The Practical Sabbatarian, Chapter 47
CHAP. XLVII. A Plea with Chriſtians to out-vy the Jews in Sabbath-holineſs and obſervations.
HAving now bottom'd the Lords day upon its Scriptural baſis, and given it its due and juſt authority; let us further conſider, how its original may influence our practice, and how its inſtitution running parallel with that of the Jews Sabbath, may over-awe our conſciences, and ſublimate our minds to a more holy and ſevere obſervation. It is a good note of a learned man, If, ſaith he, The people ſhall be made to believe, that the Lords day ſtands upon humane authority; all the power of Princes, and all the policy of Biſhop of Ely.Prelates, ſhall never be able to preſerve it from the peoples prophanation, as we evidently ſee in the Church of Charles Dow of the Sabbath, p. 56.Rome. But Adverſaries in this point are enforced to acknowledge, (as much as may be learned from their confeſſions) That ſeeing God did require of thoſe ſtiffnecked Jews, burdened with the yoke of Ceremonies, one day in ſeven to be employed in his ſervice; how can leſs ſuffice Chriſtians who have obtained a greater meaſure of divine grace, and who are freed from that yoke and burden? Nor muſt we permit this Verè dico, Fratres, ſatis durum, & pro priè nimis impium eſt, ut Chriſtiani non habeant majorem reverentiam diei dominico, quam Judaei obſervare videntur in Sabb…to. Caeſar. Arelatenſis.conſideration, that the obligation of Chriſtians to ſerve God and Chriſt upon his heavenly promiſes, is greater then that of the Jews. In the former times of ſhadows and darkneſs, the Lords people obſerved a weekly Sabbath; then ſurely we ſhould be ungrateful, and negligent of our own ſalvation, if we ſhould fall ſhort of the ſame obſervation, nay, if we ſhould not keep our Sabbath with greater exactneſs, and more accurate devotion. Golden talents call for quicker trading, and greater priviledges ſummon us to a more ſtrict obedience.
And indeed to come cloſer to our purpoſe; what can lie upon the Jews as an argument for the ſanctification of the Sabbath, which doth not reach us?
Had they ſix dayes granted for their own affairs to labour and work in, and is it not ſo with us, are not we indulged with the ſame bounty? have not we an equal latitude with them for the gain and acqueſt of theſe outward things?
And ours is the Lords day, as well as theirs; nay, their weekly feſtival was called Sabbath from its manner of obſervation, Exod. 20. 8. Rev. 1. 10.ſervation, ours the Lords day from its Divine Author.
Gods example is as ſtrong to move us as them; our Father is our pattern, and his preceding practice doth tie us as forcibly to imitation, as it can do them.Mat. 5. 48.
The bleſſing of God depends upon our right obſervation of our Sabbath, as well as it did upon their faithful diſcharge of Sabbath-duties, and holineſs obtains the birth right in Longius à …ebus ſacris remo…enda ſunt, quae caſtis labem, integris probrum, et ſin ceris corruptelam afferunt; Feſtivitates dominicus honorate, non mundanè, ſed divinè, non inſtar gentilium ſed inſtar Chriſtianorum. Ephr, …yr.both: And therefore what can be ſuggeſted to oblige them, which doth not engage us? One of the Fathers paſſionately cryes out, Shall the Jews be ſo ſtrict on their Sabbath, which only is in umbra, in a ſhadow, and a type of ſomething to come, which only did preſigure Chriſts reſting in the grave; and ſhall not we …e ſe…ious and ſolemn on our Sabbath, which is ſo in ve…tue, in truth, and ſhall endure to the end of the world? Our Sabbath, ſaith Chryſoſtom is foreign, An unmoveable law, and therefore lays claim to a greater ſolemnization. Ephrem Syrus cryes out, Let us ſolemnize our Lords day as Chriſtians, and he thinks then he had ſaid enough; the Apoſtle telling us, He that names the name of Chriſt muſt depart from iniquity.
But if we ſhall diſcuſs this point more fully, the Chri…tians 2 Tim 2. 19.incentives to Sabbath holineſs, will eaſily be found to have a ſharper edge, and a ſtronger byaſs then thoſe of the Jews.
We have greater meaſures of knowledge: The Jews lived under Star light, but the Sun of Righteouſneſs aroſe on our Mal 4. 2. Exod. 34. 35. Col. 2. 17. Mat. 27. 51.Sabbath day. Moſes his face had a vail upon it, 2 Cor. 3. 13. Their pedagogy was enveloped in many types, and ſhadows, ceremonies which caſt it into a twilight; but when our Saviour dyed, not only the veil of the Temple, but of the Judaeis vetus Teſtamentum eſt velamine obductum, ut non videant internam ejus lucem; Novo Teſtamento Chriſtus hoc velamen abſt… lit, tanqu…m à lege Novâ. Alap.type was rent: Now here our Saviours rule takes place, To whom much is given, of them much ſhall he required, Luke 12. 48. And the Apoſtle ſaith, 2 Cor. 3. 14. But the minds of the Jews are blinded, for until this day remaineth the ſame veil untaken away in reading the old Teſtament, which veil is done away in Chriſt. Our knowledge then is far greater then theirs, our miniſtration of the ſpirit is more glorious, 2 Cor. 3. 8, 9. Now much knowledge, as it doth amplifie guilt, ſo it doth engage duty; as it is a greater weight to ſin, ſo it is a ſharper ſpur to ſervice; the light of knowledge moſt properly guides us in the way of holineſs: And ſhall we who live under the light of the moſt glorious Goſpel, be out-done Illuminatio Evangelii, eſt ſubluſtre quiddam, et praeguſtus cl…rae lucis et foreign etiam gloriae divinae, quae revelabitur in caelis. Theoph.in Sabbath-holineſs, by them who had but our dawnings, who only fed upon the crumbs of the bread of life? We ſee Chriſt with open face, they only through the Proſpective of a type or a ceremony, by the light of a burnt offering; and indeed, what information could they receive from the ſlaying of a ſacrifice? Let not them, O Chriſtians, who groped in the dark, keep better Sabbaths then we who live in the Sun-ſhine. Our means being greater, our light brighter, our Goſpel beams ſtronger, let our ſervices on Gods bleſſed day be more ſublime and accurate. And it is obſervable, our light ſprung upon our Sabbath, to bear ſtronger Ma…. 16. 2. Mat. 28. 1.witneſs againſt all deeds of darkneſs on that day; O let us then pity the Jews incapacities, and teſtifie to all the Natitions we live under the Goſpel of Chriſt, becauſe we are ſo ſtrict upon his own day.
