The Doctrine of the Sabbath Vindicated, Title page – Dedication
THE DOCTRINE OF THE SABBATH VINDICATED, In a confutation of a treatiſe of the Sabbath, written by M. Edward Breerwood againſt M. Nic. Byfield, wherein theſe five things are maintained:
Firſt, that the fourth Commandement is given to the ſervant and not to the master onelyonly.
Secondly, that the fourth Commandement is morall.
Thirdly, that our owne light workes as well as gainefull and toileſome are forbidden on the Sabbath.
Fourthly, that the Lords day is of divine Institution.
Fifthly, that the Sabbath was instituted from the beginning.
By the induſtrie of an unworthy labourer in Gods Vineyard, RICHARD BYFIELD, Paſtor in Long Ditton in Surrey.
Verily I ſay unto you, till heaven and earth paſſe, one jot, or one title, ſhall in no wiſe paſſe from the Law, till all be fulfilled. Matth. 5. 18.
LONDON, Imprinted by Felix Kyngston for Philemon Stephens and Christopher Meredith at the golden Lyon in Pauls Church-yard. 1631.
To all that louelove the LORD IESVS in ſincerity.
DEare Chriſtian, bought with a price, moſt happy in this that thou art not thine owne; for thy ſake I have undertaken to anſwer this Treatiſe; to thee, doe I Dedicate it, who mayeſt of right challenge all that I am or can. Thou, whether noble, wiſe, mightie, learned, unlearned, weake or meane, neare or farre off, art intereſſed in all that maketh for the Truth, and in all that is done againſt it. Paul, Apollo, Cephas are thine, 1. Cor. 3.all thine; for thou art Chriſts, and Chriſt is Gods. In the broaching of Hereſies, thou art wounded, in the making of ſchiſmes thou art racked, in every lie thou art layed at; nothing commeth againſt a painefull Miniſter, but reacheth to thy heart through his ſides; nothing from a laborious Minister, but aymeth at thy ſetling, ſtabliſhing, comforting, perfecting, Wert thou the meaneſt that ever lived, who can thinke this too much for thee, ſeeing God withholds not himſelfe as a Father, his Sonne as a Redeemer and Brother, his Spirit as ſanctifier, Comforter, and the Spirit of Sonne-ſhip in thy heart, and thy very body alſo, hee ownes as his Temple? For a recompence bee inlarged: give thy ſelfe to God, receive nothing againſt, but all that is for the Truth: Let the reproaches wherewith Chriſt and his Miniſters, are reproached fall on thee; owne the Miniſters gifts and labours, as thine, reigne, but not without them, be honourable, but not when they are deſpiſed.
When I firſt received this booke intituled, A learned Treatiſe of the Sabbaoth, a little before November laſt, though I was utterly ignorant of any ſuch controuerſie to hauehave paſſed betweene my Brother, and Master Edward Breerwood; and had not yet cast mine eye on the baſe language of the reply in the end of that Treatiſe; yet the very noveltie and dangerous vileneſſe of the Doctrine, without any reference to things perſonall, ſtrucke me. My ſpirit was ſtirred in me, when I ſaw the whole right of the Law for the time of Gods worſhip alleviated; the conſequence whereof muſt needs be this, the whole kingdome wholy given to Atheiſme and prophaneneſſe. The zeale of Gods glory and thy good began to eate upon me: I throw my ſelfe into the open field, that thou mayest be nouriſhed; I reſolved what I was, or am, or may be; ſhould be (Chriſt ſtrengthning mee) Gods and thine; that God the Lord of Heaven might have his Royaltie untouched, man his dutie laid out; Superiors directed to ſtand for God and Men, in the things of God, and Inferiors be Gods, while mens; and mens, in and for God.
Now knowing that there are none but are fleſh, as well as ſpirit, and that the unregenerate part will catch at the moſt excellent truths, to ſucke thereout advantage to it ſelfe, by tearing a ſunder things inſeparably united, and taking to things hand over head in a wrong application, fearing thy miſcarriage, I could not but advertiſe thee a little, in that part that concernes thy duty.
The ſuperiour or master may conceite his power intrenched upon, the inferiour or ſervant may ſuppoſe ſome unwarranted liberty granted him, all may thinke of an over-rigid construction of the unchangeable precept. This D…ſpute yeelds none of thoſe, neither prejudice to the master, nor occaſion of liberty to the ſervant, nor other then a received and allowed ſenſe, to the never-failing law, as will appeare to him that thorowly peruſeth it. But for prevention of over-hasty conceits in all, behold thy way-markes, before thou reade or receive any thought to fore-ſtall thee, take what I ſet here before thee, which hath beene ſeene, and heard, and allowed and received, Bleſſed be Gods holy Name, and I doubt not but ſhall be, maugre the malice of contradicting ſpirits. For I admoniſh thee of no other things then what are already received, in the printed Bookes of Mr. Nich. Byfield. Conſider, I ſay, what that Maſter of Aſſemblies hath left, in his writings as ſtakes to bound out the way of both master and ſervant, ſuperiour and inferiour, in running the race of this fourth commandement, and as goades to quicken thy heart in the embracing of that divine Law.
