John saith The Word was with God and The Word Joh. 1. 1. was God Psal 104. 24. O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all Who this Wisdom and Beginning and Word is by which all things were made the Gospell hath taught us that it is Christ who is not onely the Beginning and the Word as it is said but is also called The Wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1. 24. And All things were made by him Joh. 1. 3. and All things by him were created that are in heaven and that are in earth Col. 1. 16. The Jews in disparagement of Christ Maâ— 6. 3. Matth. 13 55. called him both a Carpenter and the son of a Carpenter so did Celsus in a Cont. Cels lib. 6. Origen and b Theod. hist. lib. 3. cap. 23. Julian the impious and apostate Emperour Justin Martyr doth indeed affirm that Christ on earth was literally a Carpenter and did make ploughs and yokes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iustin Dial. cum Tryph. Ambr. Ser. 10. but withall both St. Ambrose and St. Austin tell us That he was also that Carpenter that built Heaven and this mighty fabrick of the world Finally because this Son of God Aug. de Temp. Ser. 3â— was both the Creator and also the Sabbath both of God and Men therefore for the sanctifying of him this Motive is here mentioned of making heaven and earth And rested the seventh day Touching this Rest of God what it was and why it is fixed on the seventh day we have said much a Chapter 10 11 12 13 15 1â— before and something more must be added which will be more fit to be discoursed in the next that this Chapter may not swell too big CHAP. XX. The Exposition continued That all the Divine Persons concurred in Creating Resting Blessing and Sanctifying How the Son of God or Second Person is the Rest and Sabbath of the same Son of God How he resteth in himself Of the divers considerations of God the Son in respect of Godhead and Manhood and his severall Appellations respectfully Why the seventh day was preferred above the former six That the Ceremoniall Sabbath was for the memoriall of the Resting and not of the Working of God And Rested the seventh day THe more literall and exact reading of these words is And rested on the seventh day for thus St. Jerom renders them Requievit die septimo and the Clementine-Edition In die septimo For it was not the day that was considered by the Godhead but something that was performed on that day that occasioned this Rest which if it had been so done on any other of the former six daies certainly it would have been said of that day as it is of this that God rested on it What that thing was we have shewed before at large namely that it was in consideration of the Messiah or Christ It would now be enquired what is meant by The Lord who is here said to have made heaven and earth and to blesse and sanctifie the Sabbath day whether it be meant of the Person of the Father onely or of the Person of the Son or of the Person of the Holy Spirit or of all of them because all and every one of them is the Lord and the Creator and the Sanctifier Of the Father no man doubteth and of the Son we have proved before and of the holy Ghost holy Job saith By Job 26. 13 his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens and the Psalmist also Thou sendest forth thy Spirit Ps 104 30 and they are created and the Church at the opening of Councils used to sing that Hymn in St. Ambrose which beginneth a Inter Hymnos Ambros To. 5. Veni Creator Spiritus For when our Vulgar Catechisms ascribe Creation to the Father and Redemption to the Son and Sanctification to the holy Ghost we are not so to understand them as if these actions were of each severall person or as if the Father had no interest in our Redemption or Sanctification nor the Son or Spirit in Creation far be it from us to think so But we believe that the whole Godhead and every Person therein did joyntly co-operate in all these acts Indeed the Father created but it was in and by the Son and both by the holy Ghost So the Son Redeemed but it was from the Father and by the Spirit So the holy Ghost Sanctifieth but he doth it from the Father and the Son So also in this place the Rest of God is not to be accounted the Rest of one single Person onely but of the whole Godhead and of every one of the Three most holy Persons therein If it be now granted that the Son of God is this Lord and Creator that made heaven and eaâ—th and He that is here said to Rest and also He that is the onely Rest and Sabbath both of God and of us Men which we have proved before then it must follow that the Rest it self is here said to Rest and the Sabbath it self to rest in the Sabbath and the Son of God must be the Sabbath of the same Son of God Which at our first hearing may seem to be a violent Exposition which yet is not so as will presently appear The Reader may easily apprehend that although God is entirely One yet he is often represented to us under diverse and severall notions and capacities as if he were not the One and the same God for so this Son of God who is the onely God is set forth in Scripture and is so by us to be apprehended and believed as Immortaâ—l and yet mortall as the Mâ—ker of all things and yet made that he was from Eternity and yet born in time the Father of all men and yet the Son of man the Creator of his Mother and yet her Son All these speeches are true of this Son of God considered in his severall and respective capacities neither ought they to seem incredible or strange because we find the like diversities in one and the same Man One in Plutarch said openly to a King sitting in judicature a Plâ—t in Apoph Provoco à Philippo ad Philâ—ppum I appeal from King Philip to King Philip but in another temper So Nazianzen representeth the same person both as a Judge and as one arraigned b Naz. Eâ—ist 79. Te accuso apud te justum judicem So doth St. Ambrose to one as if he were both Client and Counsellor c Ambr. Ser. 64. Stulto consiliario usus es teipso Upon these words Psal 140. 1. Deliver me O Lord from the evill man St. Austin saith d Aug. Hom 29. de Temp. Ser. 233. à te â—e liberat i. e. God doth deliver a man from himself And upon those words Deliver us from evill he saith Deus te liberat à teipso malo We have a Proverb that a man is his own neighbour c Proximus egomet mihi
Sabbath which in the fourth Commandment is so strictly required and that with a Memento also more than any other Commandment as being indeed the greatest of them all and most nearly concerning our everlasting Rest and Happiness as hereafter will appear CHAP. V. Of the Fourth Commandment what part of it is moral and what Ceremonial Why a Ceremonial is taken into the Ten Commandments Of the Memento and some other Prerogatives proper to this fourth Commandment The Excellent benefit of this Sabbath-law Why it is placed in the middle of the Commandments How the whole law is performable by men FOr the right understanding of this great mysterious Sabbath we must first diligently examin the words of the fourth Commandment which I here set down fully as I find them recorded Ex. 20. 8. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy Six dayes shalt thou labour and do all thy work But the seaventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God in it thou shalt not do any work thou nor thy Son nor thy Daughter thy man-servant nor thy maid-servant nor thy Cattel nor the stranger that is within thy Gates For in six dayes the Lord made heaven and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seaventh day wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it All our learned Divines generally agree thus farr that this Commandment is partly Moral so that the Moral part thereof is to be obeyed and kept at this day and also during the continuance of the world They also agree that part of it is Ceremonial appertaining only to the Jewes and binding them to the observation thereof until their Mâ—ssiah came in the flesh and was made known unto that people or during the Pedagogie of them or at most during the Judaical state and politie All this I conceive to be very true But the main difficulty consisteth onely in the right dividing this Commandment by seperating the Moral and everlasting part from that part which is but Ceremonial and temporal and typical Which that I may truely and Christianly perform I here most earnestly implore the assistance and illumination of thy Divine spirit O gratious Lord Jesus that in this needfull and concerning mystery I may appeare to thee and to thy Church as thy servant Paul exhorted Timothie a workman rightly dividing the word of truth For the understanding whereof I here present â— Tim. 2. 