A Defense of the Sabbath Day, Chapter 5 · Commentary · Section 3 · Argument 4
ARGVM. IV.
My 4th Argument, to proue that the 7th day Sabbath is ſtill in force is, becauſe none other day of the weeke can be the Sabbath day but it onelyonly: & thus it may be framed.
Jf no day of the weeke can be a Sabbath day by the 4th com. but the 7th day onelyonly; Then muſt the 7th day be our Sabbath day.
But no day of the weeke can be a Sabbath day by the 4th com. but the 7th day onelyonly.
Therefore must the 7th day be our Sabbath day.
As for the Major or firſt Propoſition, no man will deny it: for every man ſtandeth to maintaine a Sabbath; and alſo, a Sabbath from the 4th com. wherefore, if no day of the 7 can be Sabbath by the 4. com. b…t the 7th day, then of neceſſity they muſt hold the 7th day to be our Sabbath day.
And ſo I come to the Minor, or ſecond propoſition, to wit, that No day of the weeke, can be a Sabbath day by the 4th com. but the 7th day onelyonly. And this I proue from the 4th com. it ſelfe, where the Lord hath commanded vsus to worke all the daies of the weeke, ſaue the 7th day: for there the Lord hath expreſly commanded vsus, to worke and labour vponupon the Sixe dayes, ſaying, Sixe daies ſhalt thou labour, & doe all thy worke. Exod. 20.9. wherefore, we cannot both worke vponupon theſe Sixe dayes, and alſo keepe one of them weekly, for a Sabbath day, therin reſting from worke: this were impoſſible, to worke vponupon eueryevery one of the 6 dayes, & yet to reſt from worke vponupon ſome one of them: Nay further, this were to make God to contradict himſelfe, and that in one & the ſame commandement; if he ſhould by this 4th com. inioyne men to worke vponupon the 6 dayes, and yet for all that, ſhould inioyne men in the ſame commandement, to reſt from worke in one of thoſe 6 dayes: wherefore no day of theſe 6 dayes, can be a Sabbath day by Gods 4th com. this is moſt plaine, vnleſſe you would ſuppoſe fooliſhly, that God ſhould ſay, & vnſay it againe, with the ſame breath: wherefore, ſince none of the 6 dayes of the weeke can be Sabbath day, therefore the 7th day onelyonly muſt be the Sabbath day.
I cannot deuiſe what euaſiones, they ſhould finde againſt this trueth, vnleſſe theſe two; the one is this, tis true (may they ſay) Sixe dayes we muſt labour; by the 4th com. and doe we not labour Sixe dayes, & thē reſt the 7th day, conſtantly eueryevery weeke? Mōday, Tewſday, Wedneſday, Thurſday, Friday, & Saturday, in theſe 6 dayes we labour, & on Sunday, the 7th day, we reſt from labour; new the 4th com. doth not tell vsus which 6 dayes we are to labour in. Herevnto I reply, that this kind of anſwer is common indeede, but it is idle & fooliſh; for this were to count the dayes of the weeke in a moſt abſurd faſhion, differing both from the computation of our owne Church; & alſo of the Scriptures: as for our Church wherin we liue, doe they not all account Sunday or Lords day, the firſt day of the 7, or of the weeke? how then cometh it about, that theſe men will begine at Monday, for the firſt day of the weeke? as if Monday were the firſt day of the weeke, or of the 7 dayes. 2. This account is differing from the Scripture account: for the Scriptures hauehave euer rekoned our Sunday or Lords day, for the firſt day of the weeke, as we reade Mat. 28.1. Mark. 16.1.2. Luk. 24.1. Io. 20.1. The day after the Iewes Sabbath, was called the firſt day of the weeke, Luk. 23.56. Ioh. 19.31. Mark. 16.1. Mat. 28.1. compared with Luk. 24.1. Ioh. 20.1. Mark. 16.2. and Mat. 28.1. Now it is knowne to all the world, that Saturday is the Iewes Sabbath day; ſo then Sunday muſt be the firſt day of the weeke; becauſe Saturday the Iewes Sabbath day, is the 7th day, & the laſt day of the weeke. It is alſo plaine by this, that we all hold, that Chriſt roſe vponupon our Sunday, or Lords day, now the Scripture calleth that day whereon Chriſt roſe, the firſt day of the weeke; wherefore if theſe men will begine at Monday for the firſt day, they hauehave reiected Gods account, and therefore we may reiect this their account: foraſmuch as we are about Gods matters, we muſt follow Gods account: wherefore, ſince this account to begine the weeke at Monday is a nouelty, & of mans deuiſe, it is to be reiected as vnwarrantable; there is none accounte warrantable, but a Diuine accompt, and that account is to rekone Sunday for the firſt day: neither is there any accompt warrantable in the Church, but the Churches accompt, and the Church wherein we liue, accounteth the Lords day, or Sunday, for the firſt day of the weeke, and not Monday.
