Galatians 4:10

In the former verse, Paul sets downe the Apostasie of the Galatians in generall tearmes, saying, How turne ye againe to the Elements of the world? In the 10. verse, he shewes, what these Elements be, Ye obserued daies, and moneths, and times, and yeares. By daies, are meant Iewish Sabbaths: by moneths, the feasts obserued euery moneth in the day of the new moone. By times, some vnderstand the feast of the Passeouer, the feast of Pentecost, and the feast of Tabernacles. But the word (καιροὺς) signifies, seasons, or fit times for the doing of this or that busines. So is it translated, Act. 1. 7. It is not for you to know the times and seasons. It was the manner of the Gentiles to make difference of times in respect of good or bad successe, and that according to the signes of heauen. And it is very likely, that the Galatians obserued daies not onely in the Iewish, but also in the heathenish manner. By yeares, are meant euery seuenth yeare, and the Iubelie yeares, which the Galatians obserued after the fashion of the Iewes.

Againe, there is a fourefold kind of obseruation of daies; one naturall, the other ciuill, the third Ecclesiasticall, the fourth superstitious. Naturall is, when daies are obserued according to the course of the sunne & moone, Gen. 1. 14. thus day follows night, and night followes day, and euery yeare hath foure seasons, spring, sommer, autumne, winter. And the obseruation of these times, is according to the law of nature. Ciuill obseruation is, when set times are obserued for husbandrie, in planting, setting, reaping, sowing: for houshold affaires, and for the affaires of the commonwealth, in keeping of faires, and markets, &c. And thus to obserue daies, is not vnlawfull. Ecclesiasticall obseruation of times is, when set daies are obserued for orders sake, that men may come together to worship God: these daies, are either daies of thanksgiuing, or daies of humiliation. Of daies of thanksgiuing, take the example of the Iewes, Hest. 9. 26. who obserued yearely the feast of Purim, for a memorie of their deliuerance. In like manner they appointed and obserued the feast of Dedication: and it seemes that Christ was present at Ierusalem, as an obseruer of this feast. Ioh. 10. 22. And thus for orders sake, to obserue certaine daies of solemnitie, is not forbidden. Superstitious obseruation of daies, is twofold, Iewish, or heathenish. Iewish, when set daies are obserued with an opinion, that we are bound in conscience to obserue them, and when the worship of God is placed in the obseruing of this or that time. Heathenish, when daies are obserued in respect of good or bad successe. Now then, to come to the point, the intent of Paul is onely to condemne the Iewish manner of obseruing of daies, in these words, Ye obserue daies, moneths, yeares: and the heathenish manner, in these words, ye obserue seasons.

Against this interpretation, the place of Paul may be obiected, Rom. 14. 6. He that obserues the day, obserues it to the Lord. Ans. Indeede Paul in these words excuseth the Romanes that obserued daies, and saith, that their intention was to obserue them to the honour of God: and this he saith, because as yet they were not fully instructed touching Christian libertie: but withall, let it be remembred, that in mild sort he notes this to be a fault in them, when he saith, that they were weake in faith. Now the case was otherwise with the Galatians: because they obserued daies after they had bin informed touching their libertie in Christ: and withall they placed their saluation, in part, in the obseruation of daies: and thus they mixed the Gospel with the law. And therefore they were iustly to be blamed.

Againe, it may be obiected, that now in the time of the new Testament, we in religious manner obserue the Lords day. Ans. Some men both godly and learned are of opinion, that the Lords day was appointed by the Apostles for orders sake: and that it is in the libertie of the Church to appoint the Sabbath vpon any other day in the weeke, because they say, all daies without exception are equall: and they adde further, that when the publike worship of God is ended, men may then returne to their labours, or giue themselues to recreation, on the Lords day. But this doctrine seemes not to stand with the fourth commandement.

It seemes to be a truth more probable, that euery seauenth day in the weeke, must be set a part in holy rest vnto God: for this is the substance of the fourth commandement. And it is also very probable, that the Sabbath of the new Testament is limited and determined by our Sauiour Christ to the Lords day. For Paul and the rest of the Apostles obserued the first day of the weeke for a Sabbath day, Act. 20. 7. and he saith, Whatsoeuer ye haue heard, and what ye haue seene in me, that doe. Phil. 4. 9. Againe it was the decree or constitution of Paul, that the collection for the poore should be the first day of the weeke at Corinth: now this collection in the Primitiue Church, followed preaching, praier, sacraments, and it was the conclusion of all other exercises in the assemblie. 1. Cor. 16. 2. And this first day of the weeke is called the Lords day, Apoc. 1. 11. and it is so called, because it was dedicated and consecrated to the honour of Christ our Lord. And who is the author of this Dedication but Christ himselfe the Lord of the Sabboth? It is alleadged, that the Sabbath, and the commandement touching the Sabbath, is Ceremoniall: and vpon this ground, they take libertie, & keep no Sabbath at all But the truth is, that the commandement touching the Sabbath is not wholly Ceremoniall. It may be, the first words, Remember the Sabbath day to sanctifie it, and the words, In it thou shalt doe no manner of worke, &c. are spoken of the Iewes Sabbath: but the wordes, Sixe daies shalt thou labour, and the seuenth day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, are morall, and containe a perpetuall truth. Therefore the words of Paul must be conceiued with an exception of the Sabbath day, which is the seuenth day in euery weeke; which day Christ hath limited by his Apostles, to the Lords day.

