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 Ninth.

1. Answer to the seventh Reason.

1. Ob. Iesus Christ is not come to abolish the Law, whereof the Sabbath is a part.

2. Answer, sometimes by the Law and the Prophets, are under∣stood the morall precepts only.

3. Sometimes the ceremoniall only.

4. In Christs words both are to be understood, but principally, the ceremoniall.

5. This is proved by the 18. verse.

6. Frivolous instance from Christs words, Heaven and earth shall not passe, &c.

7. The same is proved by the scope of Iesus-Christ, in the fore∣said words.

8. Falsity of a second instance, that the Lawes expounded in the rest of the Chapter are all morall.

9. Although it were true, it followeth not, that Christs words in the 17. verse should bee understood of the morall Law.

10. Christs words rightly understood favour not the morality of the Sabbath.

11. Third instance from the 19. verse.

12. First Answer, Christ in that verse speaketh of an annihila∣ting of the Commandements, and not of the abrogating of some of them.

13. Second Answer, by retorsion.

14. Third Answer: Christ speaketh of the whole Law of Moses, and not of the Decalogue only.

15. Fourth instance from Saint Iames words, Chapter 2. verse ten.

16. Uanity of this instance.

1 AS little to this purpose are the words of Christ in the fifth Chapter of Saint Matthew verse 17. I am not come to de∣stroy the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. From which

words they make this conclusion, that seeing the Commandement of the Sabbath day is a Commandement of the Law confirmed from time to time by the Prophets, IESUS CHRIST hath not abo∣lished it. And therefore the obligation to keep the Sabbath day lieth upon us still, and shall dure to the worlds end.

2 To this allegation of Christs words I returne this answer, that indeed sometimes, to wit, when a morall matter is in hand, the Scripture by the Law and the Prophets, understandeth only the pre∣cepts of the Law and of the Prophets pertaining to this morality. As when in the twelfth verse of the seventh Chapter of Saint Matthew, Christ saith, All things whatsoever yee would that men should doe to you, doe yee even so to them: For this is the Law and the Prophets.

3 But sometimes also, when the speech is of the fulfilling of things foretold or figured of old, by the Law and the Prophets, are to be understood only the prophesies, and the typike ceremonies of the an∣cient Testament, as in S. Matthew 11. Chap. v. 13. S. Luke 24. verse 27. Acts 24. ver. 26. Acts 26. verse 22.

4 To apply this to the passage objected out of the fifth Chapter of Saint Matthew, I say, that in it by the Law and the Prophets are to be understood, not only the precepts concerning the morall duties of this life, but also the ceremonies of the Law, as may be clearely seene by these words of our Saviour that are generall, I am not come to destroy the Law, nor the Prophets, but to fulfill them. Now the ceremonies are a part of the Law of Moses, are called in the Scripture by the Name of the Law, and make a part of the Sermons of the Prophets, as well as the moralities: The conjunction of the Law and of the Prophets in a generall matter, such as this is, shew∣eth that by the Law we must understand all that is contained in the bookes of Moses, as by the Prophets all things contained in their bookes. Now of the bookes of Moses and of the Prophets the ceremonies make a notable portion.

5 I adde to this, that the predictions, types and promises are here as much, nay much more to be understood, then morall duties, as may be seene evidently by these words of our LORD in the 18. verse following, Uerily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth passe, one Iot, nor one title, one point, or one pricke of a letter, shall in no wise passe from the Law, till all be fulfilled. It is cer∣taine

that these words Iota, Title or pricke, are not to be in this sen∣tence taken properly, because letters, and titles or pricks of letters are not capable of accomplishment; but by them Christ understandeth the least things propounded in the Law. Having properly regard to all the things, whether great or small, figured by the ceremonies of the Law, and foretold and promised by Moses and the Prophets, whereof he confirmed by these words the future accomplishment. Neither can these words of the 18. verse be so fitly applyed to the morall Commandements, as to the ceremonies, promises, and pro∣phesies. This sense, The heaven and earth shall passe, rather then whatsoever hath beene figured, promised, and foretold by the Law and the Prophets, shall not be effected and fulfilled, being manifestly more sutable to the foresaid words, then this, The heaven and the earth shall rather passe, then the morall Commandements shall not be kept and executed.

