The Jewish Sabbath Abrogated, Part 1 · Sermon 5
SERMON V.
Six Arguments more to prove the Seventh-day Sabbath not moral. That it was a Sign and Shadow to Iſrael of the Covenant of Works.
Gal. iv. 10, 11.
Ye obſerve days, and months, &c.
THE laſt Day I gave four Reaſons to prove that the ſimple moral part of the fourth Commandment lies not in the obſervation of the preciſe Seventh-day Sabbath. I have ſix more to add.
Fifthly.The 7th day Sabb. not given forth afreſh by Chriſt or his Apoſtles. That the preciſe Seventh-day Sabbath cannot be that part of the fourth Commandment which is purely moral, I argue thus: Whatſoever is a ſimple moral Precept, univerſally and perpetually obligatory, is by our Saviour or his Apoſtles confirmed or given forth anew in the New Teſtament; but the Seventh-day Sabbath is not ſo confirm'd or given forth, therefore is not a ſimple moral Precept.
To prove the Major, or firſt Propoſition, let it be conſidered, that the moral Law is transfer'd from Moſes to Jeſus Chriſt, or taken out of Moſes's hands as a Lawgiver, and put into the hands of Chriſt conſidered as Mediator: and this was ſignified by thoſe words,Mal. 2. 7. The Prieſts Lips ſhould keep knowledg, and they ſhould ſeek the Law at his mouth; for he is the Meſſenger of the Lord of Hoſts. Whatſoever was doubtful, duplicate page duplicate page the High-Prieſt Deut. 17. 9.was to determine. In this the Prieſts under the Law were a Type of Chriſt, ſignifying that when Chriſt came, who is God's Meſſenger, all ſhould receive the Law from his Mouth, who was to be the great Interpreter of it: and accordingly we find he opened the nature of the moral Law in Mat. 5. and other places, ſhewing the ſpirituality thereof; and how men may be ſaid to break the Commands againſt Adultery, Murder, &c. by the luſts and malice in their hearts, tho they never actually commit either of thoſe Sins. Nay, I know not one ſimple moral Precept, which our Lord or his Apoſtles did not confirm or give forth anew, who no ways extenuated the guilt of the breach of it, but with far greater ſeverity aggravated every tranſgreſſion thereof.Rom. 1. 18. Paul ſhews how the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven againſt all ungodlineſs, and unrighteouſneſs of Men.
Now neither our Lord nor his Apoſtles ſeemed to confirm or give forth anew the old Jewiſh Seventh-day Sabbath; but contrarywiſe, as I have ſhew'd, he ſeemed to excuſe his Diſciples when charged with the breach thereof, and allow'd others to do that which was deem'd unlawful on the Sabbath-day, as bearing a burden, &c. If our Adverſaries can prove that every ſimple moral Precept of the Decalogue was not confirm'd by Chriſt or his Apoſtles, let them do it.
Obj. I know they ſay, that neither Chriſt nor his Apoſtles ever confirmed, or gave out anew that Command, Thou ſhalt not make to thy ſelf any graven Image, &c.
Anſw. As to Idols, they are directly forbid: 1 Cor. 8. 4.An Idol is nothing in the world; there is none other God but one. And St. John ſaith, Little Children, 1 Joh. 5. 11.keep your ſelves from Idols: and again, Flee from Idolatry. Now what is a Graven Image but an Idol? Every Graven Image made to be worſhipped is an Idol, tho every Idol is not a Graven Image. Where do they read that an Image made of Bread is forbid in Moſes's Law? True, the ſecond Command forbids all Idols, and all Idols are forbid in the Goſpel. Nay, Idols are in a more nice manner defined and condemned in the Goſpel, than by the Law of Moſes. We read that a Man may idolize or make a God of his Belly; Phil. 3. 19.and Paul declares that Covetouſneſs is Idolatry.Col. 3. 5.
Object. But where do we read in the New Teſtament that it is unlawful for a Man to marry his own Siſter?
Anſw. 1. Where all Uncleanneſs, and Luſts of Concupiſcence and Fornication are forbid, there a Man is forbid to marry his own Siſter.
2. Is not this ſort of Inceſt forbidden and condemned, 1 Cor. 5. 1. where the inceſtuous Perſon is condemned for marrying his Father's Wife? If it be unlawful for a Man to marry his Brother's Wife, or his Father's Wife, it is unlawful to marry his own Siſter, becauſe nearer of kin.
3. All manner of Inceſt is forbid to believing Gentiles in Acts 15. 29. this was one of thoſe things contain'd in the Law that is given forth anew to believing Gentiles. The Holy Ghoſt inſpir'd the Apoſtles to write to the Gentiles to abſtain from Blood, Meats offered to Idols, things ſtrangled, and from Fornication: now Inceſt is by Paul call'd Fornication, 1 Cor. 5. 1. I hear there is Fornication amongſt you, &c. Tho in ſtrict ſpeaking (ſay our late Annotators) by Fornication we mean Uncleanneſs of ſingle Perſons, yet by this word often in Scripture is underſtood all ſpecies of Uncleanneſs. Nor is it probable that the Holy Ghoſt refers to the Uncleanneſs of ſingle Perſons in Acts 15. but to ſomewhat more doubtful: and therefore I conceive all ſorts of Inceſt in this place are forbidden.
4. If any ſhould ſay, How can they know it was unlawful for a Man to marry his own Siſter?
I anſwer: 'Tis not only known (as I have ſhew'd) by the New Teſtament, and forbid there, but alſo by the very Light of Nature: for ſuch Fornication, 1 Cor. 5. 1.ſaith Paul, is not ſo much as once nam'd among the Gentiles; that is, among the more civiliz'd Heathens, who had no other Law than the Light of Nature, which teaches Men to abhor ſuch a Marriage. For doth the Light of Nature teach a Man that it is a ſhame to wear long Hair, and not teach him it is a ſhame to marry his own Siſter?
