An exposition of the morall lavv, or Ten Commandements of almightie God set dovvne by vvay of exercitations, wherein is contained an explanation of diverse questions and positions for the right understanding thereof, together with an explication of these scriptures which depend upon, or belong unto every one of the commandements, all which are cleared out of the originall languages, the customes of the Iewes, and the distinctions of the schoolemen / by Iohn Weemse ...

EXERCITAT. VIII. Whether the Sabbath was from the beginning or not. Commandement IV.

Exod. 20.11. For in sixe dayes the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day.

WE have shewne who should rest upon the Sab∣bath, the next thing to be considered, is, the rea∣son why wee should rest upon the Sabbath, because God rested from all his workes; the reason why the Iewes did keepe the Sabbath upon the seventh day from the creation, was,* 1.1 because God rested that day from all his workes: which reason bindeth not us Chri∣stians now directly, because God rested not from all his workes upon our Sabbath; but because Christ rested from all his workes upon our Sabbath; triumphed over death and hell; therefore wee should keepe it.* 1.2

The seventy translate these words thus, God rested from his workes the sixt day; and they give the reason why they translate it the sixt day, and not the seventh, lest king Ptolomie should have asked them; did God worke any thing upon the seventh day before hee rested? but it should not be translated,* 1.3 he rested from all his workes quae fecit, sed quae fecerat, that is, hee rested from all his workes the seventh day which he had made the sixt day, and where it is said, he rested from all his workes, it is to be understood (as the Schoolemen say) hee ceased a no vis speciebus perfectis creandis, sed non ab imperfectis:

when he createth daily, soules of men, these are not per∣fectae species, for the body is begotten by generation, and the soule is only created of nothing. Ps. 102.18. The people that shall be created &c. this is meant of their soules, & not of their bodies:* 1.4 for their bodies are begotten by generation. When the beasts are begotten it is a worke of generation, but not of creation: and the Lord ceased not from ruling & preserving those creatures which he had made:* 1.5 therefore Prov. 8.30. it is said, I was as a nurse with him: and even as great men commit their children to nurses; so the Lord after that he created the world, committed the care of it to his providence, as to a nurse.

God rested from all his workes; therefore hee would have us to rest from our workes.

* 1.6There are foure sorts of rest, the first is a naturall rest, as when Christ sat downe at the well to rest him. Ioh. 4.6. Secondly, a rest from sinne; thirdly, a typicall rest, Heb. 4.9. fourthly, that eternall rest in heaven, Esay 66.23. Sinne is our most proper labour, and most weari∣some labour, to worke in bricke and clay in Egypt was not like it,* 1.7 it is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, labor, and it is like quicksilver, Habet principium motus in se, sed non quietis, still trembling, but never at rest. Wee must rest also from the workes of our callings, in our callings There is much vexation of spirit, Eccles. 1.14.

Rest is the habit, and moving a privation; when a man resteth that he may labour againe, that is not a per∣fect rest; when a man is carried contrary to nature, then the motion is violent, and the rest is comfortable: the motion of sinne is contrary to nature, therefore the rest from sinne must be comfortable;* 1.8 they who rest not from sinne here, shall not rest in the life to come, Revel. 14.11. They that worship the beast shall never rest, neither day nor night.

* 1.9The Lord setteth downe his example for imitation

to us because he rested that day, [Ob.] and so wee may learne that the institution of the Sabbath was from the begin∣ning, which is contrary to those who hold that the Sab∣bath was not ordained to be kept, till after the Lord had rained down, Manna. Exod. 16. And they say that these words (The Lord rested from all his workes the seventh day) were a reason added to Moses Sabbath, when the law was given, but not to Adams Sabbath before the fall.

But we answere, [Answ.] in the reason of the commands there is some thing naturall from the beginning, and some thing added by Moses:* 1.10 in the reason of the fift com∣mandement; this was juris naturae, given to Adam and all his posterity before the fall, Honour thy father and thy mother that thy dayes may be long, that is, that thou mayst live a long time happily here, and then to be translated to another life: but this was juris Mosaici; That thy dayes may bee long in the land whither thou art to goe. So this was juris naturae in the reason added to the Sabbath, thou shalt rest from all thy workes, because God rested from his workes, but this is onely juris Mosaici, that the Sabbath should be a signe betwixt God and them; and belongeth not to Adams Sabbath. Ezek. 20.10. I brought them out of Egypt and gave them my Sabbaths, that they might be a signe betwixt me and them:* 1.11 The Sabbath was a particular signe to them of their bringing out of Egypt, and they should alwayes remember to keep it; because the Lord brought them out of Egypt; the Sabbath was from the beginning, but it was accessory to the Iewish Church that it was made a signe, as the rainebow was from the beginning; (the reflexe of the sunne in a cloud) but it was not a signe to the world untill after the deluge.

But they say, [Object.] wee read nothing in the whole history of Genesis of the Sabbath, or that any of the Patriarches kept it.

