The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Thesis 63 – Thesis 73
Thesis 63.
If therefore the morall worship it self, whether publick, externall or private, be not directly required in this fourth Command, much lesse is the whole Ceremoniall worship here enjoyned,Prim. par. 2. cap. 6. S. 3, 4, 5. as Master Primrose maintaines, for the whole Ceremoniall worship, both in Sacrifices, Ceremonies, Type…, &c. was significant, and were, as I may so say, Gods Images, or media cultus, meanes of worship, by carrying the minde and heart to God, by their speciall significations, and therefore were instituted worship, and therefore directly contained under the second, and therefore not under the fourth Command: And if there bee but nine Commandments which are morall, and this one (by his reckoning) is to bee ceremoniall, and the head of all ceremonials, and that therefore unto it all ceremoniall worship is to appertaine, then the observation of a Sabbath is the greatest Ceremony, according as wee see in all other Commandments, the lesser sinnes are condemned under the grosser, as anger under murder, and lust under adultery; and inferiour duties under the chief and principall, as honouring the aged and Masters, &c. under honouring of parents; and so if all Ceremonialls are referred to this, then the Sabbath is the grossest and greatest ceremony one of them; and if so, then 'tis a greater sinne to sanctifie a Sabbath at any time, than to observe new moones and other festivals, which are lesse Ceremoniall, and are therefore wholly cashiered, because ceremoniall; and if so, why then doth Master Primrose tell us, That the Sabbath is morall for substance, principall scope and end, and that its unmeet for us to observe fewer dayes than the Iewes, in respect of weekly Sabbaths? Why is not the name and memoriall of the Sabbath abandoned wholly and utterly accursed from off the face of the earth, as well as new moones and other Jewish festivals, which upon his principles are lesse ceremoniall than the weekly Sabbath? It may be an audacious Familist, whose Conscience is growne Iron, and whose brow is brasse, through a conceit of his immunity from, and Christian liberty in respect of any thing which hath the superscription of law or works upon it, may abandon all Sabbaths together with new Moones equally: but those I now aime at, I suppose dare not, nor I hope any pious minde else, who considers but this one thing, viz. that when the Lord commands us to Remember to keep the Sabbath holy, hee must then (according to this interpretation) command us, that above all other Commandments wee observe his Ceremoniall worship (which they say is here enjoyned) rather than his morall worship which they acknowledge to be enjoyned in all the other nine Commands, at the gate of none of which Commands is written this word Remember; which undoubtedly implyes a speciall attendance to bee shewne unto this, above any other; for as wee shall shew, keepe this, keep all, break this, slight this, slight all; and therefore no wonder if no other Command hath this word Remember writ upon the portall of …t, which word of fence, denotes speciall affection and action in the Hebrew Language: but I suppose it may strike the hardest brow and heart with terrour and horrour, to go about to affix and impute such a meaning to this Commandment, viz. That principally above all other duties we remember to observe those things which are ceremoniall: for although the observation of Ceremonies bee urged and required of God, as Master Primrose truely observes from Psalme 118.27.Ibid. Sect. 6. Ieremiah 17.26: Ioell 19.13. Malachy 1.7, 8, 10, 13, 14. yet that God should require and urge the observation of these above any other worship, is evidently crosse to reason, and expresly crosse to Scripture, Isaiah 1.11, 12, 13, 14, 15. Isaiah 66.3. Psalme 50.13. Ieremiah 6.20. Amos 3.21. Micah 6.7. To remember therefore to keepe the Sabbath, is not to remember to observe Ceremoniall duties.
Thesis 64.
Nor should it seem strange, that Jewish holy dayes are not here enjoyned, where a holy time, a Sabbath day is commanded: for those Jewish holy dayes were principally instituted (as Wallaeus well observes) for signification of Christ and his benefits (as may appeare from … Cor. 5.7.Wal. dissert. de 4. p…aec. Luke 4.19. Hebrewes 10.5.) and therefore being significant were parts of instituted worship, belonging to the second, not fourth Command, but the Sabbath day (as shall be shewn) is in its originall institution and consecration of another nature and not significant: yet this may bee granted, that ceremoniall holy dayes may be referred to the fourth Command, as appendices of it; and if Calvin, Vrsin, Danaeus and others aim… at no more, it may bee granted, but it will not follow from hence that they therefore belong to the second command indirectly, and directly to the fourth (which Master Primrose contends for) but rather directly to the second, and reductively and indirectly, as appendices to the fourth: which appendices, as they may be put to, so they may be taken off againe, the morall Commandment remaining entire: even as we know Calvin referres many ceremoniall duties as appendices to such Commands, concerning the morality of which Master Primrose doubts not: and therefore for him to thinke that the Sabbath comprehends all Iewish Festivall dayes, upon this ground, viz. because the Sabbath is joyned with, and put in among the reckoning of such Festivals, Leviticus 23. Isaiah 1.13, 14. hath no more force in it, than by retorting the argument, and upon the like ground prove it to be morall, because it is joyned with Morall Commandments, as honouring of Parents, Leviticus 19.3. and prayer, Isaiah 1.19. and by his owne confession with the other nine which are all of them morall also.