5. Moreover, tho I ſaid the whole Moral Law is transfer'd from Moſes as a Lawgiver, to Chriſt as Mediator; yet the Old Teſtament and the Law as written by Moſes, as well as the Prophets, are of great uſe in many reſpects: 2 Tim. 3. 16.All Scripture is profitable for Doctrine, for Reproof, for Correction, and Inſtruction in Righteouſneſs, &c.
Sixthly, The Seventh-day Sabbath proved to be a ſign of the Covenant of Works.The Morality of the fourth Commandment conſiſts not in the obſervation of the preciſe ſeventh Day, becauſe that day was a ſign or ſhadow of ſomething to come. I did at firſt prove, in opening my Text, that the weekly Jewiſh Sabbath is comprehended in thoſe days the falſe Brethren taught the Galatians to obſerve; Gal. 4. 10.and gave many Arguments to evince, that tho there is one day in ſeven by a poſitive Law perpetually to be kept,Col. 2. 16. yet the old Jewiſh ſeventh day from the Creation, and under the Covenant of Works, was a ſhadow of things to come.
But I ſhall add here ſomething out of an approved Author, further to confirm this: That Sabbath,Warren on the Sab. againſt Tillam, p. 106, 107, &c. ſaith he, and the particular ſeventh day which the Jews obſerved, was certainly of a ſhadowy nature; being inſtituted at firſt with reference to Chriſt, as all other Shadows were, having a Type after fix'd to it. And of this we may ſafely expound that forementioned Text, Col. 2. 16. Let no man judg you in Meats or in Drinks, or in reſpect of an holy day, or New Moons or Sabbaths, which were ſhadows of things to come: but the Body is of Chriſt. The only queſtion is, whether their weekly Sabbath was here intended. Some are jealous leſt in preſſing it ſo far, it ſhould prove prejudicial to our weekly Chriſtian Sabbath; but this is a mere cauſleſs Jealouſy. For let us ponder the ſcope and deſign of the place, and it will appear that the Apoſtles deſign is not to level Chriſtian Days and Duties, but ſuch as the Jews obſerv'd, and would have introduced with Circumciſion. 'Tis apparent that in all thoſe three places, Rom. 14. 5, 6. Gal. 4. 10, 11. Col. 2. 16. he crys down the Ordinances of the Law or Old Teſtament, not the Inſtitutions of the Goſpel.
Look what the Jewiſh falſe Teachers cry'd up, St. Paul cried down. So as to argue from hence againſt all difference of days under the Goſpel, is evidently to ſtretch the Text beyond the Scope; but to urge it againſt all Jewiſh holy days (their weekly Sabbath and all) is not to force it. For,
1. The Apoſtle ſeems to ſpeak diſtinctly and diſtributively, enumerating the ſeveral ſorts of days in obſervation among the Jews, Holy-days, New-Moons, Sabbaths: and the gradation from yearly Holy-days to monthly New-Moons, and from them to weekly Sabbaths, is viſible enough to ſuch as are not blinded with Prejudice.
Mr. Shepherd ſpeaks much to the ſame purpoſe: Sheph. on the Sabb. Part 2.The plural term [Sabbaths] is uſually put for the ſingular, the Sabbath or ſeventh day,Theſ. 20. p. 204. now under diſpute. Yea, I cannot find any one Text in all the New Teſtament, where it is applied in the ſame number to any other day or Sabbath, but the old Seventh-day Sabbath.*Mat. 12. 15. Mark 1. 21. cap. 2. 24. cap. 3. 2. Luk. 4. 31. cap. 13. 10. Act. 13. 14. Seven or eight times the ſame word as is here ſet down in the plural number, is uſed for the old weekly Sabbath, and not ſo much as once for any yearly Sabbath: therefore in all reaſon that preciſe weekly Sabbath muſt be here (I will not ſay included only, but) principally intended.
Even in the Old Teſtament, wherever New Moons and Sabbaths are coupled together (unleſs the Phraſe be figurative, as in Iſa. 66. 23.) the Jews weekly Sabbath is denoted by it, as appears by thoſe Scriptures cited in the Margin †2 Kings 4. 23. 1 Chron. 23. 31. ch. 8. 13. ch. 31. 3. Neh. 10. 33. Ezek. 45. 17. Amos 8. 5., in moſt of which their annual Sabbaths are excepted, and diſtinguiſhed by another name, ſcil. [Feaſts] to which anſwers the word Holy-days in this place, Col. 2. 16. For indeed the word in the Original ſignifies a Feaſt or Feſtival-day. Thus let Scripture expound Scripture, and Truth will be Truth in ſpite of Error: take the whole Sentence together, Holy-days, New-Moons, Sabbaths, and (if it be an Old Teſtament Phraſe) it always implies the old Seventh-day Sabbath; or take the word [Sabbaths] ſingly by it ſelf, and (if it be a New Teſtament Term, as 'tis like it is) it ever ſignifies the ſame ſeventh day; unleſs when put for week, which here it cannot be. The Concluſion then is undeniable, that the Jews Seventh-day Sabbath was a ſhadowy Sabbath.
