The Lords Day Vindicated, Tract · Section 9
SECT. IX.
IT is demanded Page 40. Whether Chriſt did reſt the Seventh-day-Sabbath when he was in the Grave. And it is affirmatively reſolved, that his Soul reſted in Heaven, and his Body reſted in the Grave that day. All as a Proof that our Lord Chriſt himſelf, did in his ſtate of Death, confirm that Seventh-day-Sabbath, as well as by his Practice and Doctrin in Life; and ſo recommended it to the Obſervance of all the future Churches: Which Notion, if it could be proved, would do more for the Seventh-day-Sabbath, than all the Arguments he hath yet brought. If he could rationally demonſtrate, that the bleſſed Redeemer did reſt on the Seventh day from all his Humiliation and Sufferings; he would then defeat the great ground on which all the Churches, ſince our Lords coming and conſummating the work of Redemption, have built upon for the Change of the Seventh day, into the Firſt-day-Sabbath. For they ſay, they do it, becauſe on the firſt day our Lord Jeſus God-man, reſted from that more Wonderful, Glorious, Gracious, Profitable and Raviſhing Work, than that of the Creation and more laborious and difficult work to himſelf; being really and dreadfully ſo to his Humane Nature. But indeed this Notion is a very ſtrange and an uncouth one; becauſe the Reſt of the Mediator in this Senſe, cannot be thought to be any other than a happy and Complacential Reflection upon the work of our Redemption, merited by all his Active and Paſſive Obedience; which could not be until he had waded through all the Degrees of his Abaſement, and begun his Exaltation, and ſo in his Bleſſed and Glorious Eſtate, delighting himſelf in his Conqueſt of the Devil, the World, Death and the Grave; and his having perfectly ſatisfied Juſtice, and purchaſed Grace and Glory for Loſt Sinners; which could not be till the Reſurrection of his Body. Can the State of Death with any probability be thought the Mediator's Reſt? Or his lying in the Grave, be deemed the end of all his Abaſements, when Death was the worſt thing his Enemies could bring upon him in their Rage and Fury; when they triumphed over him in the Grave; and concluded that now they had compleatly vanquiſhed him, and proved him to be a Grand Deceiver, Matt. 27.62, 64. when it was that which was eſpecially required as the utmoſt of his Sufferings for the Expiation of our Sins; being that which was denounced, at firſt againſt Sin, Gen. 2.17. and as the conſummate Puniſhment thereof, and is the proper Wages of Sin, Rom. 6.23. and therefore ſo to be undergone and lain under by the Sinners Surety; ſtanding in his ſtead, and bearing his Puniſhment, and being made that Curſe for him, Gal. 3.13. which was the loweſt Deſcent of his Humiliation, which ſaddened the Hearts of his Diſciples, and filled them with fear, whoſe hopes almoſt expired at his Death, and were buried in his Grave; in which Eſtate if he had abode, the Devil and his Enemies would have gotten a compleat Victory over him, and we could never have been juſtified nor ſaved.
Moreover our Saviour's Body and Soul reſted as much upon the Croſs after his Death, as they did in the Grave after his Burial; And ſo the Muchammediſts have as fair a Plea for their Sixth-day-Sabbath, becauſe on that day the Dead Body of our Saviour felt no pain on the Tree, and his Soul enjoyed all Bliſs in Heaven. And ſo in this ſenſe reſted on their day of Worſhip.
How unreaſonable and unſcriptural to call this the Reſt of our Redeemer! Beſides it was impoſſible that as Redeemer he ſhould reſt in the State of Death, and in the Grave; for the Redeemer muſt be God-man; his Deity could not declaratively reſt, till it had raiſed its own Humanity out of the Grave, and rent in ſunder the Bonds of Death: And his Humanity could not really do ſo; becauſe it was not, during that Condition; for we know that Death is the Separation of the Soul from the Body: Now the Soul ſeparated from the Body, is a Spirit and not a Man; the Body ſeparated from the Soul, is a Corps not a Man; both Soul and Body ſeparated are not Man; but eſſentially conjoyned they make the Man. Wherefore though both Body and Soul in their mutual Separation were united to the Deity; and ſo he was always God, and had the eſſential parts of Man; yet being divided, he was not Man; for by Death they being diſſolved, his Humanity was deſtroyed, and continued ſo, as long as Death had power over him. So that 'tis againſt all Reaſon and common Senſe, to aſſert that the Mediator, who muſt be God-man, reſted in the Grave; ſeeing in this true ſenſe he could not be Man there. No, no, This was no part of his Reſt, but his Reſurrection from the Grave; the re-uniting of his Body and Soul, was the firſt entrance into it: For as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Jehovah, is not ſaid to reſt, till he had fully compleated his ſix days work of Creation; and then with infinite Complacency viewed all he had compleated on the Seventh: So Jeſus Chriſt, God-man, cannot be ſaid to reſt from the Work of our Redemption, till he had fully compleated and ended all his Humiliation; till he had conquered all his and our Enemies; which could not poſſibly be while he lay in the Grave on the Seventh day; but it was when he roſe from thence on the Firſt; when indeed he had a glorious and Bleſſed ſatisfaction in himſelf, when he reflected upon all he had done, and all the Sufferings he waded through, and all the Humiliation he was ſunk into, and had happily and triumphingly concluded, with all thoſe ineſtimable Bleſſings that ſhould accrue to the Church, and that infinite Glory that would redound to God thereby: And therefore as God's Reſting on the Seventh day from his work of Creation, was propoſed as the Example and Motive to the Old Church before Chriſt's coming, for the keeping the Seventh for their Sabbath: So likewiſe our Saviour's Reſting from his work of our Redemption on the Firſt day of the Week, may worthily be, and we ſay really is, propoſed as a Motive and Example to the Churches, ſince his coming, for their conſecrating of that day for their Weekly Sabbath. I am ſorry that ſuch Paſſages of the Author, ſhould occaſion ſo much Tediouſneſs to the Reader, and inforce ſuch Enlargedneſs from the Writer. As to that place, Mat. 24.20. which he tells us he will improve hereafter to his own Advantage, we ſhall attend his Motions, and meet him there.
To his Query Page 41. we grant that the Jewiſh Believers, did keep the Seventh-day-Sabbath, while our Saviours Body was in the Grave; and that they ought to do ſo, becauſe as yet, the Firſt day by our Lords Reſurrection, was not Conſecrated to be obſerved as the day of the Redeemers Reſt. And withal, that they were obliged during this time, to obſerve the unleavened Bread-Feaſt; and (ſuppoſing it to be the Eighth day from their Birth, to Circumciſe their Children) yet I hope this is no Plea for the everlaſting Permanency of theſe: So neither can it be for that of the Seventh-day-Sabbath.