The Sum of Sacred Divinity, Book 1 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
Of the fourth Commandement.
THE fourth Commandement enioyneth aThis is the manner of Gods worſhip: A holy reſt is the ſanctifying of a time vntounto his Seruice, which (beſide other times, as occaſion ſhall be offered) in a Family or for ones ſelfe apart, ought (ordinarily) to be in the morning and euening of eueryevery day. ſanctifying of ſome time vntounto his ſeruice, both other times, as occaſion ſhall require, and eſpecially ſome ſet and ſolemne times, which firſt in a Family or for ones ſelfe apart, ought (ordinarily) to bee in the morning and euening eueryevery day, as the Pſalmiſt ſPſal. 92. 2.ſaith, It is good to declare in the morning thy Kindneſſe, and thy Truth in the night. Therefore was the morning and euening Sacrifice inſtituted of God, Exod. 29. 38, 39. Some mens zeale hath carryed them further, either in reſpect of the publike calamities of the Church, or their owne more ſpeciall and priuate wants, to performe this dutie both morning, euening, and at noone. Euening, morning and at noone will I meditate and pray aloud, ſaith DAVID, Pſal. 55. 17. So Daniel thrice a day kneeled vponupon his knees, and prayed and confeſſed before his God, Dan. 6. 11. which is there noted to hauehave beene his continuall courſe: or elſe this at noone haply may bee thought, when they came to receiue their meate with Prayer and Thankeſgiuing.
Secondly, For publike exerciſes and meetings of theFor Churchmeetings on ſuch dayes & times of the day, as may ſtand with the conueniencie of that Church. But of neceſſitie one whole day in ſeuen, is thus to bee kept holy, Church, we muſt doe it on ſuch dayes and times of the day, as may ſtand with the conueniencie of that Church.
Thirdly, One whole day in ſeuen is of neceſſitie to be kept holy. This the Scripture calleth by excellencie the Sabbath Day, without a difference, as it were the elder brother to all the reſt of the dayes of the weeke, which is called tLeuit. 23. 15. & 25. 8, 8. Mat. 28. 1. Acts 20. 7. 1. Cor. 16. 2. Marke: 6 2 9. Luke 24. 1. Iohn 20. 1.Sabbaths in the plurall.
The parts of the ſanctifying of this day are two: one, to reſt from worldly buſineſſes, and from thoſe workes and duties of our calling, which at other times are not onelyonly lawfull, but expedient and neceſſarie to bee done. The particular workes that we are thus to abſtaine from, are of two kinds: Firſt, great aſwel as ſmal, and ſmal aſwel as great. A greater and more excellent worke can hardly be imagined, then the building of Gods owne Houſe, the materiall and outward Tabernacle, yet euen That the Lord by a ſtrict & preciſe caution doth ſpecially forbid vponupon this day, Exod. 31. 13. Yet, ſaith hee, yee ſhall obſerue my Sabbaths: Not ſetting your hand in that day vntounto this worke, though it be moſt holy. Thoſe holy women that had Odours, Oyntments, and all things in a readineſſe, yet in a religious obſeruation of Gods Ordinance, forbare on the Sabbath to embalme the precious bodie of our Lord and Sauiour Chriſt, and are commended by the Holy Ghoſt for it. They uLuke 23. 56.reſted, ſaith LVKE, the Sabbath Day, according to the Commandement. Againe, how ſmall a thing is it to gather a few ſtickes! But when one preſumed to doe this, and with an high hand in prophanation of the Sabbath, wee know what his doome was from the mouth of God himſelfe, Numb. 15. 32, 33, 34, 35, 36.
In the ſecond place come things both neceſſarie and delightfull, of profit, and of pleaſure. In ſeed time and in harueſt the fitteſt ſeaſons for all worldly commodities, thou ſhalt keepe Sabbath, ſaith the Holy Ghoſt, Exodus 34. 21. Of this kinde are trauailing and iournying vponupon that Day; whereof the Law is giuen, Exodus 16. 29. Tarrie eueryevery man in his place: Let no man goe out of his place the ſeuenth Day. Likewiſe Faires, Markets, and all kinde of buying and ſelling: for which cauſe xNehem. 13. 19 Reade Verſe, 15 16, 17, 18.Nehemia that godly Magiſtrate, When the gates of Ieruſalem began to bee darke before the Sabbath, commanded to ſhut the gates, and charged that they ſhould not be opened till after the Sabbath, and ſet ſome of his ſeruants at the gates, that there ſhould be no burden brought in vponupon the Sabbath Day. Sporting alſo, banquetting, and ſuch like, which diſtract our minds from Gods Seruice, are then to be auoyded, which is that the Lord calleth, Not to do our owne delight vponupon that Day, Eſay 58. 13. The doing of which things, or of any of them, is contrarie to this outward ſanctifying of the Sabbath.
Yet can we not ſay, that all theſe things are vtterly forbidden without exception: certaine cautions muſt bee made:
Firſt, Things of common honeſtie, and for neceſſarie ſafegard of that which would otherwiſe periſh, are lawfull vponupon that Day. Our Sauiour taketh that for granted, euen amongſt thoſe that moſt ſtraightly vrge the Letter of this Law, What yMat. 12. 11man is there among you, which hath a ſheepe, and if it fall vponupon the Sabbath Day into a Ditch, will not take it and plucke it out?
Secondly, Such are allowed as take vsus not away from the Seruice of God, but ſerue for honeſt and needfull recreation, to make vsus fitter for holy things.