Dr. Owen alſo repeats what ſome learned Men ſay upon this place,Col. 2. 16. Let no Man judg you in Meats or Drinks, or in reſpect of an Holy-day, or the New-Moon, Dr. Owen, p. 214.foreign, or of the Sabbath, or Sabbath-days, which were a ſhadow of things to come: but the Body is of Chriſt. From hence they affirm (ſaith he) it will follow, that there is nothing moral in the obſervation of the Sabbath, ſeeing it was a mere Type and Shadow, as were other Moſaical Inſtitutions; and alſo that it is abſolutely aboliſhed and taken away by Chriſt. And if they mean no more but that preciſe ſeventh Day, they were certainly right: Nay Dr. Owen himſelf, as I conceive, determines the matter ſo as to make that preciſe day refer to Moſes, and his Oeconomy.
But indeed I ſee ſome learned Men have wrote very darkly, becauſe they ſtrive to preſerve a Sabbath in the Goſpel-day, or a day of Reſt, and of ſolemn Worſhip; and that tho not ſimply, yet poſitively moral, from the fourth Command: and if by moral poſitive they mean one day in ſeven, which God from his Soveraign Pleaſure will have perpetually obſerved as a day of Reſt and ſolemn Worſhip, I am of their mind.
Queſt. But ſince the Jewiſh ſeventh Day was a Sign and a Shadow, what was it a Sign and Shadow of?
Anſw. Before I give a direct Anſwer to this, let me premiſe one thing, which in a ſpecial manner we ought to regard, viz. that the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath was bottom'd upon the Covenant of Works in that Miniſtration of it given to the whole Houſe of Iſrael, as ſuting with their Eccleſiaſtical, Political, and Typical Church-ſtate. And this Dr. Owen has fully proved,Dr. Owen on the Sab. p. 221. ſpeaking of that Covenant: Now, ſaith he, this is not abſolutely and merely a Law, but as it contain'd a Covenant between God and Man. A Law it might have been, and not a Covenant, which doth not neceſſarily follow upon either its inſtructive or preceptive Power. Yet it was originally given in the Counſel of God to that end, and accompanied with Promiſes and Threatnings, whence it had the nature of a Covenant. By virtue of this Law, as a Covenant, was the obſervation of a Sabbath preſcribed, and required, as a token and pledg of God's Reſt in that Covenant in the performance of the Works whereon it was inſtituted, and of Man's Intereſt in it—Again, he ſaith; Seeing therefore that the Moral Law, as a Covenant between God and Man, requir'd this ſacred Reſt—we muſt inquire what place, as ſuch, it had in the Moſaical Oeconomy, whereon the true Reaſon and Notion of the Sabbath doth depend: for the Sabbath being originally annexed to the Covenant between God and Man*The Dr. takes it for granted, which I deny, that the Sabbath was given, to Adam., the Renovation of the Covenant doth neceſſarily require a ſpecial Renovation of the Sabbath; and the change of the Covenant as to the nature of it, in like manner doth introduce a change of the Sabbath, &c.
1. From hence note, that Dr. Owen ſaith, the Law given Exod. 20. was a renewal of the Covenant of Works.
2. That the Seventh-day Sabbath was given as a Token or Pledg of that Covenant, and Reſt.
3. That the Seventh-day Sabbath of Reſt was not a Type of our Eternal Reſt in Heaven, but a Type or Shadow of that true Spiritual Reſt we enter into under the New Covenant when we believe in Chriſt; and ſo this Reſt is the Antitype of the Jewiſh Seventh-day Sabbath. My Brethren, this is that Reſt of God which he referr'd to, and in which he takes up his delight and complacence.
Moreover, God ſhewed his People Iſrael by their Sabbath, how impoſſible it was for them, by the Covenant of Works, to enter into this Reſt, where they ſhould utterly ceaſe from ſin: it was a ſign between God and them, that they ſhould perform the whole Obedience due under the Covenant of Works, ſignified by that Obligation, that in ſix days they ſhould labour and do all they had to do, and then reſt, denoting that the whole Law muſt be kept, or no reſt: the man that doth them ſhall live by them, or have Life, Reſt, and Peace on that Condition. This, I ſay, did ſignify Man's working for Life before he could enter into Reſt; for if they could do all they had to do, or God required of them, or anſwer all the Demands of the Law, then they ſhould have Reſt, Peace, and Juſtification thereby.
Here you have the Six-days Labour, and the Seventh-day's Sabbath, it being an Epitome of the Covenant of Works: For their Sabbath, as Calvin ſhews, in the tenor of it, put them upon the higheſt Acts of Obedience, even to live and ſin not, or ceaſe from all Iniquity in Words, Thoughts, and Actions.
Now if this did not tend to Bondage, and ſo was a Law againſt them, and contrary to them, nothing could; but now in Chriſt, who hath kept the Law perfectly for us, or has done all we were to do, and ſuffer, we come to have true ſpiritual Reſt and Peace. And,
Our Lord, no doubt, alludes to this, Ma…. 11. 28, 29. Come to me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you reſt. Brethren, mind thoſe two words, labour and heavy laden. On the Jewiſh Sabbath no ſervile labour was to be done, nor any burdens to be born, ſignifying that Believers in Chriſt ceaſe from labouring for Life, and muſt not bear any burden of Sin, either in reſpect of the guilt or fear of the puniſhment; Chriſt having done all, and born the burden of all our ſins in his own Body on the Tree; ſo that we muſt caſt our Burden on the Lord, and he will ſuſtain us.
And ſo we begin our Sabbath after all our Works are done, and Burdens born by our dear Lord, and bleſſed Surety, on the firſt Day of the Week, as he has directed us; and from hence we work not for Life and Reſt, but from Life, Reſt and Peace.
Therefore to anſwer that Queſtion, what was the Jewiſh Sabbath a ſign of? you have in part heard, but ſhall yet more fully hear.
