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.

CHAPTER seventh.

REASON 7.

1 Manifest reasons out of the three first Evangelists against the morality of the Sabbath. What is meant by the Sabbath second first.

2 Exposition of Christs answer to the Pharisees, who blamed his Disciples for plucking the cares of corne, and rubbing them to eate on the Sabbath day.

3 First argument out of this answer, The Sabbath is declared to be

of the same nature that the Shew bread, and Sacrifices were of, and mercy is preferred unto it. Therefore it is not morall.

4 Second argument: Christ affirmeth, that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath; Therefore it is not morall.

5 A reply to this argument refuted.

6 Third argument: Christ addeth, that the Sonne of man is Lord, even of the Sabbath day: Therefore the Sonne of man being taken for Christ, as he is Christ and Mediator, it is not morall.

7 Fourth argument, Christ did handie-works without necessity, and commanded servile workes to be done on the Sabbath day with∣out necessity: Therefore it is not morall.

8 Christ, as the Sonne of man, was not Lord of the morall Law, but only of the ceremoniall: Therefore the Sabbath is not morall.

9 If the Sonne of man, who is Lord of the Sabbath, be taken in its vulgar signification, for every man, the Sabbath cannot be mo∣rall.

10 Hence it followeth, that the Sabbath was onely a positive Law, given to the Iewes, and not to Christians.

1 I Adde, that not onely there is nothing expresly set downe in the Gospel, confirming the morality of a Sabbath day, but much otherwise, that it furnisheth strong arguments to overthrow it. As among others, those namely, which are to be found in S. Mat∣thew, Ghap. 12. vers. 1, &c. in S. Marke, Chap. 2. vers. 23. &c. in S. Luke, Chap. 6. vers. 1, &c. where is related a thing that came to passe on the Sabbath day, which S. Matthew and S. Marke call simply the Sabbath, and S. Luke, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, The Sabbath second first, or second principall, which the interpretors take diversly. Some understand it of two holy daies, the one follow∣ing the other immediately, and more particularly of the second day after the first of the feast of unleavended bread: For that feast was kept seven daies, which all were Sabbaths, although the first and the last only were solemne Sabbaths of holy convocation. Others take it for the seventh and last day of the said feast of unleavened bread, which was a very solemne day, and equall in holinesse to the first day of the said feast; whence it was called Second First, that is to say, another first, or the first called backe againe, and renued. A third sort expound it of the second solemne feast of the yeere, called

the feast of weekes, or of first fruits, and by S. Luke, the Sabbath Second First, that is, second in order after the first, and as it were another first in dignity: For all the feast daies were Sabbaths. It may be also, that this Sabbath Second First fell out on an ordinary Sabbath of the weeke. Wherein there is a great apparence of truth, seeing the Pharisees blamed Christs Disciples for plucking the eares of corne, and rubbing them in their hands to eat on that day: which they could not have done with any colour, saving on an ordinary and weekely day of Sabbath, wherein God had forebidden all kinde of worke, and namely, the making ready of meat. For in all other solemne Sabbaths of yeerely feasts, he had expresly permit∣ted this particular worke of making ready whatsoever was necessa∣ry to every one to eate, as may be seene, Exod. 12. vers. 16. But al∣though this Sabbath Second first be understood of another day, then of an ordinary Sabbath, it imports not much; and no exception can be taken against it, to impaire the strength of the arguments which are gathered out of the foresaid places: For whatsoever, Christ said in defence of that which his Disciples did, and the Pha∣risees blamed, in this Sabbath second first, is manifestly generall, and pertaineth to all Sabbaths kept in times past among the Iewes, whether ordinary, or extraordinary.

Thus then the three Evangelists doe record, that Iesus went on the Sabbath day thorow the corne fields, and his Disciples plucked the eares of corne, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. Where∣of being reproved by the Pharisees, as profaners of the Sabbath, whereon God forebad to doe any worke; Iesus Christ, to cleare them, and refute the Pharisees, alledgeth the example of David, and of those that were with him, Which, when they were an hungry did take and eate the Shew-bread, which was not lawfull to eate, but to the Priests alone, and were not blamed for this, because the ne∣cessity of hunger was a sufficient excuse unto them. Whence his in∣tent was to inferre, that his Disciples also in that which they did then, were to be excused of breaking of the Sabbath, by the same necessity of hunger which they were pinched with, and which gave them liberty to doe that which otherwise was not lawfull to doe on the Sabbath day. Moreover, Iesus Christ addeth, If yee had knowne what this meaneth, I will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice; yee * 1.1 would not have condemned the guiltlesse, Of which argument this