We read nothing that the adulterous or incestuous persons were put to death before Iudahs time, did the Patriarches suffer this sinne to bee unpunished all this time?* 1.12 and is it probable that the holy men of God who sacrificed to the Lord and worshiped him, had not a certaine time for his worship determinate to them? the Lord sanctified his Sabbath as soone as he rested from his workes, and he set up the sunne and the moone Le∣mognadim,* 1.13 (which is the word used afterwards in the law for their holy conventions) ad statua tempora. What appointed times were then for his worship, if not the Sabbath? for as yet they had none of their anniversary feasts.

[Object.] Againe they say, that the words set downe in the law; that thou maist rest, and thy servant may rest, belonged not to Adams Sabbath, for Adam before the fail was not wearied, and there should have beene no servile subjection before the fall; therefore these words belong onely to Moses Sabbath.

[Answ.] Although Adam should not have beene wearied in dressing of the garden,* 1.14 yet hee behoved to rest, that hee might exercise himselfe onely in the worship of God; and although servile subjection came in after sinne, yet if man had not fallen, there should have beene degrees of superiority and inferiority, and there should have beene a distinction of ages, sexes, and dignities.

[Ob.] Ioh. 7.22. Christ maketh an opposition betwixt two lawes, one of circumcision, and another of the Sab∣bath; and he saith that circumcision is kept, not because Moses instituted circumcision, but because it was from the fathers: and because Moses law of the Sabbath was given after the law of circumcision; therefore it is that infants are circumcised upon the Sabbath, and yet the Sabbath is not broken.

[Answ.] The Sabbath was given after circumcision with the

rest of the ceremonies belonging to it, which Christ especially meaneth of here; but the morall part was gi∣ven to Adam before his fall;* 1.15 he maketh but opposition here betwixt the ceremonie of circumcision, and the ceremonie of the Sabbath; the lesse necessarie ceremo∣nie gave place to the greater, and the Iewes say, when a child was to bee circumcised upon the Sabbath, yet the morning sacrifice behoved to be offered first before the child was circumcised; and then all the rest of the ceremoniall worship in the Sabbath gave place to cir∣cumcision

And where they urge us, [Obj.] that there is no example of the Patriarches who kept the Sabbath before the Man∣na was sent downe. [Answ.] It may seeme out of Iob that they kept the Sabbath in his time (which was before the law was given.) It is said that Iob had seaven sonnes, and they went and feasted in their houses every one his day;* 1.16 and then it is subjoyned, Iob. 1.6. That there was a day when the sonnes of God came to present themselves before the Lord.* 1.17 Now who were the sonnes of God here? but Iobs chil∣dren who assembled themselves to worship God upon the seaventh day?

They say that these words, God rested the seaventh day and sanctified the Sabbath, are set downe 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉,* 1.18 by way of anticipation; because God promised to sanctifie that day afterward: this carrieth no probabilitie with it, that God is said sanctifie it, because he was purposed to sanctifie it afterwards; for then he might be said to san∣ctifie the mount Moriah when he created it, because af∣terwards hee was to build the temple there, and to san∣ctifie the Pascha and the Pentecost, because afterwards he was to appoint them for holy uses.

The conclusion of this is, wee live not by examples,* 1.19 but by rules, but Gods example was a rule to the Iewes, and Christs example should bee an example to us to

keep the Sabbath: God rested from the beginning upon that day, and the law hath first respect to Adams Sab∣bath, and not to Moses Sabbath.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The reason why wee keepe the first day of the weeke.
• * 1.2

  Why the seventy tran∣slate it, God rested the sixt day.
• * 1.3

  God rested from crea∣ting of new kindes that are perfect.
• * 1.4

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Nutrix ab 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 fid••lem esse.
• * 1.5

  God rested not from the workes of his provi∣dence and preservation.
• * 1.6

  Foure sorts of rest.
• * 1.7

  Sinne is the most wea∣risome labour.
• * 1.8

  The motion of sinne is contrary to nature.
• * 1.9

  God sets downe his example for imitation.
• * 1.10

  Something in the Sab∣bath naturall from the beginning, and some∣thing added by Moses.
• * 1.11

  To rest upon the Sab∣bath was naturall to it from the beginning; but that it should be a signe betwixt God and the people was accessorie to it in Moses time.
• * 1.12

  The Patriarches had an appointed time for Gods worship.
• * 1.13

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 In statuta tempora.
• * 1.14

  Albeit man had stood in innocency, yet there should have beene di∣stinctions of superiori∣ty, degrees and sexes.
• * 1.15

  Christ maketh an op∣position betwixt the ceremony of the Sab∣bath and the ceremony of circumcision.
• * 1.16

  Iobs children kept the Sabbath.
• * 1.17

  Pineda in Iobum.
• * 1.18

  The sanctification of the Sabbath was not set downe by way of anticipation.
• * 1.19

  Conclusion.