Concerning the divine Appointment of the Lord's Day. 49 tion, he enjoined them to keep it in memory of their deliverance from Egypt, as well as the creation of the world for it is very obfervable in Deut. v. when Mofes called the Ifraelites together in a folemn manner, to put them in mind of the covenant God had made with them in Horeb, he repeats the Ten Commandments to them: But, in repeating of the fourth, he leaves out the argument for keeping the Sabbath, taken from God's creating of the world in fix days, and refting the seventh; and, in the room of it, puts in their miraculous deliverance from Egypt: For, in the clofe of the fourth command, he fays, Deut. v. 15. "Remember that thou waft a fervant, in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God brought thee out thence, through a mighty hand, and by a stretched-out arm; therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day." And hence fome think, that it was not precifely the feventh day from the creation that was appointed for the Jewish Sabbath, but the feventh day from their deliverance from Egypt. Lastly, This day was alfo appointed them, for to call to mind their wonderful deliverance at the Red fea, which several learned writers are of opinion, was wrought for them on the morning of the Jewish Sabbath, and feems very probable from Exod. xii. 15. 16. 17. and hence they are enjoined to reft, and ceafe from their labour on this day, in rememberance of their being miraculously refcued on it from Egypt, and of their refting from the cruel bondage thereof. From all which it appears, that there was fomething in this commandment peculiar to the Jewish nation, and which belonged not to others. And whence I may well infer, that if the deliverance by Mofes, from Egypt and the Red fea, was a good reason for the Sabbath of the Jews, furely the eternal redemption by Chrift, from fin and hell, is a much stronger and better reafon for the Sabbath of the Chriftians. 5. In the command for the feventh day Sabbath, there were fome things typical and myftical, peculiar to the Old Testament times, and which were to be fulfilled in the Meffiah and gospel-times; and therefore to be abolished. 1. The feventh day Sabbath reprefent ..VOL. IV. ed Chrift, who is the only reft, centre, and fatisfaction of our fouls; therefore the apoftle tells us, Col. ii. 17. That the Sabbath "was a fhadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ," i. e. He is the substance which this fhadow or type represented. 2. It fignified the great Sabbath of the New Teftament, or the happy times of the gofpel, wherein the. faithful were to reft from the servile rites and burden some ceremonies of the law. 3. The feventh day Sabbath being a "fhadow of things to come," typified the believer's reft and deliverance by Jefus Chrift from the bondage of fin, and being brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 4. The Jewish Sabbath, with its ceremonial and typical worship under the law, fhadowed forth the Christian Sabbath, with its pure and fpiritual worship under the gospel, and fo is expired. 5. The rest of the feventh day Sabbath was a type and fhadow of Chrift's refting upon that day in the grave, and therefore could not be continued after his refurrection, more than any of the other types fulfilled in Christ. Our Saviour, by choosing to ly buried throughout this day in the grave, did thereby bury the Jewish feventh day Sabbath with the rest of their types and fhadows. Hence it is that the apostle Paul, Col. ii. 16. 17. doth exprefsly number the Sabbath among the Old Teftament fhadows, that ceafed upon their being accomplished in Chrift the substance and Antitype, who came in place of all the legal fhadows. Now, it being evident from the forefaid text, that the Jewish Sabbath was abrogated by Chrift's death and refurrection; it is neceffary to believe that either Chrift, by himself or his apoftles, did appoint another day in lieu thereof, for the folemn worship of God; otherwise the ftate of the Chriftian church under the New Teftament would be far worse than that of the Jews under the Old, which is abfurd. 6. The two ages before and after Chrift, are reckoned as two diverfe worlds, Heb. ii. 5. wherefore as, when the first world was made by creation, there was a day fet Concerning the divine Appointment of the Lord's Day. 51 fet apart in memory thereof; fo, when the world was renewed by redemption, it was fit there fhould be a day kept in honour and memory of that great work: For if the perfecting the work of the first creation deferved to have a day fet apart for celebrating the power and glory of the Author, much more doth the finishing the new creation, or restoration of the world, deferve a day to be confecrated for the commemorating of that, in regard the glorious attributes of God do thine far more brightly in this, than in the other. Queft. 