The Divine Appointment of the Lords Day, Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
Whether the truest Antiquity be for the seventh day Sabbath as kept by the Churches of Christ?
IT is here further objected that the seventh day Sabbath hath the truest testimonies of Antiquity: that it is controvertible when and how the Lords day came in; but the Antiquity of the seventh day Sabbath is past Controversie: that the Eastern Christians long observed it, and Antichrist in the West did turn it into a Fast: that the Empire of Abassia keepeth it to this day.
Answ. There is enough said of this before, were it not that some Objectors causlesly look for more. I answer therefore, 1. That it is true that the Sabbath is more ancient than the Lords day; And so is Moses more ancient than Christ Incarnate, and his Law than the Gospel as delivered by Christ and his Apostles, and Circumcision than Baptism, and the Passover than the Lords Supper; And so every mans Conception, Nativity, Infancie and Ignorance was before his Maturity and Knowledge. And what can you gather from all this? Thus the Papists say that their way of Religion was in England before ours, and that the reliques of it in our Monuments [Orate pro animabus, &c.] is their standing witness, which we cannot totally deface: And its true, if by our way they mean the Reformation of theirs as such: For the Cure is ever after the disease: Though its false if they speak of our Religion it self; which was here before their errours, as Health is before sickness. But they should consider, that by this prerogative the Heathens excell us both: And that they may say, you have yet many Monuments of our more ancient Religion, which you have not been able to obliterate: You still call your Week dayes by our ancient names, Sunday, Munday, &c. Your adoration towards the East was fetcht from us, and so were abundance of your Customes: Which we hope may recover the reputation of our Religion.
2. I have shewed you already how and why the Eastern Christians kept the Sabbath: 1. They kept it not as a Sabbath, but only met on that day as they did on the fourth and the sixth dayes, (Wednesdayes and Fridayes) as it is used in England to this day. And for the most part they Celebrated not the Lords Supper on that day. And they abhorred the keeping it as a day of Rest.
2. They met on that day for all these Reasons. 1. Because having been used in the beginning to meet every day in the Week (when they had all things common, and were to shew the power of the Evangelical Doctrine to the height, Act. 2. 44, 45, 46. & 4. 33, 34, 35.) as they found cause to retrive their community, so did they to meet seldomer, and yet not so seldome as once a Week: And therefore as we now keep other meetings for Lectures and Prayers, besides the Lords day, so did they then on Wednesdayes, Fridayes, and Saturdayes. 2. Because the Conversion of the Jews was a great part of their work and hope: And therefore to win them, they would with Paul become Jews, that is, not affect an unnecessary distance, but come as neer them as Lawfully they could. 3. Because Converted Jews were no small part of the Eastern Churches: who could not easily be quite brought off from Jewish Customes; And the rest were unwilling to offend them, being taught not to despise the weak that observed meats and days, Rom. 14. & 15. Gal. 2. 4. Because the Assemblies on the seventh day were taken as fit preparatories to the sanctifying of the Lords day, on which account the Church of England now appointeth them. These things one that is acquainted with Church History needeth no proof of.
And they are sufficiently proved before. Ignatius words before cited are full. And those of the Council of Laodicea, Can. 29. are more full, who do at once appoint meetings on the seventh day, and yet Anathematize them that Judaize thereon, by bodily rest; and would have men labour on it, and preferr the Lords day before it.
Justin Martyr in his Dialogue with Trypho, doth largely shew that Circumcision and the Sabbath are ceased by the coming of Christ, and his Institutions, and are not now to be used by Christians. And what writer have we of full reputation and credibility more ancient than Justin, from whom any testimony in this case might be sought?
Tertullian (one of the next) li. 2. against Marcion saith, that the Sabbath was for that Time, and present occasion, or use, and not for perpetuity.
Athanasius was one that was for meeting on the Sabbath: And yet writeth his Book de Sab. & Circum. purposely to prove that the Sabbath is ceased with Circumcision as a Shadow, and that now the Lords day is the sanctified day. And the like he hath most expresly in Homil. de Semente, as is cited before, saying that, The Master being come, the Vsher was out of use; and the Sun being risen the Lamps are darkened.
Basil Ep. 74. Writeth against Apollinaris for holding that after the Resurrection, we should keep Sabbaths, and Judaize…; As if that were the perfection to which Christ would restore men.