1. I affirm that it was a Sign of the Covenant of Works in that Miniſtration given to Iſrael, written and engraven in Tables of Stone. How often is that Sabbath called a Sign between God and them; Exod. 31. 13. Verily my Sabbaths ye ſhall keep; it is a Sign between me and you throughout your Generations. Again, verſ. 17. 'Tis a Sign between me and the Children of Iſrael. Ezek. 20. 12. Moreover alſo I gave them my Sabbath to be a Sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that ſanctifieth them.
But ſtill it is enquired, what was it a Sign of? Some ſay that Iſrael were in bondage in Egypt; others, that God created the World in ſix days.
Anſw. I anſwer, but remotely, if at all, it was a Sign of either of them; for they are laid down as the Reaſons why God gave Iſrael their Sabbath, and not as a Sign of thoſe things. But let it now be well conſidered, that God never ſince the Fall entered into a Covenant with any People, but he gave a Sign or Token of it.
1. When he entered into a Covenant with Noah (and all the World in him) that he would no more deſtroy the World by Water, he gave a Sign, viz. a Rainbow: this was a Covenant of external Favour, without any Reſtipulation.
2. When God entered into Covenant with Abraham, and with all his fleſhly Seed as ſuch, he gave them a Sign of that Covenant, namely Circumciſion: this is that which we call the Covenant of Peculiarity; tho we deny not but God entered into a Spiritual or Goſpel-Covenant with Abraham, and with all his true ſpiritual Seed alſo, which contained only a free promiſe of Grace in Chriſt: but that Covenant with his natural Seed as ſuch, is called the Covenant of Circumciſion, Acts 7.becauſe Circumciſion was the Sign thereof. Moreover, they that can't ſee a twofold Covenant was made with Abraham, are ſtrangely blinded.
3. And that there was a renewal of the Covenant of Works with the whole Houſe of Iſrael given by Moſes, contained in the 20th Chapter of Exodus, is moſt evident, tho not given for Life, but for other Reaſons which I have mentioned: and this Covenant contained Ten Commandments, with the promiſe of Life upon the condition of univerſal Obedience thereunto. And to this all the People conſented, and joined in with God by mutual Reſtipulation: Exod. 24. 3.And all the People anſwered with one voice, and ſaid, All that the Lord hath ſaid, we will do. And now I ſay, their Seventh-day Sabbath was given as a ſign of this Miniſtration of the old Covenant of Works: and hence alſo as Circumciſion, the ſign of that Legal Typical Covenant made with Abraham and his fleſhly Seed as ſuch, is God's Covenant; ſo the Seventh-day Sabbath is call'd alſo God's Covenant: Wherefore the Children of Iſrael ſhall keep the Sabbath to obſerve it throughout their Generations for a perpetual Covenant; Exod. 31. 16.and this becauſe it was a Sign or a Pledg to them of that Obligation they lay under to keep the whole Law. I might here add, that the Lord's-Supper is a ſign of the Goſpel-Covenant; and it is alſo call'd the New Teſtament, or Covenant in Chriſt's Blood.
And thus as Circumciſion bound all to keep the whole Law that conformed to it, (that being a ſign of that part of the legal Covenant to Abraham and his natural Seed throughout their Generations) ſo the Seventh-day Sabbath is a ſign of the ſame legal Covenant in that Miniſtration with the Houſe of Iſrael, Exod. 20. and obliged all that obſerve it, to keep the whole Law alſo. And that this is not my Judgment alone, take what Dr. Owen has ſaid on this account.
Whereas the Covenant which Man originally was taken into,Dr. Owen …n the Sab. p. 148, …19. was a Covenant of Works, wherein Reſt with God depended abſolutely on his doing all the Works he had to do by way of Legal Obedience, he was during the Diſpenſation of that Covenant tied up preciſely to the obſervation of the ſeventh Day, or that which follow'd the whole work of Creation. And the ſeventh Day as ſuch is a Token of the Reſt promiſed in the Covenant of Works, and no other. And thoſe who would advance that day again into a neceſſary obſervation, do conſequentially introduce the whole Covenant of Works, and are become Debtors to the whole Law. For the Works of God which precede the ſeventh Day preciſely, were thoſe whereby Man was initiated into, and inſtructed in the Covenant of Works; and the Day it ſelf was a Token and Pledg of the Righteouſneſs thereof, or a moral and natural ſign of it, and of God's Reſt therein, and of Man's with God thereby. And it is no Service to the Church of God, nor hath any tendency to the Honour of Chriſt in the Goſpel, to endeavour a Reduction of us to the Covenant of Works.
What is now become of Mr. Tillam's Flouriſh, who inſults over ſuch as call the Seventh-day Sabbath a ſign?
The Sabbath is indeed (ſaith he) a ſign of good things formerly produced,Tillam on the Sabb. p. 18. as the Creation, or elſe of good things at preſent enjoy'd, as God's ſanctifying Grace; but never was ſet up for a ſign of good things to come, like the Ceremonial Sabbaths. I might here retort the vaunting Language of the Preacher of Peter's (of cutting off Goliah's Head with his own Sword) for if the Morality of the Sabbath ceaſe, by being a ſign to the Jews in their Generations, upon the ſame account muſt the whole Law ceaſe to be moral, ſince God's Spirit hath ſet it alſo for a ſign.
Anſw. 1. Tho the Marks of true Grace are call'd Signs, yet there is a great difference between them, and the Signs of Covenants. Miracles alſo are call'd Signs; and God's People are ſet as Signs and Wonders: but what of this?