As we are endowed with more knowledge, ſo we are embraced with more love then the Jews were: The love of God to mankind was never ſo fully revealed as in theſe latter times, Heb. 3. 2.John 3. 16. And hereupon undoubtedly it is, that our Saviour Prophet… docuerunt ut Prophetae (i. e.) ut homines futura de Chriſto, et eccleſiâ dei praenunciantes, et praevidentes obſ…ura: Jam verò in lege novâ Chriſtus filius dei, qui clarè vidit, et penetravit omnem Patris ſapientiam; non docet ſicut membra corpori, et ſic Prophetae Chriſto cedant.profeſſeth, That from the time of John the Baptiſt, the Kingdom of Heaven ſuffers violence, and the violent taketh it by force, Mat. 11. 12. To ſuch an height of devotion hath the love of God manifeſted in his Son, inflamed his true Servants. Indeed love is the genuine incentive to obedience: now we have warmer love, as well as clearer light then the Jews, which doth ſtrongly engage us to ſtricter Sabbaths then they were accuſtomed too. They had Chriſt in a type, we had him in truth, they had him in a ſhadow, we have him in ſubſtance; they ſaw him afar off in a promiſe, but we ſaw him bleeding on a Croſs dying for our ſins, and riſing again for our juſtification, Rom. 4. 25. Rom. 8. 34. They ſaw Chriſt through the lattice, and we with the window open; they beheld him behind the cloud, but we when the cloud was broken away: And what is the inference? Let this endearing love inſpire us with g…eater zeal upon the Lords day, that we may travel further in Heavens way on Apparuit dei potentia in creatio…, d…i ſapientia in re…um g…bernatione, ſed benignitas miſerico…diae apparet in Chriſti humanitate. Bern.that bleſſed ſeaſon. The love of a Father, cauſed him to ſend down his Chriſt, the love of a Chriſt, cauſed him to lay down his life, the love of the ſpirit cauſes him to bring home his work to a believing ſoul; and this love of the Trinity ſhould conſtrain every Chriſtian to the holy obſervation of the Lords day: When we underſtand how ſtrictly ſometimes the Jewiſh Church kept the Sabbath; let the fire of love ſet us all in a flame, and let the bluſhes of ſhame recruit our reſolution, concluding we have taſted deeper of the ſweets of John 3. 16. John 10 17.Chriſts unſpeakable love: And if thou loveſt Chriſt, keep his Commandments, John 14. 15. And among the reſt the f…urth.
The Jews were tolerated in ſome things offenſive, which will not be permitted to us, as in caſe of Polygamy; ſo Jacob, Gen. 29. 28. 1 Sam. 30. 5. … Kings 11. 3.David, Solomon, holy and excellent men had their variety of wives, and yet we read not of the thunder of a Ne quis adulteretur, aut fornicetur. Deus▪ in remedium concupiſcentiae inſtituit honorabile matrimonium, illud cuivis amplecti licet. Si eo relicto adulteretur quis, aut fornicetur, inex…uſabilis ſit, ideò que à deo judicandus et damnandus. Alap. in Hebr.threat, or the thunder-boult of a judgment falling upon them for that fact and practice. There was ſomething of a connivence; God ſeemed as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, in the times of ignorance to wink at that un…ſtifiable procedure, Acts 17. 30. But now in Goſpel-times, this plurality of wives incurs the penalty of the law of the land, much more of the law of God, and is a ſin moſt ſcandalous and abominable, well becoming the brutiſhneſs of a Turk, or the barbariſm of a Gentile. Well then, to come nearer to our purpoſe, ſpots are ſooner diſcerned in the garment of a Chriſtian; we have no ſhelter of connivence to fly unto, if we break the law of marriage, the Apoſtle tells us plainly, Whoremongers, and Adulterers, God will judge, Heb. 13. 4. And ſo in the law of the Sabbath, we have no toleration to plead, or connivence, as a skirt to be thrown over the breaches of it: If we Chriſtians break the Sabbath, we are arreſted by divine wrath without any bail or mainprize, nor can we expect any ſuſpenſion of divine diſpleaſure: Indeed God will ſomething bear with offences in the duskiſh time of the law, but he will Mat. 10. 15.ſcourge thoſe very ſins with ſcorpions in the times of the glorious Goſpel. Our tie therefore is not only ſtronger, but our Mark 6. 11.intereſt and reaſon is clearer to engage us to Sabbath-holineſs. It will be more tolerable for the people of Iſrael, and Luk. 10. 12, 14.the inhabitants of Judah in the day of judgment, then for Chriſtians who ſhall preſume upon Sabbath-violation.
