A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 5 · Commentary · Section 3 · Argument 19 – Argument 20
ARGVM. XIX.
My 19th argument in defence of the Sabbath of the Lord, proueth that it muſt be morall; becauſe if you make it a ceremony & aboliſhed, then you raſe out one of Gods Tenn commandements, by making it but a tautologie and needleſſe repetition, of what was commanded in other of the commandements: and thus I argue.
That doctrine which teacheth and affirmeth ſuch things, as make one of Gods Tenn commandements, a tautologie & needleſſe repetition, of what is commanded in other of the ſame 10 commandements, that doctrine is falſe and erroniouſe.
But the doctrine which teacheth, that that ancient ordinance of Gods the old Sabbath day, is a ceremony & aboliſhed, is that doctrine which maketh one of Gods 10 commandements & by name the 4th com. a tautologie & needleſſe repetition, of what is elſewhere commanded in other of the 10 commandements.
Therefore the Doctrine which teacheth & affirmeth, that that ancient ordinance of Gods the old Sabbath day, is a ceremony & aboliſhed, is erroniouſe & falſe.
For the Major, none will deny it, ſince it were to ouerturne the number of Gods commandements which are Tenn, Deut. 10.4. & to make things differing in number, one and the ſame in nature; & ſo make an horrible confuſion: yea, no man can indure to heare on it, that there ſhould be a tautologie in the Morall Law: I come therefore vntounto the Minor, to ſhew, that they which hold the old Sabbath day to be a ceremony, they make one of Gods tenn command. & by name the fourth, to be a tautologie, & needleſſe repetition, of that which is commanded in other of the command: for this purpoſe we will conſider all the things commanded in the 4th com. & then ſhew you, that if that time of the 7th day be a ceremony & aboliſhed, then there is nothing left in the 4th com. but what is commanded in the other of the 10 commandements.
All the things then commanded in the 4th com. are three: the one is holy & religiouſe exerciſes; the other is a reſt from labour; the third is the time wherein theſe are to be performed: as for the firſt of theſe, to wit, holy & religiouſe exerciſes, as prayer, preaching, ſinging of Pſalmes, with the like, theſe being partes of Gods worſhip and furtherances thereof, are commanded in the ſecond Commandement: for the ſecond commandement forbiddeth all falſe worſhip, & commandeth the true worſhip of God, as prayer, preaching, Pſalmes, and Sacraments; as Diuines acknowledge: ſo then, we neede not rune to the 4th com. for theſe dueties of the Sabbath, to wit, holy exerciſes of prayer, ſinging of Pſalmes, preaching and reading of Gods word: for we hauehave them inioyned in the affirmatiue parte of the ſecond commandement: thus for the firſt point you ſee, that as touching the duetie of holy exerciſes, the 4th com. inioyneth nothing, but what was before inioyned in the 2th com. and ſo the 4th command. in thes reſpect is but a tautologie & needleſſe repetition of what is elſe where commanded in other of the to commandements.
As for the ſecond thing inioyned in the 4th com. it is Reſt from laboures: now this duety, if you conſider it as a naturall Reſt, for the refreſhing of the body being toiled & ſpent with laboures, then ſo it is inioyned in the ſixte commandement, in the affirmatiue parte thereof: but if you conſider it as a ſpirituall reſt, it being a vacancy from corporall laboures, that ſo way may be made for holy exerciſes; then ſo it is inioyned in the ſecond commandement alſo: for when the ſecond commandement inioyneth Gods worſhip, it neceſſarily inferreth a reſt and ceſſation from how ſhold and field workes; from merchandizing, buying and ſelling, that ſo men may be at liberty & fredome to worſhip God: thus for the ſecond thing to wit, Reſt, you ſee the 4th cō. inioyneth nothing but what was before cōmanded in the 2th com. & therefore the 4th cō. in this point is but a tautologie and needleſſe repetition, of what is elſe where inioyned in other of the 10 commandements.
The third & laſt thing is the time inioyned in the 4th com, which ſince they ſay it is aboliſhed, it followeth, that there is no time or day now in the 4th com. inioyned: touching which I thus argue, if the time to wit, that 7th day from the Creation, or the laſt day of the weeke, inioyned in the 4th com. be a Iewiſh Ceremony and aboliſhed, then is there no day inioyned now by the 4th commandement, for take from a Law the thing it inioyneth, & then that Law inioyneth nothing: for example, thoſe anniuerſary and Ceremoniall Sabbaths mentioned in Leuit. 23. and aboliſhed by Coloſ. 2.17.18. when God aboliſhed thoſe very daies commanded in thoſe Lawes, he vtterly aboliſhed all daies, that were inioyned in thoſe commandemēts: thoſe dayes being Ceremonies, when they were aboliſhed, not other daies came in the roome of them, by thoſe commandements. Thers the ſame reaſon for the day and time in the 4th com. if it be ſuppoſed a Ceremony and aboliſhed: wherefore the old day being aboliſhed, and no new day inioyned by the 4th com. there is now nothing lefte in the 4th com. peculiar vntounto it; nor can they ſhew vsus any thing in it as now, which is not elſe where commanded in the Decalogue: thus you ſee, if you hold the old Sabbath day to be aboliſhed, then is this 4th commandement a tautologie, and needleſſe repetition of things before commanded.
