Forty-Six Sermons in Volume II of the Works by Jonathan Edwards (Available from Amazon or free here) - Read the Sermon entitled Sermon XIV 'The perpetuity and change of the Sabbath'.
Today we continue Edwards' series of sermons on 1 COR. xvi. 1, 2, 'Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week, let event one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.'
Edwards himself tells us what he did last week and what he plans to do this week: 'I proposed to discourse upon this doctrine under two propositions; and having already, under the first, endeavoured to prove, That one day of the week is, throughout all ages, to be devoted to religious exercises; I proceed now to the
II. Prop. That it is the will of God, that under the gospel dispensation, or in the Christian church, this day should be the first day of the week.'
To prove that the first day of the week is the day of the week appointed for religious exercises, Edwards makes the following points:
(i) The words of the fourth commandment afford no objection against this being the day that should be the sabbath, any more than against any other day;
(ii) That the ancient church was commanded to keep a seventh day in commemoration of the work of creation, is an argument for the keeping of a weekly sabbath in commemoration of the work of redemption, and not any reason against it;
(iii) There is another thing which confirms it, that the fourth command teaches God’s resting from the new creation, as well as from the old: which is that the scriptures expressly speak of the one, its parallel with the other, i. e. Christ’s resting from the work of redemption, is expressly spoken of as being parallel with God’s resting from the work of creation. “For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” ;
(iv) The Holy Ghost hath implicitly told us, that the Sabbath which was instituted in commemoration of the old creation, should not be kept in gospel-times. Isa. lxv. 17, 18;
(v) It is an argument that the Jewish sabbath was not to be perpetual, that the Jews were commanded to keep it in remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt;
(vi) The Holy Ghost hath implicitly told us, that instituted memorials of the Jews’ deliverance from Egypt should be no longer upheld in gospel-times, Jer. xvi. 14, 15;
(vii) It is no more than just to suppose, that God intended to intimate to us, that the sabbath ought by Christians to be kept in commemoration of Christ’s redemption, in that the Israelites were commanded to keep it in remembrance of their deliverance out of Egypt; because that deliverance out of Egypt is an evident, known, and allowed type of it;
(viii) I argue the same thing from Psalm cxviii. 22, 23, 24. There we are taught, that the day of Christ’s resurrection is to be celebrated with holy joy by the church;
(ix) The abolition of the Jewish sabbath seems to be intimated by this, that Christ, the Lord of the sabbath, lay buried on that day;
(x) Christ hath evidently, on purpose and design, peculiarly honoured the first day of the week, the day on which he rose from the dead, by taking it from time to time to appear to the apostles; and he chose this day to pour out the Holy Ghost on the apostles, which we read of in the second chapter of Acts;
(xi) It is evident by the New Testament, that this was especially the day of the public worship of the primitive church, by the direction of the apostles;
(xii) This first day of the week is in the New Testament called the lord’s day; see Rev. i. 10;
(xiii) The tradition of the church from age to age, though it be no rule, yet may be a great confirmation of the truth in such a case as this is;
(xiv) It is no way weakening to these arguments, that there is nothing more plainly said about it in the New Testament, till John wrote his Revelation, because there is a sufficient reason to be given for it.
What grabbed me
As I said last week, I'm not in agreement with Edwards on this matter.
And interestingly Edwards himself seems to know he's on shaky ground.
At the end of the sermon, he outlines some reasons why the Scriptures are not clearer on the issue of the 'Christian Sabbath': 'Thus tender was Christ of the church while an infant. He did not feed them with strong meat, but was careful to bring in the observance of the Lord’s day by degrees, and therefore took all occasions to honour it, by appearing from time to time of choice on that day; by sending down his Spirit on that day in that remarkable manner at Pentecost; by ordering Christians to meet in order to break bread on that day, and by ordering their contributions and other duties of worship to be holden on it; thus introducing the observance of it by degrees. And though as yet the Holy Ghost did not speak very plainly about it, yet God took special care that there should be sufficient evidences of his will, to be found out by the Christian church, when it should be more established and settled, and should have come to the strength of a man.'
Or could it be that Edwards is making mountains out of mole-hills?
Next week's reading
Read the Sermon entitled Sermon XV 'The perpetuity and change of the Sabbath'.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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