2. He miſtakes greatly when he affirms, that God ſaith the Sabbath was a ſign of his ſanctifying the whole Houſe of Iſrael with his ſanctifying Grace. Did God ſo ſanctify them, or were they ſpiritually ſanctified? No, no, it ſignified that God took the whole Nation of Iſrael into an external, federal, and legal Relation to himſelf, or ſet them apart as ſo conſidered from all People in the World, to be his own People; and in that Covenant-relation he was married to them, as he ſays elſewhere.
3. To ſanctify, What is meant by God's ſanctifying the whole Nation of Iſrael.often in the Old Teſtament only refers to God's ſetting apart a Thing, a Perſon, &c. for himſelf, or to ſome holy legal Uſe or Service. Thus the ſeventh Day was ſanctified, and the Prieſts, and Veſſels of the Sanctuary, &c. were ſanctified. And their Sabbath was a ſign that they became God's People, in that legal and typical Covenant, or upon the terms of the Covenant of Works; they promiſing that all the Lord commanded them they would do,Exod. 24. 2, 3. which confirms what we ſaid before.
4. Let none ſuppoſe that God took the whole Houſe of Iſrael into a ſpecial Relation with himſelf, according to the tenor of the new Covenant, or Covenant of Grace; or that that Covenant, Exod. 20. was the Covenant of Grace. Let them read what the Prophet Jeremiah ſaith: Jer. 31. 31, 32, 33.Behold, the days come, ſaith the Lord, that I will make a new Covenant with the Houſe of Iſrael, and with the Houſe of Judah: Not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the Land of Egypt; which my Covenant they broke, altho I was a Husband to them, ſaith the Lord. But this ſhall be my Covenant that I will make.—After thoſe days, ſaith the Lord, I will put my Law into their inward parts, and write it in their Hearts; and I will be their God, and they ſhall be my People.
1. Had the former Covenant been the Covenant of Grace, no doubt but they had abode in that Covenant to this day and for ever: but they are cut off, and now are in no actual Covenant relation with God at all. Sure the Covenant of Grace cannot be utterly broken.
2. Moreover then they ſhould not have needed to look for the Law in two Tables of Stone, becauſe that whole Moral Law ſhould not only be written in the New Teſtament, the Book of the New Covenant, but in their Hearts alſo.
3. Now when a Covenant is aboliſhed (as the old Covenant is) will any dare to plead for the ſign of it, which obliges them to keep the whole Law? No, plain it is, the ſign, i. e. the old Sabbath, is gone with the Covenant it ſelf.
Queſt. If the old Sabbath was a ſign of that of which you ſay, what was it a Type or Shadow of?
Anſw. It was a Type or Shadow of our bleſſed Reſt in Chriſt:Heb. 4. For we which have believed do enter into Reſt. This is the Antitype of the ſeventh-day Reſt, when no Labor is to be done, nor any burden of Sin to be born by Believers; this is that Reſt God is pleaſed with: and here we alſo reſt from all Labour or Works of our own, as God did from his at firſt. Macarius ſaith,Hom. 39. in Mat. 12. that Sabbath given to Moſes was a Type and Shadow only of that real Reſt given by God to the Soul.
My Brethren, what comfort is here to you that enter into this Reſt? What Joy may hence ſpring in your Hearts, who are delivered from Bondage and grievous Burdens.Gal. 5. 1. Stand … therefore in that Liberty wherewith Chriſt has made you free, and be not again entangled with the yoke of Bondage, leſt Chriſt profit you nothing.
Seventhly, I might prove that the Morality of the fourth Commandment conſiſts not in the preciſe Seventh-day Sabbath, even from that Memorandum that is fix'd in the beginning of the Command, viz. Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. Now tho one day in ſeven be by a poſitive Law made perpetually obligatory in the fourth Command, yet that is not, as ſo conſidered, a ſimple moral Precept, much leſs not the preciſe ſeventh Day; and this becauſe it is brought in with Remember, denoting clearly the difference between this Command as to any particular day, and that which is purely moral in this Command: for that which is connatural to us, or an inherent Law of Nature, is ſo engraven in our Hearts, that inlightned Perſons eſpecially are not very ſubject to forget it. But a mere poſitive Precept, which is not ſo written in our Hearts by Nature, we are too ready to forget; therefore God (as I conceive) to this Precept added this, Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. 'Tis not ſaid, Remember ye have no Gods but me; or remember you do not take the Name of the Lord in vain; or, remember you do not diſobey your Father and Mother; or that you do not ſteal, commit Adultery, Murder, &c. no ſuch charge is given there; why ſo? becauſe theſe Precepts being ſimply moral, are written in our Hearts. The word remember (as one notes) hath not primarily any reference either to the Works of God, or to the finiſhing his Works, but to God's deſtination of the Day to be in time to come the Churches Sabbath.—Not remember how your Fathers kept it, or God inſtituted it from the beginning; but it is a new Ordinance, and of another nature, i. e. the chief of all Ceremonies, &c.
Eighthly, 'Tis naturally impoſſible for all Men to keep the preciſe 7th day throout the World.To prove that the preciſe ſeventh Day is not a ſimple moral Precept, I argue thus: That which all Men throughout the World are not able preciſely to obſerve or keep, or which is morally impoſſible for them ſo to do, can be no ſimple moral Precept: but all Men throughout the World are not able to obſerve the ſeventh preciſe Day from the Creation, it being morally impoſſible ſo to do; therefore it is no ſimple moral Precept.
I ſhall not ſo much inſiſt on that part, that it is impoſſible for any Man, much leſs for the whole World, to know which is the preciſe ſeventh Day from the Creation, as what ſome learned Men have ſhewn, viz. that it is morally impoſſible to keep ſuch a preciſe ſeventh Day.
