Exercitations concerning the name, original, nature, use, and continuance of a day of sacred…

namely, that our Lord Jesus in these words respected not the Consciences of his Disciples, but their trouble; and therefore joins the Sabbath Day and the Winter together, in directing them to pray for an Ease and Accommodation of that Flight which was inevitable. For as the Winter is unseasonable for such an occasion, so the Law concerning the Sabbath was such, as that if any one travelled on that Day above a commonly allowed Sabbath days journey, he was to be put to death. But neither is there any more appearance of Truth in this pretence. For (1.) The Power of Capital Punishments was before this time utterly taken away from the Jews, and all their remaining Courts interdicted from proceeding in any Cause wherein the lives of men were concerned. (2.) The times intended were such, as wherein there was no Course of Law, Justice or Equity amongst them, but all things were filled with Rapine, Confusion and Hostility, so that it is a vain imagination, that any Cognizance was taken about such Cases as journeying on the Sabbath. (3.) The Dangers they were in, had made it free to them, as to Legal Punishments upon their own Principles, as was declared; so that these cannot be the Reasons of the Caution here given. It is at least therefore most probable, that ⟨p. 196⟩our Saviour speaks to his Disciples upon a supposition of the perpetual Obligation of the Law of the Sabbath; that they should pray to be delivered from the necessity of a flight on the Day whereon the Duties of it were to be observed, lest it falling out otherwise, should prove a great aggravation of their distress.

namely, that our Lord Jesus in these words respected not the Consciences of his Disciples, but their trouble; and therefore joyns the Sabbath Day and the Winter together, in directing them to pray for an Ease and Accommodation of that Flight which was inevitable. For as the Winter is unseasonable for such an occasion, so the Law concerning the Sabbath was such, as that if any one travelled on that Day above a commonly allowed Sabbath dayes journey, he was to be put to death. But neither is there any more appearance of Truth in this pretence. For (1.) The Power of Capital Punishments was before this time utterly taken away from the Jews, and all their remaining Courts interdicted from proceeding in any Cause wherein the lives of men were concerned. (2.) The times intended were such, as wherein there was no Course of Law, Justice or Equity amongst them, but all things were filled with Rapine, Confusion and Hostility, so that it is a vain imagination, that any Cognizance was taken about such Cases as journying on the Sabbath. (3.) The Dangers they were in, had made it free to them, as to Legal Punishments upon their own Principles, as was declared; so that these cannot be the Reasons of the Caution here given. It is at least therefore most probable, that