A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 5 · Commentary · Section 3 · Argument 13
ARGUM. XIII.
I had thought to hauehave added no more by way of profe, for confirmation of the Sabbath day, but further ſerch hath miniſtred vntounto me more arguments: & theſe they are which follow. My 13th Argument for confirmation of the 7th Sabbath is, becauſe we muſt imitate God, who kept the 7th day Sabbath: and thus I frame it.
Whoſoeuer muſt imitate God in his keeping of the 7th day Sabbath, they muſt keepe the Saturday 7th day Sabbath.
But we muſt imitate God, in his keeping of tho 7th day Sabbath.
Therefore wee muſt keepe the Saturday 7th day Sabbath.
For the Maior it is cleere: for ſince God kept the Saturday 7th day Sabbath, if we muſt imitate him, then muſt we keepe the ſame day in order when i… comes; and ſo doeing we ſhall treade in his footeſtepes. But this is no imitation of God, to conſider how hee reſted on the 7th day, and for vsus to reſt on the 8th day: or, when hee reſted on the 7th & laſt day of the weeke, for vsus to reſt on the firſt day of the weeke; this is rather to thwarte and croſſe God, then to imitate & follow God. To imitate God, is to doe as like him, & to come as neere him as poſſible we can: now no day of the weeke, is ſo like the day wherin God reſted, as our Saturday the 7th day; becauſe God reſted on the Saturday 7th day: nor can we come ſo nere God, in practiſe on any day of the weeke, as we may on our Saturday which is the 7th day. So much for the Maior.
I come to the Minor, to wit, that we muſt imitate God, in his keeping of the 7th day Sabbath: and this I proue, 1. in generall: for the Scriptures doe frequently ſet God before vsus for our pattorne, & exhorte vsus, to be imitators & followers of him, as Eph. 5.1 Be yee followers of God as deere children &c. Math. 5.48. Yee ſhall therfore be perfect, as your Father which is perfect. 1. Pet. 1.15.16. But as he which hath called you is holy, ſo be yee holy, in all manner of connerſation. Becauſe it is written, be yee holy, for I am Holy. Luk 6.36. bee yee therfore mercifull, as your Father alſo is mercifull. Thus we ſee how frequent the Sacred Scriptures are, in exhorting vsus to be followers & imitators of God: & doubtleſſe God doth delight to be imitated by menn, & to ſee them follow his enſamples, in ſuch things as hee hath ſet him ſe…fe forth, vntounto vsus to be imitated in: if then we muſt imitate God in one thing, then why not in an other? Yea, if we muſt imitate God in things more difficult, as in his Holineſse, Mercifulneſse, & in his perfection, much rather ſhould we imitate him, in things moſt facile & eaſie to be done: now what is more eaſie for vsus to doe; then to change the Sunday Sabbath, into the Saturday Sabbath; ſo ſhould we imitate God indede, and keepe the 7th day, as hee did, at the Creation.
2. I proue the Minor in particular, from the 4th Com. where God Almightie commandeth vsus, to reſt vponupon the 7th day, Exod. 20.10. and then he fetcheth a reaſon to moue vsus to doe ſo, from his owne example; becauſe himſelfe reſted on the 7th day, Exod. 20.11. as if he had thus ſaid, Reſt you on the 7th day, as I did: for I at the Creation reſted on the 7th day.
I ſhall further proue the ſame, by the Teſtimony of Diuines of note. Muſculus in his Expoſition vponupon the 4th Com. fol. 66. The imitation of the example of God (ſaith he) ſtandeth in this, that in the ſame Sixe daies, in which God wrought all his workes, wee worke ours; and in the ſeauenth day, when hee reſted, from his, we doe reſt alſo from our workes, according to his example. Thus you ſee Muſculus expounding the 4th Com. ſo, as he ſaith, we muſt imitate the example of God, and reſt vponupon the ſame 7th day, in which God himſelfe reſted.
M. Perkins on the 4th Com. in his firſt volume pag. 47. vponupon theſe words of the Com. for in ſixe daies &c. ſaith thus. This is the third reaſon of this Com. taken from the like example. That which I did, thou alſo muſt doe: but I reſted the 7th day: Therfore thou muſt doe the like. Againe Perkins in his Caſes of conſcience pag. 106. D. ſaith thus, The ſecond reaſon is taken from Gods Example; That which the Lord himſelfe hath done in perſon, the ſame muſt man doe by his Commandement: But the Lord himſelfe reſted the 7th day; Therfore man muſt doe the ſame. This reaſon made by God to the creature, muſt ſtand in force, till hee reuerſe it, which yet he hath not done nor doth. Thus M. Perkins affirmeth the trueth of my Minor, moſt fully.
M. Dod on the Commandements, vponupon theſe words of the 4th Com. for in ſixe daies, &c. pag. 121. ſaith thus, The third reaſon is taken from Gods example &c. as if he ſhould ſay, if thou wilt follow examples, then follow the example of the beſt: now, what better example can there be, then of God himſelfe? who when he made the world rested on the 7th day: Therefore from his example, learne thou that on the 7th day, thou giuegive thy ſelfe wholly to the dueties of ſanctification. To the ſame eſſect he ſpeaketh againe in pag. 167. where he ſaith, that God propoſed himſelfe for a Preſident, to be imitated of vsus: God ceaſed from creating on the 7th day therefore hee would hauehave vsus ceaſe from our workes alſo on the 7th day. In which words M. Dod affirmeth, that we muſt imitate God, in his keeping of the 7th day Sabbath, ſo much for profe of the Minor.
Herevnto ſome may ſay, the example of God, was for the old day, for the 7th day &c. To them I ſay, they ſay the trueth: what other day is commanded in the 4th com- then the old day? the 7th day? can they thinke the 4th & old com. ſhould command any new day? as the 8th day? or can Gods example agree to any new day? ſurely this old 4th com. is for none other then for an old day, and ſo is Gods old example.
Happily ſome will anſwer, that reaſon annexed to the 4th com. where vponupon this argument leaneth, is no parte of the 4th com. it is onelyonly an appurtinance vntounto it &c. I reply, & will you therefore reiect this reaſon annexed by God? then fall you into theſe abſurdeties. 1. That you will retaine the Sabbath day mentioned at the begining of the com. Exod. 20.8. & yet reiect Gods reaſō annexed therto, to ſtirre vp to the obſeruatiō thereof; as if Gods reaſon were forceleſſe, & vſeleſſe: theſe thinke they hauehave no need of Gods exſamples to leade & moue them to obedience. 2. They abſurdly faine, that this reaſon taken from Gods Reſt on the 7th day at the Creation is Iewiſh, and Gods enſample, belonging vntounto the people of the Iewes onelyonly, or elſe why will they reiect Gods example? louelove they not to be followers of God? or ſhall the Iewes onelyonly be the followers of God, but not Chriſtianes? 3. If you ſay this reaſon belongeth not vntounto vsus Chriſtianes, then doe you caſt a foule blurre vponupon our Diuines Muſculus, Perkines, & Dod with many others, who hauehave expounded, & applied this reaſon from Gods example, vntounto vsus Chriſtianes: yea M. Perkins ſaith expreſly that, This reaſon made by God vntounto the Creature, it must stand in force, vntill hee reuerſe it which yet he hath not done nor doth. So much for this anſwer.
I conclude, if we will become followers of God, & imitate him, as he hath preſcribed in his 4th com. then muſt we ſanctifye the Saturday 7th day Sabbath.