The Goſpel is a conſtant alarm to holineſs: There is no profeſſion of the Goſpel without an abju…ation of all ſin and uncleanneſs, 2 Tim. 2. 19. The Goſpel adds weight to every ſin; ſin under the Goſpel, is like Adams tranſgreſſion, which was acted in Paradiſe, a place of pleaſure and abundance of purity and undefiledneſs; it is like the ſin of the buyers and ſellers in the Temple, their ſin was inhaunced by Rom. 13. 12.the place: Goſpel light and love adds Vinegar to the Gall John 3. 19.of every offence. Greater then muſt be our breaches of Gods holy day, our prophanation of it muſt be of a ſcarlet dye, and Heb. 12. 14.of a crimſon tincture; the poor Jews had never the argument of a Goſpel to urge Sabbath-obedience, or to inhance Sabbath-guilt; they were in the Night, Rom. 13. 12. The Nox… te… pus ante Chriſt…m, plenum terebr… infidelitatis, & peccatorum; ſed dies eſt rempus evangelti, quo ſol juſtitiae lucis ſuae radios toto orbe diffundit; Praeſente jam Chriſto et luce evangelii in hoc die opera tenebrarum abjicere, et honeſtè ambulare, et Chriſtianè vivere debemus Cypr. 2 Cor. 4. 4. Mal. 5. 15. Cant. 1. 7.day-ſpring from on high never viſited them: but our day ſhines bright upon us, which clears up our way to ſanctity and holineſs. Let not Chriſtians then under a pure purifying Goſpel, under a Goſpel▪ …hich will both diſcover and condemn every evil way, under a Goſpel which was indited by a holy Spirit, which leads to a holy life, which ſuits with a holy heart; let not ſuch brutifie themſelves, and ſenſualize upon Gods holy day, let them not waſte that golden ſpot in trifling recreations, let not them formalize and diſſemble away the Market-day of their Souls; ſurely their doom will be aggravated with all circumſtances of horrour and amazement. Fond Chriſtians, who idle away and unravel their precious Sabbaths, ſee not the Witneſs behind the Curtain, viz. the bleſſed and glorious Goſpel, which will come in againſt them, to ſharpen their ſentence and condemnation: we Chriſtians cannot violate Sabbaths at ſo cheap a rate, as others may, more eſpecially a poor benighted Jew, who hath loſt his way, and is wandering to eternal perdition. Let every Chriſtian conſider, Chriſt makes his flocks to reſt at noon.
The Jews never had thoſe patterns of Sabbath-holineſs, as we Chriſtians have had. It is true, God reſted the ſeventh day after the finiſhing and accompliſhment of the ſtupendous Gen 2. 3.work of the Creation, and his Reſt was both exemplary and preceptive to the world to keep that day as a day of holy reſt: But the great Jehovah was in Heaven above the eye of obſervation. But now Jeſus Chriſt, the great Archetype of ſanctity, he was a viſible Pattern of Sabbath-holineſs John 5. 8.to us; and let us trace our dear Redeemer in his Sabbatical actions, and wherein they are imitable, they are admirable: Mat. 12. 13.we ſhall find our Beloved on that day, either working Luke 14. 4, 5, 6, 7. 8, 9.his Cures, or ſhewing his Miracles, or breaking out into holy diſcourſes, or preaching abroad his heavenly doctrines, Luke 6. 6.or pouring out his Soul in holy prayers; ſomething or other Luke 6. 12.like the Son of God, he is doing on the day of God. And ſo the holy Apoſtles, thoſe bleſſed Spirits, as one calls them, Thoſe Pen-men of the Holy Ghoſt, as all call them, they were rarely exemplary in Sabbath-obſervation: Not to mention, how affectionately they graſped the opportunity of the Jews Chriſtus utitur exemple ovis in ſoveam incidentus in die Sabbati, poſt …e…cta ea, quae ad Sabbati miniſterium et cultum pertinent.Sabbath as a fit ſeaſon to preach Jeſus Chriſt, and to throw their Net into many waters; How did they manage the true Sabbath, the Lords day, (now taking poſſeſſion of its right, in becoming the weekly Feſtival of the Church?)
1. They were moſt frugal of the time of it; Paul preaches on this day till midnight, Acts 20. 17.
2. They were moſt copious in the duties of it, they preach, they adminiſter the Sacrament, which undoubtedly was accompanied Chemnit.with fervent and ſolemn prayer.
3. They take care of the poor.Acts 20. 7.
And 4ly, One of this Apoſtolical ſociety is in high raptures, 1 Cor. 16. 1, 2.and ſublime elevations on this day. Nay, the Apoſtle of the Gentiles acts charity to a miracle, Acts, 20. 10. thinking Revel. 1. 10.nothing too great to add to the celebrity and honour of this holy day. Now do the Jews tell you of a zealous Nehemiah, who ſhut the Gates of Jeruſalem the Evening before the Sabbath, to keep God in, and ſhut prophaneneſs out; Nehem. 13. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.we may reply, a little to invert our Saviours ſpeech, A greater than Nehemiah is here, one whoſe ſhoo-latchet that worthy man is not worthy to unlooſe; to ſpeak in the language of John the Baptiſt, Mark 1. 7. We then having fairer Luke 11. 31.Copies, it is no reaſon but we ſhould mend our hand. The Limner draws the Picture according to the perſon who ſits, and the more lovely the perſon is, the more beautiful is the Picture: How ſhould we then keep the Sabbath holy, who have the pattern of him, who is the faireſt of ten thouſand? Pſal. 45. 2. And how doth this upbraid their practice, who make the Sabbath a day of ſloth and idleneſs, when the holy Apoſtle on the ſame day laboured in preaching of the Goſpel Acts 20. 7.till midnight? Let us then in the fear of the God of Jacob keep Sabbaths, as we have Chriſt and his bleſſed Apoſtles for our enſamples.