The vse. This text of Paul discouers vnto vs a great part of the superstition of the Popish Church, in the obseruation of holy daies. First, beside the Lords day, they appoint many other sabbaths: whereas it is the priuiledge of God to appoint an ordinarie day of rest, and to sanctifie it to his owne honour. Secondly, they bind mens consciences to the obseruation of their holy daies, which Paul here forbids, and Col. 2. 16. Thirdly, they place the worship of God in the obseruation of their holy daies: but God is worshipped in vaine by mens precepts. Matth. 15. Fourthly, they place a great holines in their festiuall daies, more then in other daies. Fiftly, they dedicate many of their holy daies to the honour of Saints and Angels: whereas the dedication of ordinarie and set daies, is a part of diuine or religious worship. Lastly, their holy daies for number are more then the festiuall daies of the Iewes: and thus they bring people into their old bondage, nay to a greater bondage then euer the Iewes indured, in respect of daies and times. It may be said, that the Church of the Protestants obserue holy daies. Ans. Some Churches doe not: because the Church in the Apostles daies, had no holy day, beside the Lords day: and the 4. commandement inioynes the labour of sixe daies. Indeede the Churches of England obserueth holy daies, but the Popish superstition is cut off. For we are not bound in conscience to the obseruation of these daies: neither doe we place holines or the worship of God in them: but we keepe them onely for orders sake, that men may come to the Church to heare Gods word. And though we retaine the names of Saints daies, yet we giue no worship to saints, but to God alone. And such daies as contained nothing in them but superstition, as the conception and assumption of the virgin Marie, we haue cut off. Thus doth the Church with vs obserue holy daies, and no otherwise. Indeede the ignorant multitude among vs faile greatly in the obseruing of daies. For they greatly solemnise the time of the birth of Christ, and then they keepe few or no markets: but the Lords day is not accordingly respected: and men will not be disswaded from following of faires on that day.

Againe, to obserue daies of good & bad successe, according to the constellations of the heauens, is an heathenish fashion to be auoided. For it is here condemned in the Galatians. Here therefore, we must be put in minde, not to obserue the planetarie houres: for men suppose that the houres of the daie are ruled by the planets, and hereupon, that some houres are good, and luckie (as they say) and some vnluckie: that men are taken with planets, and borne vnder vnluckie planets. But these are heathenish conceits. Neither must we respect our Horoscope or the time of our birth, and the constellation of the heauens thē, as though we could hereby know, what should befall vs to the end of our daies. And we must not put difference of daies, as though some were luckie vnto vs, and some vnluckie, according to the course of the starres. The like I saie of the Criticall daies, that is, the 7. and the 14. daie after that a man beginnes to be sicke. For they are groūded vpon the aspects of the moone, which are not to be regarded. And the Climactericall years are not to be obserued as dangerous and dismall. The obseruatiō of the signes, is of the same nature. For the 12. signes are nothing els, but 12. parts of the first mooueable, which is but a supposed heauen. Therefore there is no danger in the thing, but in our conceit. We are to feare God, and not to feare the starres: neither are we to make differences of daies in respect of them, as though the affaires we take in hand, should prosper the better or the worse, in respect of their different operation. Gods commandement is, Feare not the signes of heauen. Ierem. 10. 2. And good reason. For no man can by learning knowe the operation of the starrs: because their lights and operations are all mixed togither in all places vpon earth: and therefore no obseruation can be made of this or that starre, more then of this or that hearbe, when all hearbes are mixed and compounded togither. Againe, the operation of the starres is by their light, and light hath no operation but in heat or cold, moisture or drinesse. In this respect, (though we may well obserue the full and the change of the moone) it is foolishnesse to ascribe the regiment of our affaires to the starres, they beeing matters contingent, which depend on the will and pleasure of man. Lastly, it is a great ouersight to hold sundrie of the starres to be malignant and infortunate, in respect of vs: whereas they are the creatures of God, and their light serues for the good of man. In a word, we are not to make difference of daies, neither in respect of holines, nor in respect of good or badde successe.