Thesis 65.
Secondly, not onelyonly a solemne time, but more particularly a solemne day, a whole day of worship is here also required by vertue of this fou…th Command; and the Lord gives us good reason for it, that if he gives us many whole dayes for our owne work, then (not some part of a day) but a day, a whole day, according to the reason and expresse words of the Commandment, should bee marked out and set apart for his work and service: if that place, Isaiah 56.6, 7. will not demonstrate a seventh dayes Sabbath under the new Testament, yet …sufficiently and fully clears the point in hand, viz. that a Sabbath day is to be observed by the sonnes of the stranger or Gentiles who are called strangers to the Common-wealth of Irsael, Ephesians 2.12. and indeed Wallaeus freely confesseth and proveth that a whole day is here required;Wal. diss. de 4 pr…. cap. 5▪ and if a whole day, I hope none will think that the time out of publick Assemblies is common and prophane, if a whole day be holy:Prim. part 2. c. 6.8.15. and therefore Mr. Primrose tels us, that the Gentiles having no other law but the light of nature, have appointed set dayes, for the exercise of their religion, and that as the Jews had their set days, (which we know were whole dayes) so should Christians have theirs, for their publick Assemblies under the Gospel; which I hope must be therefore whole dayes also: it is also considerable that if the three first Commandments requiring Gods worship, do consequently require some time for that worship (as being a necessary adjunct to all actions whether morall or civill, and without which they cannot be performed) then the fourth Command, must require somewhat more particularly than a time of worship: and therefore they that place the morality of the fourth Command in requiring onelyonly a time of worship (because say they a time of worship is necessary,) may upon this ground wholly and perfectly abolish the fourth Command as superfluous and needlesse, because such a time of worship is required in all other Commandments necessarily. They may also imagine as great a morality in the command of building the Temple the place of worship, because a place of worship is necessary as well as a time: it is not therefore a time, but such a time as is preserved in a day even in a whole day for worship which is here commanded.
Thesis 66.
The wise God could have appointed some part of every day to be kept holy rather than a whole day together; but his wisdome saw this proportion of time every day to be more unmeet, in respect of mans daily cumbers, which doe so easily intangle mans thoughts and affections, so as within some smal piece of a day he cannot ordinarily nor so easily recover and unloose himselfe to find the end of a Sabbath service, which is most sweet and full rest in the bosome of his God, as he may within the compasse of a whole day set a part for that end: or suppose he could so doe in a piece and part of a day, yet Gods Name should lose by it, if he should not have the ho…ur of some solemne day, which wee see doe serve to adv…ce the names of idoll gods, and men on earth: it's meet and just that Gods Name should be magnified by us commonly every day, by setting a part some time which we may well spare (as whet to the sithe) out of our callings for God, and this doth honour him, but a day, much more.
Thesis 67.
They therefore who maintaine that a seventh day is not morall, because it is but a circumstance of time, may as well abolish time to be morall, or any day to be morall, because a day (let it fall out when it will) is but a circumstance of time; which notwithstanding they account to be morall in this command; but we know that much morality lyes in circumstances, and why a day sanctified may not bee as much morall as a duty, I yet see not.
Thesis 68.
The Familists and Antinomians of late, like the Manichees of old, do make All dayes equally holy under the Gospel, and none to bee observed more than another by vertue of any command of God, unlesse it be from some command of man to which the outward man they think should not stick to conforme, or unlesse it be pro re nata, or upon severall occasions, which speciall occasions are onelyonly to give the Alarums for Church meetings and publick Christian Assemblies: an audacious assertion, crosse to the very light of nature among the blind heathens, who have universally allowed the deity whom they ignorantly worshipped, the honour of some solemn dayes; crosse to the verdict of popish Schoolmen and Prelatists, whose stomacks never stood much toward any Sabbath at all; crosse to the scope of the Law of the Sabbath, which if it hath any generall morality (not denyed scarce to any of Moses Judicials,) surely one would think it should lie in the observation of some day or days, though not in a seventh day, for which now we do not contend. Crosse also to the appointment of the Gospel, foretold by Isaiah and Ezekiel, Isa. 56.4, 6. Ezek. 43.27. made mention of by our Saviour to continue long after the abolishing of all ceremonies by his death, Mat. 24.20. who therefore bids them pray, that their flight may not be in the winter, nor on the Sabbath day, which whether it be the Jewish or Christian Sabbath, I dispute not, only this is evident, that he hath an eye to some speciall set day, and which was lastly ordained by Christ, and observed in the Primitive Churches, commonly called the Lords day, as shall be shewn in due place, and which notion under pretence of more spiritualnes in making every day a Sabbath (which is utterly unlawfull and impossible, unlesse it be lawfull to neglect our own work all the week long and without which there can be no true Sabbath) doth really undermine the true Sabbath, in speciall set days; and look as to make every man a King & Judge in a Christian Commonwealth, would be the introduction of confusion, and consequently the destruction of a civill government, so to crown every day with equall honour unto Gods set dayes and Sabbaths which he hath anointed and exalted above the rest, this anarchy and confusion of dayes, doth utterly subvert the true Sabbath: to make every day a Sabbath, is a reall debasing and dethroning of Gods Sabbath.