6 The instance made upon these words, Till heaven and earth passe, &c. is vaine, when they conclude, that there Iesus Christ speaketh of things of the Law that were to continue in their being, and oblige all men to observe and keepe them till the worlds end, which is not true of the ceremonies which soone after expired by his death. For Iesus Christ doth in no wise say, that whatsoever is contained in the Law was to continue stable in force and vigour, and to be kept till heaven and earth passe: But his meaning in this kind of speech is the same that I have touched, to wit, that heaven and earth shall passe more easily, and rather, than the Law shall fall short of a full accomplishment, and the truth thereof shall faile to be ratified and exhibited in all the things contained therein, the impossibility of this being denoted by a comparison with that we have this explication in the 16. Chapter of S. Luke vers. 17. where Christs intention is thus expressed, It is easier for heaven and earth to passe then one title of the Law to faile: where also the Evange∣list sheweth, of what points of the Law Iesus Christ did purposely speake, to wit, of the types and prophesies. For in the sixteenth verse immediatly preceeding he had said, The Law and the Prophets untill Iohn, where we must understand the Verbe prophefied, which S. Matthew addeth in the eleventh Chapter and 13. verse, saying, For all the Prophets and the Law prophefied untill Iohn, that is, the ancient prophesies and figures, as having respect to Iesus Christ,

finished in the time of Iohn Baptist, not in him, but in Iesus Christ, who lived in the same time, and whom Iohn seeing comming unto him, shewed with his finger, saying, Behold the Lambe of God, which taketh away the sinne of the world, Ioh. 1. vers. 29. After then that Christ had said, the Law and Prophets prophesied untill Iohn, S. Luke addeth these words following, as spoken by Christ to that purpose, And it is easier for heaven and earth to passe, then one title of the Law to faile, where by one title are to be understood all the ceremonies, figures, and productions contained in the Law and in the Prophets.

7 Againe, the same is clearely seene by the intention and end of Iesus Christ in the passage that is in question, which is to shew, for the justification and clearing of himselfe, that although he urged above all the observation of the most weighty points of the Law, such as are the morall points, and blamed the Scribes and Pharisees for tying themselves principally to the ceremonies, as to Sacrifices, Purifications, Sabbaths, &c. which were of little importance in comparison with morall duties, and exhorted his Disciples to be carefull that their righteousnesse should exceed the righteousnesse of these Hypocrites, and for that cause, was by them accused as a De∣stroyer of the ceremonies commanded by the Law, and authorized by the Prophets, neverthelesse he was not come to destroy them, but to fulfill them.

8 The instance that they make, saying, that the Lawes which Iesus Christ expoundeth in the verses following of the fifth Chap∣ter of S. Matthew are all morall, is too weake. For they are not all such. In them there is something which hath expresse regard to the ceremonies, and a comparison of them with the moralities vers. 23. 24. And some other things which belong to the politike or judiciall Law, vers. 25. 31. 38.

9 But besides this, although they were all morall, that inforceth not by a necessary proofe, that in the seventeenth and eighteenth verses, Christ hath spoken of morall duties, or that the twentieth one, the twentieth two, and verses following have so strait a con∣nexion with the 17, and 18. verses which goe before, that they speake all of the same subject and matter. For how ordinary is it in the same sequele of a discourse to diversifie the particular subjects, and to passe from one to another? And indeed our Lord IESUS

CHRIST passeth most conveniently from the Ceremonies, which the Scribes & Pharisees accused him falsely to destroy, to the moralities, which they destroyed in effect: The tenor of his dis∣course being this, I am accused by the Scribes and Pharisees to de∣stroy the ceremonies and ordinances of the Law, because I blame the superstitious usage, and preferring of them to morall duties, which are of greater importance. But that is most false: For I destroy them not, but doe shew their true usage, and am come to exhibite the truth of them in my person, neither is there any of them, nor of the Prophesies that shall not be fulfilled in me. But this accusation may be truly laid in the dish of the Scribes and Pharisees; For they are the men which destroy the Law, yea, in things that in it are of grea∣test moment, debasing and disrespecting it, as if it were nothing in comparison of their traditions and ceremoniall observations. Therefore, I say unto you, that except your righteousnesse shall ex∣ceed theirs, yee shall in no case enter into the Kingdome of Heaven. For they make glosses upon the morall Commandements which pervert their true sense, and in so doing, teach men to breake them. This then being evident, that in the foresaid 18. verse mention is made of the Law, as much, nay much more as it containeth the ceremoniall ordinances, then the morall, the argument taken from it remaineth without force on the behalfe of those that alledge it, if they will not by the same meanes render us necessary keepers of all other ceremonies of the Law, as well as of the Sabbath day, which is not their intention.

