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1. They are not bound by a Divine prohibition, and for conscience sake to abstaine from any servile worke.
2. First Reason, the fourth Commandement bindeth them not thereunto.
3. Second Reason, the order of the Church neither doth, nor can oblige their conscience to a Iewish abstinence.
4. Third Reason, Those of the contrary opinion urge not the ri∣ged abstinence of the Iewes, from all manner of worke.
5. Wherefore they should not urge any abstinence at all, contrary to Christian liberty.
6. For Christian liberty extends it selfe equally to all, and is not restrained by the fourth Commandement.
1 AS for Christians living under the New Testament, they are not obliged to such an observation of their Sunday, as the Iewes were to their Sabbath day. And I beleeve not, any worke externall, corporall, servile of their ordinary callings, law∣full on another day, to be unlawfull on that day, by a divine prohi∣bition, and obligation of conscience, to abstaine from it in conse∣quence of such a prohibition.
2 This resulteth by necessary consequence from that hath beene said before. For if the fourth Commandement, in as much as it prescribeth a certaine day of rest, to wit, a seventh day, or the last of seven, bindeth them not, as hath beene shewed; there is no rea∣son why it should rather oblige them in the exact prohibition of all worke on the Sabbath day, because this was as well a part of the ce∣remonies and government of the Iewish Church, as was the ap∣pointment of a seventh day of Sabbath.
3 If they keepe not their Sunday by Gods Commandement, but according to the order and use of the Church, as I have also proved, no more are they bound by Gods Commandement, to cease on Sun∣day from all their ordinary workes, but only as farre as the use and order of the Church established for the publike exercise of Gods service on that day doth require it, without any further obligation of their conscience. Now this order cannot and should not ob∣lige them to an abstinence like unto that of the Iew••s under the O••d Testament. For it were needfull for this, that God himselfe had sub∣stituted Sunday to the Sabbath day, and posted over to that day the rigorous right of this day, commanding the same abstinence in the one and in the other; which is not. The substitution of one day to the other was done by the Church, and the reasons of an abstinence so precise on the Iewish Sabbath, which were wholly typicall, ha∣ving no place at all in the New Testament, the said abstinence ought not to be any more in vigor, neither ought our Sunday to
usurpe the same rigour of authority over us, to make us refraine from all kind of worke, which the Sabbath day possessed over the Iewes, by Gods expresse commandement.
4 The same is easily proved by good reason, grounded upon things which those against whom we dispute are constrained to advow. For if Christians were obliged also to an abstinence of outward and servile workes, which to the Iewes were unlawfull on the Sab∣bath day, it must be in consideration and by vertue of the prohibiti∣ons given to the same Iewes in the fourth Commandement, and in other places of the Old Testament, to doe such workes on that day; seeing otherwise, to doe them is not a sinne, if we consider the thing absolutely in it selfe. This power of the fourth Commande∣ment is extended to all Christians by those that are contrary to the opinion which I maintaine. And neverthelesse, they avouch al∣most all of them, that under the Gospell we are delivered from the rigour of an exact observation, such as was the observation that the Iewes were subjected unto, that we have greater liberty, that wee may on our Sabbath day kindle the fire, make meat ready, not only for our ordinary refection, but also for feasts and bankets, so they be not too sumptuous, goe abroad for other ends then for Gods ser∣vice, as to walke, and doe other such things, and that without the case of urgent necessity, which sometimes made them lawfull to the Iewes themselves. They call such actions workes of Christian liberty, which they acknowledge to be permitted to Christians, al∣though they were not permitted to the Iewes, as were the workes of godlinesse, mercy, and urgent necessity, whereof there is no dif∣ficulty but they may be done on the Sabbath day. This only they require, that these workes of Christian liberty bee done without scandall, without any disturbance of Gods service, and without any hinderance to the Sanctification of the Sabbath.
5 Now it is most true, that we are delivered from the necessity of this so rigid observation. But I aske them, wherefore we shall bee permitted to doe some workes which were prohibited to the Iewes on the Sabbath day, as to kindle the fire, prepare and dresse meat, walke abroad without necessity, and not other workes, which were not forbidden more severely than the former, as to plough, sowe, reape, carry burthens, &c. The one and the other were alike un∣lawfull to the Iewes, in vertue of the interdiction given in the
fourth Commandement, and reiterated so often elsewhere. If this interdiction tyeth still our hands under the New Testament, and suffereth us not to do these last workes and other such like, I would faine know, upon what ground they hold, that it releaseth and suffe∣reth us to doe these former workes? What reason have they to ex∣tend our Christian liberty to the one, and not to the other, seeing there is no relaxation given us for the one more expressely than for the other? Seeing also meanes may be found to doe the last, as well as the first, without scandall, and without any let by either to the Sanctification of the Sabbath day?
6 Therefore we must of necessity confesse, that they are equally permitted, or equally forbidden, seeing the fourth Commandement maketh no distinction. Now they advow that some workes are permitted to us, which were by the fourth Commandement forbid∣den to the Iewes, and are workes of Christian liberty. Whence I conclude, that all other workes are also of the same nature, that we have liberty to doe them all on our Sunday, and that as the fourth Commandement obligeth not Christians to keepe the seventh day which it prescribeth so precisely, no more doth it oblige them to do no manner of worke on that day. For these two parts of the Commandement are alike precise, and the one is of as great autho∣rity as the other.