A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 5 · Commentary · Section 3 · Argument 3
ARGVM. III.
My third argument to proue the 7th day Sabbath to be ſtill in force is, becauſe ſo much is confeſſed by Diuines, that are no friends but enemies vntounto it: & thus it may be framed.
If ſuch as are no friends but enemies vntounto the 7th day Sabbath, doe confeſse that it is still in force, then the 7th day Sabbath is still in force.
But ſuch as are no friends but enemies vntounto the old Sabbath, doe confeſſe that it is ſtill in force.
Therefore the 7th day Sabbath is still in force.
As for the conſequence it is cleere: for albeit the Teſtimony of a man in his owne caſe, and for his owne aduantage be of ſmale eſteeme, yet a teſtimony which a man giues againſt himſelfe, is euer accounted ſtrong: wherefore if I ſhall proue, that ſuch as miſlike of the 7th day Sabbath, doe for all that affirme that it is ſtill in force, then the point muſt needes be yeelded to me.
And ſo I come vntounto the Minor, & here I ſhall proue, that ſuch as are no friends to the 7th day Sabbath, doe confeſſe that it is ſtill in force: and this I ſhall proue either by their expreſſe words, or elſe by neceſſary conſequence from their words: for albeit they neuer intended to ſpeake a word in defence of Gods Sabbath, yet ſo cleere and apparent hath bene the trueth, as they could not but ſpeake for it, albeit they fauoured it not. my firſt Teſtimony ſhall be that of Doctour Prideaux in his booke of the Sabbath Pag. 140. It is manifeſt (ſaith he) that our Sauiour did often contend with the Phariſies, about the ſuperstitiouſe obſeruation of the Sabbath day, but where is there any thing about the abrogation of it? at vbi de abrogatione ipſius ſuſpicio? and where is there any mention of ſetting the Lords day in the roome of it? did not the Apostles keepe the Sabbath of the Iewes, with the Iewes, without any ſcruple, after the aſcention of Chriſt? & did not the followinge Churches doe the like for many yeeres? If then, there be no ſuſpicion of the abrogation of the Sabbath day, in the new Teſtament, as Doctour Prideaux ſaith, then it neceſſarily followeth, that the Sabbath day is ſtill in force.
My ſecond Teſtimony ſhall be that of M. Perkines on the Creede, ſpeaking of the Creation, Pag. 152. where he ſpeaketh of the place of Gods worſhip then, to wit, the garden of Eden, & alſo of the time of Gods worſhip, to wit, the Sabbath day: Touching the time of Gods worſhip it was the 7th day from the begining of the Creation, the Sabbath day; And here we muſt note (ſaith he) that the keeping of the Sabbath is morall: ſome indeed (ſaith he) doe pleade, that it is but a ceremony; yet falſlie: for it was ordeined before the fale of man, at which time, ceremonies ſignifying ſanctification, had no place. Here is no ſpeech of the Lords day the 8th day, it was not knowne at the Creation, but all this is ſpoken of the Sabbath day the 7th day: and M. Perkins doth plainly affirme, that this 7th day Sabbath is morall: and conteſteth againſt thoſe who hold it to be a ceremony, ſaying, they ſpeake falſly &c. Now if it be morall & no ceremony, then it muſt needs be ſtill in force.
My third Teſtimony ſhall be that of M. Dod, on the commandements, who in his expoſition of the 4th com. pag. 122. ſaith, that the Sabbath is morall & perpetuall: & againe, Arguments to proue the Sabbath day to be perpetuall, Now that all this muſt be true of the old Sabbath day, & not of the Lords day, is plaine, 1. Becauſe he nameth the Sabbath day, & the Seauēth day. 2. Becauſe he fetcheth reaſons to proue the morality, frō Gods reſt at the creatiō, & becauſe it was a day bleſſed: now theſe things cannot agre to our Lords day. 3. In pag. 129. he thus concludeth: So that theſe reaſones doe moſt euidently confirme, to the artes of all Gods childerē, that the keeping of the Sabbath day is a morall Law, and bindeth vsus, and all men to the end of the world, as much as it did the Iewes afore Chriſt. 4. In pag. 124. he brings an other reaſon for the morality of the Sabbath, from the time of its firſt inſtitution, in Adams innocency, ſaying, Now then ſince it was inſtituted in Paradiſe, &c. it may not be reputed among ceremonies. Now this cannot be vnderſtod of the Lords day, other reaſons of his I ſpare: well, if the old Sabbath day be morall, as it muſt be by theſe his words and reaſones, then it is ſtill in force.
