The Doctrine of the Sabbath Vindicated, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII. Breerwood. Pag. 30, 31, 32.
Object. BVt yet one ſcruple remaineth, becauſe every perſon that did anyExod. 31. 14, 15. worke on the Sabaoth day, was by the law to be cut off from his people, and to dye the death, every perſon therefore, the Servant as well as the maſter. Sol. I anſwere, that the judiciall commandement is to be underſtood of the ſame perſons to whom the morall commandement was given; the commandement touching puniſhment of them, to whom the commandement touching the offence was impoſed: but I proved before, that the morall commandement was not impoſed to ſervants as ſervants, but to them that were at liberty. All they therefore that did any worke on the Sabaoth were to dye the death by the judiciall law: they, I ſay, that did it, not they that were made to doe it; which were as well paſſive as active in doing of it: namely, they that did it of election, as free, that might abſtaine from worke and would not, not they that did it of injunction and neceſſitie, as ſervants that would abſtaine from worke and might not; whoſe condition was ſuch that they would not worke by their maſters direction, might be made to worke by their maſters compulſion, for a hard caſe it were, if poore ſervants to whom no commandement to ceaſe from worke was given by God, and yet might be compelled to worke by men, ſhould dye for it, if they did ſo worke. It is therefore to be underſtood of them that worke willingly of themſelves, or (as authors) cauſe others to worke (as maſters doe their ſervants) not of them who onelyonly (as ministers) and againſt their wills are ſet to worke. And rather becauſe the worke of the ſervant (that, I ſay, which he doth by the commandement of his maſter, to whom for matter of labour he is meerely ſubordinate) even reaſon and equity will interpret the maſters worke. And certainely that God accounteth it ſo, the declaration of that Precept in another place doth make manifeſt. Six daies thou ſhalt doe thy worke, and the ſeventh day thou ſhalt rest, that Exod. 23 12.thine Oxe and thin… Aſſe, and thy Sonne, and thy Maide, &c. may be refreſhed: for is it not manifeſt that the ſervants worke is accounted the maſters, ſeeing the reſt from the maſters worke is the refreſhing of the ſervants? the maſter therefore who by the morall law was commanded that his ſervants ſhould not worke on the Sabaoth, was by the judiciall to be puniſhed with death, if the ſervant did worke that day by his commandement.
Anſwer.
Firſt, that place is to be underſtood of the preſumptuous offender as appeareth in Numb. 15. 35, 36. with that in verſ. 30, 31. The ſoule that doth ought preſumptuouſly, reproacheth the Lord, and ſhall be cut off. For if the ſinne were of ignorance, infirmity and errour, he was bound to bring a ſinne-offring, verſ. 27, 28. thus the Iewes underſtand that place in Exodus. Now the ſervants worke at the maſters command will not come under a wilfull and preſumptuous ſinne: yet that law ſheweth this truth, that men for breach of Sabbath ſhall be puniſhed according to the nature of their offence, ſo ſhall he that forgoeth Gods to doe his maſters worke. This is the true Anſwere, you meerly trifle, and therefore the force of the objection lieth ſtill upon you, and your Anſwere falls like an untimely fruite or rotten nut. And your hard caſes (for they ſeeme full of pitty, and yet would have a ſervant to be in the condition of a beaſt) are meer conceits. And for that phraſe of yours, ſaying, The ſervants may be compelled to work by men, ſpeaking there of ſuch worke as the fourth commandement hath forbidden, doth contradict your former Tenet expreſſely, who ſay, that the master may not command his ſervant to worke: may he not command him? and may he yet compell him? Good ſtuffe I promiſe you.
Secondly, in this place alſo ſeeing you offer to our thoughts Gods judiciall Law, and ſo his judiciary proceeding, I urge you with the juſt hand of Gods yengeance that lighteth oftentimes on children and ſervants working at the command of their parents and maſters on that day. God puniſheth none but thoſe that offend leſſe or more. But this ungodlineſſe he hath puniſhed from heaven. And all wiſe Chriſtians will eſteeme more of one Demonſtration of Gods wrath, than of two hundered ſophiſticated Rhetoricall Demonſtrations of any Diſputer in the world. At Kimstat a towne in France, mIob. ſi…col. l. 3. De mirac.there lived in the yeere, 1559. a certaine covetous woman, who was ſo greedy of gaine, that ſhee would not frequent the Church her ſelfe, nor ſuffer any of her family to doe it, but continually toyled a bout drving and pilling of flaxe, and doing other houſhold buſineſſes: neither would ſhe bee reclaimed by her neighbours, who admoniſhed and diſſwaded her from ſuch unſeaſonable workes. One Sabbath day as they were thus buſily occupied, fire ſeemed to iſſue out of the flaxe, without doing any hurt: The next Sabbath it tooke fire indeed, but was quickly extinct: Yet this wretch continued obſtinate in her prophaneneſſe even the third Sabbath, when the flax againe taking fire, could not bee quenched till it burnt her and two of her children to death, for though they were recovered out of the fire alive, yet the next day they all three died; and that which was much to be wondred at, a young infant in the cradle was taken out of the midſt of the flame without any hurt. God we ſee, tooke vengeance on the children that wrought at the mothers commandement. Are there not ſtrange puniſhments for the workers of iniquitie nIob 31. 3.? Above fifty perſons were conſumed in the fire which burnt the towne of Fevertone in Devonſhire, in the yeere 1598. where 400. dwelling houſes were all at once on fire and conſumed for their horrible prophanation of the Lords day. Can any thinke that of thoſe fifty, none were children and ſervants, whoſe worke that day had been uſually abuſed?
Here alſo, Chriſtian Reader, I thought it my part to lay before thy more ſerious conſideration theſe notable and late examples of Gods wrath from heaven againſt mens ungodlineſſe on the Sabbath day.page missing Blackeſmith by trade, (he is yet alive, the Lord give him an heart to repent, and all the Towne to learne by that hand of God) this woman was with her yong childe in her armes within her owne gate looking on them: and ſo it was that while ſhe looked on, one of the greateſt ropes failed and broke, and the Pole fell downe upon the pale that parteth their gate and the ſtreete, and the upper end of it with the fall, lapped over, and ſtrucke the childe on the head in the mothers armes, and killed it. It was the edge of the weather-cocke that hit the childe on the head, (marke it well) and cleft the skull, and it dyed the next day.
It is time for thee Lord to worke, for men have made voide thy Law. Pſal. 119. 126.
The Lord is known by the judgement which he executeth: The wicked is ſnared in the worke of his owne hands. Higgaion. Selah. Pſal. 9. 16.
That place in Exo. 23. 12. which commeth in on the left ſide is abuſively rendred by you when you read, that thy ſon and thy maide may be refreſhed, whereas it is thus in the text, the ſonne of thine handmaid: and when you ſay, it is manifeſt that the ſervants worke is accounted the maſters; ſeeing the reſt from the maſters worke is the refreſhing of the ſervant, is it not as manifeſt that it is the ſervants, when the reſt is his refreſhing? For by another reſt▪ I am not refreſhed, if I worke: and what if in ſome reſpects it may be called the maſters worke, is it therefore no ſinne in the ſervant to doe it? This is a begging of the queſtion, and a ſhame in a profeſſed Diſputant.