We have more liberty, and deſirable freedom, than the 1 Cor. 11. 1.Jews had in ſanctifying the Sabbath; their ſanctification of that holy day conſiſted in a multitude of purifications, waſhings, and cleanſings, and in a number of Sacrifices and Oblations; they had their burnt Offerings, and their Num. 28. 9, 10.Meat-offerings, nay, and their Drink-offerings, and all theſe Sacerd…s ſingulis ſabbatis lignum ſubji…it ad nutriendum ignem in Altari, & Movebantur panes propoſitionis, &c.were doubled (as was ſuggeſted before) on the Sabbathday; their obſervation of the Sabbath was more toilſom and laborious, they were imployed in more drudgery, they were to look after their Flour and their Oyl, killing, of Beaſts, and ſuch things which were of a more inferiour and carnal nature; their duties on the Sabbath were clogged and burdened with more ſweat and …poral painfulneſs, and were of a groſſer al…oy. The Prieſts among the Jews on a Sabbath Mat. 12. 5.were buſied in cutting of word to feed the fire of the Altar, that it might not go out, and in preparing of bread to put upon the Table of Shewbread, and to remove that which foreignwas there before: All theſe Operations, as Chemnitius calls them, required the hand, not the heart, and were works of the lower form. To all which may be added, that the Jews Levit. 23. 6.beſides their weekly Sabbath, they had the Paſſeover, the Levit. 23. 16.Feaſt of Pentec…ſt, the Feaſt of Trumpets, the Feaſt of Tabernacles, Levit. 23. 24.the day of Attonement, which was the tenth day of Levit. 23. 27.the ſeventh MonethMonth; and theſe were all called Sabbaths, Levit. 23. 34.Levit. 23. 24, 32, 36. And ſome of theſe Feaſts and Solemnities Levit. 23. 8.were celebrated divers days together.Levit. 23. 36.
Now it is not ſo with us under the Goſpel, the Apoſtle Exod. 12. 3.hath eaſed us at once of all theſe legal Feſtivals, 2 Col. 16. Exod. 23. 14.Let no man condemn you in reſpect of an holy day, or of the new Gal. 4. 9, 10.Moon, or of the Sabbath days, viz. Jewiſn. And ſo Gal. 4. 9, Non ſunt damnandi chriſtiani tanquam divinae legis tranſgreſſores, out violatae conſcientiae rei, quòd non obſervant feſta legis ceremonialis, quicquid contra ſuperſtitioſè ogganniunt Pſeudo. Apoſtoli. Daven.10. Ye obſerve days, and months, and times, which are weak and beggerly rudiments. All theſe Feſtivals are of no uſe to us, but are fully cancelled and caſhiered.
Thus God hath ſweetned our Sabbath far above that of the Jews; Prayers are our onelyonly Offering, Sighs our Incenſe, Sacraments our Paſſeover; we have no Drink-offering, but to drink in truth; in the hearing of the word, we have no Meat-offering, but to feed upon the bread of life, when we attend upon the preaching of the word: and generally as our Eſtate is better than the condition of the Jews, in reſpect to the whole worſhip of God, ſo likewiſe more eſpecially in our worſhip upon the Sabbath; our priviledges are more, and our burdens are leſs than theirs; our worſhip is more ſpiritual, more eaſie, more ſublime and heavenly, and more above the Alphabet and rudiments of their Religion: Their liſping Sacrifices proclaimed their minority, but ours ſpeak more plainly the Dialect of Heaven.
Nay, which is very conſiderable, in thoſe things wherein we are equally bound with them, we much exceed them: are we bound to meditate in the law of God day and night, yet Pſal. 1. 2.we are not commanded to carry it about in the skirts of our Numb. 15. 38.garments, and upon our bracelets, Deut. 6. 8, 9. And though Rom. 32.it is our duty, as well as theirs, to teach our Children the Oracles of God, Deut. 6. 7. yet we are not charged with Scripturae ſacrae in iiſque promiſſiones et Pacta Divina, et ſuturorum myſteriorum prae dictiones; haec fuerunt eloquia dei Judaeis concredita. Alap.the writing of them upon our gates, and the poſts of our doors, Deut. 6. 9. And ſo in our Sabbaths we are free from the ſervilities and rudiments with which the Jews were chained, as a ſigne and token of their bondage and ſervitude. Though we are charged to reſt upon the Lords day, and ſo keep it holy, yet we are not over-charged with Sacrifices and Ceremonies; they are all laid aſleep in Chriſts Grave, and we are freed from theſe Fetters, and ſo enjoy a more glorious liberty.
The inference of the whole will be this: Hath God filed off all Chains of ſervility, plained off all knots of difficulty, hath he put an end to all legal Sacrifices, and chaſed away all ſhadows of Ceremony, that nothing might encumber our Chriſtian Sabbath? How exact then ſhould we be in the obſervation of it? Divine indulgence, as it is properly a curb to ſin, ſo it is a forcible ſpur to duty; the Lord hath abundantly ſweetned, therefore let us more carefully ſanctifie our bleſſed Sabbath; he hath freed it from the Jewiſh thraldom, let us therefore keep it with Chriſtian freedom: the Sabbath of the Jews, like the Infant Moſes, floated among the Reeds, but ours hath its Neſt among the Stars, Obad. 4. Let its ſublimeneſs and ſpirituality engage us more ſtrongly to a due and holy ſolemnity; nothing can more ſoften unto obedience, than love and indulgence, which is written in the faireſt character upon the Chriſtian Sabbath: It is a moſt natural Induction, that we being looſed and unfettered, ſhould run with more ſwiftneſs the way of the fourth Commandement now ſpiritualized to us by Jeſus Chriſt.
Our Sabbath triumphs in a more glorious occaſion, then that Gen. 2. 3.of the Jews doth: That which occaſioned the Old Sabbath, was the finiſhing of the work of creation: but that which Mat. 28. 1.occaſioned ours, was the accompliſhment of the work of redemption, which glorious work far ſurpaſſes the other, as the Temple exceeded the Tabernacle.