My 4th Teſtimony ſhall be that of Doctour Bownd in his booke of the Sabbath, pag. 40. The 4th com. (ſaith he) cā no more be partly morall & partly ceremoniall; then the ſame liuing creature, can be partly a man, & partly a beast: yea, as well may one ſuppoſe (ſaith he) the ſecond Commandement to be partly morall & partly ceremoniall alſo. If then, the 4th com. be not partly ceremoniall, as touching the 7th day, then is the 7th day ſtill in force.
My 5th Teſtimony ſhall be that which I find quoted by Doctour Bownd, in his booke of the Sabbath, pag. 46. out of Wolph: Chron. lib. 2. cap. 1. ſaying, But the 7th day, is not to be rekoned among the figures & ceremonies of the Iewes; becauſe it is commanded in the Decalogue, which conteineth in it nothing ceremoniall, nothing Typicall, nothing to be abrogated. If the Decalogue conteineth nothing ceremoniall, or to be abrogated, then is not the 7th day ceremoniall, but ſtill inforce.
My 6th Teſtimony ſhall be that of M. Richard Byfield, on the Sabbath againſt M. Brerewod pag. 88. where he thus writeth. The 4th com. is parte of the Law of nature, & ſo a parte of the Image of God; & … capable of a ceremony to be in it then God is. If …n there can be no ceremony; in the 4th com. then is not the 7th day therein a ceremony; & therefore it muſt be ſtill in force. ſo abſurd (it ſemeth to me) it ſemed vntounto theſe Diuines, to ſuppoſe a ceremony to be in the Morall Law or Decalogue, that had they ſeene it, the Lords day cold not be proued to be a Sabbath day, nor the old Sabbath to be aboliſhed, but by making it a ceremony, and ſo defacing of the Integrity and perfection of the morall Law, they would rather hauehave yeelded the old Sabbath to be ſtill in force.
My 7th teſtimony ſhall be the iudgement of the beſt Diuines, witneſſe Doctour Ames in his Theologicall T…eſis Pag. 499. ſaying, This is a most certaine Rule, & receiued by all the beſt Diuines, that the morall commandements were thus differenced in their deliuerie, from the ceremoniales; that all, & onelyonly the morales, were proclaimed publikly before the people of Iſrael, from Mount Sinay, by the voyce of God himſelfe, & after alſo were written, & the ſecond time written, as it were by the ſinger of God, & that in Tables of stone, to declare their perpetuall & immutable continuance. If then this was a true marke of difference betwixt morals & ceremoniales (as it was) t…at God wrote no ceremonies in the Tables of ſtone, but onelyonly norales then is the 7th day Sabbath a morall, & ſtill in force: for God proclaimed the 7th day Sabbath before all Iſrael, & wrot it in Tables of ſtone, to d…clare its immutability and vnchangablneſſe.
My 8th and laſt Teſtimony ſhall be the Iudgement of all Diuines: w…o though …o friends to the old Sabbath, yet confeſſe this with one voyce, t…at one day in Seauen is of Diuine inſtitution from the 4th com. now hence it followeth, that as we hauehave formerly proued it, ſince of all the ſeauen dayes in the weeke, none of them can agree to the 4th com. but Saturday the 7th day, therefore of neceſſity, their voyce muſt be vnderſtod, as giuen for this one day of the ſeauen, to wit, Saturday the 7th day; & ſo it muſt be morall.