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

As for the Fathers affirming that the ancient Patriarchs did not observe the Sabbath, albeit their authority is of no force to countervail so manifest evidence both of Scripture it self; and of the reason drawn from the division of time into weeks, even from the creation, and so continued unto the Jews in the very days of Moses. Yet I may be bold to say, we have better authority from the ancients for justifying of our cause than our adversaries have for theirs. Walaeus hath represented Chrysostom, Theophilus, Antiochenus, Austin, Theodor. maintaining that the justification of the Sabbath hath been from the Creation: To these Rivelies adds Tertullian as of the same mind, howsoever alleged on the adversaries part. And he also acknowledgeth the Jews to be of the same opinion: Bede is alleged indeed by Pererius as on the part of Tostatus, but no such thing appears in his Hexameron, but rather expressly the contrary (his words being these of the Sabbath, semper celebrari solebat) as I have showed in my answer to the preface, Sect. 1. Where also are represented the testimonies of Athanasius and Epiphanius, as maintaining the institution of the Sabbath to have been from the Creation; which also hath been showed to have been the opinion of Philo and Josephus, and divers of the Jewish Rabbins, and of the author of the Chaldee Paraphrase upon the Psalms, and of divers others.¹ Again, concerning the passages alleged out of some Fathers to the contrary; not only Hospinian answereth, that those proceed of the rigorous observation of the Sabbath; but Jacobus Salianus a Papist, in particular thus interpreteth Tertullian; and Tertullian must be in some such sense understood, as namely, either ⟨p. 200⟩of observation of other Sabbaths in use among the Jews, or of the rigorous observation of the Jewish Sabbath, or of the Jewish manner in observing it by particular sacrifices appointed for that day; for as much as he clearly professeth, that the Sabbath day was à primordio sanctus, as Rivetus showeth, and that the other Fathers (which are but four) truly alleged, are to be interpreted by some such manner, I have endeavoured to evince by divers reasons in my answer to the Preface.²

As for the Fathers affirming that the ancient Patriarches did not observe the Sabbath, albeit their authority is of no force to countervaile so manifest evidence both of Scripture it selfe; and of the reason drawne from the division of time into weekes, even from the creation, and so continued unto the Jewes in the very dayes of Moses. Yet I may be bold to say, we have better authority from the ancients for justifying of our cause than our adversaries have for theirs. Walaeus hath represented Chrysostome, Theophilus, Antiochenus, Austin, Theodor. maintaining that the justification of the Sabbath hath beene from the Creation: To these Rivelies addes Tertullian as of the same mind, howsoever alleged on the adversaries part. And he also acknowledgeth the Jewes to be of the same opinion: Beda is alleged indeed by Pererius as on the part of Tostatus, but no such thing appeares in his Hexameron, but rather expressely the contrary (his words being these of the Sabbath, semper celebrari solebat) as I have shewed in my answer to the preface, Sect. 1. Where also are represented the testimonies of Athanasius and Epiphanius, as maintaining the institution of the Sabbath to have beene from the Creation; which also hath beene shewed to have beene the opinion of Philo and Iosephus, and divers of the Jewish Rabbins, and of the author of the Chaldee Paraphrase upon the Psalms, and of divers others.