Answer to Two Books of the Sabbath, Part 7
His third inſtance.
Mr Cawdry in page 260. thus writeth; in Levit. 27.30. All the tithes or tenths of the land are the Lords, &c. The tenth of the Flocks which paſſeth under the rod ſhall be the Lords; Where it is not neceſſary to take it for the tenth in order, but for any part of the ten. Alſo Lev. 23.13. Two tenth deales of flower, and a fourth part of an hin of oyle; here any part of the ten, or any part of the foure is as much as this Law requires. So the ſeventh day mentioned in the fourth Commandement doth not neceſſarily ſignifie the ſeventh day in order, but may ſignifie a ſeventh day, or one day in the ſeven. So this is ſufficient to take off the aſperſion of novelty from our interpretation and expoſition of the fourth Commandement, and to ſhew it to be conſonant to the Language of the Scripture.
To this I ſay, whereas in expounding the fourth Commandement I do inſiſt upon the ordinall word ſeventh, holding my ſelfe cloſe to the propriety of it, which notifies properly (as hereafter ſhall appeare) not any one of the ſeven, but the laſt of the ſeven, and that ſingle one which next follows the ſixth. As when we ſay, the ſeventh yeare of the Kings Reigne, we meane not one of the ſeven indefinitely, that is, any one of the ſeven, but the laſt yeare of the ſeven, that which follows next after his ſixth yeares Raigne. A bond to be paid the ſeventh day of March is not to be paid upon one of the ſeven daies of March indefinitely, that is, upon any one day of the ſeven, but definitely upon the ſeventh day from the firſt day of March; the like may be ſaid of the eighth day for Circumciſion, and of the fourteenth day for the Paſſeover, and of other ordinall numbers which in our Engliſh tongue end with th. Now Mr Cawdry, to overthrow this propriety of the ordinall number ſeventh, brings in this his inſtance of another ordinall number, the tythe, or tenth. Hereunto I anſwer.
1. Whereas Mr Cawdry would underſtand by the Tythe or tenth, not the tenth in order, but for any one of the ten indefinitely; hereby as he would overturne Gods definite and fixed time, ſo he doth an evill office to himſelfe, and to the reſt of the Clergy for matter of Tythes; for if the Shepheard hath in his Flock a blind or lame Lambe, a ſick or leane Lambe, may he not give the Miniſter for tythe his blind Lambe, ſick or leane Lambe? And if the Miniſter thinks himſelfe wronged, may not the Shepheard plead Scripture to him? Saying, by the tythe or tenth God might enjoyne one of ten, that is, any one of the ten indefinitely. Mr Cawdry would be loath the Sheppheard ſhould ſo expound Scripture to him, and yet he will ſo expound the fourth Commandement to us, underſtanding by the ſeventh day any one day of the ſeven.
Againe, God commanded Circumciſion to be on the eighth; were Mr Cawdry to expound this Commandement he could ſay by the eighth day may be underſtood any one of the eight daies. The Paſſeover on the fourteenth day, he could expound this ordinall fourteenth ſo, as they might eate it on any one of the foureteene daies.
2. Though there is not any Commandement in the New Teſtament for the Lords day, yet let us ſuppoſe one made by Chriſt, ſaying, Remember the Lords day to ſanctifie it; but the firſt day of the weeke is the Lords day, &c. If I ſhould anſwer to this Commandement as Mr Cawdry doth to Gods fourth Commandement, ſaying, the word fi…ſt is an ordinall number indeed, but by the firſt day of the weeke, or firſt day of the ſeven, we may underſtand one day of the week, or one day of the ſeven indefinitely; for ordinall numbers, as the tenth of the Flock, and a tenth deale of flower, are ſo uſed in Scripture; how would Mr Cawdry and our new Sabbatarians exclaime of me for corrupting the proper ſence of this new Commandement of Chriſts? and for beguiling them of their new Sabbath day? And yet thus they deale with God, and with his fourth Commandement, and no man may controul… them without ſome heavy Cenſure or other, for I run more hazard for maintaining the true expoſition of Gods Commandement than they do for corrupting it.
3. Be it ſo, that ſome few, as two or three ordinall numbers in Scripture be uſed improperly: for Io. 21.14. This is the third time that Jeſus appeare, &c. if this third time of Chriſts apparition may be upon ſome one of the three times only, and not on the laſt of the three, how ſhall we do for our new Sabbath on the Lords day? for Chriſts apparitions be brought to prove our new Sabbath. Againe, Chriſt roſe the third day, may this be expounded of, one of, or of any of the three daies? further I anſwer.
1. That this particular ordinall number the ſeventh mentioned in the fourth Commandement, is never uſed in Scripture but properly for the laſt of ſeven. As for o…her ordinall numbers, ſome two or three, as the tenth of the Flock, and a fourth part of a hin of oyle, &c. theſe are uſed improperly, but there are an hundred Texts of ordinalls, all uſed properly for one or two uſed improperly.
2. Where an ordinall number is uſed improperly, it is ſo underſtood in a caſe of neceſſity only, when it cannot poſſibly be otherwiſe underſtood; as when the things numbred have in them neither diff…rence, nor order, as a fourth part of an hin of oyle, and a tenth deale of flower; in ſuch a caſe we muſt underſtand them improperly as for any one of the number: ſo when Chriſt is called a doo…e, and the bread his body, we muſt take them improperly, but not alwaies in all texts ſo: for the proper ſenſe is ever holden for the true ſenſe, if nothing appeare to the contrary; now there is no neceſſity to depart from the proper ſenſe of the ordinall ſeventh in the fourth Commandement; for among the ſeven daies there is both difference and order, one orderly going after another; wherefore this ordinall ſeventh muſt be properly underſtood for Saturday the laſt of ſeven; and ſo the Church of the Jews underſtood it, as appeares by their practice, keeping the Saturday Sabbath, now at Amſterdam, and elſewhere; but this I ſhall at our concluſion more abundantly prove, as that God intended in his fourth Commandement to have only the Saturday and laſt day of ſeven definitely for his Sabbath.
Thus you ſee his third and laſt inſtance anſwered; and as yet he hath not vindicated himſelfe from his Paradoxe, nor proved that the fourth Commandement may be expounded for a ſeventh day, or for one day of ſeven indefinitely, that is, for any one day of the ſeven.
By the way note, that I have propounded his three inſtances in their full ſtrength, as himſelfe wrote them; the like faithfulneſſe I ſhall obſerve in repeating his enſuing Arguments; And though they be but triviall things, yet I have, and ſhall anſwer every one of them punctually, although he hath not been ſo candid towards me; for he hath not ſo much as mentioned, much leſſe confuted my beſt anſwers againſt the Lords day▪ if my things were as triviall as his, yet ſince he undertakes to confute me, it had been the part of a fair diſputant to mention and confute my anſwers, or elſe never to meddle with my name and Books, and ſo I returne.
Now he proceeds by ſundry Arguments that the ſeventh day, or laſt day of the ſeven, is not enjoyned in the fourth Commandement, but one day of the ſeven indefinitely; we ſhall anſwer them in order.