1. This muſt be premiſed, that the Saturday Sabbatarians affirm, that the preciſe ſeventh Day is to be kept (ſaying in this the Morality of the fourth Command lies) which conſiſts of 24 hours, and hath a Morning or Sun-riſing, and an Evening or Sun-ſetting, throughout the whole year; and it was that preciſe day of the week in which God reſted from all his Works.
Now,Dr. White, p. 177, 178, 179. as one obſerves, in ſome habitable Regions, and under ſome Climates, the year is not diſtinguiſhed by weeks, containing each of them ſeven days; neither are there ſeveral natural days of twenty four hours, conſiſting of Morning and Evening, by means of the riſing and ſetting of the Sun; as theſe Inſtances and Examples following do declare.
Continuance of the Sun above the Horizon.
1. deg. 70. In the Southern part … Groinland, Finmark, Lapland: and in the North of Ruſſia and Tartaria, one day laſteth from the 10th of May unto July 14. … five of our days.
2. deg. 75. In the North of Groinland the Iſle of Chery, Nova Zembla, Lancaſ…er and Horſe-Sounds; the day continueth from April 21, until Auguſt the 2d; of our day 102.
3. deg. 80. In the North of Baſſins…Bay and Greenland, the day continueth from April the 6th, until Auguſt 17, and of our days 133.
4. deg. 85. In Regions and Places undiſcovered, the day continueth from March 23. until Auguſt 31. of our days 161.
5. deg. 90. Under this Degree, the day continueth from March the 10th, until September the 13th, of our days 187.
Now from the Premiſſes this Argument ariſeth.
The Law of the fourth Commandment enjoyneth the obſervation of ſuch a Sabbath day, as is diſtinguiſhed from the other days of the week, by morning and evening, by the riſing and ſetting of the Sun, and by the preſence and abſence thereof, within the ſpace of every 24 hours.
But in many Regions of the World, and under ſundry Climats, there are no ordinary Weeks containing ſeven particular days, diſtinguiſhed each from other by morning and evening, and by the riſing and ſetting, and by the preſence and departure of the Sun.
Therefore the Sabbath-day of the fourth Commandment cannot be obſerved in many Regions of the univerſal World, by ſuch Nations as live under a Climate where there are no ſuch Weeks and Days as the Law of the fourth Commandment enjoineth to be obſerved. For the Subject of that Commandment is a natural day of 24 hours: and where that ſubject is wanting, how is it poſſible for any Law that wanteth its proper Subject to be in force?
Now if any ſhall conceive, that altho in the Regions and Climates aforeſaid, there be no ſuch particular day as is expreſſed in the fourth Commandment; yet there is a ſufficient and equivalent ſpace of time, which may be meaſured by hours: My anſwer is, That the Law of the Decalogue requireth the keeping holy of ſuch a Seventh-day, as is diſtinguiſhed from the day before, and the day after, by a new return, ariſing, preſence, and going down of the Sun: But Time and Hours in general, do not yield or conſtitute ſuch a Day.
And ſaith another Author;Mr. Ironſide, p. 133 There is no moral Law of Nature in Scripture, but is it ſelf poſſible to all in all parts of the World, in regard of the thing commanded: But a natural Sabbath-day, as made to conſiſt of 24 hours, or of a Day and a Night, is abſolutely, impoſſible for ſome men in ſome parts of the World to be obſerved.
If it be objected, That this makes equally againſt the firſt Day as againſt the Seventh;
I anſwer, We do not ſay the obſervation of the firſt Day is a moral Precept, but merely poſitive. No doubt but the Seventh-day was inſtituted for Iſrael, whoſe Habitation was fixed in the Land of Canaan.
See a late Author on the Sabbath;T. C. recommended by Dr. Bates and Mr. How, c. 10. p. 40. The day of God's Reſt, ſaith he, which is the ſeventh Day from the Creation, is the ſame univerſal Day with all People; but it can't be the ſame Day of the week with all People. If the Day of God's Reſt be Saturday with ſome, it muſt needs be Friday or Sunday with others. So likewiſe the time of Chriſt's coming to Judgment; if it be, ſaith he, on the Saturday with ſome, it will be on Friday or Sunday with others. This he proves, becauſe the Earth is not plain but round. The Jews, ſaith he, neither did nor could keep the very Seventh-day on which God reſted in all places; but as we, according to God's Command, work ſix days and reſt the Seventh, ſo did they: And as Sunday with Chriſtians was ever the day following ſix days of labour, ſo was the Saturday with the Jews. If this be ſo, it can't be deny'd that the Seventh-day of God's reſting cannot be kept by all, nor do any know they do keep it.
Ninthly, Chriſt Lord of the Sabbath, can diſpoſe of it as he pleaſes.The morality of the fourth Commandment conſiſts not in the preciſe Seventh-day Sabbath, becauſe of Chriſt's Lordſhip over it as Mediator. That Commandment over which Chriſt was abſolute Lord, as the Son of Man, cannot be moral: for a moral Precept is part of God's Eternal Law,Ironſide, p. 53, 54. over which the Son of Man can have no power, ſaith a Learned Author, being made under the Law. But Chriſt as the Son of Man,Mat. 12. 8. was Lord of the Sabbath,Mark 2. 27. as himſelf twice has told us.
Object. So it is ſaid, he is Lord of the dead and living.
Anſw. This, ſaith our Author, is to play with the ambiguity of the words. 'Tis one thing for Chriſt to be Lord of the Church, to guide, govern, perfect, quicken, raiſe, and glorify her, Eph. 1. 20, 21, 22. and another to be Lord of a Law or Conſtitution, to moderate, diſpenſe with, order, alter and aboliſh it: for in what other Conſtruction can any one be ſaid to be Lord of a Law?