111. If it be afked, Why was the Sabbath changed to the first day of the week? I anfwer, For many reafons. I. The great reafon given for obferving the last day of the week, doth plead more strongly now for the obfervation of the.first day of the week The reafon for obferving the seventh day was, becaufe the Lord refted that day from the great work he had made, viz. of creation, which ought to be remembered with thankfulness and praife. Now, when God gave the ten commandments, there was no greater work in the world than the creation; and therefore it was fit that the day of God's reft from his greatest work fhould be the Sabbath, or day of reft to the world. But, fhould God thereafter work a greater work than creating heaven and earth; then, by parity of reafon, and even by virtue of the fourth commandment, the day of God's reft from that, fhould be the Sabbath of the world. Now, the work of redemption, which the Lord perfected, and refted from on the first day of the week, is far greater than the work of creation; it doth even eclipfe and fwallow it up, as the temple did the tabernacle: It is far more valued and esteemed by God the Author, and ought to be far more regarded and remembered by us on many accounts. 1. In regard, that in the world's redemption there is a far more glorious difplay of the divine attributes, God's power, wifdom, juftice, goodnefs, &c. than in the world's creation. 2. It is much more for our benefit and comfort than the work of creation; we could have had no comfort in this without the other; for the whole creation groaned under the burden of fin, and, by reafon thereof, all the creatures were at enmity with us. Without re demption what pleasure can we take in our creation, fince by it we are made capable only of everlasting mifery and diftruction? Alas! there are no comforts in being creatures, if we be not made new creatures; and there is no doing of that, but by this new and glorious method. 3. In regard the fecond creation was a work of far greater difficulty and expence than the firft. The first was finished by the word of his mouth, but the second could not be perfected but by the blood and death of his dear Son: The firft was finished in fix days; but it coft the Son of God above thirty three years painful travail and fuffering in the world, to effectuate the fecond. In the first there was no oppofition; for, fince the world was made out of nothing, there was nothing to make resistance to the Creator: But in the fecond creation, or redemption of the world, there was a formidable oppofition made by juftice, men, and devils. It was wonderful for the glorious fabric of heaven and earth to be made out of nothing; but much more for the Maker of all things to be made of a woman, Jefus Chrift to be born of his own creature. In the first creation God made us like himself; but here the Lord makes himself like us. The glorious Creator is made a creature, yea, made fin, made a curse, to fave man, his finful creature, from the curse, We may indeed fay, "We are fearfully and wonderfully made;" but much more are we fearfully and wonderfully redeemed. Creation was the work of God's fingers, Pfal. viii. 3. but redemption the work of his arm, Luke. i. 51. We use the strength of the arm, to effectuate what the fingers cannot do. So that we fee it is a far greater work and miracle to bring us back from hell, than to bring us from nothing; to make us faints, than to make us men and women. Well then, if God's refting from his work of creation on the feventh day, determined mankind to keep this day for a Sabbath in a thankful remembrance thereof, much more fhould God incar nate's Concerning the divine Appointment of the Lord's Day. 53 nate's raifing a new world at a far greater charge, and refting from his labour of love on the first day of the week, determine us to obferve that day for a Sabbath, in an adoring remembrance of his infinite glory and goodness difplayed in this stupendous work. 4. The Lord himself delights and rejoices much more in the new creation, than in the old, his glory being more confpicuous by the one than by the other; and that which is esteemed and preferred by him, ought to be fo by us. The Lord indeed took pleasure in the review of his works in the first creation, when he at first rested from the fame: But thefe being afterwards 'all corrupted and deformed by fin, his complacency therein was exceedingly diminished. Hence, Gen. vi. it is faid, "It repented him he had made man :" Wherefore it was proper and neceffary to transfer the Sabbath to the day of the world's new creation or reftoration, effected and completed by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift the world's Redeemer, in which day the Lord refted from thefe his more glorious works, delighting himself in the review thereof with an everlasting complacency. Laftly, To confirm what is faid, let it be obferved, that God fo far preferred the work of redemption to that of creation, that he changed the beginning of the year (as Dr Lightfoot remarks on Exod xiii.) from the time of the world's creation, to the time of the paffover, and the Ifraelites deliverance from Egypt by Mofes, as being an eminent type of our redemption from fin and hell by Jefus Chrift. We have reason to believe, that, from the creation of the world, the year began in September, at the time of the autumnal Equinox; for we find the fruits were on the trees at the creation, Gen. i. 12. But when God inftituted the firft paffover, which immediately ushered in the Ifraelites deliverance from Egypt which was in March, at the vernal Equinox; he changed the beginning of the year, and ordered it to commence from that time, Exod. xii. 2. "This month fhall be unto you the beginning of months, it fhall be the first month of the year to you." Now, if the beginning of the year was changed upon the ac count |