15. to the Consideration of the pious and learned Reader What after much labour of mind and long deliberation and after diligent and serious Consulation with the Ancient Fathers I have conceived to be the true and most necessary meaning of this Commandment and what is the right Division or Seperation of the Moral Mysterious and Perpetuall part thereof from that which is only Typicall Ceremoniall and Temporall And what part of that precept bindeth us Christians to observe it as it did also the Ancient Israelites and the Patriarks and Prophets and even Adam himselfe and all his posterity And also what part thereof was proper to and concerned only the Mosaicall or Judaical people and doth not at all concern the Christians or Gentiles nor did in the least oblige the Patriarks which lived and died before the dayes of Moses The want or neglect of a right distinction of these differing parts of this Commandment in our later Theological Writers hath occasioned much trouble heart-burnings and Schisms among Christians and also many Phraisaicall curiosities in the observation of an eighth day Sabbath Which was never intended to be put upon the people of God by this 4th Commandement And moreover it hath also obscured the most needfull most holy and Mysterious Sabbath Spirituall by which we only can expect an eternall and heavenly Sabbath and salvation of our Souls and bodies For many good pious and well-meaning Christians are hereby mislead into the same arror and mistake that the Jews were in by thinking that the whole and ultimate duty commanded and intended in this 4th Comandement consisteth only in keeping holy One day of Seaven Which is but a very mean and low conceipt and far short of the High and Weighty intendment of that Precept and is also a very stumbling Block in the way to retard men from apprehending the true Sabbath therein secretly and mysteriously Veiled Which is Christ Who only is the everlasting Sabbath or Rest both of the Godhead and also of us Men. It is now time that I set down plainly what I conceive to be the Moral part of this Commandment and in what words it is contained that so it may appear how much of that long Precept concerneth us at this day and is an everlasting Law and a law Naturall and Written in Mans heart and binding not only Christians and Jews but Heathens and even all Nations as also it did all the Patriarchs before Moses was born and before it was written in stone These are the words Ex. 20. 8. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy In these few words is contained the whole Morality of that Law So that no more of the words are to be accounted Moral or binding us for all the following words are but a branch of the Ceremoniall law And although they are here joyned with the truly Moral Sabbath and also by the same God written in the same Tables of Stone Notwithstanding this will not make them to be a Moral law because they are so annexed for this reason only to serve as a Type and figure of the Grand Sabbath To keep the Israelites mindfull by a weekly Sabbath or rest of that everlasting Rest which they were to expect in their Messiah and not otherwise For now we see that all learned Divines have rejected and the whool Christian world have long since disused the old Jewish Typical or Seaventh-day Sabbath These later words which are so annexed to the fourth Morall Law are to be considered by themselves in their proper place but for present we must insist only on the former words which I have affirmed to be truly moral and an everlasting law For the understanding whereof the Reader may observe divers things Considerable and some of them proper and peculiar to this Commandment so as not to be found in any other of the Nine 1. In those words recited There is no mention of the Seaventh day for that was meerly Typical and Ceremonial but the Sabbath-day Therefore surely there must be understood some other Sabbath day besides the Seventh day Sabbath for otherwise it had bin enough to have said Remember the Seaventh day to keep it holy But the Seaventh day is one thing and the Sabbath day is another They differ as much as Shadow and Substance as Type and Antitype as Signum Signatum i. e. as the bare signe from that which is signified thereby for the Jewish Seaventh-day-Sabbath which was but only a signe and shadow of the Substantial Mysticall and Spiritual Sabbath which is Christ 2. To this
put the appellation of Sabbath upon Christ for as the Son of God considered in his pure Divinity and without and before his incarnation is called The Lord of hosts Isa 1. 9. Jer. 11. 20. which in the New Testament is rendered The Lord of Sabaoth Rom. 9. 29 Jam. 5. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word Sabaoth is by some Divines a Polan p. 140. affirmed to be one of the names of God So the Church of England accounteth it and ascribeth it to every one of the Three Persons in the Hymn singing Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoâ—h And so it was heretofore esteemed in this Kingdome as we perceive by an odd story of one of the Bishops of London reported by Bâ—shop Godwin out of Matthew Paris thus As this Bishop lay musing in his Bed he heard an unknown voyce saing to him O Gilberte Foliot Dumrevolvis tot tot Deus tuus est Astarot The Bishop presently and undantedly replyed Menâ—â—ris Daemon Deus meus est Deus Sabaoth If therfore the Lord of Sabaoth were the name of the Son of God before his commng in the flesh which name signifieth the Lord of Armies as if by this name it were signified that the Godhead was at defiance and warr with mankind before our Peace-maker appeared for us Then why should we doubt to affirm that The Lord of the Sabbath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 12. 8. Mar. 2. 28. Lu. 6. 5. is the name of the same Son of God since he is become The Son of man and God incarnate and Emmanuel And this in order to be a person fitly prepared and qualified to perform the law for us and to suffer for our Transgressions as a Redeemer a Saviour and procurer of an everlasting Sabbath and Rest to our otherwise unquiet restless and troubled souls and consciences As also himself professeth Mat. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you Rest And ye shall find Rest unto your souls Surely every good Christian will find that to be true which one said to the same purpose a Aug. confess Inquietum est Domine cor meum doneâ— requiescat in te i. e. My heart is unquiet O Lord until it may find rest in thee Now if that Sabbath mentioned in this Commandment be not meant of Christ then there is no precept in all the Decalogue of faith in Christ without which the Law is to us impossible we should be Restless And further also If that Sabbath do not signify Christ then have we Christians no Sabbath at all and if so what will become of us But we are assured by the great Apostle that although the Jewish Ceremonial Seaventh-day-Sabbath be quite gon yet Heb. 4. 9. There remaineth a Rest to the people of God This rest is there called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. a Sabbath or Sabbatism And that it may appear to what people of God this Sabbath appertaineth he tels us before Vers 3. We which have believed do enter into Rest Therefore this Sabbath or Rest belongeth to us Christians He further addeth vers 6 They to whom it was first preached entred not in because of unbeleif The Rest or Sabbath here mentioned must needs signify Christ The Jews are they to whom this rest was first preached that is to whom the Gospel of Christ was preached as Christ commanded Luk. 24. 