Thirdly, Hither belong thoſe labours and bodily workes which are done for the ſetting forth of Gods Glorie, as hee that being made whole, tooke vp his BedBoth with publike and priuate exerciſes. and carryed it on the Sabbath Day, Iohn 5. 8, 9.
The next part of the ſanctifying of this Day, is, to imploy it in the Seruice of God, which is that whereunto the outward reſt tendeth, Eſay 58. 13. If thou wilt turne away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thine owne will vponupon mine Holiday, and call the Sabbath delight, holy to IEHOVAH, and honour him, not doing thine owne wayes, &c. Of this kind, are,
Firſt, All religious and holy exerciſes, whereof theſe the Scripture noteth by name, as duties to be performed vponupon that Day:
Firſt, To heare the Word preached, Acts 13. 14. 15. After the reading of the Law and the Prophets in the Synagogue on the Sabbath Day, the Ruler of the Synagogue ſent vntounto them, ſaying, Yee men and Brethren, if yee hauehave any word of exhortation for the People, ſay on. Acts 15. 21. MOSES of old time hath in euerie Citie thoſe that preach him, being read in the Synagogues eueryevery Sabbath Day.
Secondly, Publike Prayer. Acts 16. 13. VponUpon the Sabbath Day we went out of the City vntounto a Riuer, where Prayer was wont to be.
Thirdly, To receiue the Sacraments at the times appointed. Acts 20. 7. The firſt Day of the Weeke, when the Diſciples were gathered together to breake bread, PAVL preached vntounto them, &c.
Fourthly, Collections and gathering for the Saints: 1. Cor. 16. 2. The firſt Day of the Weeke, let eueryevery one lay aſide by him, treaſuring vp what hee hath beene proſpered.
Fifthly, Priuate meditation, which was the exerciſe of Iohn the Apoſtle, at what time hee was baniſhed into the Ile Pathmos for the Word of God: VponUpon the Lords Day hee was rauiſhed in Spirit, in ſweete and heauenly Meditations, Reuel. 1. 10. wherein it is fit that by our ſelues, and in our Family we conferre together, and call to minde the things that in the publike Miniſterie wee hauehave heard, zActs 17. 11.as the men of Berea did. And in this reſpect▪ leſt by the trauailing of our beaſts, men, who are neceſſarily to be imployed about them, ſhould be drawn from Gods Seruice, we are commanded, that they ſhould alſo reſt: for whoſe eaſe otherwiſe the Sabbath was not any way ordayned.
Secondly, The duties of brotherly louelove, as diſtributingIn which number, the duties of brotherly louelove, as diſtributing to the poore according to Gods bleſſing vponupon vsus, viſiting the ſicke, helping our Neighbor, or any thing that is his, in their diſtreſſe, come alſo to bee reckoned, when they are done as works of MercieMercy. to the poore, according to the good hand and bleſſing of God vponupon vsus, viſiting the ſicke, helping our Neighbour, his Oxe, Aſſe, or any thing in diſtreſſe, when they are done, not for our owne lucre, but as workes of mercy and compaſſion. Thus did aActs 20 9.Paul vponupon that day reſtore him, that being ouercome with ſleepe, while Paul was preaching, the night of the Sabbath Day, fell downe from the third Loft, and was taken vp dead, Acts 20. 9. And hither tendeth the ſaying of our Sauiour Chriſt, Marke 2. 27. The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. The contrarie hereof is the outward obſeruation, without reſpect of inward godlineſſe.
The Seuenth Day thus to bee kept holy, was in the bGen. 2. 3. Exod. 20. 10, 11. This day, in the firſt inſtitution was the Seuenth Day from the Creation, and called the Sabbath Day.firſt inſtitution the Seuenth Day from the Creation, when God reſting from his owne worke of creating the World, which in ſix dayes he had finiſhed, ſanctified that Day for a Day of reſt, and named it the Sabbath Day, beginning on the Euening of the day before, when cGen. 1. 31. Beginning on the euening of the Day before, when the Creation of the World was finiſhed.the Creation of the World was finiſhed, as dLeuit. 23. 32.all other Feaſts vnderunder the Law did. To vsus Chriſtians it is the firſt Day of the Creation, as in his place ſhall bee declared.
And this Seuenth Day is all to be kept holy, from the beginning to the end, riſing vp early in the morning for the ſanctifying of it, after the example of our Sauiour Chriſt, Marke 1. 35. continuing it till the night; and in the night, as the ePſal. 92. 3.Pſalme made for the Day ſpeaketh, that ſo our verie ſleepe may bee the ſweter to vsus.
The obſeruation of the Sabbath Day (which hath a ſpeciall Item giuen to it, Remember the Sabbath Day that thou keepe it holy) is a morall and a perpetuall Law, not onelyonly Ceremoniall and for a time: for
Firſt, It is the ſame which was fGen. 2, 2, 3.inſtituted in Paradiſe, before any promiſe of Chriſt, whom all Ceremonies doe reſpect.
Secondly, It is written by the finger of God, in the Tables of the Couenant, where there was nothing Ceremoniall, but all Morall, and of perpetuall indurance.
Thirdly, Our Sauiour, Mat. 24. 40. willing them that long time after his death ſhould bee aliue, to pray that their flight might not be on the Sabbath, ſheweth, that it was not to hauehave an end by that Sacrifice of his, whereby gDan 9 24.all Ceremonies were aboliſhed.
Howbeit, ſome way it was ceremoniall, repreſenting a ſpirituall reſt: but that was not of the Subſtance, nor in the firſt Inſtitution, but afterwards annexed to it as a thing accidentall, which had his end in Chriſt.