The Sabbath Vindicated, Chapter 4
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CHAP. IIII.
ENough hath been said to make it appeare that we are not bound to sanctifie the Lords-day, by vertue of that Commandement in the Decalogue, neither by any expresse Commandement from Christ or his Apostles, and now if any thinke, though this doctrine be true, yet happily it were better that it were not taught publikely.
Answ. Be the truth alone preached, the greatest good doubtlesse will follow thereupon: Doe not we know, that though Paul plant, and Apollos water, yet it is God alone which giveth the increase? Indeed if any man were able to give increase, it were another matter, but shall I fetch water from the devils well, and looke that God should give increase after such watering? neither is the Church now in the infancy, that we should feare to make knowne the abrogating of Moses Law.
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The truth being taught, this good will follow. 1. Thou shalt not Iudaize,The good will come of this doctrine. as they will be found to doe who observe the Lords-day in obedience to the precept of the Sabbath. 2. That thou shalt not doe any thing doubtingly on the Sunday, which doubtlesse many in England doe; and if he which eateth doubtingly be damned, shall not he which worketh doubtingly be damned likewise?Rom. 14. 3. That we shall not have such building on the foundation, hay and stubble hence forwards, as hath been heretofore especially of late yeres.
Answer.
You will not say he Iudaizeth, that upon his obedience to father and mother shall now in the time of the Gospell, expect the fulfilling of that promise in the first Commandement of the second Table, because that now we live not in the land of Canaan. And why, pray you, may not this Commandement concerning the Sabbath stand good now, as well as that promise, and challenge obedience, as well as that doth faith. If we observe the one, or beleeve the other as the Iewes did,*As in offering double sacr…ces, &c. which yet in the Analogy is now also proper. then I confesse we Iudaize, but if according to the present state of the Church, we obey the one and put trust in the other, this must needs be free from Iudaisme, and yet be good Christianity.
For the secōd Good: Call you that Good to work on the Sabbath-day (which yet anon you make to be the property of such, as belong not to God, but are the children of the devill) so a mans conscience accuse him not, or so he doe it not doubtingly? …ndeed you salve the soare well, but take heed of dawbing with untempered morter. Mr. Byfeild giveth a good rule, If we must needs doubt, it is better to doubt and obey, then to doubt and disobey. And for your third Good, That we shall not have such building on the fo…ndation hay and stubble. Be you aware betime, lest you bring an old house over your head. For you know what is threatened to him that breaketh one of these least …ommandements, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdome of Heaven.
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As touching the hurt which in some mens imaginations may come of the publishing of this truth,No …urt can co…e of this … It is not to be doubted, but that when Luther preached Iustification by faith, such as were not good trees brought forth lesse good fruit in shew, and be the truth taught concerning the Lords-day, it is (I confesse) likely enough, that such as belong not to the Lord, will serve the Lord the lesse in outward shew too: But shall I conceale any good thing from the children of God, because the children of the devill will shew themselves more in their colours? He that is unjust, let him be (more) unjust still.… If a man had not the feare of God before his eyes, and any should preach as formerly they have done, he would not forbeare as formerly he hath not, to follow his worldly businesse, to haunt the Alehouse and the like on the Lords-day. If a man truly feareth God (as I hope gentle Reader thou doest) enough may soone be said to make him spend the Lords-day in the holy exercises of Religion, as, 1. Though in this time of the Gospell God would not have any part of his worship consist in the observation of times or places, neither did Christ or his Apostles command us Christians to any day whatsoever, yet this generall Commandement we have.1 Cor. 14. Let all things be done to edifying decently and in order, yea and Nature teacheth that there should be Times and Places set apart for publike meetings, as we see the Gentiles had by the very light of nature. 2. This order to assemble on the Lords-day, had his beginning in the time of the Apostles, and was approved by them, neither is there the least doubt to be made, but that were Saint Paul now alive, he would approve of it in like manner, onelyonly he would be much more earnest then I have been, a…, or can be to have all superstition cleere weeded out of mens minds. After the Apostles time the succeeding churches observed the same order as partly appeareth by these sayings of Iustin Martyr, and others before alleadged, and thus it hath continued ever since, and no doubt shall so continue to the second coming of Christ. Some of late have made it a question whether the Church may change the Lords-day into any other day of the weeke, but in my judgement they might well have spared their pains therein, for what can be imagined wherefore any Church should attempt such a matter, unlesse it be to withdraw some from a superstitious conceit they have of the day? Let this errour be reformed, and there is no feare of a change.
Answer.
To this changing of the Lords-day into another, I answer, That as the order of the last day in the weeke was significant in the time of the Iewes: So is the first day now (as I have observed before) and as therefore that was commanded, so was this prophecyed by Isaiah *I have formerly shewne how both by Isaiah and David, this was cleerly foreto…dand promised.in the old Testament, and accordingly practised in the new, and therefore can no more be altered now without contradiction of divine authority, then the other could in the time of the Iewes; Except you can imagine God hereafter to bestow a benefit on us as much greater then our Redemption, as our Redemption was then our Creation. Besides the Church hath no liberty to alter any day, the which hath a cleare ground and warrant in the word, which the Christian Sabbath or Lords-day hath. And moreover you say Christ is Lord of the Sabbath, if so, then sure the priviledge and authority of altering belongeth only to him.