The work of Redemption is more precious. As mans gaining the world cannot recompence the loſs of the ſoul, ſo Gods making the world doth not equalize Chriſts redeeming the Mat. 16 26. Inutile eſt mundi lucrum cum perditione animae conjunctium, perditio enim animae eſt irreparabile damnum. Chemnit.ſoul; Chriſts recavering muſt needs exceed Gods creating a world; to draw men out of an enthrall'd bondage, is more then to bring man out of a confuſed Chaos. In the Creation God was to deal with no Enemy; but in the work of Redemption, Chriſt was put to combat with all the Devils in Hell, and to over-power men oppoſing their own mercies.
The work of Redemption is more preſſing; It made the ſoul of Chriſt heavy unto death, Mat. 26. 38. In this work Chriſt did not only fight with the Devils, but God Himſelf ſeemed to combat with Chriſt, and to put him to grief, Iſa. 53. 10. The worlds creation was finiſhed without difficulty; but the Redemption of mankind was a work knotted with much pain and grievance. The world was created with the ſpeaking of a word; it was only, Let it be done, and this was all; the Sun, the Stars, and all other Creatures, they ſprang from the Energy, and power of a Command, from the force of an omnipraevalent fiat; but the work of Redemption was not wrought, but by the expence of Chriſts deareſt blood.
The work of Redemption is more profitable; Indeed to have Earth to tread on, Air to breath in, Meat to feed on, Chriſtus vicit & triumphavit non virtute, et ſudore aliorum …t mumdani Imperatores ſolent, ſed ſuâ ſolâ paſſione, & ſuâ ſolius virtute. Daven.Light to walk by, theſe are benefits,, and good natural ſupports; but the ſubduing of Satan, the removing of the ſting of ſin, with all the aſtoniſhing and ſad ſequels of it, the pacifying and quenching of the flames of Gods anger, the reparation of mans nature; theſe are tranſcendent benefits, and bid defiance to an hyperhole. The work of Redemption yields a far greater crop and harveſt of joy, peace and happineſs. We may be Gods creatures, and yet fall upon the ſpikes of eternal ruine: But Chriſts Redeemed ones ſhall come with ſinging to Zion, and everlaſting joy ſhall be upon their heads, and they Quomodo illum diem, qui a domino dicatus eſt, noſ que ab exilii dedecore liberavit, venerari par eſt. Iſych.ſhall obtain gladneſs and joy, and ſorrow and mourning ſhall flee away, Iſa. 51. 11. Iſa. 65. 17. The work of Redemption is the fulleſt treaſury of mans happineſs. And as it was long ago propheſied, Hag. 2. 9. That the glory of the ſecond Temple ſhould out-ſhine that of the firſt; So the glory of the Redemption, out-ſhines the glory of the Creation. Indeed the work of Creation is a leſſer good to us, as the Law is a leſſer good then the Goſpel, and the Old Teſtament then the New, Redemption muſt be owned as the greater work, inaſmuch as things ſpiritual are more valuable then things natural, and Gods laſt works are his beſt, the firſt being only preparatory to the laſt; and indeed, he who ſhall queſtion whether Redemption be a greater work then Creation, knows little what a Redeemer is, or what the ranſom of an immortal ſoul is worth, Pſal. 49. 8. In creating the world, God did much for me; he gave me a body admirably and curiouſly wrought, Pſal. 139. 15, 16. He likewiſe endowed me with a rational ſoul, and endowed this ſoul with rare and excellent faculties; but all theſe had been only capacities of miſery, and receptives of wrath and ruine, had not the work of Redemption interpoſed: And therefore Chriſt in ſhedding Eph. 1. 7.his blood, in conquering death, in ſatisfying for ſin, hath done more for me, and laid the foundation of a better world, then this created univerſe, this beautiful artifice of Divine Power. Again, in the Creation there was nothing to withſtand; but in the work of Redemption, there was Juſtice againſt Mercy, Wrath againſt Pity, In the Creation God brought ſomething 2 Cor. 5. 21.out of nothing, but in the work of Redemption, God Gal. 3. 13.brought one contrary out of another, Good out of Evil, Life out of Death, an immortal Crown out of a ſhameful Croſs. Indeed the great diſcoveries of Wiſdom, Grace, Power, Juſtice, Mercy, were all ſeen in the glorious work of mans Redemption: The Heavens are the work of Gods fingers, Pſal. 8. 3. But Redemption is the work of his Arm, Iſa. 53. 1. Iſa. 52. 9, 10. So that if it ſhall be demanded, wherein doth the work of Redemption excell the work of Creation; it may be anſwered, as the Apoſtle in another caſe, much every Rom. 3. 2.way.
Once more let us put theſe two works in the ſcale, and we ſhall find the work of Redemption to weigh down the work of Creation; as Gold of all metals is the weightieſt. In Eph. 2. 4. John 3. 16. 1 Joh. 4. 9, 10. Gal. 4. 4. Phil. 2. 6, 7.the creation Adam was Head, but in the work of Redemption Chriſt was the Head: by the creation we have a temporal life; by the work of Redemption we obtain eternal life. In the creation Adam was eſpouſed to Eve, but in the redemption, the poor ſoul is eſpouſed to Jeſus Chriſt. By creation Non ſolùm de me, ſed de omni quo que quod factum eſt; Scriptum eſt, dixit, et facta ſunt, At verò, qui me tantùm, et ſemet fecit, in reſtituendo, et dixit multa, & mira geſſit, et pertulit dura, nec tantùm dura, ſed etiam et indigna. Bern. de diligendo deo.man enjoyed an earthly Paradiſe, but by redemption we enjoy an heavenly Kingdom. In the creation Gods wiſdom and power was principally ſeen, but in the work of redemption, All his glorious attributes were ſeen in their greateſt ſplendour; In the creation man was produced out of nothing, but by the work of redemption, he is produced out of worſe then nothing, a ſtate of enmity and oppoſition, Rom. 8. 7. Thus the glory of the work of redemption ſhines with a brighter ray, and glitters with a ſtronger beam, then the work of creation.