is the force, that if God preferred the works of mercy and of love to the Sacrifices, which in all the outward service of the Law were the most holy, and would have the Sacrifices to give place to those workes, by identity of reason his meaning was also, that the keep∣ing of the Sabbath, or abstaining from outward works on that day, should give place to that mercy and love which man oweth to him∣selfe, or to his neighbours, and would not have allowed that a man should consent to die for want of meat, to be hunger-starved, or to bring harme to himselfe by some other evill, rather then to breake the Sabbath by making meat ready, or doing some other necessary worke, which was otherwise forbidden on the Sabbath day. Hee * 1.2 confirmeth this, saying, The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; the meaning of which words is, that although God had ordained by the Law of Moses, that his people should sur∣cease from all outward and servile workes on the Sabbath day, yet he required not that cessation, as a thing essentiall to his service, or so necessary, that it could not upon any occasion be lawfull to man to doe such workes on that day, but rather that authority and power was given him, according to Gods intention, in case hee were forced thereunto by some urgent necessity. As for example: the saving or sustaining of his life: For the keeping of the Sabbath was not the scope and end which man was made for, or a thing of so great consideration before God, as is the conservation of the ne∣cessary interests of man. For if that had beene, it should not have been lawfull to man to breake it upon any case or necessity whatso∣ever: but nill he will he, he must be subject to the most straite obser∣vation thereof, notwithstanding any danger whatsoever hee may fall into thereby. Nay, man was rather the scope and end of the Sabbath, and of the observation thereof, and his interests were of greater importance then they. And therefore, when mans goods, life, or reputation are in jeopardy, the Sabbath must give place unto them, as being a thing wherein consisteth not properly and essenti∣ally the glory and service of God, and which is to be kept onely as a helpe to his service, when stronger and more profitable considera∣tions, for the glory and service of God, bind not to the contrary, as they doe, when life, honour, or such other things of great conse∣quence to man come in question: For then it is more expedient for the glory and service of God, that a mans life, honour, goods, &c.

be saved by some worke otherwise forebidden on the Sabbath day, then that with a manifest hazard of his life, honour, or goods, he should tie himselfe to a precise keeping of the Sabbath, and to a scrupulous cessation, which in such a case should become superstiti∣ous. It is questionlesse that the matter was to be taken so under the old Testament, and this is the maine point that Christ inten∣ded to maintaine and verifie against the Pharisees, which urged a so precise and strict observation of the Sabbath, that it turned to the prejudice and damage of man, made man slave of the Sabbath, sub∣jected not the Sabbath to man, and GOD so inthralled man with the keeping of that day, that it was a thing unlawfull unto him, to prepare, and take in his pinching hunger a mouthfull of meate for his sustenance, although hee should starve and perish for want of food.

3 Vpon this reasoning of Iesus Christ, it followeth clearely, that the keeping of a seventh day of Sabbath, appointed in the fourth Commandement is not morall: For first, Christ sorts it with the observations commanded in the Law, touching the Shew-bread, the sacrifices, and other ceremoniall services of the Temple: Matth. 12. vers. 6. as being of the same nature, that is, belonging simply to the Iudaicall policie, order and government. And all the strength of his argument is grounded upon this point, that the Sabbath is of the same nature with these ceremonies, and therefore as they might be dispensed with keeping of them, if stronger reasons obliged them to the contrary, so they might sometimes be released from the for∣bearing of all workes on the Sabbath day, if they had just and ne∣cessary reason to doe some workes that day. Else the Pharisees might have most easily replyed, that although David in his hunger tooke the liberty to eat the Shew-bread, which was not lawfull to eate, but to the Priests, and albeit it was lawfull to any man to preferre the workes of mercy, in his owne, or in his neighbours ne∣cessity, to sacrifice, yet it followed not, that hunger could give him any licence to breake the Sabbath, because these observations con∣cerning the Shew-bread, and the Sacrifices, were but ceremonies, which might be sometimes omitted and dispensed with, where∣as the Sabbath and the keeping of it, was a thing morall and un∣dispensable.