47. to begin at Jeâ—usalem The Jews entred not into this Rest because of their unbelief i. e. they could not be received into the body mystical of Christ as members thereof because they did not believe in him but rejected him But the Apostles other faithfull Chrisians do enter into this Rest through faith as it is said We which have believed do enter that is they enter into Christ they are united with him thereby obtain this Râ—st so partake in the benefits which Christ merited by his most holy life and precious death And those benefits are indeâ—d our everlasting Sabbath For what can be so truly called a Rest and Sabbath as our repose resting in the Lord which leadeth us to an everlasting Sabbath in heaven For all our restings or Sabbatizings which are Earthly are but as dreams in respect of our Rest in Christ for he is that Sabbath whose Rest is called Blessedness and his after this mortal life is ended as we read Rev. 14. 13. Blessed are the dead which dy in the Lord-that they may rest from their labours The Apostle in that place Heb. 4. useth two several words for Rest 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Rest and Sabbath This he did because he was to speak of two several Rests 1. The Earthly Rest of the Israelites after they were put into quiet possession of Canaan by Joshuah who is there called Jesus 2. The everlasting Rest of Gods People by entring into Christ through Faith and this Rest is called Sabbatism so that Sabbath and Sabbatism do plainly signifie Christ and our Rest in him For confirmation hereof it is worth our observation That the great Prophet Isaiah c. 58. v. 12. speaketh of the Sabbath as of a Person If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing thy pleasure on my holy-day and shalt honour him He calls the Sabbath Him which must signifie a Person and cannot be said of a meer Day Who is meant by this Him is declared in the next verse to be the Loâ—d for so it followeth Then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord. So that the Sabbath here meant is the Lord even the same Lord who in the Gospel calls himself The Lord of the Sabbath whereas other typical Sabbaths whether weekly or annual were but signs of this grand Sabbath as we are taught by another great Prophet Ezek. 20. 12. I gaâ—e them my Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctifie them St. Paul to me seemeth to make this Doctrine evident and past exception when he saith Col. 2. 16. Let no man judge you in meat or drink or in respect of an holy-day or of the new-moon or of the Sabbath-days which are a shadow of things to come but the body is of Christ What can be more plainly said then this to shew That Christ is the true real and substantial Sabbath And that all other Sabbaths are but signs types figures and meer shadows of Christ who is the Body that projecteth these shadows for God himself had so said before concerning the seventh day Sabbath which only is that type which is mentioned in this fourth Commandment Exod. 31. 13. Verily my Sabbath ye shall keep for it is a sign between me and you that ye may know that I am the Lord So this which was the principal and most frequent Sabbath of all was no more but a sign and what the signatum i. e. the signification of it was is shewed to
as one saith of a companion c Mart. 12. 47. ex Ovid. l 3. Nec tecum possum vivere nec sine te This mysterious truth surely was known by Adam who was a Prophet and is so accounted both by d Orig in cant hom 3. Aug de Gen l. 9. c 19. Origen and Austin as may also appear by his prophetical words before the fall Gen. 2. 23. but especially by his so naming the woman after the Fall whom he called vitam that is life Gen. 3. 20. as both e Hier. in Gen. Ambr. de Parad c 14 Joh. 14. 6. St. Jerome and St. Ambrose read that place and the word Eve or Cavah signifieth life whereby he declared both his expectation and faith in the Messiah to proceed from the woman even that Messiah who calls himself The way the truth and the life for thereby only could she be an help meet for man now fallen and in this respect only was she called life because from her Christ was to come so that she was indeed the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or parent of God as the blessed virgin is often called by the Fathers and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or mother of God viz. of God-incarnate otherwise she was not an help meet for man but rather quite contrary Nor could her châ—ld-bearing have saved her self or others except Christ the Saviour had bin in her progeny nor yet could her bearing of Christ originally in her womb have helped her except she had also conceived him in her heart by saith as St. Austin very truly affirmeth of the blessed Virgin Mary who was neerer akin to Christ than Eve was f Aug. de vir c. 3 To. 6. Nihil Mariae profuisset materna propinquitas nisi feliciùs Christum corde quà m carne gestasset c. Neither Eve nor Mary could have bin saved by propagating or bearing Christ in the womb if they had not conceived him in their hearts If we lay aside this consideration of Eve consider her only as a woman she will appear rather an impediment than an help to man for she occasioned the fall of the man by conversing with Satan in wch respect Tertullian saith of her a Tert. de habit Mulieb Faeâ—â—na est janua Diaboli The first inlet of Satan was the woman as Chrysostome cals Job's wife b Chrys n. 56. The Instrument of Satan and c Orig. n. 17. Origen cals her c muscipuiam i. e. The trap of Satan And saith moreover that Satan destroying the goods and children of Job yet touched not his wife but left her on purpose to supplant the holy man But God looked otherwise on Eve when he called her an help and considered her so as the Fathers speak of the blessed Virgin-mother whom they call a Ambr. de Spirit lib. 3. c. 12. Templum Dei And b Fulg. serm 3. Fenestram Coeli And c id ibid Scalam Coeli And d Euseb Emis Homil in Vigil Nativ Portam Coeli i. e. A Temple of God The window of heaven The ladder and gate of heaven for all these was Eve in respect of her fruitfulness and the propagation of Christ from her For in other child bearing she was unhappy as first in Cain then in the holy but unfortunate Abel some of her posterity are called a generation of vipeâ—s and also said to be of their Father the Devil and one of them â—â— called Joh. 6. 70. a Devil The consideration of such miscarriages hath made some parents wish themselvs childless The great Emperor Augustus wished that he had died without wife and child a Suet. in Aug. c 65. his issue proved so ill Capitolinus saith of the good Emperor Antoninus the Philosopher b Capit. in M. Aut. c. 8. Felix fuisset si fiâ—ium non reliquisset i. e. he had bin happy if he had not left a Son he meant wâ—cked and bloody Commodus Dead Tantalus in the fable is brought in desiring rather to return to hell whence he came than to see and promote the wickedness and calamities of his posteritie c Sen. in Thyeâ—te Lu. 23. 29. In which respect Eve might rather have desired barrenness as Christ also said for such reasons Blessed are the barren So the help which Adam had by his wife was not in regard of her society nor in her childbearing generally considered neither was she named Life onely for that she was to be the mother of all other men and women to come nor for any amorous or lascivious apprehension as wantons since used to their minions a Juâ— Sat. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And b Ter. in Eun. Anime mi mi Phaedria But it was surely in a far greater consideration and in prophecy and faith of the Messiah to come by her and of redemption and immortall life which would be onely through him that he named the woman Vita or Life This certainly was the reason that God called the Woman An help and meet for man and for nothing else but onely the preconsideration of the Saviour to descend from her for so the holy Psalmist hath taught us Our help Psal 124. 