A Threefold Treatise of the Sabbath, Title page – Errata
A Threefold TREATISE OF THE SABBATH;
diſtinctly divided into The
PATRIARCHALL, SABBATH:
MOSAICALL, SABBATH:
CHRISTIAN SABBATH:
For the better clearing and manifeſtation of the truth in this Controverſie concerning the weekly Sabbath.
By Richard Bernard Rectour of Batcombe.
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, Exod. 20. 8. as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, Deut. 5. 12.
LONDON, Printed by Richard Biſhop for Edward Blackmore, and are to bee ſold at the ſigne of the Angel in S. Pauls Church-yard, 1641.
To the right Honourable the Lords Temporall in the High Court of Parliament. To the Honourable the Knights, Citizens, and Burgeſſes in the Houſe of Commons.
more eſpecially
To the Grand Committee for Religion.
To the Committee for the Remonſtrance.
To the Committee for Miniſters maintenance and ſuppreſſion of ſcandalous Miniſters.
more particularly,
To the Knights, and Burgeſſes of Somerſet-ſhire, or Parliament-men dwelling in that County, namely,
Sir JOHN PAULETT, Knight
Sir WIL. PORTMAN, Baronet
Sir JOHN STOWELL, Knight of the Bath.
Sir RALPH HOPTON, Knight of the Bath.
Sir FRANCIS POPHAM, K.
Sir EDWARD RODNEY, K.
Sir PETER WROTH, K.
Mr. DIGBY.
Mr. POPHAM.
Mr. LUTTERILL.
Mr. BASSET.
Mr. SMITH.
Mr. PHELIPS.
Mr. PYNE.
Mr. HUNT.
Mr. KIRTON.
Mr. SEARLE.
Mr. JOHN ASHE.
Right Honourable Lords, and you the Honourable Aſſembly of the Houſe of Commons,
THere hath been no Chriſtian Church beyond the ſeas, departed from Rome, which hath given ſo much honourable reſpect unto the Lords day (our Chriſtian Sabbath) as wee here in this our flouriſhing Kingdome and Nation: And it was our glory ſo to honour the Lord Chriſt; and it will be our great unhappineſſe to faile in this our Chriſtian duty, ſo confirmed by Scripture, and the generall practice of all true worſhippers of his glorious name throughout the whole Chriſtian world, the ſpace of theſe ſixteene hundred yeares.
Yet in this our time, and of late dayes, are ſtepped up among us certaine vaine men, prophane enough, who have attempted to deprive Chriſt Jeſus of his glory (in the religious obſervation of this day, grounded upon his glorious Reſurrection) and us of our ſpirituall conſolation, in keeping an whole day ſet apart for his worſhip and ſervice.
For this end, books upon books have beene written, and by licence paſſed the Preſſe, to take away the morallity of the fourth Commandement, never, in any age heretofore, doubted of; to make alſo people beleeve, that our Chriſtian Sabbath hath no warrant from thence, and that it is not of divine inſtitution, but alterable from that firſt day of the week, equallizing their deviſed holy-dayes with it, and allowing alſo the like vaine ſports upon this day, as upon the other dayes, calling ſuch as religiouſly ſet the whole day apart for holy uſes, Sabbatarians, and Iudaizers, thus reproaching, and in their ſenſe, belying thoſe that more truly honour Chriſt than they doe.
And that they might ſecurely go on in theſe their prophane errours without controule, and perſwade the more inconſiderate ſort, that what they have written, are truths, and unanſwerable; they have ſtopped the meanes of printing ſound Antidotes to their empoyſoned propoſitions, whereupon they have beene bold to inſult over godly orthodox Divines, with too many words of inſolency, ſcorne, and much contempt; which they have borne with great patience, waiting the Lords leiſure till he ſhould bee pleaſed in his good time to give liberty for the publiſhing of their learned labours, which have of long time lien by them.