And ſhall not this moſt glorious work, of which our Sabbath is the weekly memorial, enforce us to a more devout obſervation? Let us conſider, we equally enjoy the benefit of the creation with the Jews, but they nothing at all, of the benefit of the redemption with us. They are Strangers to the Covenant of grace, and the common-weal of the true Iſrael, Eph. 2. 12. Let us then ſee the beauties of free-grace in the glaſs of our redemption; and let this put new life into us to walk cloſely with God upon his own day; when we are remiſs in the duties, let us reflect upon the occaſion of the day; and let us remember, that the conquering of Death, the chaining of Satan, the ſubduing of Sin, the quenching of Divine Wrath, the perfuming of the Grave; theſe ſeveral branches made up that bleſſed work which calls upon us for the keeping holy of the Lords day.
And again, if the Jews have obſerved their Sabbath ſtrictly, Chriſt came not to licentiate us, and to enlarge our carnal and ſenſual liberty; Chriſts people are a willing, but Pſal. 11…. … 2 Tit. 14.not a wanton people: The Son hath made us free, and ſo we are free indeed, as Chriſt himſelf ſpeaks, John 8. 36. But this freedom is from burdens, not from duties, a freedom it is to Debitâ … … minicae obſe… vatione … minuitur quicquam Chriſtiana libertas; Non enim eſt libertas ſed licentia Chriſtina, ut nos libera…i putemus ab obſervatione illius praecepti è Decalogo; Et experientia docet licentiam, et rerum ſacrarum non curantiam magis, magiſ que invaleſcere, ubi diei dom…nicae ratio non habetur.run the wayes of Gods commandments, Pſal. 119. 24. That can be no chriſtian freedom to indulge our eaſe, to flatter our ſenſe, to pleaſe the fleſh, to purſue our ſports, to gratifie our fancy with dalliance and delight upon Gods holy day: this kind of liberty Chriſt never died to purchaſe: Chriſtian liberty is quite another thing, it is a liberty from ceremonial yokes, and legal impoſitions, Gal. 5. 1, 2, A liberty of acceſs to God, to cry Abba Father, Rom. 8. 15. Gal. 4. 6. A freedom it is from ſins vaſſalage, from Satans ſlavery, from the worlds drudgery, and luſts dominion and tyranny. Chriſt did not die to make us free to ſin, but free from ſin, Tit. 2. 14. It is a harſh and injurious interpretation of Chriſts coming, to ſuppoſe he came to make the broad way broader then before: that before Chriſt came, the people of God were tied to a ſtrict obſervation of the Sabbath, but ſince, we have a latitude and liberty for ſports and delights, for eaſe and recreation on that bleſſed day, and that now we are not ſo pinnion'd and ſhackl'd, as in the times of the law. This muſt needs be ſome looſe conſtruction of a carnal Goſpeller, who Ameſ.is become Antinomian in the fourth Commandment. Chriſtian freedom is a dilatation and enlargedneſs of beart in holy Iſa. 61. 1.ſervices, when the ſoul can freely vent it ſelf without contractedneſs, Luke 4. 18.and drawing their praying breath with difficulty. Gal. 5. 1, 13.Senſualliberty is a priviledge which better becomes the Diſciples James 1. 25.of Bacchus or Epicurus, and well ſuits with a feaſt of Priapus. Ruffinus pleads hard in his preſcriptions for Sabbath-obſervation, That we do not ſpend it carnally and in delights; this is to act the Jew, not the Chriſtian. And Die Sabbati nihil exomnibus mundi octibus oportet operari, ſi ergo deſi… ▪ ab omnibus ſocularibus & nihil mundanum geras, ſed ſpiritualibus operibus vaces, lectionibus divinis, & tractatibus aurem praebeas, ut non reſpicias, ad praeſentia & viſibilia, ſed ad inviſibilia, & futura, haec eſt obſervatio ſabbati chriſtiani.Origen in a paſſionate heat, cryes out, Let us lay aſide the Jewiſh mode of keeping Sabbaths, and let us obſerve them as Chriſtians, diſcarding all worldly acts and ſecular employments, let us be converſant in ſpiritual works, in reading the Scriptures, in hearing the word, not eying things preſent and viſible, but looking forward to things to come, and inviſible: and this is the obſervation of a Sabbath, which will become a Chriſtian.
The Fathers of the primitive times could not bear with any carnal liberty on the Lords day, well knowing how contrary it was to the mind of Chriſt. Nor can it be ſuppoſed, that it was any part of Chriſts purchaſe, to procure us a freedom to handle a Bowl or a Cudgel, or to frisk in a Maurisk-dance on Gods ſacred and ſolemn day: And indeed ſenſual latitudes and relaxations are rather our thraldom, than our liberty, and the end of that mirth is heavineſs, Prov. 14. 13. the impediments of holineſs, and avocations from duty, and ſerve onelyonly to recruit the force and ſtrength of temptation. When David was at eaſe walking in his Gallery, Orig. Quid dicendum eſt ad eos, qui magis ſeculo, quàm deo vacant.then his ſloath coupled with the temptation of Dalilahs beauty, and produced thoſe curſed twins of Murther and Idolatry; the defiling of the Wife, and the deſtroying of the Husband, 2 Sam. 11. 4, 15. Hierom complained of ſome in his time, who were more at leiſure for the world, Hier. Decalogi verba deus per ſemetipſum locutus eſt, & ideò permanet apud nos, extenſionem et augmentum, non diſſolutionem accipiens per carnalem Chriſti advantum.than God, upon his own day: And this that devout Father interpreted a crying ſin. Irenaeus ſaith poſitively, That the Decalogue, in whoſe boſom the Commandement for the Sabbath lies, received extenſion and increaſe, not remiſneſs and enervation, by the coming of Chriſt. And a learned man obſerves, That liberty for ſports and eaſe on a Sabbath-day, is not liberty, but licentiouſneſs: and where it is admitted, there follow the greateſt decays of piety and godlineſs.
