A59693:878
Theses Sabbaticæ, or, The doctrine of the Sabbath wherein the Sabbaths I. Morality, II.…
Theses Sabbaticæ, or, The doctrine of the Sabbath wherein the Sabbaths I. Morality, II. Change, III. Beginning. IV. Sanctification, are clearly discussed, which were first handled more largely in sundry sermons in Cambridge in New-England in opening of the Fourth Commandment : in unfolding whereof many scriptures are cleared, divers cases of conscience resolved, and the moral law as a rule of life to a believer, occasionally and distinctly handled / by Thomas Shepard ...Theses Sabbaticæ, or, The doctrine of the Sabbath wherein the Sabbaths I. Morality, II. Change, III. Beginning. IV. Sanctification, are clearly discussed, which were first handled more largely in sundry sermons in Cambridge in New-England in opening of the Fourth COmmandment : in unfolding whereof many scriptures are cleared, divers cases of conscience resolved, and the morall law as a rule of life to a believer, occasionally and distinctly handled / by Thomas Shepard ...
London: printed by T.R. and E.M. for John Rothwell, 1650
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Thesis 72.
To say that there is a necessity of beginning the Christian Sabbath, when Christ first entered into his Rest (the first moment of his Resurrection) because the Father began the Jewish Sabbath the first moment of his Rest after his six days Labour, is not solid nor sound: For there was a necessity for God the Father to begin his Rest at the end of his work•: otherwise a moral rule had not bin observed, viz. That a seventh p••t of Time be sanctified; for six days being finished in creating the World, there was now a necessity of sanctifying the seventh Day wherein his rest began, least a moral rule should be exemplarily broken; but there was no such necessity here; for the whole Evening of the first day may be sanctified upon occasion of Christs Rest on some part of that day, and no moral rule broken hereby: nay there had bin a moral rule broken if the Christian Sabbath had not begun upon this Evening; because hereby God should have lost a Sabbath Day within the compass of seven days as they are measured by the Sun; and this is directly cross to the morality of the fourth command; for if a whole night be lost (as these men reckon) only Time flows on (they say) then it must be full seven days and a half before God have a Sabbath to begin: and this absurdity in the course of Time, I believe will not be found, in Joshua's time nor in altering the beginning of the year in Moses time Exod. 12. for •o moral rule was […] upon by these and such like alterations.
To say that there is a necessity of beginning the Christian Sabbath, when Christ first entered into his Rest (the first moment of his Resurrection) because the Father began the Jewish Sabbath the first moment of his Rest after his six daies Labour, is not solid nor sound: For there was a necessity for God the Father to begin his Rest at the end of his work: otherwise a morall rule had not bin observed, viz. That a seventh pt of Time be sanctified; for six dayes being finished in creating the World, there was now a necessity of sanctifing the seventh Day wherein his rest began, least a morall rule should be exemplarily broken; but there was no such necessity here; for the whole Evening of the first day may be sanctified upon occasion of Christs Rest on some part of that day, and no morall rule broken hereby: nay there had bin a morall rule broken if the Christian Sabbath had not begun upon this Evening; because hereby God should have lost a Sabbath Day within the compasse of seven dayes as they are measured by the Sun; and this is directly crosse to the morality of the fourth command; for if a whole night be lost (as these men reckon) only Time flowes on (they say) then it must be full seven daies and a halfe before God have a Sabbath to begin: and this absurdity in the course of Time, I believe will not be found, in Iosuahs time nor in altering the beginning of the yeere in Moses time