The bright star which leadeth wise men to our Lord Jesus Christ, or, A…

In that Christ doth allow this conscience and regard of flying on the sabbath day, more then any other of the week, he shows plainly, that the force of the sabbath was to abide after him for forty years, and therefore no ceremony, for then Christ had not done well to put a needless fear into their harts of flying on the sabbath, if God required no keeping of the sabbath, and then he should rather have bid them pray to God that they might have had all respect of it, being a ceremony taken from them, and told them that they need not to regard it, for it had been a great sin to have made such conscience of keeping a ceremony so long after the abolishing of them, then if one should not willingly and not without grief fly to save his natural life, when he ⟨image 73⟩should be seeking to strengthen his spiritual life, (as Christ words do plainly prove) then how much less should he do any other outward business of far less necessity. So that these reasons do most effectually confirm to the harts of Gods children, that the keeping of the sabbath day holy, is a moral law, and bindeth us, and shall all to the end of the world, as much as the Jews, at any time before Christ. But for those wicked persons that will cavil against every thing that crosseth their corrupt lust, as the keeping of a sabbath doth exceedingly, we must not greatly be moved what they object, for of them tis most true that Solomon saith, Bray a fool in a mortar as wheat is brayed with a pestle, and he will not forsake his folly. But this may suffice to confirm and establish and instruct a christian, that with a true hart is willing to be taught, and to confound also, and condemn, and leave without excuse before Gods judgement seat, such as will not yield to plain and strong reasons drawn out of the word of God, but continue obstinate in their false conceits. But because the point may be more plain and manifest; it is good to answer some of their objections, whereby they would overturn this plain truth. Now the grand objection is, because we keep not the same sabbath that the Jews did, but the day is altered, therefore they say, we must keep none. This is their argument of so great weight, but how foolish it shall appear easily, if we examine it a little more narrowly.

In that Christ doth allow this conscience and regard of flying on the sabboth day, more then any other of the weeke, he shewes planly, that the force of the sabboth was to abide after him for fortie yeres, and therfore no ceremony, for then Christ had not done well to put a needlesse feare into their harts of flying on the sabboth, if God required no keeping of the sabboth, and then he should rather haue bid them pray to God that they might haue had all respect of it, being a ceremonie taken from them, and told them that they neede not to regard it, for it had bene a great sinne to haue made such conscience of keeping a ceremonie so long after the abolishing of them, then if one should not willingly and not without griefe fly to saue his naturall lyfe, when he