The Christian Sabbath defended against a crying evil in these times of the antisabitarians…

And Athanasius saith, That as the Sabbath was the end of the first creation; so the Lords Day is the beginning of the second creature. And this is it that Bishop Andrewes and Bishop Lake do work upon for the celebration of the Lords Day as by Divine institution. But I am not a little sensible of some appearance of incongruity rising hereupon. Almighty God did not think it fit, that the first day of creation should be our Sabbath, but the seventh from the creation, as whereon himself rested; but in the second creation, the first day is made our Sabbath. To this I answer two things; the first is this: if man should not rest unto God till the second creation is finished, he should not rest at all in this world. And the six days being the days of Gods work; the seventh was the first of mans work, which God would have to be an holy work most convenient whereby to take livery and seisin of the world. For, albeit God commanded Adam to dress the garden and keep it, when ⟨p. 98⟩he placed him in it; yet it is nothing probable it had need of dressing so soon as it was made; and no mention of rest commanded at the first; only it is said, that because God rested that day from all his works, therefore he blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. This I deliver to save the expression of Athanasius. 2. But in my judgement, there is an exact congruity between rest and rest in each creation. For, as God rested the seventh day from the work of creation; so Christ rested the first day of the week from his work of Redemption, which was the meritorious cause of the new creation. For Christs dying, and continuing under the power of death, for a certain time, I may justly reckon as one work of Redemption; in which time he suffered ignominy, not only from the reproach of the world, but from the weakness of his servants faith,¹ whose voice was, we thought it had been he, who should have redeemed Israel.

And Athanasius saith, That as the Sabbath was the end of the first creation; so the Lords Day is the beginning of the second creature. And this is it that Bishop Andrewes and Bishop Lake doe worke upon for the celebration of the Lords Day as by Divine institution. But I am not a little sensible of some appearance of incongruity rising hereupon. Almighty God did not thinke it fit, that the first day of creation should be our Sabbath, but the seventh from the creation, as whereon himselfe rested; but in the second creation, the first day is made our Sabbath. To this I answer two things; the first is this: if man should not rest unto God till the second creation is finished, hee should not rest at all in this world. And the sixe dayes being the dayes of Gods worke; the seventh was the first of mans worke, which God would have to be an holy worke most convenient whereby to take livery and seasin of the world. For, albeit God commanded Adam to dresse the garden and keepe it, when