For the Doctrine of the Sabbath he thus explaineth himſelfe in two places,
First, God hath provided by his unchangeable law that one day in ſeven, ſervants ſhall rest from their labour. M. Byf. on 1 Pet. 2. 18. pag. 723.
Secondly, Servants muſt ſhew their feare of God in their callings, by carefulneſſe to doe Gods ſervice, as well as their masters, not onelyonly by ſpending the Sabbath in the duties of religion, but in redeeming the time in the weeke dayes (as may bee without hinderance of their worke or offence to their maſters) to imploy themſelves in prayer, reading, conference, &c. And the reaſon is, becauſe as ſervants muſt doe their maſters worke, as they are ſervants: ſo they ſtand bound in the common obligation, to do Gods ſervice, as they are men; and no man but is ſubject to the law of God; who hath given all his commandements to ſervants as well as to masters. Byf. in 1 Pet. 2. 18. pag. 734.
For the ſervant he layeth downe theſe godly and ſavory limitations, as Caveats:
Firſt, the ſubjection of ſervants is of Divine inſtitution, to which God hath bound them by the fift Commandement, and ſo is a morall and perpetuall ordinance, in 1 Pet. 2. 18. p. 721.
Secondly, no faults in Superiors, can free inferiors from their ſubjection, in matter or manner, in 1 Pet. 2. p. 742.
Thirdly, if the matter bee onelyonly inexpedient and unmeete, thou muſt obey, in Col. 3. 23. p. 130.
Fourthly, thou muſt bee ſure that it bee ſinne that thou refuſeſt, if thou muſt needs doubt, it is better to doubt and obey, than doubt and diſobey, Id. ibid.
Fiftly, thou muſt in unlawfull things yeeld to obey by ſufferings, Id. ibid.
Sixtly, the ſervant muſt avoide inquiſitiveneſſe, the ſervant knoweth not what his maſter doth, Ioh. 15. 15. in 1 Pet. 2. p. 735.
For the maſter he giveth theſe heavenly admonitions▪
Firſt, the master must give account of all hee doth to God, though he be not bound to doe ſo to inferiors, in 1 Pet. 2. p. 737.
Secondly, good masters not onelyonly licenſe, but teach their ſervants to keepe Gods Sabbath, and worſhip him. Commandement 4. Gen. 18. 19. in 1 Pet. 2. p. 736.
Thirdly, masters doe not onelyonly wickedly in restraining their ſervants from the meanes of their ſalvation or comfort, but doe fooliſhly alſo, in hindering them of that meanes that ſhould make them good ſervants, in 1 Pet. 2. p. 725.
Fourthly, they may not make their ſervants breake Gods Sabbath, to ſatisfie their wils, in Col. 3. 23. p. 130.
In theſe Aphoriſmes, that faithfull ſervant of Ieſus Chriſt being dead, yet ſpeaketh; unto which let me adde a word or two, that thou mightest on all hands be leftready to duty in this behalfe; Remember (if thou be a ſervant) that in workes of holineſſe, mercy and neceſsitie, the maſters power is to be obeyed in ſubjection to his commands; for in thoſe is he under God, for God, and over thee. Then it is thy praiſe to follow Iſa. 41. 2.him in the lawfull uſe of his power, at his foote.
Lastly, the well-ordered houſhold of that worthily praiſed Centurion, ſhould be the platforme for families that intend their welbeing, When hee bad his ſervant goe, he went; and come, he came; and doe this, and he did it: if thou bee a master, and hadſt ſuch ſervants, wouldeſt thou, couldeſt thou ſerve Ier. 43. 9.thy ſelfe of them? I am perſwaded there is not the most covetous and prophane Atheiſt, but hee hath ſo much ſenſe of a deitie, and ſo much conſcience yeelding and heart giving, and relenting, that he would ſometimes in a moode, proclayme to his houſhold the Lords libertie. Is it ſo indeede? my prayer ſhall bee for thee, that of this deede thou mayeſt never repent and pollute Gods Name, with thoſe wretched Iſraelites, lest it ſhould hasten deſolation on thy houſe and name; thy repentance may bee farre better beſtowed, upon the remainder of other ſinnes, againſt other the Holy Lawes of God. To which worke I leave thee and all others that know, that Repentance towards God, and Faith towards the Lord Ieſus is that which ſummeth up Christianitie among thoſe that follow the Truth in Love; the Lord anſwere us all with ſtrength in our ſoules, that alwayes we may labor fervently one for another in prayers, that wee may ſtand perfect and compleat in all the will of God.
So prayeth Yours in the Lord, RICHARD BYFIELD.