7. standeth in the name of the Lord which hath made heaven and earth For without this help he saith in another place O be thou our help in trouble for vain is the help of man And more vain is the help of Woman Finally for this cause it may reasonably be thought that the wisdom and providence of the Godhead permitted the fall of man to be occasioned by the woman that so the man might be induced and necessitated to seek for Life and Help otherwise and not in the Person but in the blessed Seed and posterity of the woman To which purpose St. Ambrose thus writeth a Ambros de Parad. cap. 10. Et si mulier prior peccatura erat tamen Redemptionem sibi paritura salva erit per generationem siliorum inter quos generavit Christum i. e. Although the woman first sinned yet Redemption was to come by her therefore she shall be saved in child-bearing because amongst her children Christ was one By this time I trust it appeareth to the Reader that the grand and onely reason of the expression of the Rest of God at that time was the providentiall and mercifull consideration of Christ the Seed of the Woman and Saviour of her and of the man and of their posterity CHAP. XV. An Answer to the Question How God can be said to Rest That the Rest of God is in Christ and why That the Tabernacle and Temple are called God's Resting-place onely as they were figures of Christ That the Ark is called God's strength in the same respect That God's Rest in Sion is also meant of Christ That the Union of God and man in Christ was ordained onely for man's Salvation and everlasting Rest That man's Rest is called God's Rest Certain Conclusions concerning this Rest of God
one If they wil needs use the name of the Lord in calling that day 't were far more consonant with the phrase of Scripâ—ure and Euphony to call iâ— The Day of the Lord which yet will not come home to their purpose Therefore those prudent Sâ—atesmen and learned Prelates which were interessed both in composing our Statutes and also in compiling and authorising our Leiturgie did with great caution decline this appellation and call'd it Sunday as some of the most antient Fathers did before both in the Greek and a Iustin. Mart. Tertul. Latine Church and this in likelyhood before the appellation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Dominica was generally received although the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was in some particular Churches used before those Fathers wrote as may appear by that authentick Epistle of b Ignat. Epist 3. Edit Plant. Ignatius ad Magnesianos Neither did those Primitive Christians before mentioned who first began this solemnity nor the Apostles who approved thereof long before the Revelation was written ever call this day so as it is now called We find it recorded under the title of The first day of the week or first day after the Sabbath Act. 20. 7. and 1 Cor. 16. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but we find no mention of Sabbath Lord's day or Resurrection day nor did they then call it Sunday because the naming of the seven week-dayes by the seven Planets was never before or at that time used by the Jews nor by the Romans their then Magistrates Whereby it is evident enough that the assigning of the first day of the week for holy assemblies was not originally upon consideration of Christ's Resurrection on that day Notwithstanding the succeeding Church did conform unto that day because their Predecessors had fixed thereon And they further alledged new reasons for the retaining of it They considered That Christ did indeed rise that day from the dead That the descending of the holy Ghost at Pentecost That the creation of Heaven and Earth and Light That Manna rained from Heaven first and all these on this first day of the week Bellarmine addeth if you will believe him b Bel. de Cultu Sanct. l. 3. c. 11. To. 2. That by his and other learned mens calculations the Nativity of Christ fell on this first day of the week These were the reasons for retaining this day though not of instit uting it But in succeeding times the Jewish appellation of dayes by First Second Third c. of the Sabbath or Week was disused Therefore the Church affixed a new name to that day according to the Custom of their Country or Ordinance of the Church and hence came the denomination of Dominica and Sunday respectively We cannot with reason account this appellation Sunday to be any disparagement to the solemnity of the festivall in regard that our Saviour himselfe for whose Honour we sanctifie this Day is called by his Prophets The Sun which shall no more Isa 60. 20 Mal. 4. 2. Matth. 17 2. Matth. 13 43. Rev. 1. 16. 10. 1. 12. 1. go down And the Sun of Righteousnesse his glorious Transfiguration is resembled to the Sun his Saints are promised at their glorification To shine as the Sun his owne Countenance and his mighty Angell and his Spouse are described by the glory of the Sun so that this Name is high and glorious The disusing of this word Sunday and Dominica of late among us is upon some reason of State as of some other good old words also as The word Kingdome and Three Kingdomes and Bishop and Common Prayer Leiturgy and Letanie are now left And instead of them We have Common-wealth Three Nations Presbyters Independents Directory Sabbath Lords-day c. but oâ—d words may return again and new words may grow obsolete when the State seeth it needfull as one saith Multa renascentur quae jam cecidêre Horace cadentque Quae nunc sunt in honore vocabula Si volet usus As for the warrant and authority for hallowing and assembling thereon We say That it is not grounded on the fourth Commandement which doth not in the least mention or meddle therewith Neither did Christ or any Apostle command it as Chemnitius a Learned Protestant granteth Exam. Conc. Trid. But we keep it rather by vertue of the fifth Commandement which requireth us to Honour our Parents wherein lawfull Magistrates are included and their just lawes authorized Our reasons are these 1. The institution of the Church Primitive 2. The Apostolicall approbation thereof 3. The Imperiall decrees and also the Regall lawes of this Realm 4. The constant practise of the Church Catholick in all ages thereof 5. The scripturall authority for it which is derived as is said before from the fifth Commandement although not directly or expressely and down-right but secondarily consequently and collaterally in these and the like passages Submit your 1 Pet. 2. 13 selves to eveâ—y Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake And Obey them that Heb. 13. 17 have rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls Christ also said If be neglect the Church Matth. 18 17. let him be as an Heathen man and a Publican For these and such like reasons we adhere to it and esteem them so ponderous that we account it an high insolency and pride either to abrogate or but to alter the day as some have attempted Thus far we agree in the thing but we dissent from the name Sabbath and Lords day and also from all superstition therein practised As touching the Mysterious Apocalyps from which the late appellation of Lord's day is taken by a Translation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is not rendred exactly to the Originall Letter as is shewed before Although this Scripture be still confessed both by the Church Protestant and Roman to be Theopneust and Canonicall yet it cannot be denied that many Learned men both Anciently and Lately have doubted concerning the Writer thereof and also have been anxiously perplexed with the obscurities therein First for the Writer That he was named John the Book often declareth But whether he were St. John the Apostle the Text doth not declare nor do the Ancients agree therein in so much that in consideration of former disputes concerning the Writer and also of the style phrase form or manner of speech therein used a Prolegom in Apoc. Beza is inclined to conjecture that if it were not written by St. John the Apostle yet that it was written by St. Mark the Evangelist who was also named John because we read of John surnamed Mark Act. 12. 12. and Act. 15. 37. But Beza's conjecture disagreeth with the History of St. Mark who is recorded by b Hier. in Marco St. Jerome to have suffered death in the eighth year of Nero c Origines Alexand. p. 38. Mr. Selden's Eutychius saith he died in the first year
