But when the consciences of good men are captivated with an error, none can stop them from a prosecution thereof, as if were itself of the best of truths.
Obj. But Paul preached frequently on the old sabbath, and that after the resurrection of Christ.
Ans. To the unbelieving Jews and their proselytes, I grant he did. But we read not that he did it to any new testament church on that day: nor did he celebrate the inst.i.tuted worship of Christ in the churches on that day. For Paul, who had before cast out the ministration of death, as that which had no glory, would not now take thereof any part for new testament inst.i.tuted worship; for he knew that that would veil the heart, and blind the mind from that, which yet inst.i.tuted worship was ordained to discover.
He preached then on the seventh day sabbath, of a divine and crafty love to the salvation of the unbelieving Jews.
I say, he preached now on that day to them and their proselytes, because that day was theirs by their estimation. He did it, I say, of great love to their souls, that if possible, he might save some of them.
Wherefore, if you observe, you shall still find, that where it is said that he preached on that day, it was to that people, not to the churches of Christ. See Acts 9:20, 13:14-16, 16:13, 17:1-3, 18:4.
Thus, though he had put away the sanction of that day as to himself, and had left the Christians that were weak to their liberty as to conscience to it, yet he takes occasion upon it to preach to the Jews that still were wedded to it, the faith, that they might be saved by grace.
Paul did also many other things that were Jewish and ceremonial, for which he had, as then, no conscience at all, as to any sanction that he believed was in them.
As his circ.u.mcising of Timothy (Acts 16:1-3).
His shaving of his head (Acts 18:18).
His submitting to Jewish purifications (Acts 21:24-26).
His acknowledging of himself a Pharisee (chap. 23:6).
His implicitly owning of Ananias for high priest after Christ was risen from the dead (Acts 23:1-5).
He tells us also that, "unto the Jews he became as a Jew" that he might save the Jew. And "without law," to them that were without law, that also he might gain them. Yea, he became, as he saith, "all things to all men," that he might gain the more, as it is 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
But these things, as I said, he did not of conscience to the things; for he knew that their sanction was gone. Nor would he suffer them to be imposed upon the churches directly or indirectly; no, not by Peter himself (Gal 2:11).
Were I in Turkey with a church of Jesus Christ, I would keep the first day of the week to G.o.d, and for the edification of his people: and would also preach the word to the infidels on their sabbath day, which is our Friday; and be glad too, if I might have such opportunity to try to persuade them to a love of their own salvation.
Obj. But if the seventh day sabbath is, as you say, to be laid aside by the churches of the Gentiles, why doth Christ say to his, "Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day?" For, say some, by this saying it appears, that the old seventh day sabbath, as you have called it, will as to the sanction of it, abide in force after Christ is ascended into heaven.
Ans. I say first, these words were spoken to the Jewish Christians, not to the Gentile churches. And the reason of this first hint, you will see clearer afterwards.
The Jews had several sabbaths; as, their seventh day sabbath, their monthly sabbaths, their sabbath of years, and their jubilee (Lev 25).
Now if he means their ordinary sabbaths, or that called the seventh day sabbath, why doth he join the winter thereto? for in that he joineth the winter with that sabbath that he exhorteth them to pray their flight might not be in, it should seem that he meaneth rather their sabbath of years, or their jubilee, which did better answer one to another than one day and a winter could.
And I say again, that Christ should suppose that their flight should, or might last some considerable part of a winter, and yet that then they should have their rest on those seventh day sabbaths, is a little beside my reason, if it be considered again, that the Gentiles before whom they were then to fly, were enemies to their sabbath, and consequently would take opportunity at their sabbaths to afflict them so much the more. Wherefore, I would that they who plead for a continuation of the seventh day sabbath from this text, would both better consider it, and the incoherence that seems to be betwixt such a sabbath and a winter.
But again, were it granted that it is the seventh day sabbath that Christ here intendeth; yet, since as we have proved, the sanction before this was taken away; I mean before this flight should be, he did not press them to pray thus because by any law of heaven they should then be commanded to keep it holy; but because some would, through their weakness, have conscience of it till then.
And such would, if their flight should happen thereon, be as much grieved and perplexed, as if it yet stood obligatory to them by a law.
This seems to have some truth in it, because among the Jews that believed, there continued a long time many that were wedded yet to the law, to the ceremonial part thereof, and were not so clearly evangelized as the churches of the Gentiles were. "Thou seest brother," said James to Paul, "how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law" (Acts 21:20, 15:5).
Of these, and such weak unbelieving Jews, perhaps Christ speaks, when he gives this exhortation to them to pray thus; whose consciences he knew would be weak, and being so, would bind when they were entangled with an error, as fast as if it bound by a law indeed.
Again, though the seventh day sabbath and ceremonies lost their sanction at the resurrection of Christ, yet they retained some kind of being in the church of the Jews, until the desolation spoken of by Daniel should be.
Hence it is said, that then the oblation and sacrifices shall cease (Dan 9:27). And hence it is, that Jerusalem and the temple are still called the holy place, even until this flight should be (Matt 24:15).