See Greg. Nazianz. Orat. 43. And Chrysoft. Hom. 19. in Mat. 12. against the use of the Sabbath. Cyril. Hieros. cat. 4. & Epiphan. against the Nazaraei, condemn them for keeping the Sabbath and Circumcision, though withal they kept the Lords day. The same doth Epiphanius li. 1. Haer. 30. n… 2. and before him Eusebius Hist. li. 3. say of the Ebionites. Augustine oft telleth us, that the observation or keeping of the seventh day Sabbath is ceased, and not to be done by Christians. Qu. ex. N. Test. 69. Ad Bonif. l. 3. Contr. Faust. Manich. li. 6. c. 4. De Genes. ad lit. l. 4. c. 13. de spir. & lit. c. 14. de util. Cred. c. 3.
3. And as for the Abassians keeping the Sabbath, Its true, they keep that day in some sort: But it is as true, that they use Circumcision, and many other Jewish Ceremonies; besides oft Baptizings; And that they profess not to use these as the Jews do, but only as ancient Customes, and as Paul did while he complyed with them, using the outward action for other ends than Judaizers do. And the rather because they think their Emperours descended from Solomon. But the Lords day they keep on the same account as other Christians. And if this instance make any thing for Sabbatizing, it will make as much for Circumcising, and other Jewish rites, but nothing against the Sanctifying of the Lords day.
4. And as for the matter of Fasting on the Sabbath, the Churches greatly varyed in their Customes. The Eastern Churches, and Millan in the West, were against Fasting on the Sabbath on two accounts, 1. Because, as is said, they would not offend the Jewes. Even as many peaceable Non-Conformists, who are against many Holy dayes now established, do yet forbear labouring and opening their Shops on those dayes, because they will not give offence; Yea and go to hear the Sermons on those dayes, though they keep them not Holy as such dayes. 2. Because there were many sorts of Hereticks in those times, who held that the World was made by an evil God, and thence came evil, and so they Fasted on the seventh day on that reason: Which made the Christians avoid it lest they should Symbolize with those Hereticks. And therefore the (real or pretended) Ignatius speaketh so severely against Fasting on the Sabbath, as well as on the Lords day. And so do the Constitutions called the Apostles; yea and the Canons called theirs, Can. 65.
But in the Western Churches, (as is aforesaid) both Jews and Hereticks were more distant, or less considerable for numbers; and therefore they fasted on the seventh day, and that the rather lest they should seem by Sabbatizing to Judaize. Which was before Antichrists appearing, unless you think all the holy Doctors before cited, and all the Western Churches to be Antichristian.
Having gone thus far I here add two more Scripture Arguments to prove the abolition of the Jewish Sabbath. The first is because it is frequently made (as Circumcision is) a sign of the particular Covenant between God, and that Nation as they were a political body, and peculiar people. Therefore if their Policy cease, and Gods relation to them as a Political body, and peculiar people, and so that Political Covenant with them, then also the signe of the Covenant and Relation ceaseth. And though the word [for ever] is sometime added, it is no other than is oft added also to the Jewish Law and Ceremonies.
2. From Act. 15. Where the case is determined by a Council of Apostles, Elders and Brethren, yea by the Holy Ghost. V. 28. It appeareth by V. 24. that the thing asserted by the false Teachers was, [that the Gentiles must be Circumcised and keep the Law; that is, of Moses] V. 1. Now the seventh day Sabbath was part of that Law (As Sacrificing was, though it was a Law before.) But the Holy Ghost determineth the case, [to lay on them no greater burden than these necessary things,] after named; where the Sabbath is none of them, and therefore hereby shut out. The precepts given to Noah are named (of which the Sabbath was not one.)
Obj. By this Exposition you may say that the rest of the Decalogue is excluded: For Idolatry, Murder, &c. are not here forbidden by name. Answ. I have fully proved that the Decalogue as written in Stone, and part of the Law or Covenant of Moses is not at all in force, especially to the Gentiles, nor yet as part of the Covenant (or promise) of Works, made with Adam in Innocency: For the form of the Promissory Covenant of Works ceased upon mans sin, and the promise of a Saviour; And the form of the Mosaical Law or Covenant never reached to the Gentile Nations and is ceased to the Jews: Therefore the Matter must cease as it constituted the same Covenant, when the forme ceased: And Paul saith expresly that this Law Written in Stone is done away: But, 1. The Law of Nature as a meer Law never ceased: 2. And Christ hath taken it into his Covenant, as part of the Matter of it: So that it is wholly in force, though not as part of the Covenant of Works, either Adamical or Mosaical. But the Sabbath as to the seventh day, was no part of the Law of Nature, as is proved: And Paul expresly saith that it was a shadow of things to come, and is therefore vanished away, Col. 2. 16. Had it been part of the Law of Nature, it had bound us as such and as Christs Law: or had it been one of the Enumerated particulars, Act. 15. it had bound the Neighbour Gentiles, pro tempore at least. But being neither, that Council dischargeth Christians from the observation of it, as far as I can understand the Text.
FINIS.