A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 5 · Commentary · Section 3 · Argument 17
ARGVM. XVII.
My 17th argument for defence of the Saturday Sabbath, prouing that it muſt be morall and ſtill in vſe is, becauſe it is a parte of Gods worſhip: and thus I argue.
All the partes of Gods worſhip, compriſed in the first Table of the morall Law, which were written by the finger of God in Tables of stone, are morall & now in force.
But the ſanstification of the Saturday or 7th day Sabbath, is a parte of Gods worſhip, comprized in the firſt Table of the morall Law, and was written by the finger of God in Tables of ſtone.
Therefore the Sanctification of the Saturday or 7th day Sabbath, is morall and now in force.
For the Major, it is not onelyonly a trueth, but alſo a trueth of that importance and conſequence, that there ſhould be no Chriſtian found (me think) dareing to deny it: for he that denieth it, doth deny God ſome parte of his worſhip; he denieth that God ſhould hauehave his wholl worſhip; and will giuegive God but ſome peeces thereof onelyonly: now what God hath ioyned together, how dare any man to put them aſſunder? the Almightie, in ſetting man a platforme of his worſhip, diuided it into fowre partes, & commanded it by fowre ſeuerall commandements, which make vp together the firſt Table of the Decalogue or Morall Law, and ſo the wholl worſhip of God, compleate in all the partes thereof; now how ſhall any man dare by his deniall of this trueth, to put theſe aſunder, and to plucke any one of theſe partes from its fellowes, but that he muſt be guilty of heinouſe impiety, & horrible Sacriledge? if it was ſo heinouſe, to rob God of his Tithes & Offerings Mal. 3.8. what is it, to rob him of his worſhip and ſeruice! if not one iote or title of the Law ſhall faile, ſo long as heauen and earth endure Mat. 5.18. with what warrant may any man ſay, that a parte of Gods worſhip, preſcribed in that Law is aboliſhed? as ſafely may a man clipe the Kings coyne, as clipe, pare off, or diminiſh any parte of Gods worſhip: the higheſt & worſt degree of impiety and vngodlineſſe in a Chriſtian, is to turne Athieſt and to deny God; and the next vntounto it, is to deny God his worſhip and ſeruice, in wholl or in parte: now this they muſt doe who deny my Major. Nay which is worſe, they doe not onelyonly deny God a part of his worſhip, but alſo they muſt accovnt it Iew…ſh, & Iudaiſme in any that are intire and perfect in Gods worſhip, that is, in ſuch as giuegive God, all the partes of his worſhip: for ſuch as performe vntounto God all his worſhip, intirly and perfectly, they will ſanctifie his Sabbaths as one parte thereof, which theſe men muſt account Iudaiſme.
I confeſſe indeed, ſome textes are brought to proue the abolition of one parte of Gods worſhip, to wit, the old Sabbath day, as Exod. 31.13. Coloſ. 2.16.17. But theſe are but clokes, to couer their euill dealing with God, vnderunder a pretenſe of Scripture: becauſe this parte of Gods worſhip, hath bene out of vſe in the Church now a longe time, & becauſe it is now growne through neglect of it into reproch, as to be called Iewiſh, Ceremoniall, and a circumſtance with the like, therefore to colour the matter ouer, men hauehave abuſed theſe textes of Scripture; but ſuer I am, it is more out of a deſire and will men hauehave to reiect this parte of Gods worſhip, then any thing elſe, that theſe Scriptures are alleaged: for there is nothing in theſe textes for that purpoſe, neceſſarily prouing ſo much, but onelyonly that they who alleage them are wilfull, and will make them of larger extent then they neede to doe. I deſire theſe words (neceſſarily prouing) may be well obſerued, ſince I place greate Emphaſis in them: for an ancient ordinance of Gods, is not to be vnneceſsarily & voluntarily aboliſhed, as if men were weary of Gods worſhip, and did ſtudy how to aboliſh & reiect his ordinances, and lay waſt Religion. Now whither it will ſtand with a good conſcience, for any man to aboliſh any parte of Gods worſhip vvhen he needes not, & vvhen there is no neceſſity by any thing in thoſe textes to doe it, I leaue it to all men to iudg of.
I come to the Minor, & here I am to proue, that to ſanctify the Saturday or 7th day Sabbath, is a parte of the vvorſhip of God; & this I proue firſt in generall; for it is a generall receiued trueth, that all the things command in the firſt Table of the Decalogue, are the partes of Gods vvorſhip; yea, & they are Gods immdiate vvorſhip, as Polanus in his Syntag. pag. 558. ſaith; if then the firſt Table of the Decalogue commandeth the vvorſhip of God, the ſanctification of the Saturday and 7th day Sabbath muſt needes be a parte of the worſhip of God; becauſe it is commanded with the other partes of Gods worſhip, in the firſt Table of the Decalogue. 2. I proue it particularly, and that by the Teſtimony of two worthy Diuines; the one is Vrſinus in his Catech. on the 4th command. pag. 637. where ſpeaking of the old Sabbath day, he expreſly ſaith of it, that it was tyed to the 7th day, and that the obſeruation thereof was neceſsary, and it was the worſhip of God: thus hee. The other is M. Perkines in his caſes of conſcience pag. 108. where he expreſly affirmeth, that the Iewes Sabbath, was both the time of Gods worſhip, & alſo a parte of Gods worſhip. Thus I hauehave made good the Minor, to wit, that the Saturday 7th day Sabbath, was commanded of God, as a parte of his worſhip.
By the way, it is to be noted, that albeit men ſleit this ordinance of Gods ancient Sabbath, caling it, but a circumſtance of time, and the like, yet you ſee it cleerly proued, that it is ſuch a circumſtance as is not to be ſleited; for it is a parte of Gods worſhip. I conclude, the Saturday Sabbath muſt be morall and ſtill in vſe; becauſe it is a parte of Gods worſhip: and becauſe if any deny it, they are enemies to Gods intire and wholl worſhip and ſeruice; for they doe diminiſh it, and detracte from it, they pare of from it & clype it, as Traitoures doe the Kings Coine, making it lighter and leſſer then his Maieſtie coined it for.