4 Secondly, Iesus Christ saith, that the Sabbath was made for man,

and not man for the Sabbath, Marke 2. verse 27. Now it cannot be said of any thing truely morall, and ordained of God by a morall Commandement, that it is made for man, and not man for it, that it is the end of man, and not man the end of it, that it should yeeld to the interests of man, and not man to the interests of it. For example, dare any man be so bold as to say, that the Commandements to have no other GOD but the true GOD, to shunne Idolatry, to abstaine from blasphe∣ming and profaning in any manner the name of GOD, to ho∣nour Father and Mother, not to be a Murtherer, a Whore∣munger, a Thiefe, a false Witnesse, not to covet another mans goods, not to love GOD and the neighbour, are made for man, and not man for them, and that man may dispense with them for his owe particular interests? Verily it is not lawfull to a man to breake these Commandements, as it is lawfull to him to breake the Sabbath for his owne conservation, in any thing that hath reference unto him. Nay, hee should tread under foot all his owne interests, rather then transgresse in any of those points. Which sheweth evidently, that the Commandement concerning the Sabbath, is not of the same nature that these others are of. That these are morall, are of the Law of nature, have in themselves an essentiall justice and equity, and for that cause are undispensable; so binding conscience at all times, that it cannot be lawfull at any time to doe any thing against them: That this of the Sabbath was onely a Commandement of order, of ceremoniall policie, of a positive Law, and for that cause liable to dispensation and abrogation, as in effect it was dispensed with in the forena∣med occasions, and CHRIST by his comming into the world hath abolished under the new Testament, the particular Comman∣ment given concerning it.

5 The observation which is made by some, that Christ saith, that man was not made for the Sabbath, or for the day of rest, but saith not, that man was not made to sanctifie the Sabbath, is but a vaine subtilty. For by the Sabbath, Christ understandeth both the rest of the day, and the day of rest. For in the Scripture, the word Sabbath signifieth the one and the other. And seeing the observation and sanctification of the day consisted, at least in part, in a rest and cessation of all externall workes, as is evident by the words

of the fourth Commandement, and of Exodus, Chap. 31. v. 14, 15. and of Ieremiah, Chap. 17. vers. 22. 24. yea, seeing this sanctifica∣tion onely was proper unto it, and particularly tied unto it, and see∣ing it taketh from it the name of Sabbath, wherewith it is honored, to say that man is not made for the rest or cessation, and is not ne∣cessarily tied unto it, but may dispense with it, not through a fancy, and at his owne pleasure, but in the extreme necessity of his just and reasonable interests, is as much as to say, that man is not made, in that respect, for the sanctification of the Sabbath, but that the said sanctification is subject to him. Now, this is the point in question, to wit, Whether to keepe a seventh day for a day of rest, or of cessation, according to the injunction given in so precise termes in the fourth Commandement, be a morall duty. I cannot see what other sanctification of the Sabbath day can be understood by those which say, that man was made for it, in the sense that Christ taketh this kinde of speech, is a morall duty. For if they understand a sanctification by workes truely and properly morall, such as are workes of godlinesse, mercy, and charity, whereby God is princi∣pally and directly glorified, and we and our neighbours are edified, and maintained for his glory, and say, that man is made for this sanctification, ought to observe it carefully, and to make, if neede be, the rest of the Sabbath day, to stoope, and give place unto it, this is most true; but our question is not about this kinde of sancti∣fying the Sabbath day; neither is it proper and peculiar to the se∣venth day, but is equally required in all the daies of the weeke. And by this is confirmed our saying, that the sanctification proper to the Sabbath, as it is such, and which is the maine point that we treat of pro and contra, cannot be morall, seeing it yeelds, and sub∣mits it selfe to the morall duties of every day, and for their sake may and ought to be violated.

6 Thirdly, for the cleerer and better confirmation of the foresaid truth, is very usefull that which Christ addes after these words, The Sabbath is made for man, saying; For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day. For whether by the son of man, we understand par∣ticularly the Son of God, as he is Christ, and Mediator, as he is often in that respect so named; whether generally every man according to the common signification which it hath in holy Scripture, the one and the other sense overthroweth the morality of the Sabbath. If

Iesus Christ speaketh of himselfe, as he is Christ and Mediator, un∣der the name of the Son of man, as in my opinion he doth, his mea∣ning is, that as such and in that quality, he had power over the Sab∣bath, as Lord to dispense with the keeping of it, whom and when he would: as he said in the same sence and to the same purpose, In this place is one greater then the Temple. Yea hee insinuates, that * 1.3 he was come to make this abrogation of the Sabbath, as of the Temple, and of all the ceremonies practised therin: For what other end had hee to alleadge his soveraignty and maistery over the Sab∣bath, but to say, that he had power to dispose of it, at his own plea∣sure, and to cause men worke in it, as he should thinke fit? To de∣clare only the lawfull use and practice of the Sabbath, argued not that soveraignty and authority that Christ challenged to Himselfe.

