Tracts on the Sabbath

by Unknown

Objection. But did not Christ break the Sabbath, and teach men so to do, in bidding the impotent man take up his bed and walk, it being unlawful to carry a burden upon the Sabbath day?

Answer. The scribes and pharisees said so, indeed, and that his bed was a burden; but they were very unfit judges, they being ignorant of the right manner of observing the Sabbath, and seeking likewise to take advantage against Christ in his words and actions. Their saying the man's bed was a burden, and that it was unlawful for him to carry it, doth prove no more that was it so, than their saying that the disciples did break the Sabbath in plucking the ears of corn, and Christ in healing the diseased. But was not this a work of mercy, the man having been lame so long in the porch now being cured? Was it not meet that he should be released from the place, and take his bed with him to lay on at night? (for it is likely he had no other.) And who can say that it was a burden? In some countries that which they call a bed is no heavier than a good cloak or coat. But consider what gross wickedness naturally flows from this opinion. The objectors themselves, and all, must acknowledge that the whole law was in force till the death of Christ—the very shadows, till he nailed them to his cross; then the fourth commandment doubtless was in force. Now, to say that Christ broke it, and taught men so, is to say that Christ sinned, and taught men to sin, (for sin is the transgression of the law,) and this roots up redemption by Christ; for if Christ was a sinner, he could not be a Saviour. He had not been a meet offering for the sins of others; he had been a sinner himself. But he was offered up a Lamb without spot, (Heb. 7:26, 1 Peter 1:19,) and was made sin for us, that knew no sin, (2 Cor. 5:2;) and therefore this objection is made so gross, that every sincere heart that sees the tendency of it will not touch it; and indeed I had not mentioned it here, but that many through weakness have taken it up as a sufficient ground to prove the making void of the Sabbath, for want of looking into the bottom of it.

6. Another ground to prove the Sabbath yet to be in force, may be taken from the words of Christ to his disciples in Matt. 24:20—But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, nor on the Sabbath day; which is part of the answer Christ gave them when they came privately to him to ask him when the destruction of the temple should be, the signs of his coming, and the end of the world. It is generally conceived that this part of Christ's answer relates to the destruction of Jerusalem; and, indeed, that is the shortest time that can be thought it relates to, as appears by the question which was asked him. But suppose it to be so; doth it not plainly appear from hence, that the Sabbath was to remain in full force after the death of Christ? The destruction of Jerusalem was about forty years after the death of Christ, and yet he commands his disciples to pray that their flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day. Now, can we think that Christ would lay such a foundation for superstition, as though the Sabbath was to be at the ruin of Jerusalem, when it was to cease at his death? Or can we think that Christ would teach his disciples to pray false, or to pray that their flight should not be on the Sabbath, when indeed there was to be no Sabbath? This is gross to imagine; for as sure as winter was to remain winter, so the Sabbath was to remain the Sabbath. And if their flight had been upon it, it would have been the more tedious, it being a day of rest and refreshment to them, wherein they used to rejoice and praise the Lord, as appears by that song for the Sabbath day, in Psalm 92. But although this Scripture looks to the destruction of Jerusalem, yet I conceive that it looks farther, even to that distress that Jerusalem shall be in at the second coming of Christ, and that for these reasons:—

1st. Those things that Christ spake of were accomplished in a measure in the apostles' days; and yet they are not completely fulfilled. For instance, Christ told his disciples that they should be delivered up to be killed, and they should be hated of all nations for his name's sake. This was in the apostles' days, and hath been since; and false prophets did arise then, and so they have since. So that those things which Christ spake looked to several times, and therefore, I conceive, he saith, Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. So I judge that what he spake concerning Jerusalem had not only respect to that destruction that came upon it during that generation, but also to that great calamity that should be upon it in the last days.

2d. This will more plainly appear, if we consider the words of Christ, But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, nor on the Sabbath day; for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. Matt. 24:20, 21. Now, with this compare Zech. 14:2, For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, and they shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished. And in the third and fourth verses it is said, Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle, and his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives. With which compare Dan. 12:1, 2, And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince, which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found, written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Now, if that great destruction of Jerusalem produced such great trouble as never was, nor ever should be again, how is it that there shall be such great trouble as never was since there was a nation, when Michael stands up to deliver the people, every one that is written in the book, and Jerusalem is taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished, when the Lord comes forth to fight against those nations, and his feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives, according to that text in Acts 1:11, So shall he come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven; and when the seventh angel pours out his vial, (Rev. 16:17, 18,) which time I conceive is one and the same with that in Zechariah and Daniel—and the angel is Michael, the great prince which Daniel speaks of, whose feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives—then is the time of great trouble, and such an earthquake as was not since men were upon the face of the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. So that to me it appears, that these three Scriptures do correspond with the words of Christ, pointing out the same time; and if so, then the Sabbath shall remain till the coming of Christ, and so shall stand till heaven and earth pass away, according to the passage in Matt. 5:18; and for ever and ever, according to that in Psalm 111:8; and the destruction of Jerusalem seems to be a type of that great destruction that shall be at Christ's appearance. And, as Jerusalem was taken when some from all nations were gathered together, as history reports, and on the Sabbath day it was destroyed, so it appears that the strength of the saints will be gathered together at Jerusalem, because all nations will gather against it, and Jerusalem's strait will be upon the Sabbath day, as seems to appear by the words of Christ, for then, saith he, shall be great tribulation, such as never was; (then! when? why, when their flight shall be upon the Sabbath day;) and this great tribulation is when Jerusalem shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished, as was said before; at which time Michael shall stand up and fight against these nations, as when he fought in the day of battle; and the slain of the Lord shall be many, even from one end of the earth to the other, (Jer. 25:31-33,) and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof, and there shall be a very great valley, into which the saints shall flee, (Zech. 14:5.) Then shall the Sabbath be swallowed up in the great Sabbath of a thousand years, that glorious and holy rest which the saints shall enter into, and live and reign with Christ. Rev. 20:4.

