A treatise of the Sabbath and the Lords-day Distinguished into foure parts. Wherein is declared both the nature, originall, and observation, as well of the one under the Old, as of the other under the New Testament. Written in French by David Primerose Batchelour in Divinitie in the Vniversity of Oxford, and minister of the Gospell in the Protestant Church of Roven. Englished out of his French manuscript by his father G.P. D.D.

THE PREFACE.

The state of the Question.

1. All men are bound to serve God every day privately, in some measure, according to his word.

2. They are also bound to serve him publikely, and to have a day stinted for his publike service.

3. There is among godly and learned Christians a great con∣troversie about the Originall, Nature, and Observation of that day.

4. Some hold the sanctification and observation of one of the seven dayes of the weeke to be morall, and therefore of per∣petuall necessity, since the beginning unto the end of the world.

5. Others maintaine, that the stinting of a day for Gods pub∣like service, is a point of order, and of Ecclesiasticall go∣vernement, depending wholly on institution.

6. This Treatise made for the defence of this last opinion, is divided into foure parts.

1 ALl men are obliged to honour and serve God all the dayes of their life, by the heedfull practice of all the exercises of religion and godlinesse, which hee hath prescribed in his holy word. Neither ought they to let any day slip without the imployment of some time, and the carefull applying of themselves in some competent measure to that duty, that thereby they may thrive in the knowledge of truth which is af∣ter

godlinesse, and increase in sanctification, without which no man shall see the Lord. Neverthelesse, seeing God hath ordained, that man in the sweat of his face shall eat his bread, and live by the labour of his owne hands, Gen. 3. v. 19. that this transitory and dying life is besieged with so numerous an hoste of difficulties, that it cannot be guarded without many necessary imployments returning every day, that the labour whereunto all men are tied, will scarcely suffer them to take their breath, they cannot, for the most part, apply themselves to the necessary actions of Gods service, with such care, vigi∣lancie, attention, and continuance, as is requisite.

2 These ordinary paines of temporall callings are a far greater impeachment to the publike and solemne service that the faithfull are bound to render joyntly to God in their publike meetings. For the King of heaven is not sa∣tisfied with their private devotions in their closets seve∣rally, or together with their families at home: but will have them also to doe unto him full and absolute ho∣mage abroad, confessing him to be their Creator, Redee∣mer, and perpetuall Benefactor, calling upon his holy name, and setting forth his praise in their congregations, and religious assemblies. Now the dayes of man are a warfare upon earth, and his dayes are like the dayes of an hireling, and the life of the faithfull is intangled and di∣verted with so many necessary and toilesome affaires, that it is very difficult unto them, to have such holy and religious meetings every day; yea, in many places it is impossible. Therefore it is altogether necessary, that a day be chosen and picked out from amongst a number of other dayes, and peculiarly appointed, that in it, as often as it returneth, all persons, setting aside the care of all temporall and worldly affaires, and daily imploy∣ments,

may extraordinarily set themselves with one ac∣cord to serve God publikely in the assemblies appointed for that end, and that each person may, on that day, serve him apart, before and after the publike service, with such a regard and assiduity, that it goe beyond the ordinarie devotion of every day. No body amongst true Christi∣ans which take to heart the honour, glory and service of God, will make a controversie of this. Neither is this the subject of the controversie which is canvassed and sifted on both sides with great earnestnesse, yea with too great eagernesse between many Christians, which are learned, godly, and consenting in the profession of the same do∣ctrine and truth of the Gospel of peace.

3 Their variance and disagreement is about the nature, beginning, and particular observation of the day which is separated from all other dayes, that it may be especial∣ly applied to Gods service; to wit, 1. If it be a thing of naturall justice, of perpetuall necessity, and whereunto all are tied by a morall commandement appertaining to the New as well as to the Old Testament, that of seven daies of the weeke one be kept for the end aforesaid. 2. If be∣fore the Law was given by Moses to the people of Israel, yea if from the beginning of the world God himselfe made the particular designation of this day, set∣ting it apart for his service, and commanding to Adam, and to all his posterity, the hallowing and keeping of it. 3. If under the New Testament there be a divine ordi∣nance of such a day of rest, as well as there was under the Old Testament. 4. And if by Gods command the con∣sciences of faithfull Christians are under the Gospell as much obliged to hallow it, as the Iewes were under the Law, and for the better, and more religious sanctification thereof, to abstaine from all outward workes, which are

lawfull and are practised on other daies, lest they should transgresse that divine Commandement, and so finne a∣gainst religion and conscience.

These are the maine points which some learned Di∣vines, and godly Christians instructed by them demurre upon. 1. Some of them deeme, that the keeping of one of the seven dayes of the weeke is a morall and naturall duty, that God himselfe sanctified it for his service by an expresse and perpetuall Commandement, that so it was from the beginning, so it is still, and shall never be otherwise till the end of the world. 2. That before sin came into the world, as soone as Adam was created, God prescribed unto him and to Eve our first parents, and in them to all men which were in their loynes, and were to come out of them, the hallowing of one day of the weeke, which was the seventh day. 3. That he reiterated and renewed this Commandement in the fourth precept of the morall Law, which he gave in Horeb to the peo∣ple of Israel, and hath bound all Christians under the New Testament to hallow and keepe it religiously, be∣cause it is of the same nature with the rest of the Com∣mandements of the Decalogue, which are all morall. 4. That for this cause our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ, and his blessed Apostles have ordained and prescribed it unto them; And so all men have beene, all men are, all men shall in all times be tied to the religious observation thereof by the necessity of a divine and morall Com∣mandement. 5. That we are bound in conscience by the binding power of this Commandement, to refraine al∣wayes on this seventh day of Sabbath or of rest, from all earthly workes used on the other dayes of the weeke. 6. This onely they acknowledge, that the particular ob∣servation of one constant day amongst these seven, as of