7 Fourthly, to shew effectually his dominion in that behalfe, he chused often the Sabbath day, to doe, or to injoyne to others on that day workes which might have beene done in any other day of the weeke, and were not simply workes of mercifulnesse, or of urgent necessity, permitted by the Law, nay were servile and unnecessary workes, which the Law forbad: As is manifest, by his healing the sicke ordinarily on the Sabbath day, and that with handy worke, whereas he might have done those cures with a word of his mouth: As when hee restored to sight the man that was borne blinde, ma∣king clay of his spittle, and anointing the eyes of that blind man with the clay, Iohn 9. ver. 6. 14. As also when he commanded some sicke, whom hee had healed, to beare burdens on the Sabbath day, which GOD had forbidden, Ierem. 17. ver. 21. Thus hee commanded on the Sabbath day the man whom he had cured of the palsie, to rise, take up his bed, and walke, Ioh. 5. ver. 8, 9, 10. which was not lawfull to him to doe, no more than to anyother such man, who by ordinary meanes had recovered his health, if it had not beene for Christs command, notwithstanding that miracu∣lous deliverance after a so long and incurable disease: For he nee∣ded not, ntither for the glory of God, nor for his owne good, to take up his little bed on the Sabbath day, seeing that without any such worke his recovery was doubtlesse cleere and manifest to all.

8 Now if the Sabbath day, and the keeping thereof had beene morall, Christ had never spoken, never done so. For he had not, as

hee was the sonne of man, any authority and Lord-ship over the things that are morall, and of the Law of Nature, to dispence with men for the doing or not doing, the keeping or not keeping of them. Because in them shineth the justice of the most righteous and holy God, his glory to command them, the excellency of man to yeeld obedience unto them, as having a naturall righteousnesse and equi∣ty inherent in them, carrying with them an universall obligation, and being of perpetuall continuance grounded essentially in them∣selves, and on their owne nature: Such are these commandements, Thou shalt love God with all thine heart, and thy neighbour as thy selfe. Also we see not, that Christ at any time hath done or caused to be done, by any man, any thing whatsoever against them, nay he hath rather backed and confirmed them, hath himselfe kept them most religiously, and hath injoyned also to others the keeping of them. But as Mediator he had power over all things which were simply ceremoniall, positive, adiaphorous, that is, neither good nor evill in themselves, wherein the true service of God consisted not, which were no thing but helpes to that service for a time, and were established of God simply for certaine reasons relative to some better things. For as Iesus Christ himselfe was not lyable unto those things, but so farre as it was his reason to apply himselfe unto them, least he should give offence to any man. And as the reason of their institution could not take hold on him, so likewise was it in his power to exempt from them whom hee would. For although they were to be usually in strength and practise till the houre of his death, that was no hinderance to that authority which he had in his life time, and during his conversation in these lowest parts of the earth, to give particular commandements whereby hee dispensed whom he pleased with their observation. Such things were the cir∣cumcision, the sacrifices, other legall ordinances and among the rest the Sabbath, whereof, upon this occasion, he declared himselfe to be Lord.

If Christ, when he said, The Sonne of man is Lord of the Sab∣bath, will have us to understand by the Sonne of man, every man, as many interpreters doe take it so, meaning that every true beleever hath authority and freedome to exempt himselfe from the keeping of the Sabbath for his owne need and to yeeld to such necessities which are more urgent, and of greater importance then was the

Sabbath, of which sort was the narrow strait, whereunto hunger had driven Christs Disciples, that is no lesse forcible to fight against the morality of the Sabbath, as appeareth by that which hath beene already said.

10 Such then being the nature of the Sabbath, it is evident that it is not morall, that of its selfe it obligeth not the conscience to the keeping of it, that if it bindeth conscience, it commeth from GODS command by a positive Law, such as he gave to the Iewes, and that only when more inforcing reasons doe not dispense with the observation of it, as there be some such. Now the positive Lawes given to the Iewes being wholly abrogated, no man can say, that the Law of the Sabbath bindeth the conscience of Christians, if it be not shewed, that Christ will have this Law of the Sabbath to continue under the New Testament, and hath commanded the keeping of a Seventh day, as he might have done. In which case, that Law should bee obligatory, not for any morality it hath in it, but because Christ had ordained it for the order of the Church. This I pretend cannot be shewed, but rather that the stinting of the time of GODS publike service hath beene left to the free will of the Church, and that even now at this time when a Seventh day is set downe, we ought to keepe it, in obedience to the Church, as following herein the order which she hath thought good to insti∣tute, and not through opinion of any necessity proceeding from GODS immediate command, farre lesse of Religion inherent in the thing it selfe.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Os••. 6. v. 7.
• * 1.2

  Mar. 2. 27.
• * 1.3

  Mat. 12. v. 6