriſtians retained the Lords Sabbaths in honour & vſe, & thus much for the ſecond branch of my Minor, ſo hitherto we hauehave proued theſe two things, the former, that the Apoſtles of Chriſt, did conſtantly obſerue the Sabbath day, in their time: the other, that the moſt pure & primitiue Churches which followed the Apoſtles, kept the Sabbath, ſo long as they kept their purity, which was 300 or 400 yeeres after Chriſt: & now I am come to the third & laſt branch of my Minor.
The 3d branch of my Minor or ſecond propoſition, which I am to proue is, That our Church doth daily pray to God, to incline our heartes to keepe this Sabbath day. I ſhall not neede to goe farre for the proofe of this point: for our daily prayers to God, eueryevery Sunday or Lords day, in the Congregation, will confirme it: for the Miniſter, as it is ordered by our Church, in the booke of Common prayer, rehearſeth to the whole Aſſembly, the 10. Commandements of Almightie God, & among the reſt hee repeateth the 4th Com. ſaying, Remember the Sahbath day, to keepe it holy &c. But the 7th day, is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, in it thou ſhalt not doe any worke &c. for the Lord rested the 7th day, and therefore the Lord bleſſed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. Now as ſoone as this Commandement, touching the 7th day Sabbath, is rehearſed in the audience of the people; It is by our Church ordered, that the whole Congregation ſhall herevnto ſubioyne this deuout prayer, Lord hauehave merciemercy on vsus, and incline our heartes to keepe this lawe. And thus you ſee, that our Church doth ratify the Sabbath day, by praying daily to God, to incline our heartes to keepe it.
But happily ſome may ſay, our Church doth not intende by this hir prayer, to ratify the 7th day Sabbath, which is the Iewes Sabbath. Herevnto I reply, that by this hir prayer, ſhe muſt be vnderſtod to pray to God to incline our hearts, either to the keeping of the 7th day Sabbath, or to the keeping of the Lords day Sabbath: now ſtrongly I am perſwaded, that the Reuerend Biſhopes of our Church will not ſay, that the 4th com. doth command vsus to keepe the Lords day; & therefore when we pray to God, to incline our heartes to the keeping of the 4th com. we cannot vnderſtand our prayer, to be meant of the Lords day: for it is not the day caled Lords day, which the 4th Com. inioyneth; but it is the day called Sabbath day, as you ſee in the Commandement: and it is not the Lords day, which the Miniſter pronounceth in reading the 4th com. but it is the Sabbath day, which he ſpeaketh of: neither is it the 8th day, or firſt day of the weeke which the 4th com. ſpeaketh of; but it is the 7th day, and laſt day of the weeke which the commandement mentioneth: neither is it the 8th day, or firſt day of the weeke, or Lords day, where in God reſted at the Creation, but it is the 7th day wherein God reſted, as the Commandement ſaith: neither is it the Lords day, which the commandemēt ſaith God bleſſed and hallowed; but it is the day caled Sabbath day, which God bleſſed and hallowed, as the 4th commandement ſpeaketh: wherefore, when the Miniſter ſaith Remember to Sanctify the Sabbath day: if then we ſhall pray thus, Lord incline our hearts to keepe the Lords day; doe we not ſo make anſwer, as ſometimes deafe men doe, who when a man caleth for a knife, they bring him the ſheath? & when the Miniſter telleth the people which day is the Sabbath day, ſaying, But the 7th day is the Sabbath of the Lord; if then we ſhall pray thus, Lord incline our heartes to keepe the 8th day; are we not then like thoſe that come to Church when the Sermon is done? & that goe to ſell comodities, the day after the fayer? yea were not this to bable with God, and to profane this Holy ordinance of prayer? when the prayers of the Church cane be taken but ij. waies, it is a very abſurd thing, & vncharitable, for any man to expound them in the worſer ſenſe, which is a falſe and abſurd ſenſe: wherefore ſince the Lords day cannot be meāt in our publike prayer, therefore the Sabbath day muſt be meante: for there is none other but one of theſe two that can be imagined, and thus I hauehave proued, the 3d branch of my Minor, to wit, that our Church doth pray to God daily, to incline our heartes to keepe the Sabbath day, & ſo theſe 3 points are proued. 1. That the Apoſtles kept the Sabbath day. 2. That the primitiue Churches after them kept it. 3. That our Church daily praieth to God to keepe it: wherefore, if the conſtant practiſe of the Apoſtles & the religiouſe practiſe of the moſt ancient and primi tiue Churches after the Apoſtles; & the daily prayers of our Church will any thing auaile with vsus; then muſt we ſanctify the 7th day Saturday Sabbath.