10 Neither doth that follow of the saying of Iesus Christ. For it is most true, that he was not come to annihilate and destroy the ceremonies of the Law, either by his Doctrine or by his Actions: Not by his Doctrine by declaring them to be vaine, idle and frustra∣tory things: not by his Actions, by saying or doing any thing contra∣ry unto them, by casseering and abolishing them without fulfilling the truth of things figured by them. The verbe 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 used by the Evangelist imports as much; for it signifieth often to overthrow, and destroy, and is here equivalent to the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 used by the Apostle in the same subject, and to the same intention, Rom. 3. vers. 31. saying, that through faith the Law is not made void, but established, where by the Law, he understandeth not onely the mo∣rall Commandements, but also the Ceremonies, figures, and prophe∣sies,

as appeareth by the 21. verse, where he speaketh of the righte∣ousnesse of faith witnessed by the Law, which belongeth to the whole Law given by Moses, yea, properly to the ceremoniall Law, which led men directly to Christ, which the morall Law did not, but by an oblique and indirect way; Christ, I say, was not come to destroy the Law of ceremonies, but to fulfill them, which he did both by teaching what was the end they tended unto, and by a reall exhibition in himselfe of the body of their shadowes, and of the truth of their figures, which was no impediment unto him, why he should not make them to cease, after he had fulfilled them: Nay, much otherwise, it was necessary hee should make them to cease, seeing they had no other end but to figure and represent him, which was not a destroying of them, but rather the true meanes whereby he made them to obtaine their perfection, making them to abut to their end, In which respect the Apostle in the tenth Chapter to the Romans, vers. 4. calleth Christ the end of the Law. Now the Sab∣bath day being a ceremoniall point of the Law injoyned in the 4th Commandement of the Decalogue, in that wherein it was ceremo∣niall, as hath beene shewed before, Iesus Christ ought not destroy it, but by fulfilling the truth that it figured, make it to cease and ex∣pire, as all other legall ceremonies. And therefore, although Iesus Christ in the foresaid passage had intended to speake onely of the Law of the ten Commandements, the objection taken from this place, should not be of any moment and consquence.

11 Of this that wee have said, ariseth an answer to the instance taken from the ninteenth verse following in the same Chapter: Whosoever therfore shall breake (or rather shall destroy) one of these least Commandements, and shall teach men so, hee shall bee called the least in the Kingdome of Heaven: Of which words, presuppo∣sing still that Iesus Christ in them intendeth to speake only of the Commandements contained expresly in the Decalogue, they in∣ferre, that seeing the Commandement of the Sabbath is one of them, Iesus Christ condemneth for ever the inobservation or trans∣gression, and on the other part, ordaineth and establisheth the obser∣vation thereof.

12 Wherevnto, granting unto them, for their greater advantage, that Iesus Christ in these words hath regard to the Commandements of the Decalogue only, I answer, that he speaketh of the dissolving,

annihilating, and overthrowing of these Commandements (For this the signification of the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the originall) And condem∣neth all those that dare to doe it. But to abrogate the Sabbath day injoyned by the fourth Commandement, seeing it was a figure and type, and that by fulfilling in himselfe, and in his faithfull servants, the truth of the thing figured by the outward Sabbath, to free them from the necessity of the observation thereof, was not a dissolving and overthrowing of it, neither on his part, nor on theirs, but ra∣ther an effectuall ratification thereof, as in the same sence he hath not dissolved any of the legall figures, but hath fulfilled them all.