assured that the very Seaventh day Sabbath was but a meer figure and Type of the true Eternall Sabbath which is Christ That the Jewish Sabbath was but the shadow And that the body thereof was Christ Justly therefore are the Jewes reproved for doting so much on the Shadow-sabbath and utterly neglecting the Substance and body which was but only represented by that shaddow like the dog in the a Gabriae fabula 32. Fable which let-go and est the Substantiall flesh out of his mouth by snatching at the shadow thereof in the water So the great Oratour Demosthenes perceiving the Greeks to neglect the weighty matters of State which he delivered in an Oration tells them a tale then reproves them for listening with more attention to a ridiculous case b Plut. de 10. Orat. of two men contending for the shadow of an Asse than they did to the great affaires of their Country This surely was the reason that our Saviour so often took occasion to slight and decry the Jewish seventh-day sabbath because he saw the Scribes and Pharisees so strict and curious in keeping that shadow and utterly to neglect the true Substantial Sabbath which was their Messiah in whom only true Sabbatical Rest was to be found and no where elss And now since Christ is come and fully made known to his Church the Jewish Ceremonies are useless and quite gon as may thus appear 1. For now what need have we of the shadow of a Paschal Lamb seeing the true Lamb of God is slain 2. What need of the blood of Sacrifical beasts for us since Christ is Sacrificed and his precious blood powred out 3. Now there is no need of the Jewish earthly Tabernacle or Temple because Christ is come whose body was the Substantial Temple 4. No need now of Corporal Circumcision because Christ hath taken away the Superfluity of Sin even of Original Sin which was but only Figuratively signified by that Sacrament of Circumcision which Sacrament was as I conceive therefore performed or executed on that part of the body and none other part through which Original Sin is propagated 5. No need now of the Jewish Calends or New-moons because men are now really renued by the Spirit of Christ The Sun of righteousness hath inlightned us we need not the darker shadowy type of Moon-light at Noon day 6. Nor need we the Ceremonious festival of At-onement or Reconciliation now by the High-priest entring into the most holy place of the earthly Temple because Christ hath really made our Atonement by his own blood and hath himself entred into the most holy Tabernacle of Heaven and thither caried our Nature with him 7. Finally we have now no need of the Jewish weekly Typical and Ceremonious Sabbath because the true Sabbath is come even Christ who is the Sabbath or Rest both of the Godhead and of us men It is evident enough that Christ did on purpose and design take special care both to discountenance and also to dissolve the Jewish Saturday-Sabbath that by his example the Jewes might be withdrawn and weaned from the Ceremony to the Sâ—bstance and from the Letter to the Spiâ—it meaning thereof for he commanded the Iâ—potent man to cary his bed on the Sabbath day Joh. 5. 8. The Jewes therefore charge him with their Sabbath-breaking which Christ did not deny and they therefore sought to kill him vers 18. Afterwards He makes clay on the Sabbath day Joh 9. 14. which he needed not to have done in order to the curing of the blind man therefore it was done upon another dâ—sign of Nulling the Sabbath as the Jewes also apprehended it vers 16. He also excuseth his Disciples for plucking eares of corn on the Sabbath day Math. 12. And tels the Pharisees that their own Jewish priests did prophane the Sabbath by working on the Sabbath in their Temple and yet the priests were blameless For indeed they did on that day make the Shew-bread and brought in fuell for the Altar they killed washed skinned dressed and Sacrificed beasts and so laboured as much or more then ordinarie Butchers and more also on the Sabbath day than any other day of the week except it were a Festival which Festivals were also called Sabbaths To this dissolution and nulling of the Jewish Sabbath the Fathers and other Christian writers generally agree except some few Sabbatarians Saint Austin upon occasion of those words Joh. 5. 18. saith a Aug Epist 11. Christus sabbatum solvi i. e. Christ hath dissolved the Sabbath again he saith b de Gen ad lit L 4. C. 13. Jam ab usu fidelium observatio Sabbati ablaâ—a est perpetuum Sabbatum observatur i. e. The observation of the Sabbath is now taken away from believers who now keep a perpetual Sabbath For our constant adhering to Christ is our continual Sabbath And again he saith c de spiritu litera C 14. Quisquis nunc observat Sabbatum sicut litera sonat carnaliter sapit quod mors est i. e. That man which now observeth the Sabbath literally is carnally minded and to be carnally minded is death saith Saint Paul Rom. 8. 6. With him agrees Saint Ambrose using these words d An. br de fide l. 2. c. 4. Christus Sabbatum solâ—it c. Hinc Judaei ad necem ejus commoti Christ did dissolve the Sabbath and therefore the Jewes sought to kill him Ioh. 5. 16. Again he saith e Epist l. 5. Ep. 42. Sabbatum Circumcisio cessant sub Evangelio i. e. Both the Sabbath and also Circumcision do cease under the Gospel By these words he declareth that the Jewish Sabbath is but such a typical and temporary Ceremony as Circumcision was which Circumcision we know was forbidden not only by St. Paul Gal. 5. 2. but also by the whole Councell of the Apostles Act. 15. 24. St. Jerome also thus writeth of St. Paul a Hier. proaem in Gal. Nullus Apostoli Sermo est vel per epistolam vel praesentis in quo non laboret docere Antiquae legis Onra deposita id est Sabbatum Circumcisionem Calendas c. The Apostle in every Sermon of his either written by Epistle or delivered where he was present teacheth that the troublesome Ceremonies of the old law are taken off such as Sabbaths Circumcision and New-Moons c. Before him Athanasius had thus Written upon those words Mat. 11. 27. All things are delivered to me of my Father b Athan. Tom. 1. 294. Sabbatum injunctum est priori populo-sednovae creaturae non praecepit observationen Sabbati i. e. The Sabbath was imposed on the first people The Israelits but not on the new people The Christians The Jewish Sabbath was appointed to be on the last day of the week which might intimate that is was near Ending for when Christ the true Sabbath and the true light was come the Sabbaticall ceremony was uselesse as candle-light at Noon day St. Chrysostom also observeth in
herein The meaning of Prayers at the rehearsing of the ten Commandments How the Law may be written in our hearts and how it is performable by men TErtullian in that Book which he wrote against the Jews affirmeth That the Law which God imposed upon our first Parents in Paradise was obligatory both to them and also to all the world in their succeeding generations which Law if they had obeyed had been a Law large enough He saith again a Tert. Advers Iudaeos In hac lege Adae datâ omnia praecepta condita recognoscimus quae posteâ— pullul averunt data per Mosem In that Law which God gave to Adam all the Laws of Moses were secretly couched And again b id lib. Primordialis lex est data Adae Evae quasi matrix omnium praeceptorum Dei i. e. That first Law given to Adam and Eve was as the womb of all the Laws of the Decalogue Then he reckoneth up all the Moral Laws first generally as Christ doth Mat. 22. 37. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God wiâ—h all thy heart And Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Then he particularly mentioneth the Laws of the second Table Thou shalt not kill Not commit adultery Not steal Not bear false witness Honour thy Father and Mother Thou shalt not covet Now the Law given to Adam was only in these few words Of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat Yet in them all the Laws of the Decalogue saith he are implied His reason is If they had so loved God They would not have disobeyed his Command If they had loved their neighbour that is one another themselves and their posterity they would not have killed them by bringing in Mortality and Original corruption of Lust Nor would they have stolen the fruit which belonged not to them Nor hâ—ve complied with the Serpent's false witnessing concerning the fruit Nor have dishonoured their Father and Creator by that Transgression Thus he From this passage we may observe that in the judgement of this Learned Father the whole Decalogue having been thus imposed upon our first Parents therefore the Law of Sabbath keeping amongst the rest must needs be put upon them We observe again That it being confessed by this Father in the same Book and immediatly after the words before alledged That neither Adam nor Abel nor Enoch nor Noah nor Melchisdeck nor Abraham did ever Sabbatize although the whole Decalogue was imposed on them also so as is said and although the laws of the Decalogue be every one of them the law of Nature and therefore written in mans heart and also that all those Patriarks must be obliged to keep this Sabbath law as well as any of the other Nine This being granted how shall we quit this learned Father from contradicting himself in these two propositions first The Patriarks were bound to keep the Sabbath second The Patriarks neither did nor were bound to keep the Sabbath This Riddle is easily unfolded by distinguishing the Sabbath Moral from the Sabbath Ceremonial that is The true Real Natural and Substantial Sabbath from the Figurative Typical and Umbratical Sabbath Or. the Body from the Shadow We affirm therefore that the Jewish Hebdomarie seaventh-day or Saturday-Sabbath was but the shadow or type and that the Messiah even Jesus Christ our Lord Emmanuel was and is the true substantial Sabbath and the true Spirit and meaning of that Sabbatical law and is the Lord of the Hebdomarie or Typical Sabbath We also affirm that neither Adam nor any of those forenamed Patriarks did ever keep or sanctify any seaventh-day or Saturday-Sabbath and also that such a Sabbath day was never known or imposed on Gods people before the dayes of Moses And for this we have the confession of a learned Jew even Philo more than once a Philo. de vita Mos lib. 1. Israelitae ignorabant mundi nat alem prinsquam ex Manna didicissent i. e. The Israelites knew not the first day of the world until the Manna fell therefore not the seaventh day Again he saith b idem lib. Ante Mosem Sabbati diem ignor abant homines Before the time of Moses men were ignorant of the Sabbath day This he affirmeth although with a Judaical excuse as if the former knowledg thereof had bin obliterated by Calamities But we also confess and firmly believe that all those holy Patriarks were bound and therefore did certainly keep and sanctify the true substantial Sabbath before Moses was born for their Sabbath was the Son of God even their true and onely Lord God who in due time was to take our humane nature on him So to be the Emmanuel in our nature to perform the whole Law which the Godhead imposeth on man in our steed and this not only by an actual keeping and performing the Commandments but also by a passive obedience in suffring the punishment of our transgressions to quit his faithful ones from the sentence of condemnation and thereby to give comfort ease tranquillity and so a Rest or Sabbath to our otherwise wearied and trembling souls For Christ only is that promised Seed of the woman which should bruise the Serpents head the birth manifestation of him in the flesh is that day which our father Abraham rejoyced to see and he is that well beloved Son in whom alone the Godhead is well pleased and resteth satisfied and at peace with us If those holy Patriarks had not kept this Sabbath they could not enter into the eternal Sabbath of heaven That Christ only is the Sabbath Moral to the sanctification whereof we all are perpetually obliged was the Doctrin of the Ancient Church as may appear by many expressions of the Fathers Origen saith a Orig. in Math. Tract 29. Qui vivit in Christo semper Sabbatizat He that liveth in Christ liveth in a continual Sabbath The holy man Macarius calleth the weekly Sabbath b Marcar Hom 35. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. but a Typical Sabbath and saith It was onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. That it was but a branch in the shadowie or Ceremonial Law But Hoc est verâ—m Sabbatum vera requies animae quae conquiescit in verâ quiete laetitià Domini The true Sabbath is the quiet of our souls resting in tranquillity and joy of our Lord. Thus he After him Epiphanius most evidently declareth the same Doctrin more than once for thus he writeth c Epiph Haer. 8. In lege figurae erant in Evangeâ—io veritas illic Circumctsio inservit usque ad magnam Circumcisionem id est Baptismum illic Sabbatum detinens in maâ—num Sabbatum id est Reqâ—iém in Christ Under the law were figures but the truth of them was shewed in the Gospel in the Law carnal Circumcision was used until the great Circumcision by Baptism came in There was a Sabbath also which lasted until the great Sabbath came which is our
ours assumed and propagated from the first Man and also as Athanasius most truly affirmeth a De Incarnat Christi p. 552. In the work of Redemption his body was given for our bodies and his soul for our souls and his whole man for our whole man Many of the Fathers and those of them who are most eminent for learning were much taken with a common fame and also perswaded thereunto as a truth by a Tradition of the Tert. Poem n. 11. Cyp. n. 97 Orâ—gâ—n 43. Athan. n. 25 Basil Mag. n. 23 Basil Seleuc n. 14. Hier n. 4 Aug. To. 10 n. 55 Epip Haer. 49 Jews That Christ was crucified in the very place where Adam was buried as we find in Tertullian Cyprian Origen Athanasius in both the Basils in Epiphanius Jerome and Austiâ— And that because Adam's crany or scull was there found therefore that place was named Golgotha or Calvaria which is noted by all â—he four Evangelists and called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Just as other Writers report of the Roman Capitol that at the foundation thereof the head or scull of a Man was found and because the name of that Man when he lived was â—olus as Arnob. Cont. Gent. lib. 6. Arnobius saith therefore they named that building Capi-tolium The Fathers took such special notice of this tradition of Golgotha because they conceived that it was to signifie the benefit of Christs death to be extended to the whole Adam that is both to his own person also to all his posterity The words of St. Jerome in an Epistle to Marcella are these b Hier. Epist 17 Calvaria appellata esi quia ibi Calvaria Adami condita est ut sanguis Christi stillans de cruce peccata ejus dilueret For as Christ is the head of the whole body or corporation Mystical so is Adam the fountain and head of the whole corporation Natural of Mankind There was lately a book printed and published wherein the Writer laboureth to prove that there were men before Adam If the Author so believed he was very ignorant in Christian Doctrine and if not then it may be thought he wrote it purposely to deride Christianity as a Pagan Turk or Jew would do for such another thing did the Jews invent and report as a Tradition that For the first Man God created two Wives or Women And hence it was that the Jews forged many vain Genealogies which are the same that St. Paul forbids as fabulous and endless 1 Tim. 1. 4. As c Cont. Advers legis l 2. c 1. Tom. 6. St. Austin thought This phansie doth disturb the Doctrine of Redemption by Christ who was necessarily to proceed from on Man and through that one Woman of whom it is said The Seed of her shall bruise thy head therefore for our comfort and for confirmation of our faith and for the manifestation of the just proceedings of God in the way and manner thereof he hath in the holy Scripture named the Man and the Woman from whom all Mankind together with Christ were propagated CHAP. XIV Of Adam 's Solitude and something of Monastick life and the reasons thereof That the Womans help consisted not in society nor child-bearing simply considered but only in respect of the Generation of Christ Of Child-bearing that it is not salvifical without Faith in Christ Of good and evil occasioned by the Woman Why she was named Vita or life Why God suffered the Woman to occasion the fall of Man 4. MY fourth Reason why I have said that this Rest of God consisteth in the consideration of Christ is grounded upon these words of the Godhead It is not good that Man should be alone I will make him an help meet for Gen. 2. 