Answer to Two Books of the Sabbath, Part 5
His firſt inſtance.
Mr Cawdry in his ſecond part, p. 257. gives for inſtance the place of Gods worſhip, Deut. 12.5, 11. where it is ſaid to this effect: Ye ſhall offer all your ſacrifices only in the place which the Lord ſhall chooſe; and the place choſen by God afterward, was firſt the Tabernacle, and after it the Temple; now it is evident that this precept did not enjoyne them directly to offer their Sacrifices at the Tabernacle; or at the Temple, but only indirectly. In like manner it may be ſaid of the time of Gods worſhip; the fourth Commandement ſaith, Thou ſhalt ſanctifie one day of ſeven at Gods appointment, as the laſt day of ſeven to the old world, and the firſt day of ſeven to the new world, but neither of them directly by the fourth Commandement, but indirectly.
To this I anſwer. 1. Theſe caſes are not alike: for as touching the place of Gods worſhip, Deut 12. it was commanded only in generall or ind…finitely, not naming any particular place; and ſo both Tabernacle and Temple were indirectly commanded as by conſequence; but as for the time of Gods worſhip, Exod. 20.8, &c. it was not commanded in generall or indefinitely, but in particular and definitely, naming the ſeventh day the particular and definite time; and this is not indirectly, but directly and expreſly commanded.
2. The caſes are unlike in this, that as for the place of Gods worſhip, after God had indefinitely commanded it, Deut. 12. it was ſufficiently known to be afterwards the Tabernacle and the Temple, no man queſtioning it; but as for the Lords day, or firſt day of the new world, conſidered as a Sabbath of divine inſtitution, hath been denied by many learned and godly Divines, whoſe names and words I have mentioned in my ſecond booke of the Sabbath, Pag. 264, &c. as Peter Martyr, Brentius, Calvin, Z…nchie, Ʋrſinus, Pareus, Chemnitius, Dr. Prideaux, Zuinglius, Melanchton, Hemingius, Baſtingius, Mr Tindall, and Mr Fryth two godly Martyrs with others there named, and many more I could name, if it were needfull, all of them holding and writing that the Lords day is but an indifferent thing, and of the ſame authority with Chriſtmas day, St Mathews day, and the other Holy daies of the Church; To theſe I may adde that ſince I wrote my ſecond booke of the Sabbath, I have ſeene neere twenty books lately printed all againſt the Lords-day-Sabbath▪ ſo it is not ſo clea…e a caſe among us that the Lords day, the firſt day of the wee…e, or the firſt day o… the new world, is appointed by God, for the time of Gods worſhip, as it was cleare to the Jews, that the Tabernacle or Temple was appointed of God for the place of his worſhip; yea, at this day among our ſelves it is a controverſie to know which d…y is the Sabbath day, the S…turday or the Sunday.
3. Whereas you ſay Sir, The fourth Commandement ſaith, Thou ſhalt ſanctifie one day of ſeven. This is falſe: if no man had the ten Commandements but your ſelfe, you might ſay what you liſt, as you do; but being all men have them as well as your ſelfe, no man will beleeve you ſo long as they read no ſuch words in the Commandements: or if you take it for granted before you have proved it, as here you do, that your wo…ds are the ſence and meaning of the fourth Commandement, then you do but ſophiſtically beg the queſtion.
Thus you have ſeen that this firſt inſtance proves nothing; for it ſhews not that one day of ſeven may be the ſenſe and meaning of the fourth Commandement, nor that you, Sir, are freed from a Paradox in ſaying the fourth Commandement enjoynes one day of ſeven.