7. Another ground is taken from the practice of Christ's disciples after his death, as recorded in Luke 23:5, 6, And they returned and prepared spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment. Some say, that if we do observe the Sabbath, we must do all those sacrifices which the Jews did upon it. But at this time the veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, and the shadows were done away by the body of Christ, and yet they kept the Sabbath, not through fear or ignorance, but according to the commandment, which is to rest from their labors; and so they did, for the text saith, they returned and rested. There is no sacrifice expressed in the commandment, The stranger and the cattle were to rest on the Sabbath. Exod. 20:10. So that the Sabbath was commanded and observed before any of those sacrifices were commanded to be offered upon it. But because the Jews did such a service upon the Sabbath day, as they were a typical people, it doth not follow that this was any part of the commandment; and therefore we are to rest, as those disciples did, according to the commandment. It is remarkable, that the Holy Ghost should leave this thing upon record, which would not have been, I am persuaded, had the Sabbath then been abolished. He doth not only say, they returned and rested on the Sabbath day, but, to prevent all mistakes, lest it should be thought they did it ignorantly or superstitiously, or for fear of the Jews, he saith they did it groundedly, that is, according to the commandment.

Obj. But the disciples were met together upon the first day of the week, and Christ appeared unto them. John 20:9.

Ans. It is true, they were assembled together upon the same day at even, being the first day of the week, with the door shut; and the cause is laid down why they were so, namely, for fear of the Jews. Some of the disciples, as I said before, kept the Sabbath the day before, and I think we can not reasonably imagine but that those did who were together on the first day, for they did frequently correspond together, that is manifest. But what doth their being together on the first day evening, and Christ's appearing to them, prove for the observation of the first day, more than his appearing to them eight days after, and appearing to them the third time early in the morning when they were fishing, (John 21:4, 5,) for the observation of those days? It was necessary that Christ should appear to his disciples on the first day of the week, that his word might be fulfilled of his rising the third day, so that they might boldly witness the same.

Obj. But the disciples came together on the first day of the week, and did break bread, and Paul preached unto them. Acts 20.

Ans. This is all the meeting or preaching that ever we find held upon the first day, except the disciples being together for fear of the Jews, mentioned before, at evening. So this seemed to be, because when they came together Paul preached with them, continuing his speech until midnight. It is not likely, then, that they observed the day and came together in the morning, seeing he continued his speech so long. And, as we have the cause of the disciples being together with their doors shut, so we have the cause of this meeting. Paul was ready to depart on the morrow upon an extraordinary occasion, and he had many things to communicate to them, as appears by his discoursing with them till midnight, and talking till break of day. But that which makes the objectors lay such stress upon this text, is because the disciples came together to break bread, which they judge to be the Lord's Supper. Suppose it were so, what doth this make for the observation of the first day, more than Christ's first instituting the Supper upon the fifth day of the week, (as is generally conceived,) doth make for the observation of it? But we have no proof that this was the Supper of the Lord that they came to partake of, but it seems to be such breaking of bread as the margin of some Bibles refers to. Acts 2:46. They continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, and did eat their meat with gladness of heart. So in Luke 24:30, 35. And it is explained what kind of breaking of bread it was, where it is said, when he was risen up again, and had broken bread and eaten, and talked a good while, till break of day, he departed. Here is eating and talking; it is not solemnized as the Lord's Supper. Some would have this common breaking of bread, and the other in verse 7, to be the Lord's Supper; but it is very unlikely that there should be two sorts of breaking of bread at one time, by the same persons, and yet nothing spoken distinctly by which we might know the one from the other. The most that can be said, is but a supposition; it can not be proved that this was the Lord's Supper. How weak a ground this is for the observation of this day as a Sabbath, or more than any other day, or to limit the administration of the Lord's Supper to this day, I leave to the truly wise in heart to judge.