Now if Jerusalem and the temple are still called holy, even after the body and substance, of which they were shadows, were come; then no marvel though some to that day that believed were entangled therewith, &c. For it may very well be supposed that all conscience of them would not be quite taken away, until all reason for that conscience should be taken away also. But when Jerusalem, and the temple, and the Jews" worship, by the Gentiles was quite extinct by ruins, then in reason that conscience did cease. And it seems by some texts, that all conscience to them was not taken away till then.
Quest. But what kind of being had the seventh day sabbath, and other Jewish rites and ceremonies, that by Christ"s resurrection were taken away?
Ans. These things had a virtual and a nominal being. As to their virtual being, that died that day Christ did rise from the dead, they being crucified with him on the cross (Col 2).
But now, when the virtual being was gone, they still with the weak retained their name, among many of the Jews that believed, until the abomination that maketh desolate stood in the holy place: for in Paul"s time they were, as to that, but ready to vanish away.
Now, I say, they still retaining their nominal grandeur, though not by virtue of a law, they could not, till time and dispensation came, be swept out of the way. We will make what hath been said, as to this, out by a familiar similitude.
There is a lord or great man dies; now being dead, he has lost his virtual life. He has now no relation to a wife, to children, virtually; yet his name still abides, and that in that family, to which otherwise he is dead. Wherefore they embalm him, and also keep him above ground for many days. Yea, he is still reverenced by those of the family, and that in several respects. Nor doth any thing but time and dispensation wear this name away.
Thus then the Old Testament signs and shadows went off the stage in the church of Christ among the Jews. They lost their virtue and signification when Christ nailed them to his cross (Col 2).
But as to their name, and the grandeur that attended that, it continued with many that were weak, and vanished not, but when the abomination that made them desolate came.
The sum then and conclusion of the matter is this; the seventh day sabbath lost its glory when that ministration in which it was, lost its: But yet the name thereof might abide a long time with the Jewish legal Christians, and so might become obligatory still, though not by the law, to their conscience, even as circ.u.mcision and other ceremonies did: and to them it would be as grievous to fly on that day, as if by law it was still in force.
For, I say, to a weak conscience, that law which has lost its life, may yet through their ignorance, be as binding as if it stood still upon the authority of G.o.d.
Things then become obligatory these two ways. (1.) By an inst.i.tution of G.o.d. (2.) By the over-ruling power of a man"s misinformed conscience. And although by virtue of an inst.i.tution divine worship is acceptable to G.o.d by Christ, yet conscience will make that a man shall have but little ease if such rules and dictates as it imposes be not observed by him.
This is my answer, upon a supposition that the seventh day sabbath is in this text intended: and the answer, I think, stands firm and good.
Also, there remains, notwithstanding this objection, no divine sanction in or upon the old seventh day sabbath.
Some indeed will urge, that Christ here meant the first day of the week, which here he puts under the term of sabbath. But this is foreign to me, so I waive it till I receive more satisfaction in the thing.
Quest. But if indeed the first day of the week be the new christian sabbath, why is there no more spoken of its inst.i.tution in the testament of Christ?
Ans. No more! What need is there of more than enough! Yea, there is a great deal found in the testament of the Lord Jesus to prove its authority divine.
(1.) For we have shewed from sundry scriptures, that from the very day our Lord did rise from the dead, the church at Jerusalem, in which the twelve apostles were, did meet together on that day, and had the Lord himself for their preacher, while they were auditors; and thus the day began.
(2.) We have shewed that the Holy Ghost, the third person in the Trinity, did second this of Christ, in coming down from heaven upon this day to manage the apostles in their preaching; and in that very day so managed them in that work, that by his help they then did bring three thousand souls to G.o.d.
(3.) We have shewed also, that after this the gentile churches did solemnize this day for holy worship, and that they had from Paul both countenance and order so to do.
And now I will add, that more need not be spoken: for the practice of the first church, with their Lord in the head of them to manage them in that practice, is as good as many commands. What then shall we say, when we see a first practice turned into holy custom?
I say, moreover, that though a seventh day sabbath is not natural to man as man, yet our christian holy day is natural to us as saints, if our consciences are not clogged before with some old fables, or Jewish customs.
But if an old religion shall get footing and rooting in us, though the grounds thereof be vanished away, yet the man concerned will be hard put to it, should he be saved, to get clear of his clouds, and devote himself to that service of G.o.d which is of his own prescribing.
Luther himself, though he saw many things were without ground which he had received for truth, had yet work hard enough, as himself intimates, to get his conscience clear from all those roots and strings of inbred error.
But, I say, to an untainted and well bred Christian, we have good measure, shaken together, and running over, for our christian Lord"s day. And I say again, that the first day of the week, and the spirit of such a Christian, suit one another as nature suiteth nature; for there is as it were a natural instinct in Christians, as such, when they understand what in a first day was brought forth, to fall in therewith to keep it holy to their Lord.