Well then, Chriſtian liberty, which was the purchaſe of Iren. adverſ. Her. l 4. cap. 31. Eph. 1. 7. 1 Col. 14. Liberatio ab obligatione ad poenam, à metu, et ſolicitudine irae divinae, et maledictionis, et mortis aeternae. Bucan. ibid.Chriſts blood, is not the indulgence and eaſe of the fleſh; it is ſomething of a more refined nature, ſomething which hath a taſt and ſmatch of heavenlineſs, and that glorious liberty of the Saints above: And Bucanus makes foure branches of it.
1. It is a freedom from the killing power of ſin, and ſo conſequentially an immunity from the ſecond death, Rom. 8. 1, 2. and this is the liberty of life and righteouſneſs, as this learned man is pleaſed to call it.
2. A liberty from the obligation of the ceremonial, and from the condemnation of the moral Law, Gal. 3. 13. Rom. 6. 14. ſo that the moral Law is the Rule, but cannot be the ruine, the guide of, and cannot be the hand-writing againſt a true Believer.
3. A freedom of boldneſs and acceſs to the throne of grace, that we may go to God, as Children to a Father, and not as Gal. 2. 4, 5.Priſoners to a Judge, with trembling on our lips, paleneſs in our face, and agonies in our ſpirits, Rom. 8. 15.
4. A liberty from the old Moſaical Impoſitions, that Gal. 3. 25.puerile Alphabet accomodated to the nonage of the Church. Now in all this there is nothing mentioned of Luke 1. 74, 75.fleſhly eaſe, or carnal liberty; one cries out of ſuch kind of liberty, O egregious liberty, a fair purchaſe for the blood of the John 8. 36.Son of God. In a word, our ſtrict and holy deportment on the Sabbath, was no ſtumbling block that Chriſt came to remove, no yoke that he came to break, but the clean contrary; Chriſt came to procure cloſer and ſtricter communion Rom. 8. 21.between God and the Saints, that Believers might ſerve 2 Cor. 3 17.him with greater care and devotion, he hath purchaſed for us more ſpiritual intercourſes: and one well ſaith, Duty is Gal. 5. 13.the greateſt liberty, and ſin is the greateſt bondage; we cannot Jam. 2. 12.be left to a greater thraldom, then to walk in the ways of our own hearts; the ſinning Angels are ſaid to be kept Eccleſ. 11 9.in chains of darkneſs, Jude 6. A wicked man is in bondage here and hereafter; here inſnares, 2 Tim. 2. 26. and hereafter in chains, Matth. 22. 13. Oftentimes we cannot endure the reſtraints of the Word, or the ſerverities of Religion, and we look upon them (which is the caſe now in hand) as an infringement of our liberty; but we ſhould ſeriouſly conſider theſe bleſſed tyes and confinements are not our bolts, or our griefs, but our ornaments, Pſal. 119. 45. this is onelyonly that free and uncontrolled life, which is ſpent in ſerving, in loving, in enjoying and praiſing of God: the glorified Saints above have reſt, not eaſe, they inherit ſeraphical and divine, not ſenſual delights and liberties: that Soul enjoys moſt freedom on a Sabbath, who hath enjoyed cloſeſt communion with God, and relaxed the leaſt from ſpiritual ſervices, 2 Pet. 2. 19. Wicked men who moſt rove in the ranges of ſin, Roma eſt domitrix mundi, et captiva vitiorum. Aug. de civ. dei. Joſephus ſuit liber, ſed domina ejus ſuit captiva, quia ſuis obedivit libidinibus. Chryſoſt. homil. 19. in prior. Epiſt. ad Corinth.are the greateſt ſlaves; as it was ſaid of Rome, She was the Miſtreſs of the World, but the drudge of ſin and luſt. Wicked Cham his curſe was to be the ſervant of ſervants. Chryſoſtom elegantly obſerves, That Joſeph who reſiſted the temptation was the free man, but his Miſtris who promoted it was the captive, for ſhe obeyed her ſwaying luſts. The people of God eſpecially in their holy converſes are the Lords free men.
1. They have the aſſiſtance of a free Spirit, Pſal. 51. 12.
2. They proceed in a free ſtate, in a ſtate of Sonſhip, and well-pleaſing, Rom. 3. 13. A Believer in all his ſpiritual actions, acts with an ingenious liberty and confidence, Gal. 4. 15.
Object. But ſome cavelling Objectors are not ſo well pleaſed with this heavenly freedom, and therefore they plead for a ſenſual; and to juſtifie their claim they urge Scripture, eſpecially that of Mark 2. 27. The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: From whence they conclude, that the undue reſtraints which ſome rigorous Preachers impoſe upon the people on the Lords day, are onelyonly the ſowrneſs and fancy of their own melancholy and diſturbed Brain; our Saviour here gives us liberty, which they ſhall not be willing to part with, upon the opinion of a rugged Diſciplinarian.