And now (bleſſed be God) the time is come, the way is made open by your honourable wiſdomes, goodneſſe, power, and authority, for godly and learned men to diſcover the vaine boaſtings, and the folly of thoſe evill ones, to the view of all. Some of ours proceed polemically, and have made anſwer fully to the beſt eſteemed of thoſe prophane writers. Some only write poſitively, to diſcover the truth, and to make it knowne in a plaine way, that the meaneſt capacity may bee rightly enformed: This way have I taken in this threefold Treatiſe, humbly craving pardon for my bold preſumption in preſenting to your honourable view theſe my weak endeavours.
But the cauſe is Chriſts, and ſo deſerves acceptation and promotion: God hath appointed you at this time, as his worthieſt and meeteſt inſtruments for this end: I cannot therefore ſeek for other Patrons in exalting the honour of Chriſt, which by theſe men hath been ſo diſhonoured, and his people ſo abuſed. For the redreſſe whereof, as you have nobly begun, ſo to proceed on to do ever valiantly in the beſt ſervice of your God, there ſhall not be wanting the hearty and earneſt prayers of
Your humble Servant and Suppliant RICHARD BERNARD. London, March 26. 1641.
Faults to be corrected.
PAge 3. line 21. for grant read ground. pag. 50. l. 24. for raigne read raine. pag. 57. l. 12. for no read only. pag. 59. l. 12. for to read by. pag. 71. l. 6. for fourtum read quartum. pag. 73. l. 31. dele before. pag. 78. l. 28. for John read Joſua. pag. 95. l. 22. ſet and after the word reſt. pag. 127. l. 21. for plaucit read placuit.
The reſt of the eſcapes I pray the Gentle Reader to correct.
The Contents of the Patriarchall Sabbath.
SECTION 1. OF the firſt Sabbath, and why called Patriarchall.
SECT. 2. Of the conceit of an Anticipation or Prolepſis, and what it is.
SECT. 3. Arguments againſt this Anticipation or Prolepſis.
SECT. 4. Of another conceit concerning Deſtination, and what it is, alſo confuted.
SECT. 5. Of the true underſtanding of the words in Gen. 2. 3.
SECT. 6. That in Gen. 2. 3. is the Inſtitution of the Sabbath.
SECT. 7. The Inſtitution was binding, and required the obſervation of the Sabbath, from the beginning.
SECT. 8. The Sabbath was obſerved of Gods people, before the Law given at Mount Sinai.
OF THE PATRIARCHALL SABBATH, AND THE ORIGINALL THEREOF.
Gen. 2. 3.
And God bleſſed the ſeventh day and ſanctified it.
SECTION. I. Of the firſt Sabbath, and why called Patriarchall.
IN theſe words is the inſtitution of the Sabbath before the Law given on Mount Sinai.
I call it the Patriarchall Sabbath, becauſe it was known and obſerved of the holy Fathers, of Adam, and of the other Patriarkes, till Moſes and Iſrael received the Law. And to diſtinguiſh it from the Moſaicall and Chriſtian Sabbaths, of which in the two Treatiſes following.
Some there be, and more of late, than heretofore, that do deny the Sabbath to be here inſtituted.
Becauſe, ſay ſome of them, (for they be not all of one minde) that Moſes delivered the words by a figure called Anticipation or Prolepſis: Other ſome, that they be words of deſtination, that in time to come the ſeventh day ſhould be bleſſed and ſanctified to Iſrael for the Sabbath day; and ſo the words not to be taken for a preſent Inſtitution of the Sabbath day then.
So the Queſtion is, whether the Sabbath day in this place of Geneſis hath its firſt ground and eſtabliſhment, and here its firſt inſtitution.
Many of the Ancients, ſome of the learnedſt Jewiſh Rabbies, very many judicious Divines among us Proteſtants, and divers learned Papiſts, do hold the affirmative.
Some (few in compariſon of the other) do hold the negative, upon the former ſuppoſitions; ſuppoſitions I call them, for that they have no ground of Reaſon from either the Letter, or Circumſtance of the Text.