Thesis 69.
'Tis true, that every day considered materially and physically, as a day, is equally holy, but this is no argument to prove that therefore every day is morally and theologically holy; for those things which of themselves are common, may by divine appointment superadded to them become holy, witnesse the dedicated things of the Temple, and so 'tis in dayes and times; under the old Testament we see some dayes were more holy by Gods appointment then others, and yet all dayes then were materially and alike holy.
Thesis 70.
'Tis true, that under the new Testament, all places (in a safe sence) are equally holy; but it doth not follow from h…nce (as our Adversaries would inferre) that therefore all times are so; and Wallaeus himself confesseth the argument to be invalid: for it was not easie nor meet, but very dissonant from divine and heavenly wisdome, to appoint in his word all particular places where his people should meet, their meetings being to bee in so many thousand severall Countries, and various situations, which places are indeed for their generall nature commanded and necessary, but in respect of application to circumstances of this and that place and countrey, the variation of them is almost endlesse, and therefore very incongruous and uselesse to set them downe in the word: but it was not so in respect of solemne time, or a solemne day of worship, for herein the Lord might easily appoint a particular day to be observed, according to the rising and setting of the Sunne proportionably throughout all the world: and the Scripture hath expressely fore told in respect of place, that neither in Ierusalem, Iudea, nor Samaria, but that in every place incense should bee offered up to God, Malach. 1.11. but it hath not so spoken, but rather the contrary in respect of time.
Thesis 71.
Nor is any time morally holy, in this sense, viz. instrumentally holy, or as an instrument and meanes by which God will convey any spirituall and supernaturall grace (as Sacraments now doe, and sacrifices of old did) but being sanctified of God, they are holy seasons, in which, God is pleased to meet and blesse his people rather then at other times and dayes of our owne devising, or of more common use▪ reserving onelyonly the Lords prerogative to himselfe, to work at other times also more or lesse as he sees meet. Indeed it's true, that by our improvement of our time, and of such times, the Lord sweetly conveyes himself to us, yet still 'tis not by time it self, nor by the day it self, but as he conveyes himself to us by holy things, and at holy places (as the Ark and Temple) so in holy times.
Thesis 72.
There are indeed sundry Scriptures, which to one who is willing to have all dayes equall, may carry a great bredth, and make a specious shew; and I ingeniously confesse, that upon a rigidum examen of them, they are more weighty and heavy than the disputers in this controversie usually feele them, and therefore they doe more lightly cast them by and passe them over: and it is to bee wished, that those who doe not think that all dayes are equall, yet will not acknowledge a seventh day to be morall, had not put weapons unawares into the hands of others, strengthening them thereby to destroy the morality of any day, and so to lay all dayes levell, for I scarce know an argument or Scripture alledged, by any Germane writer, against the morality of a seventh day, but it strikes directly against the morality of any day, which yet they acknowledge to be morall.
Thesis 73.
The fairest colour and strongest force from Gal 4.10. and Col. 2.16. lies in the gradation which some suppose to be intended in both those places. Ye observe (saith the Apostle) dayes, and moneths, and times, and yeares, Gal. 4.10. Wherein the Apostle seemes to ascend from the lesser to the greater, from dayes (which are lesse then moneths, and therefore weekly Sabbath dayes) to moneths, from moneths or new moones, to times, which are higher then moneths, and by which is meant their annuall feasts and fasts, ordered according to the foreign or fittest seasons of the yeare; and from times he ascends yet higher to yeares, viz. their Sabbaticall yeares, because they were celebrated once in many years, sometime seven, sometime fifty years: by which gradation it seems evident, that the observation of dayes (which are lesse than moneths) and therefore of weekly Sabbaths, are hereby condemned. The like gradation is urged from Col. 2.16. where the Apostle seems to descend from condemning the greater to the condemnation of the lesser: Let no man judge you (saith the Apostle) in respect of a holy day, new moon, or Sabbath dayes: there holy dayes seem to bee their annuall or Sabbaticall dayes, their new moones are lesse than them, being every monethmonth; and therefore by Sabbath days (they inferre) must needs be meant the weekly Sabbaths, lesse than new moones: Indeed some understand by dayes and times (in Gal. 4.) heathenish dayes, but hee speaking of such dayes as are beggerly rudiments, under which not the Heathens, but the Children of the old Testament were in bondage, verse 3. hee must therefore speak not of Heathenish but of Iewish dayes. I know also that some understand that of Col. 2.16. to be meant of Iewish and ceremoniall Sabbaths, which were annuall, but this, the Apostles gradation seems to overthrow.