Or, if you would ſuppoſe, that that particular time in the 4th com. is aboliſhed, but yet that a time or ſome time ſtill remaineth in the 4th com. why ſtill it will come to the ſame: for a time, or ſome time; is inioyned in the 2th com. for where God requireth his worſhip, there it is neceſſarily inferred, that he there requireth a time or ſome time for his worſhip, without which it cannot be. Thus I hauehave proued it, that if you hold the old Sabbath day for an aboliſhed ceremony, then you raſe and deface the 4th com. by making it but a tautologie, and a needleſſe repetition of ſuch things, as are commanded before in the 2th com. it remaineth therefore, that that doctrine which affirmeth the old Sabbath day, to be a Iewiſh Ceremony, is falſe & erroniouſe; the contrary whereto is the very trueth.
ARGVM. XX.
My 20th argument for defence of the Lords Sabbath proueth, that it muſt be morall; or elſe there is no day at all commanded now by the 4th com. and thus I argue.
If we aboliſh Saturday the old Sabbath day, which was commanded in the 4th com. then we leaue no day as commanded now by the 4th com.
But we muſt leaue a day, as commanded now by the 4th commandement.
Therefore we muſt not aboliſh Saturday the old Sabbath day.
For the Minor, it is confeſſed by all, that there is a day commanded now by the 4th com. & therefore I paſſe that point as granted; and ſo come vntounto the Major, the conſequence whereof I proue to be ſound, by an Induction of particulares, of which …here is one and the ſame reaſon.
Firſt for their new-moones, which God commanded the Iſraelites Numb. 28.11. wherein they were on eueryevery firſt day of the monethmonth, to reſt from laboures Amos. 8.5. And to repaire vntounto the Miniſter for inſtruction ij King. 4.23. Now when God aboliſhed by the text Col. 2.16.17. that very day commanded in that Law Numb. 28.11. then hee left no day as commanded ſtill by that law Numb. 28.11. In the next place, come we vntounto all thoſe anniuerſary Sabbaths commanded in the Ceremoniall Law: the Iſraelites had one Sabbath, on the firſt day of the 7th monethmonth Leuit. 23.24. againe, the Iſraelites had two other Sabbaths in the 7th monethmonth, as we reade Leuit. 23.39. beſides diuers other Sabbaths there mentioned in Leuit. 23. Now when by this text Col. 2.16.17. eueryevery of thoſe daies, commanded in thoſe lawes, were aboliſhed, there were no daies left as commanded ſtill by thoſe commandements in Leuit. 23. Now there is the ſame reaſon of the day commanded in the 4th com. if you hold it a Ceremony, as there was of thoſe other dayes which were Ceremonies Leuit. 23. for as the time in theſe anniuerſary lawes, was a Ceremony, ſo my aduerſaries hold the time in this 4th com. is a Ceremony; wherefore there is the ſame reaſon in all; that is, aboliſh that ſpeciall time ſpecified in any of theſe commandements, and you leaue no day as commanded in theſe lawes & commandements.
2. I proue it from all thoſe textes which are vſually brought againſt the Lords Sabbaths, as Exod. 31.13. Col. 2.16.17. Rom. 14.5. & Gal. 4.10. In which texts, our Anti-Sabbatharians or enemies to Gods Sabbaths, ſay, that the Sabbath day of the Iewes, commanded in the 4th com. is aboliſhed as a ſigne and ſhaddow &c. And that text of eſteeming one day aboue an other Rom. 14.5. And that text alſo reprouing the Galatianes ſo obſeruing of daies Gal. 4.10. are ſpoken againſt that day mentioned in the 4th com. wherefore ſince the word (day) is of as larg an extent in theſe texts, as the ſame word (day) is of in the 4th commandement it is as cleere as the ſunne at noone day, that if that day, commanded in the 4th com. be an aboliſhed Ceremony, then is there now no day commanded by the 4th com. and if the obſeruation of thoſe daies, commanded in the 4th com. be reprouable, and aboliſhed by Gal. 4.10. &c. Then are there no dayes now in vſe by virtue of the 4th com. the reaſon is, becauſe thoſe dayes which were commanded are aboliſhed, as they ſay.
It is more then manifeſt then, that if we aboliſh Saturday the old Sabbath day, once commanded in the 4th com. then we leaue no day as commanded now by the 4th com. we muſt therefore cleaue vntounto Saturday which God hath ſanctified & hallowed Geneſ. 2.2.3. or elſe bid farewell vntounto all daies, & Sabbaths, as diuinly inſtituted.