Obj. Chriſt can't be ſaid to refer to this, becauſe he had not then abrogated the Sabbath.
Anſw. 1. I have ſhewed that ſpiritual Reſt (ſignified by the ſeventh-day's Reſt) was given to all them that believed in Chriſt; ſo that the Antitype being come, the Type was a flying away, and was in a dying ſtate at that very time; tho all typical Ordinances were not utterly aboliſhed till his Death and Reſurrection.
2. 'Tis as if our Lord ſhould have ſaid, you magnify the Sabbath as if that was one of the greateſt Commandments, and the main end of Man's Creation; but you muſt know the Sabbath was made for Man, and not Man for the Sabbath, as were all legal Rites and Ceremonies. And if it be thus, I that am the Meſſiah, am by my Office Lord of the Sabbath; and I can and will abrogate it, and appoint another day in its room.
Certainly Man was made to diſcharge all pure moral Precepts, they being originally ſtampt on his Heart; as Chriſt, who was made under the Law, was ordain'd to keep the Law for us, and not the Law made for him. Man was made in the Image of God, and under a holy Law, and Covenant of perfect Obedience, to ſerve his Creator; and by the obſervation of that holy Law written in his Heart, as the Law of his very Creation, he bore the Image of God in the World,Mark 2. 27. ſerving him in Righteouſneſs and Holineſs to the Glory of his Name, and for this he was made; yet Man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for him, i. e. for his good, in reſpect to his Body and Soul: (1.) As to his outward Reſt, &c. (2.) As a help to diſcharge all Duties of inſtituted Worſhip the better for the good of his Soul: (3.) And chiefly to point out or ſhadow forth to him the true Reſt by Jeſus Chriſt; and ſo that typical Sabbath was to remain no longer than till that true Reſt was come and finally eſtabliſhed, for then it could be of no further uſe to Man, for which end it was chiefly appointed for him.
Object. I know ſome object from theſe words▪ the Sabbath was made for Man, that therefore it was for every Man.
Anſw. The Woman was made for Man alſo, but muſt every man have a Wife therefore? God ne'r deſign'd that for ſuch to whom he hath given the Gift to live without marrying. So neither were all Men to have this Sabbath; no, none but they to whom it was given: tho it was made for Man, yet not for every Man in the World, but only for the whole Houſe of Iſrael, and the proſelyted Stranger within their Gate, as I ſhall ſhew in the next place.
Tenthly, The pure Morality of the fourth Command conſiſts not in the obſervation of the preciſe Seventh-day Sabbath, The ſimple Morality of the fourth Command lies not in one day in ſeven.becauſe it lies not in one day in ſeven, but in a ſufficient time for Reſt, and the Worſhip of God; tho I do aſſert, and ſtedfaſtly believe, that by a poſitive Precept contain'd in the fourth Commandment, one day in ſeven God will have obſerved to the end of the World, which I think is the ſum … what the Learned mean by a Law poſitive … ral: Not that preciſe day; for mind the words Exod. 20. Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy. In this Clauſe it does not directly point at one peculiar day more than another: the Light of Nature requires a time, and God poſitively lays claim to a ſeventh day, or one day in ſeven, perpetually to be obſerved as a day of Reſt and ſolemn Worſhip. And tho the laſt of ſeven was that preciſe Day injoyn'd under the old Covenant upon the People of Iſrael, yet that Sabbath was not to continue longer than till the Antitype came; and it being a ſign and ſhadow, it is, as I have proved, done away.
Dr. Owen, Pag. 301.ſpeaking of the Seventh-day Sabbath, ſaith, That Day was not directly nor abſolutely required in the Decalogue, but conſequentially, only by way of appropriation to the Moſaical Oeconomy, whereunto it was then annexed. The Command is to obſerve the Sabbath-day; God bleſſed the Sabbath-day. And the mention of the ſeventh Day in the body of the Command fixes the number of the Days in whoſe Revolution a Sabbatical Reſt returns, but determines not an everlaſting order in them, ſeeing the order relating to the old Creation is inconſiſtent with the Law, Reaſon, and Worſhip of the new. And if the ſeventh Day, and the Sabbath, as ſome pretend, are the ſame, the ſenſe of the Command in the inforcing part of it is, but the ſeventh Day is the ſeventh Day of the Lord thy God, which is none at all.
So, as he and all learned Men generally ſay, 'tis not the preciſe ſeventh Day, but one day in ſeven, which is perpetually obligatory in the fourth Commandment. Mind the words again, wherein the ſubſtance, or the eſſential part of this Command is expreſſed: Six days ſhalt thou labour, but a ſeventh is a Sabbath; 'tis not in the original [the ſeventh] but ſeventh, denoting not a monthly or yearly, but a weekly Sabbath: the Phraſe is excluſive, Mr. Warren, p. 48.as one obſerves, implying thus much, i. e. Thou art not bound to keep the ſixth day, or one in ſix, or the tenth, or one in ten, but the ſeventh, that is, one in ſeven, or one in a week. The term ſeventh is oppoſed to all other numbers, either ninth, or twentieth, as alſo to the ſix working days, which clearly intend ſuch a number, as ſix in ſeven; ſo the ſeventh, as one in ſeven.
Suppoſe I give or lend a poor Man ſeven Pounds, on condition that he improves one Pound for me: now by the ſeventh is intended one in ſeven; ſo doth God here intend one day in ſeven for a holy Reſt to himſelf.
Tho I deny not the laſt of ſeven, or one after ſix working days was given to the People of Iſrael; yet it was a ſign they ſhould keep the whole Law, and was a ſhadow of that ſpiritual and antitypical Reſt we have in Chriſt; and ſo was upon a ſpecial occaſion impoſed on them, with the greateſt ſtrictneſs and ſevereſt Penalty.
