The Doctrine of the Sabbath Vindicated, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Breerwood. Pag 11.
OR if notwithſtanding all theſe evidences, you will ſtill contend that the prohibition touching bodily labour on the Sabaoth is directly impoſed on the ſervants themſelves, ſee whether you bring not the Oxe and the Aſſe and other cattle alſo under the obligation of this commandement, whoſe worke is immediatly after that of ſervants prohibited, and preciſely under the ſame forme of words, whoſe labours yet on the Sabaoth I hope you will not ſay to be in them ſins and tranſgreſſions of Gods law?
Anſwer.
Firſt, No, we doe not; it is impoſed on ſervants, yet not on oxe or aſſe: for the ſervant is forbidden labour, becauſe hee can labour without thee, and ſo hee is capable properly of commandement to reſt; but the Oxe is not forbidden labour, but to bee laboured and wrought; for hee cannot worke without thee, and is not capable of the commandement. The ſervant is therefore forbidden labour even in his maſters worke, that hee might bee vacant to holy duties, nOtio non otioſo. Zanch. in 4. praecep.not ſo the Oxe. The ſervant is forbidden to bee wrought by his maſter, becauſe now hee muſt acknowledge another maſter, in whoſe ſervice he is this day commanded to worke; with whom there is no reſpect of perſons; and this end, the ſervants obedience to his maſters unlawfull commandement of worke that day, would croſſe; no man can ſerve two maſters. Moreover, doth God take care for Oxen? No doubt it was written for the ſervants ſake, that he might not attend to guide the Oxes labour, and that mercy due to the Oxe might call for more to man, Zanchy is expreſſe, that the commandement was given to the ſervant, hee ſaith; oNeminem vult excludi a ſanctificatione Sabbati: quia tam ſervi, quam domini: tam ſilii, quàm parentes, tam advenae, quám indigenae obſtricti Deo ſunt, natique …d ej…s cultum. De jumentis alia eſt ratio: non enim jubentur qui…ſcere à laboribus, ut poſſint vacare cultui divino ſicut homines. Id. ibid.God would have no man excluded from the ſanctification of the Sabbath, becauſe aſwell ſervants as maſters, ſonnes as parents, ſtrangers as home-borne, are bound to God, and borne to his worſhip, touching beaſts there is another reaſon, &c.
Secondly, the Oxe is forbidden to bee wrought, that they might have no ſnare to draw them to worke: and may a ſervant worke at his maſters command? how great a ſnare would this bee to the maſter; who naturally (and ſuch a maſter as will require his ſervant to worke on that day, is not far from his pure naturals) loveth profit more than his ſoule; and feares a penny loſſe, where he thinks it might bee gained, more than the breach of a precept that God threatens with the curſe and hell? Hee will bee ready not onelyonly to ſay with Rebecca, pGen. 27. 13.On me be the curſe, my ſonne, only doe as Ibid; but in another tone; Sirrah, the ſinne and curſe is mine; go you about your worke, you ſhall not anſwer for my faults; how comes on you this new religion now? therefore I conclude againſt you thus, he that forbade the ſtrangers worke, and the cattels, that all examples and occaſions might be remooved that might entiſe to evill, it cannot bee that hee would leave ſonne, daughter, man and maid in the family free to the maſter, that they ſhould, and muſt obey him in his unlawfull commands.
Thirdly, and to requite you out of the Text. In the ſame forme of words that the Oxe and Aſſe is prohibited, the ſtranger within the gate of another, is alſo forbidden work, and is it not given to the ſtranger qIt is partly underſtood of the ſtrangers within the Covenant, thoſe (ſaith Zanchy) without controverſie were commanded ſo to ſanctifie the Sabbath even as other Iewes. Zanch. in … praecep.aſwell as of? yet I hope you wil not ſay it is given to the oxe. If you ſay it is not given to the ſtranger; I vrge you thus: The ſtranger is there meant partly of the ſtranger, which being a Iew, is with thee for the time as a gueſt, rDr. Williams of the Church, l. 2 c. 8.and can this (that he is a gueſt) free him from the bond of this Law; or if the Iew within whoſe gate he is, ſhould require him to worke, is he excuſed, becauſe hee is within his gate, as you ſay the ſervant is? Againe, ſAdiger… quiſ que paterfamilias poteſt & debet ſuos do neſticos a… externum cultum: cur non etiam magiſtratus ſuos ſubditos? Non enim a…t, memento ut ſanctifices, monebis autem▪ ſil…m, ſed memento ut ſanctifices & ut alii tui ſanctificent. Zanch. in 4. praeceptum.the Governour is commanded to compell thoſe within his gate to keepe the reſt, and to puniſh refractory: Will God authoriſe any to puniſh thoſe that doe not offend? and thoſe doe not offend, you ſay, to whom the Law is not given: thoſe do not offend that can no more tranſgreſſe a command, than the Oxe or Aſſe. Furthermore, Zanchy ſaith expreſly, that though upon the Sabbath, the heathen which did not agree with the Iewes in the true religion, did not come to their aſſemblies to be partakers of the ſacrifices, and to the performance of other parts of Gods ſervice, which pertained to the ſanctification of the Sabbath; yet they were commanded to reſt upon that day, aſwell as the homeborne Iewes: tIubebantur feriari eo die, quemadmodum & Iudaei indigenae.and he giveth one reaſon of this command, which concerneth the ſtrangers themſelves, namely, that they might after ſome ſort bee trained up in the knowledge of the Law of God uIſti jubebantur non ſimplicitèr quieſcere: ſed quieſcere ut & ipſi ſuo modo Sabbatum ſanctificare poſſent. Id. ibid..
Fourthly, therefore you muſt know, that the ſame forme of words make not the like bond and obligation in a precept; nor the precept the ſame: For beſides all that I have ſaid before in chap. 2. 3. The end not only differenceth the precept and proveth it a precept, or a priviledge, as here the end of the Oxes reſt, as reſpecting the Oxe, is meerely reſt; but of the ſervants, chiefely holineſſe, which labour ſervile wholly thwarteth; but alſo the end giveth the precept its modification: for the end of the prohibition of the ſervants labor, being the ſanctification of the day, the ſervant is hereby bound to reſt and apply himſelfe to holineſſe and the maſter not only not to worke him, or to admoniſh him to ſanctifie the day, but to compell him to the outward worſhip.