13 Secondly I say, that of necessity the broachers of this argument must advow, that Iesus Christ doth not blame in this place all in∣observation of the Sabbath, neither doth he establish precisely and absolutely the observation thereof for ever, according to all the tearmes, and the whole sence of the fourth Commandement. For it should from thence follow, that he blameth for ever and ever the inobservation, and commandeth for evermore the observation and sanctification of the last day of the weeke, by a legall service, in re∣membrance of the Creation of Gods workes in sixe dayes, and of his rest on the seventh, because the Commandement carrieth with it that necessity, to which is contrary the practise of the Christian Church. Therefore this limitation must be added, that Christ's in∣tention is, to forbid the transgression, and to command for ever the observation of the Commandement touching the Sabbath, and of all the rest, as farre as it may and ought to oblige us according to the tearmes of the Gospell. Now we have shewed, that it obligeth us not, as it ordaineth one day of seven, or a certaine seventh day, or a legall sanctification, but so farre only, as it commandeth, that Gods publike service be practised for ever, according as it shall be establi∣shed by him, and that an ordinary day be appointed for that purpose. And therefore Iesus Christ in this respect only, and no further, con∣demneth the transgression, and injoyneth the observation of the fourth Commandement.

14 Thirdly, Iesus Christ, in the place before alleadged, hath not re∣gard to the Decalogue only, but universally to all the Commande∣ments of God, whether morall or ceremoniall, contained in the Law and in the Prophets, which he had spoken of in the 17. verse, that is in all the bookes of the ancient Testament; and, to repulse

the false accusation that the Scribes and Pharisees laid to his charge, declareth, what was his minde concerning all these Commande∣ments, to wit, that there was not any one of them, nay not of those that are the least, or may by men be esteemed, that ought to re∣maine unprofitable, vaine, and without effect, and that the man, whatsoever he be, that either by teaching or by practise shall despise and reject any of them, shall be despised and rejected of God. That on his part he fulfilled them all, and extended and setled the accom∣plishment of them for ever, to wit, of those that are morall by obey∣ing them all in his owne person, and charging his Disciples with their perpetuall observation, and sanctifying them inwardly, that they may observe them: Of those that are ceremoniall, by perfor∣ming and exhibiting the truth of all things signified and figured by them, which truth he should make to have an eternall continuance and efficacy towards all that are his, although he was to make the use of the figures to cease, as the intention of God, and reason did require. But that the Pharisees were the men, who on their part made void the Commandements of GOD, both ceremoniall and morall: The ceremoniall, by adding unto them over and above a thousand superstitious observations: The morall, by corrupting them with false glosses and interpretations, and preferring unto them the traditions of men, which he layeth to their charge in di∣verse places, and namely in the verses following of this fifth Chap∣ter of Saint Matthew. Now according to this sence, which is true and naturall, it is evident, that they which alleadge this passage can inferre nothing of it for their purpose.

15 They pretend in vaine to fortifie and confirme it with the words of Saint Iames in the second Chapter and tenth verse, where the Apostle speaking of the Law of the Decalogue saith, that whoso∣ever shall keepe the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, hee is guilty of all, because the same God who hath injoyned one of the points, hath also injoyned all the rest. Whence they would inferre that the inobservation of the seventh day of Sabbath, which is a point of the Law, maketh a man guilty of the transgression of the whole Law, that therefore wee are obliged to the observation thereof.

For I answer in few words, that indeed Saint Iames saith, that to faile, or to commit a sinne against any Commandement of the

Law, maketh him that committeth it guilty of the universall transgression of the Law. But I deny the inobservation of the Sab∣bath, as it is commanded by the Law, to be under the New Testa∣ment, a sinne and a fault properly so called, because in so farre as it commandeth the Sabbath, it obligeth not any more: For it was for the Iewes, and not for us. And therefore, not to observe the Sab∣bath according to the tenor of the Law, is not a fault and a sinne in any point, as Saint Iames understandeth it. So if one should say, that he that hath kept the whole word of God, if he offend in one point thereof, should make himselfe guilty of all, that saying should be true according to the meaning of Saint Iames: But if any should inferre upon this, that not to observe still, under the Gos∣pell, all the legall ceremonies, because they make a part, and are points of the Word of God, is a trangression whereby a Christian is made guilty of all this word, and therefore he is bound to keepe them all, it should be an absurd illation; for not to keepe these ce∣remonies now, is not a fault nor sinne to us, because they oblige not any more. No man sinneth against a Law or word but in as much as it obligeth: But neither the word of God, as it commandeth the legall ceremonies, nor the decalogue, as it commandeth the Sab∣bath, is any more obligatory to us ward: wherefore we sinne not now, by not observing these points, and therefore we make not our ••••lves, in that behalfe, guilty of the Law and word of God, who is author of all the points of this Law, and of this word, but hath not given them all to all men, nor to continue in all times, but some of them only to some men, and to have vigor and being for a certaine time only.