Furthermore, if the Iewes might hauehave taken this libertie, to begine the weeke where & at what day they would, as theſe men doe, then might they hauehave diſappointed God of his 7th day Saturday Sabbath, before Chriſts coming in the fleſh; & if they would hauehave begune at Monday for the firſt day, as theſe doe, they might hauehave laboured vponupon that day, whereon God reſted; & profaned the Saturday Sabbath, and giuen God the Sunday Sabbath as we doe now; for if they had rekoned Monday for the firſt day, then Sunday after would hauehave bene the 7th day.
Finally, whereas they ſay that the 4th com. hath not declared vntounto vsus which 6 dayes we ſhould labour in, this is falſe: for God hath plainly diſcouered it in his 4th com. which are the 6 dayes; & that theſe wayes, 1. they are thoſe 6 dayes we ſhould labour in, which God himſelfe laboured or wrought in, to wit, the firſt 6 dayes from the Creation; as you may ſee by the reaſon added to the com. for in 6 daies the Lord made the heauen and the earth &c. Exod. 20.11. ſo God ſetting himſelfe as a patterne vntounto vsus, we are to follow his enſample, which is, to worke on thoſe 6 dayes, wherein God himſelfe wrought: which point, we hauehave further proued in the expoſition of this parte of the 4th com, formerly. 2. God hath reuealed it, in his 4th com. by commanding vsus to ſanctify the Sabbath day; now the Sabbath day, was on the 7th day, on our Saturday; wherefore ſeing we know which day is the reſting day, thereby we know which are the labouring dayes; for all the 6 daies which goe before the Sabbath day, reſting day, or Saturday, thoſe are the 6 working dayes. So you ſee, it is but an idle cauill, to raiſe doubtes about the 6 daies which God appointed out for labour. 3. If we will not imitate God, labouring thoſe very 6 daies wherein God wrought, then we fale into theſe abſurdeties. 1. that as they begine & make Monday the firſt, ſo may I begine at Tewſday for the firſt, or Thurſday, or Friday, or skip ouer 100 or 10…0 daies before I ſet a firſt day, and ſo God ſhall hauehave a Sabbath but once in an 100 or 1000 dayes. 2. To ſay the 4th com. hath not declared vntounto vsus which 6 daies we ſhould labour in, ſince it is manifeſt by the conſtant practiſe of the Church of the Iewes, one may as well ſay, that the 4th com. hath not declared by the word (day) whither we muſt keepe a naturall day, or an artificiall day, or the day of grace, which is a day conciſting of many yeeres: as we muſt hauehave recourſe to the practiſe of the Iewes for the one, ſo for the other. And thus much for their firſt euaſion.
An other euaſion they hauehave, & it is this, that theſe words in the 4th com. Sixe daies thou ſhalt labour, They are not a commandement, but a permiſſion: as if the Lord had ſaid, Sixe daies mayeſt thou labour, if thou wilt: Herevnto I reply 1. that theſe words are an expreſſe commandement, as well as any other: for they are deliuered in commanding termes, as well as any other, this point I hauehave formerly proued, in the expoſitiō of theſe words in the 4th com. therefore here I omit to repeate it. 2. Admit that theſe words be but a permiſſion, yet ſo they will make enough for my purpoſe, & that thus; for if God did in his 4th com. permit vsus, and giuegive vsus leaue to worke, in thoſe 6 daies wherein himſelfe wrought at the Creation; then cannot any wiſe man thinke, that God would in the very ſame commandement, forbid vsus to labour in ſome one of thoſe 6 daies: vnleſe you will thinke, that God permitted vsus to worke vponupon a day, and reuoked his permiſſion againe, and all vnderunder one breath. Wherefore, ſeing that God gaue vsus leaue, to worke by his 4th com. vponupon all thoſe 6 daies, which goe before the Iewes Sabbath day, & our Saturday, the 7th day; therefore if we will hauehave any Sabbath day, from the 4th com. we muſt betake vsus to the 7th day, our Saturday, the Iewes Sabbath day: & that becauſe God hath permitted vsus to worke vponupon any day, ſaue the Saturday. Thus much for my 4th argument.