18 him The Heathens accounted Solitude a great infelicity although they abounded in all other provisions One saith a Tul. de Amic Si Deus nos in Solitudine câ—llocareâ— And Si quis in coelum ascendisset in suave foret nisi aliquem cui narraret haberet i. e. If God should place a man in a desart or if a man were in heaven alone it would seem unpleasant if he wanted a companion to discourse with He thought also that b Id. inter frag God himself could not be happy if he were alone Solitariness doth indeed incline some to carelesness and nemo videt is an incouragement to vices The great Philopher soid of a solitarie man c Arist Pol. lib. 1. c. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He had need be exceeding good and likeunto God or else he wil be as bad as a beast The Poet saith d Ovid dâ— Remed Loca sola nocent loca sola caveto Semper habe Pyladen aliquem qui cures Orestem The man is now placed in his pleasant Paradise yet even there it is said It is not good to be alone But the Church doth not absolutely condemn solitude It hath bin accounted a great help to piety in two respects 1. as being a refuge from the scandals of sin and aversions from God The Ancient Eremitical and Monastick Christians were so called because they retired on purpose to apply their service to God only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Naz. in Poeâ— Nazianzen saith and therefore such were called b Salvian de gub lib. 8. servi Dei as being the principal servants of God 2. The desart was a refuge and a preservation of holy persons in the time of presecution which as c Soz. lib. 1. c. 13. Sozomen thought was the chief câ—â—se of Eremitical retirement Elias fled in â—â—â—he wilderness from the fury of Jezabel 1 Reg. 19. Rev. 12. 14. So the Church in the Apocalyps is described flying into the wilderness from the Dragon John Baptist was sent into the wilderness by his father to escape Herods massacre as Basil of Seleucia thought d Basil Seleu. in Erist can n. 17. Mat. 23. 35. where it seems he continued until the time of his ministry for which cause and also for asserting the virginity of the Virgin mother his holy father Zacharias the son of Barachias was slain as many of the Fathers affirm These two are by St. Jerome accounted the precedents of Eremitical solitude practised by many holy men such as Antonius and Paulus who continued many years so and Didymus who continued 90. years without any society of men as e Soc lib. 4. c 18. Socrates writeth The piety of such Eremites as these caused the desart to be thought the cheif school of vertue St. Jerome said that f Hier. Epist 22. he retired into the desart That thereby he might escape hell An holy woman in g Chrys cont vituperatores l. 3. To. 4. Chrysostome desired that her son might be brought up in a solitary life that thereby he might obtain heaven This kind of life was accounted a continual repentance by St. Jerome and other Ancient writer's called such Livers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as curing the
prolonged six dayes The order of Creatures first Heaven then Earth When the Heaven of Angels was made and that it was intended principally for Mankind Why Heaven and Earth are mentioned together Why the making of Hell is not mentioned though it was prepared within the first six dayes Why the Creation is mentioned in this fourth Commandement and not in any of the other Nine That the Moral Sabbath doth signifie the Creator which is God the Son who is called The Beginning the Word and the Wisdome of God and is therefore commanded to be sanctified For in six dayes the Lord made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all that in in them is and rested the Sevenâ—h day IT is here said That the World was made in six dayes and before Gen. 2. 1. that the Heavens and Earth were finished and all the host of them And yet it follows immediatly That on the seventh â—â—y God ended his work which he had made How both these Propositions are true we have shewed before namely That although the Woman was not extracted and separated nor builded or formed out of the Man until the seventh day yet it is truly said that the Creation was finished in six dayes because the Woman was included in the Man Materially Substantially and Originally although as yet Informiter as the Glosse saith that is not formed fashioned or compleated which work was respited until the seventh day and thereupon it is said that on it he ended his Work and not before In six dayes Although God could have made the World in one minute yet he prolonged the work for six dayes whereof St. Austin and other Writers attempt to render some account as 1. To intimate that after the toylings and labours of the six dayes or Ages of this World his Servants should have rest with Him 2. To teach us that we should not expect that God will do all that he can do for us on a sudden either in conferring Mercies temporal or Graces spiritual but orderly and by degrees as calling justifying glorifying and in his good time The promised Seed of Abraham was not born till the old age of his Parents nor the Egyptian deliverance performed nor the Land of Canaan possessed till four hundred yeares after the Promise Heaven and Earth The order of these Creatures is observable First Heaven then Earth The blessing of Jacob was The dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth But Esau's was The fatness of earth and the dew of heaven A true Character of Worldlings and Epicures who preferre earthly things before heavenly as one in the a Claud. de Rapt Pros lib. 1. Poet saith Salve gratissima tellus Quam nos praetulimus coelo So the Epicure in Nazianzen professed Da mihâ— praesens i. e. give me my portion in this World 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let God reserve the future to himself Which is but the same that some among us profess even by their own words and others farre more wickedly practise by bloody deeds prosecuting earthly profits pleasures and honours with the manifest neglect and disclaiming of heaven and trafficking for hell as Witches do and all this at a much lower rate than Satan offered Mat. 4 8. to Christ Heaven Gen. 1. 1. It is said In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth The Heaven there meant I take to be that which St. Paul cals The third Heaven which to us is invisible 2 Cor. 12. 2. that it might be the Paradise or habitation of Angels as both a Aug. de Civit. lib. 11. Austin and other Divines have thought because as God ordained the earthly Paradise for Man at or before his creation so he prepared the Paradise of Heaven at or before their creation and this because it is said Gen. 2. 1. The Heavens and the Earth were finiâ—hed and all the host of them The word Heaven alone implieth the creation of Angels as Austin saith in the place before cited or if not these words all the host of heaven will include them And here it is said The Lord made heaven and earth and all that therein is By which words we conceive that not only the house of Heaven but also the Inhabitants thereof were finished So the Heaven which is said to have been created in the beginning must signifie the Empyreal or highest Heaven because the Creation of this lower heaven which is visible is said to have been done in the second day's work and it is called The Firmament Gen. 1. 7. And this Firmament is also called Heaven vers 8. To pâ—t a difference or distinction between the former and later or the highest and lower Heavens and this to me seemeth to be confirmed by the words of Christ Come ye blessed Mat. 25. 38. inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the World By which words surely he meant that Heaven which was created in the beginning for blessed Angels and Men. Now although this highest Heaven was made and also inhabited by Angels yet God is not said to rest in that Work nor untill he had finished the Man and the Woman and in them had laid their Saviour to conduct them to that Heaven which was not intended only for Angels but principally for Mankind as Christ said prepared for You. In order whereunto the Angels were to be instrumental as we are taught by the Apostle Are Heb. 1. 