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The Apostle, Hebrews 13. giveth this charge, Obey duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page them that have the rule over you, and submit your selves, and againe, Rom. 13. Wherefore ye must needs be subject not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. Some peradventure hearing that God hath not immediately commanded us Christians to sanctifie the Lords-day, as he did the Israelites to sanctifie the Sabbath, will be ready to demand, what need we then forbeare any worldly businesse on the Sunday? for answer unto whom though unworthy of any, let me also demand, what need you repaire to the Church, the place of prayer? That you may so doe must we teach that God in expresse termes hath commanded to build Churches, and in such places in every Parish? Had these men lived in the time of the Law, though they had forborne worke on the Sabbath, yet certainly they would not have repaired to the Synagogues when they had been called they would have answered with Dathan and Abiram, we will not come, for God hath not bidden us come to such a place, nor at such a time of the day.Even in the time of the Law, some things were lest to bee ordered by the Magistrate. Should thy so…e being sent of thee into the field, thinke with himselfe, I need not goe, for it is not written in the Scriptures that I should goe plow to day, As God in generall termes hath charged thy sonne to obey his father, so God in generall tearmes hath charged thee an inferiour to obey thy Governours, both spirituall and temporall, by whose joynt Commandement thou art bound to sanctifie the Lords-day, and if thou wilfully breakest this double bond, know that it is by the comming of another spirit upon thee then came upon Sampson heretofore, even such a spirit as the man had that brake the yron chaines and setters in pieces, Mark. 5.
Answer.
Pray you turne the point of this Argument into your owne breast, and consider if the same authority, which commandeth you to sanctifie the Lords-day, doe not likewise in the Liturgy command you to pray for inablement to keep the fourth Commandement,*Have a better nion of your … then to think she wil command you to pray for that which you o…ght not to beleeve and practise. but it s…emeth whosoever is in authority you will be supreme, binding that authority that should rather bind you. But if the authority be thus (as you would make it) in the hand of the Magistrate onelyonly, to appoint the time of Gods solemne worship, and that the fourth Commandement is now of no force, nor yet the prophecy or Apostolicke practice to bind us; then you may say with Ames. in his Medulla, pag. 355. ut si ipsis videatur diem … ex viginti, aut triginta huic usui assignare, non posint hoc nomine argui alicuius … (aut scripturae.) Nay rather we may hence argue it as a fault in the Apostles and primitive times, that they would take upon them of their authority to create so neere a semblance to the Sabbath, and not rather an annuall remembrance of the Resu…ection▪ and by an humane institution to shoulder out a divine one, an… yet the substance thereof (to wit the benefit of the Creation) still remaineth to be remembred. But it is strange that the Church should either assume this liberty, or that we should give it to the Church. 1. Seeing the fourth Commandement doth dictate to us, both the proportion of time which we are to celebrate to God▪ and the reason of that celebration, the Time is the seventh day, the reason is Gods resting from or consummating his greatest and beneficiallest worke, which Christ, the author and actor of the new Creation, God and Man, hath now fulfilled by his Resurrection, and so pointed and appointed us the foreign or the particular seventh day, nothing dissenting from the Commandement nor destroying it, but fulfilling and establishing it upon better tearmes. 2. Seeing God commandeth to labour six dayes and to rest a seventh; And Christ hath not exempted us from labouring in our calling to the end of our lives, therfore a seventh day is to be kept for Sabbath weekly to the end of the world. And it is not left in the power either of the Church or any humane authority, doctrinally to shorten or enlarge this proportion of dayes for our labour and holy Rest, or any way to abrogate or alter this Commandement.
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Gal. 5. 13.
For brethren ye have been called to liberty, onelyonly use … liberty for an occasion to the flesh.
The end of the second Treatise.
Answer.
Weigh well the truth of that which the same man *Am…s▪ Medul. pag. 364.speaketh concerning this unlawfull liberty, which you strive so much to maintaine by good Scripture misused, Saith he there, Experientia docet licentiam & rerum sacrarum non curantiam, magis magisq… invalesc…re ubi die… dominicae i…st…ratio non habetur.
Take heed of walking in the Broad way.
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A question whereabout I will not contend, onelyonly I thinke good to shew mine opinion therein.
The Sabbath as it is said before chapter the third,A Iew sleeping in the night, and were it p…rt of the day sanctifi…d the Sabbath for that time. was sanctified by abstaining from all works, which in the time of the Law was an holy duty, as was the abstaining from leavened bread, the offering of sacrifices, &c. and some that only rested from worke sanctified the Sabbath, as did little children their cradles. A childe of twenty dayes old did prophane the Sabbath (no man will say so) and of necessity every one prophaned it or sanctified it, there is no meane.
Quest. Was the Sabbath sanctified by offering sacrifices, praying, hearing the Word, and the like holy Duties, or not?
