The Doctrine of the Sabbath Vindicated, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Breerwood. Pag. 6.
LEt me aske you one queſtion more, of a caſe that hath fallen in my remembrance: A precept comes out from the Prince; That every Cittizen in London ſhall on ſuch a day keepe his ſervants within doores and not ſuffer them to goe abroad. If notwithſtanding that precept, ſome maſter ſends forth his ſervant about his buſineſſe, doth the ſervant tranſgreſſe the Princes commandement by obeying his maſters: Or ought he by pretence of that precept to diſobey his maſter and neglect his charge? It is plaine he doth *Here the ſenſe carrieth that you muſt reade, be doth not the former; that is, he doth not tranſgreſſe the Princes commandement, or elſe the force of this inſtance is loſt: correct it thus then, though the Errata have not ſeene it.the former, and therefore he ought not to doe the latter. For the commandement was given to his maſter not to him, and the purpoſe of it was to reſtraine his maſter from commanding ſuch ſervice, and not to reſtraine the ſervant from obeying his maſter if it were commanded: there it is apparent that the obligations of commandements, pertaineth to them to whom they are preſcribed as rules, and not to them of whom onelyonly (as being the matter of the precept) they are preſcribed.
Anſwer.
Firſt, this agreeth not with that in the commandement; for the Lord ſaith not thus, Thou ſhalt not ſuffer thy ſervant to work; but thus, Thy ſervant ſhall not work. If the Princes command were this; Thy ſervant ſhall doe no worke of thine, that he may attend on me in my houſe, and on my worke without avocations and diſturbance, did not the ſervant tranſgreſſe the Princes charge, if he forſooke the Prince, and obeyed his maſter? or would his maſters command excuſe him in doing that which was againſt the Princes command, or in neglecting the Princes ſervice? Sure this doctrine of yours would leave Princes perſons, kingdomes, and neceſſities page missing dayes thou ſhalt labour, is likewiſe of indulgence: for the Iewes in keeping the dayes of Purim-feſtivals ſinned not. Yea, ſometimes that commeth under the forme of a command in words, which is onelyonly ſpoken by conceſſion, when yet the thing ſo granted is not allowed or approved for good, as when the Apoſtle ſaith, Be angry, but ſin not eEpheſ. 4. 26.. Be angry, is in words of precept, yet ſpoken onelyonly by conceſſion, and yet no way alloweth the anger he ſpeaketh of: for that he ſpeaketh not of a laudable anger is evident, when it followeth, let not the Sunne goe downe upon your wrath. How needfull is it that we underſtand this thing diſtinctly, leſt we be deceived with the ſhew of a command? To returne then, that learned Scotchman, Camero, giveth us this excellent rule, whereby to know a precept that is of indulgence, or of Empire and Lawlike charge, as I may ſay truly; Whatſoever, ſaith he fSanè quicquid Deus preſcribit quod non ſimplicitèr beneſicii, ſed officii rationem habet, ideſt d Dei imperio: itaque in diſtinguendis iis quae mandatorum formâ concipiuntur in Scripturâ, id ſemper ob oculos habendum eſt, pertineantur res preſcriptae ad officium, an verò ad beneficium & privilegium ſimplicitèr: quod ſi occurrat in mandato officii ratio, non eſt profectò indulgentia ſed imperium. Simplicitèr, inquam, nullum enim exigit officium Deus à creatura quod idem reipſa non ſit beneſicium, ſed beneſicium ſimpliciter Domino in quo nalla ſe oſtendit ratio officii erga Deum. Joh. Camero …om. 1. prelect. ad Mat. cap. 18. verſ. 15. pag. 15., God doth preſcribe which hath not the reaſon and nature of a benefit ſimply, but of a duty and office, that is from the Empire of God. And afterwards explaining himſelfe, he addeth; I ſay ſimply a benefit; for God requires no duty of his creature which is not in the thing it ſelfe a benefit, but that is ſimply a benefit in which no nature of a duty towards God doth ſhew it ſelfe. Now follow this Rule, and who ſees not that this precept, Thy ſervant ſhall doe no worke on the Sabbath, hath in it chiefly the nature of office and duty the ſervant oweth to God as well as the maſter, even the obſervation of the Sabbath to God, though in a ſecond place here is a matter of fatherly indulgence, God graciouſly tendring the ſervants (as he doth alſo the very bruite beaſt, for whoſe eaſe he mercifully provides that day. Now Maſter Publiſher, if you have any mind to put queſtions, you ſhall have leave, if you pleaſe, to aske as many more.