Anſw. Now to anſwer this Text, learned men give a threefold interpretation of it; but none of them look that way, our Sabbatum propter hominem factum eſt, non homo propter ſabbatum: Hoc argumentum ſumptum eſt ex fundamentis inſtitutionis ſabbati; homo enim conditus fuit ante inſtitutionem ſabbati; ergo non homo propter ſabbatum. &c. Sabbatum enim propter uſum commodum & utilitatem hominis inſtitutum fuit Duebus enim modis propter hominem inſtitutum eſt ſabbatum: 1. Quoad corpus, Deut. 5. 14. ut requieſcat ſervus tuus, ancilla tua, &c. 2. Quoad ſpiritualem aedificationem animae, Exod. 39. 13. Ezek. 20. 12. Sanctificavit deus ſabbatum (i. e.) deputavitillud homini ad cultum divinum exercendum; hoc fundamentum chriſtus pulchre opponit Phariſaeorum accuſationibus, vos malletis, (quaſi diceret) propter ſanctificationem ſabbati diſcipulos meos eſurientes potius affligi, quam ſpicas aliquas diſcerpere, item malletis hominem perire, quam Sabbatis ſanari, atqui hoc directè pugnat cum Deut. 5. 14. Sabbatum propter hominem, &c. ſenſus igitur eſt; Nec cum noxâ, nec cum exitio, aut damno homi…i… …genda e…t …xterna obſ…vatio Sabbati: Sicut in exemplo Davidis eſt manifeſtiſſimum. Chemnit. John 8. 36. Pſal 119. 164. Pſal. 27. 4. Pſal. 84. 10.Libertines would faſten upon it.
1. They ſay, the Sabbath was made for man, becauſe man was created before its inſtitution, and therefore this feſtival was ordained for his entertainment in the world, for his profit and advantage, but not for his play, ſports, and recreations: This inſtitution of the Sabbath …yed man now newly created, and made Gods Viceroy upon earth.
2. The Sabbath was made for man, that is, for his corporal good, that on this day he might reſt from the toyls of the world, Deut. 5. 14. In the Commandement for the Sabbath, God conſulted mans weakneſs, but not his wantonneſs; he ſtudied his frame, but not his fancy; God appointed the Sabbath, that man ſhould not over-bend the Bow, but relax and remit his painful labours, and ſo be more compoſed and at leiſure for ſpiritual ſervice and worſhip; ſo the Sabbath was made for man, for the good of his body.
3. The Sabbath was made for man, viz. for his ſpiritual good, that man on that holy day might be built up in his moſt holy faith, and that he might enjoy ſweet communion with the Father, and with his Son Jeſus Chriſt, 1 John 1. 3. How often is the Sabbath the Souls nuptial day, wherein it is eſponſed and married to Chriſt; it is a day of divine ſupport, of refection and recruit to Grace, and often of the execution and mortification of luſt and corruption. The Sabbath is the Souls banquetting day, a fit ſeaſon for ſtrengthning and repaſt, while it travels upon the Mountains of prey, and feeds with the flocks of Chriſt at noon, Cant. 1. 7. Pſal. 76. 4.
However they who ſhall torture this Text to the utmoſt, and put it upon the ſtricteſt wrack, ſhall force it to ſpeak no more then thus much, That man muſt not run the hazard or peril of life for the outward obſervation; of a Sabbath, man muſt obſerve it, but not with an apparent danger of himſelf; if it cannot be obſerved without harm and certain damage, the external obſervation muſt be ſuſpended, and mans life and good muſt not be impaired; and our Saviour inſtanceth, in Davids eating of Shewbread, an extraordinary and unjuſtifiable action, yet it may be apologized for, and maintained in a caſe of neceſſity: and ſo the Diſciples of Chriſt plucking the ears of Corn, it was for ſupport and neceſſary ſatisfaction: And ſo mans life is more conſiderable than the outward obſervance of a day, eſpecially conſidering that the Sabbath was calculated for mans good in its firſt original and inſtitution; and the whole man, both Soul and body, was taken into conſideration, when it was firſt ſet on foot in the world. Now this fair and candid conſtruction of the Text deteſts all carnal liberty, and all ſwinges of pleaſure and ſenſual delight, upon Gods ſacred and ſolenm day.
In a word, it is no ways ſuitable to a gracious ſpirit to be importunate for carnal liberty on Gods holy day. The ſenſual delights of this life, they are the clog, not the comfort of a Saint; their fetters, rather then their freedom. A believer is never more himſelf, then when he travels over ſpiritual objects in holy meditation, and freely vents himſelf in holy prayer and ſupplication: He complains not of being clogged, unleſs when he is bird-limed with a temptation, or ſtaked down by a malepert corruption, that he cannot riſe and fly up to God in holy devotion; he knows not any liberty but the liberty of Ordinances, and he is then only free, who is manumitted by Gods good ſpirit; his confinement is the tranſiency, not the length of a Sabbath, and he is diſmiſſed from an Ordinance with a ſigh. Fleſhly eaſe pleaſeth not him on a Sabbath, becauſe it keeps him from his beloved, nor dare he exchange duty for recreation: He thinks it a poor and incontemptible thing to be running after a bowl on the Lords day, when he ſhould be running his race, and preſſing forward towards the Mark, Phil. 3. 14. Nor can he mind a ſport, when he is to look after a prize. The Saint thinks recreations on a Sabbath, are not only the loſs of time, and an empty Parentheſis; but they are Dalilahs, to rock him aſleep, that ſo he may loſe Praetereà arbitrium noſtrum, & voluntatem noſtram Chriſtus in aliquam partem libertatis ponit, dum donat nos ſpiritu ſancto, cujus gratiâ corrapta noſtra natura inſtaurata & ſpontaneo eſt, ut juxta prae ceptum dei, benè agamus, & pietati ſtudere incipiamus prompto, Matth. 19. 8. ſpiritu, nam ubi ſpiritus eſt, ibi eſt libertas, Chemnit. Eccl. 9. 10. 2 Cor. 3. 17.his ſpiritual ſtrength: Whatever he doth on a Sabbath, he doth it with all his might, and he knows there is no more work nor device in a recreation, then in the grave. And truly, it too much ſavours of a carnal heart, either to be an Advocate to plead for, or to be an Actor to engage in ſenſual delights on Gods Holy day: from the beginning, from holy David, from zealous Nehemiah, it was not ſo.