Answ. It was not, for proofe hereof I propose this briefly to be considered.God first sanctified the seventh day, that is, consecrated it to an holy rest, after he comm…nded man to sanctifie it, th…t is, to spend it in holy rest, as for morall duties they were enjoyned in other Commandements on very day. See bef…
1. God commanding to sanctifie the Sabbath, and coming afterwards to shew his meaning, requireth onelyonly to rest from worke: Remember to sanctifie the Sabbath, that is, God himselfe being expositor, Remember to doe no worke on the seventh day, Exod. 20. 8, 10. See before, Chap. 3.
2. God sanctified the seventh day, because therein he had rested and was refreshed, Gen. 2. Exod. 31. not because he had instructed Adam and Eve therein, or that they had called on his holy name.
3. As God commanded to sanctifie the seventh day, so the yeare,*Neither was the Temple. which yeare was not yet sanctified by the sacrifices, prayers, &c. in the same see Levit. 25.
4. God requireth in the first place to worship him, then for the better performance of this duty in the second place he requireth Israel to sanctifie the seventh day, that is, to doe no worke therein, whereby the day became fit for this purpose. The sanctifying of the Sabbath then,The order of the Commandements sheweth this, and Nature teacheth the same. Nature …e…cheth in the first place to worship God, and after to have se… times for the per… mance of this duty. as the sanctifying of the Tabernacle in order went before the worshipping of God therein, I meane before praying, hearing the word and such like duties, for the sanctifying of the Sabbath was it selfe a part of the Ceremoniall Law.
5. Were the Sabbath sanctified by praying, hearing the word, &c. it would follow that God more respected the sanctifying the Sabbath, then he did praying, preaching, &c.
6. The Sabbath was prophaned onelyonly by working, as is shewed before, Chap. 3. Wherefore it was sanctified only by abstaining from worke.
7. Suppose that Adam had continued in the state of Innocency, Nature then would have taught him to set a part some times and places for holy Convocations, I demand now, how Adam sanctified his appointed times, by preaching, hearing of the word, &c. or not.
If not, why then did the Israelites? If yea, then why had he not as well sanctified his appointed places, by the same holy Duties? I dare affirme that when any goeth on the Sunday to the Church, to pray and heare a Sermon, if therby he sanctifie the Sunday, that thereby he sanctifieth the Church also. This I will maintaine, though (as I said) I will not contend about the question, for we have nothing to doe with the Iewes Sabbath nor with their sanctifying it.
Answer.
How & in what sense Rest is said to sanctifie the Sabbath we have at large spoken of it before. Yet here I will briefly answer one question with another. I aske how the vessels *What I s…y of these may be in…a…ed in o…her thi…g….of the Temple were properly said to be sanctified, whether by being not imployed about prophane uses, or rather in a relative sense, by being imployed about holy? Sure you will say, by being imployed in Gods service about holy uses. So the Sabbath was not properly sanctified by resting from prophane, but by being imployed in holy businesses. For God hath appointed it to be a day of blessing, now sure it is not our Resting, but our imployment in holy services, and use of the meanes that makes it so. And so had God appointed it to be to Adam in Innocency, for no doubt but Adam being enjoyned labour, which necessarily took him off from immediate contemplation, his spirituall life should have been upheld by due use of meanes*And therefore had he a Sacram…nt instituted, to wit, the tree of life, and also a Sabbath. as well as his temporall, but what those had been besides prayer, and meditation, and praise, and such like meanes, whereby he might enjoy spirituall commu…ion with God, I will not take upon me to determine.
Now as for that, which you urge so strongly, of sanctifying the Places as well as the Time, I answer, That what Places God hath ever specially and solemnly appointed for his speciall and solemne worship, they have been as well sanctified by that worship as the Time so appointed, and so was the Temple in Ierusalem. For as it is the use, unto which Christ hath appointed the bread and wine, in the Lords Supper, that sanctifieth the bread and wine, so was it the use unto which God appointed the Temple that sanctified it. God appointeth one time universally for all people, not so of Place: Because an appointed Time may be Catholicke (as is the Church) which an appointed place cannot. For first it would be of infinite inconvenience for the Catholicke Church to repaire to one particular Place, as all Israel did to Ierusalem; and secondly it would contradict the nature of the Church, and make that particular which is Catholicke. But I will conclude with Dr. Ames. opinion in this matter of Rest, Medul. pag. 367. Quies ista quamvis in se absolute considerata non sit, neque unquam fuer it pars aliqua cultus, prout tamen à Deo imperatur, tanquam necessarium quid ad ipsius cultum, & ad illum etiam refertur, eatenus est pars observantiae illius quae pertinet ad religionem & cultum Dei, Sanctificatio huius quietis ac diei est applicatio nostrum ipsorum singularis ad Deum eo die colendum, quod innuitur illis ipsis phrasibus. Sanctificavit illum diem & Sabbatum est Iehove Deo tuo.
Pray for the Author:
Praise God the Giver.
FINIS.
End of the text · George Abbot, The Sabbath Vindicated (1641)