the first or of the last of seven, is not morall, nor of a like obligation under the Old, and under the New Testa∣ment; that it is onely a point of order, and of ecclesiasti∣call government, which God did otherwise order and settle under the Old, than he hath done under the New Testament: That under the Old Testament, from the creation of the world, till the comming of Christ, he or∣dained the observation of the last day of the weeke, in re∣membrance that he created the world in six dayes; and rested on the seventh or last day from all the works that he had made: whereas he hath ordained, that under the New Testament, the first day of the weeke shall be religiously solemnized, in remembrance that on that day our Lord Iesus Christ rose from death to life, and by the exceeding greatnesse of the power of his glorious resurrection hath performed the worke of the second creation, which is the redemption of the world, from the slavery of the devill, the power of the Law, the bondage of sinne; And therefore it behooveth the first worke of the Creation to yeeld to this worke the prerogative of excellencie of nature, as likewise of the possession which it had till then of the solemne day of rest. That for this cause so important and peremptory the day of Gods service was to bee changed and removed from the last day of the weeke, wherein was finished the first Creation, unto the first day wherin the second was fully accomplished by our Lord Iesus Christ, who hath him∣selfe appointed this alteration.

5 Others doe hold, that verily it is a duty naturall, mo∣rall, and perpetuall, to serve God publikely; 1. That all men are obliged unto it; and bound to meet together in the Church for that purpose. 2. That being there, they ought to give their mindes to the exercises of reli∣gion

with a more particular earnestnes, & diligence, than they are able to do every day at home, or abroad. 3. That they must have a set day purposely stinted for the fulfil∣ling of a duty so religious, so necessary, and so fruitfull. 4. But that such a day must be one of seven, or of another number, & which in order of that nūber, they deny to be a morall point, & to have in it any naturall necessity. For their tenet is, that it is a thing of order, & of Ecclesiasti∣cal government, depending intirely of institution. 5. That indeed under the Law, which God gave by Moses to the children of Israel, this holy and most perfect Law-giver, amongst other points whereby he directed the Ecclesia∣sticall order and Church-government which that people was to be ruled by, instituted and commanded the conse∣crating of a severall day for his service, even of one of se∣ven, and of the last of those seven which he had rested on from all his works, & a most strict & precise forbearance of all worldly works on that day. 6. But appeareth not at all, that God gave any commandement to Adam, either before or after his fall, binding him or his progenie to the keeping of any day whatsoever, as to a thing morall and necessarie, neither is there any trace of such a Com∣mandement to be found, till the comming of the Israe∣lites to the wildernesse, for till then God had left it free. 7. That under the New Testament one day of seven is kept, to wit, the first day of the weeke, wherein our Lord Iesus Christ rose from the dead; But not for any morall necessity tying all men to observe one day of the weeke; Nay, not for any expresse Commandement which God the onely Law-giver hath given by Iesus Christ, or his Apostles, to keepe such a day, and namely the first; but through an usage which hath beene introduced and con∣served in the Christian Church since her first begin∣nings,

till this present time. 8. That therefore this ob∣servation is simply of Ecclesiasticall order, and that a cessation from ordinary workes on this day, is more par∣ticularly requisite than in another day of the weeke, see∣ing the Church hath appointed and set it apart for Gods publike service: Yea, that an universall refraining from all these workes, to the intent that the whole day bee without disturbance bestowed on Gods service, is good and laudable. 9. Yet this is not in such sort necessary, as if it were a sin against religion and conscience to a Chri∣stian, after divine service finished in the Church, to apply himselfe to outward actions belonging to the lawful and honest commodities and pleasures of this decaying and troublesome life, when they doe it with Christian wise∣dome, which must be the guide of all our actions, lea∣ding us so warily that we transgresse not the wholesome lawes of the state, or of the Church wherein we live, and that we shun all partialities and cause of schisme, which is the bane of the Church, dismembring, and tearing in factious pieces the mysticall body of our LORD IESUS CHRIST, which the true doctrine of faith had preser∣ved from the poyson of mortall herefie.

6 Of these two foresaid opinions, the last, to my judge∣ment, is the truest, and hath more solid and cleare rea∣sons than the first, as shall bee seene by the canvasing and sifting out of the reasons that are broached on both sides. Which to doe more distinctly and clearely, I will divide this Treatise into foure parts: In the first I shall endeavour to prove, that the institution and observation of a seventh day of Sabbath, is not morall, that it began not with the beginning of the world, that it had no exi∣stence, till the people of Israel were brought from Egypt to the wildernesse, and was not known in any part of the

universall world till then, and that the Commandement whereby it was confirmed in Horeb, obligeth not under the New Testament. In the second, I shall answer all the reasons that I have found alleaged for the contrary opini∣on. In the third, I shall discourse of the appointing of Sun∣day for Gods service, and shew whence, in greatest like∣nesse of truth, it taketh its beginning and establishment in the Christian Church. In the last, I will declare what was the cessation of workes enjoyned in the Sabbath day un∣der the old Testament, and how far we are obliged unto it under the New Testament. For these are the principall points that Christians jarre and differ about in this matter of the Sabbath.