14 they not all ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be Heirs of salvation By which most gracious provision our God hath declared himself to be a true Philanthropus And also a lover of Mankind rather more than a lover of Angels For out of this heavenly Paradise the apostate-Angels were soon cast and so left without a Redeemer or any hope of return One of them it was that deceived Eve therefore the fall of Angels was before the fall of Man Indeed Man also was sent out of the earthly Paradise for sin but yet he was not left without a possibility of Reconciliation and return to a better Paradise which was to be effected by the Seed of the Woman even the Messiah who is therefore the true and reall Sabbath of Man And herein also is the love of God to Man highly expressed in that he rested only in consideration of Mankind and the Saviour of us and not in the creation either of Heaven or of Angels Heaven and Earth See how our merciful Creator in the very beginning joyneth Earth with Heaven although the Earth was then invisible clouded in darkness and in an abysse of waters between it and Heaven yet they are here joyned as to intimate so early that notwithstanding the powers of darkness and the worldly insultations of proud Oppressors God would in time bring together and unite Earth with Heaven which he performed by and in Christ Even the first Adam was composed of an heavenly Soul and an earthly Body as a resemblance of the second Adam who
obedience of that Law which is imposed on him by the mighty Creator of Heaven and Earth In the first of these Laws which a man would imagine to be the greatest God useth only this motive I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt This was to move them by way of gratitude to adhere only to him their Deliverer and not to acknowledge any other God But the motive used in this fourth Commandement of sanctifying the Sabbath is far stronger because the deliverance of his people out of bondage might possibly have been performed either by Treaty or by the Arme of flesh without those plagues of Egypt and wonders at the Red Sea for the Israelites were numerous enough to have fought the Egyptians and to subdue them they wanted only Arms and Utensils of Warr which yet might reasonably have either been forced from the Egyptians or supplied by a forrain power we well know â—gypt was not invincible having been so often subdued Now the motive used in this Sabbath Law is proper only to the Almighty and absolutely incommunicable to any Creatures for none but God did or could make heaven and earth which is generally confessed by Heathens Jews and Christians Plato called God a Plut. in Symp. c. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So by Philo the Jew he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And by Dyonis Areop 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And by Nâ—z 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And by St. Paul b 2 Cor. 6. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is but The Almighty Father and Maker of the World Among the wise Sentences of old Pythagoras this is recorded for one If any man come and boast that he is God let him create another World and we will believe him And in the holy Scripture This making of Heaven and Earth is often mentioned as a peculiar character of the true God As In the beginning Gen. 1. 1. God created the Heaven and the Earth And Psa 146. 5 Happy is the man whose hope is in the Lord his God which made Heaven and Earth So it is in the New Testament Acts 14. 15. and 17. 24. And by this the true God is differenced from false Gods as The gods that have not made Heaven and Earth shall perish And All the Jer. 10. 11 gods of the Nations are Idols but the Lord made the Heavens And this character of God is put into the very front of our Creed First As a strong motive to incline us to believe and trust in him Secondly To inform the weaker sort of Christians who cannot appreâ—â—end what God is or what to make the object of their faith That it shall be requisite and sufficient for them at first Tâ—â— believe in God under this notion thus Whatsoever he is that made Heaven and Earth in him do I believe for so the Psalmist declareth My help Psa 121. 2 cometh from the Lord which made Heaven and Earth This great motive here used to incline us to sanctifie the Sabbath doth evidently shew that this Sabbath-Law is of greater concernment to us than the first Law is The reason whereof we have declared before * Chap. 5. And moreover That the Sabbath which is here principally meant doth not consist in keeping of a day whether the last day of the week which God imposed upon the people of Israel only and that but for a certain time Or the first day of the week which God never at all commanded But another kind of Sabbath is here commanded to be sanctified which Sabbath being rightly and deeply considered will prove and appear to be that very same Lord God that made Heaven and Earth For we have proved before First That the Sabbath day mentioned in the Moral part of this Commandement doth signifie God the Son because in him only the Godhead can be truly said to Rest and not otherwise Secondly We have proved That the Jewish Seventh day Sabbath was appointed only to be for a type figure and memorial or commemoration of that true and grand Sabbath which is Christ From these premises we here inferre That the making of Heaven and Earth is mentioned in this Commandment on purpose for a motive to incite us to a serious and most reverentiall sanctification of this true reall and substantiall Sabbath because he that is here called the Sabbath day is the great Day-spring from on high and is really He that made heaven and earth So that if we will acknowledge that the Creator of heaven and earth is to be worshipped and sanctified by us then must we also confesse that this Sabbath which is the Son of God is so to be sanctified No learned or prudent Christian I suppose will deny that this Son of God was the Creator of Heaven and Earth or if any do the Scriptures and primitive Church will gainsay them The Fathers expound these words Gen. 1. 1. In the beginning God created to signifie God the Father in God the Son And Joh. 1. 1. In the beginning was the Word that is the Word or Son was in the Godhead even that Word by which all things were made For the Word Principium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a Tert. Advers Herm. Tertullian observeth doth not signify onely Ordinativum i. e. a Beginning in respect of the order of time but Potestativum i. e. a Primacy in power and authority For from this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Princes Potentates and Magistrates on earth are by him called * Id. Advers Iâ—daeos Archontes and by others Demarchi i. e. Powers Princes and Rulers of People One of the sayings of Pittacus the Philosopher was b Laert. in Pittac 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Magistracy or power will show the disposition of a man Hence also are the words Archangelus in St. Paul Archiepiscopus in Chrysostome and Epiphanius and Archipresbyter and Archidiaconus in St. * Hieron Epist 4. Jerom. As to the appellation Word The Psalmist saith By the Word of the Lord the heavens Psal 33. 6 were made just so the Evangelist tells us All things were made by him That this Word was Joh. 1 3. God the Son every one knowes The Psalmist saith again vers 9. Let all the Earth and all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of of him for he spake the Word and it was done The Word by which the world was made and of which Moses thus wrote God said Let there be light and Let there be a firmament is not to be thought a transient or vocall word as Austin saith c De Civ lib. 11. c. 8. Non sonabili verbo sed intelligibili And by such a word as d In Ioh. Tract 37. Manebat non sonando transibat i. e. The world was made by that internall and substantiall Word which did not passe away from God as our words do from us but by his Word permanent of which St.