But let it be conſidered, that which is ſignified in the fourth Command, as perpetually obliging us, is, that we obſerve one day in ſeven as a day of Reſt to the Lord. Let me give you one parallel caſe more, viz. the Law of Tithes. Now God required the tenth of their Increaſe: but will any Man ſay, God intended any one preciſe tenth? No, begin where you will, the tenth Sheaf or Lamb is the Lord's. So here, God will have one day in ſeven; but the reaſon why he fixed on the laſt of the ſeven under the old Covenant, I have ſhewed; and ſhall further ſhew why he chuſeth the firſt of ſeven in the new Covenant, neither being expreſſed in the eſſential and firſt part of the fourth Command. Had God choſe now one in ſix, or one in nine, he had altered, as one obſerves, the ſubſtance of this Command.
It is needleſs to recite the words of all*Owen, Twiſs, Shepherd, Walker, Palmer, Hughs, Dod, Wallis, Durham, B. of Dorcheſt. Weemſe, Baxter, Bunyan, &c. thoſe who hold that one in ſeven, not the preciſe laſt day of the ſeven, is perpetually to be obſerv'd, and that the old ſeventh Day is aboliſhed: but I ſhall obſerve what Mr. Warren ſaith, viz. Thus I grant the time of Worſhip, a Sabbath it ſelf, being an inſeparable Adjunct of ſolemn Worſhip, is perpetual: but the old Day, the ſeventh from the Creation, was made mutable —and we have a Sabbath ſtill, a literal Sabbath; but the old Sabbaths and old Sacrifices being Twins, tho both honourable and ſerviceable in their Generations, as they liv'd together and dy'd together, let both together in God's Name be buried in the Grave of Chriſt, ſo as never to riſe up again: but let our Goſpel-worſhip and Goſpel-Sabbath take life from our Saviour's Reſurrection, which brought with it a new Creation, a new World, making all things new.
But to wave this a little, 'tis well obſerv'd by Dr. Wallis: He'll ſay perhaps [i. e. Mr. Banfield] the Jews obſerved ſuch a ſeventh Day from the Creation, and that was their Sabbath: But that is more than he or I know, or any Man living. They had I grant a circulation of ſeven days, but from what Epocha we cannot tell. And when Moſes tells them on the ſixth day, To morrow is the Reſt of the holy Sabbath, it ſeems to be the fixing of a new Epocha from the firſt raining of Manna; and then all his Arguments from the continual obſervation of the Sabbath from the Creation till that time, are at an end, i. e. whether this from the firſt raining of Manna be the ſame with that from the Creation: And there is ſix to one odds, that it is not.
1. Obſerve,Mr. B. of Dorcheſt. p. 31. that at the opening and giving forth of the Command, Exod. 20. 8. 'tis ſaid, Remember the Sabbath-day, that is, the day of holy Reſt of God's appointing.
2. In the Concluſion of the Command, v. 11. Wherefore the Lord bleſſed and ſanctified the Sabbath-day; 'tis not expreſſed the ſeventh day, but the Sabbath-day of holy Reſt: this is evident, that neither in the opening nor ſhutting up the Commandment (where we have the moral ſubſtance of it) is there mention of any particular Day at all.
3. What intervenes and comes in by way of explication, or inforcement of Obedience, between the opening and ſhutting up of the Command, ought to be obſerved; as,
1. In what Revolution of time God had appointed this day of holy Reſt to be obſerv'd, and that is one whole day of ſeven; of every ſeven days ſix for Labour, one for Reſt—not one in ten, or one in twenty, but one in ſeven, one day in every week.
2. I obſerve the inforcement of Obedience to the Command from God's reſting the ſeventh day: Here I acknowledg the laſt of ſeven is mentioned, but not as any branch of the unchangeable moral ſubſtance of the Command, nor the obſervation of it directly, but only conſequentially, being inſtituted before, as is acknowledged by all. And it muſt be owned that the laſt of ſeven here mentioned, had firſt of all the honour to be the day of God's appointing, and accordingly was obſerved till the time came that another day, the firſt of ſeven, was to ſucceed in the rome of it. Note,
1. As was ſaid before, neither in giving forth, nor ſhutting up the Commandment, is there any mention of a preciſe, or particular Day.
2. Nor in any thing that intervenes between.
3. Nor in any thing that expreſſes the Revolution of Time, wherein the day of holy Reſt is to be obſerved. Six days ſhalt thou labor.
Thus I underſtand this Limitation, or Rule for Direction.
1. Six days ſhalt thou labor, unleſs God otherwiſe appoint; and he did appoint in the old Adminiſtration other days to be kept holy, which tho not always, yet ſome times fell out on ſome or other of the ſix working days, &c.
2. Further, Six days ſhalt thou labor, no excluding the ſolemn Worſhip of God out of thoſe ſix days; for it would be no Sin to hear a Sermon, or ſet ſome hour apart for Prayer any of theſe ſix days, as it is for a Man to work upon that day of ſeven which God ſets apart for himſelf.
3. And yet further, which is moſt of all to be taken notice of; ſix days, &c. reſt one, not injoyning the laſt of ſeven (which was inſtituted before) but only ſix parts of the time ſhall be for your ſelves, the ſeventh ſhall be mine: So Gen. 47. 14. you ſhall have four parts, ſaith Joſeph, the fifth ſhall be Pharaoh's; let all be divided into five parts, four ſhall be for your ſelves, the fifth ſhall be for the King; not telling them which fifth, but only one of five. Thus Lev. 23. 27. let all be divided into ten, you ſhall have nine, the tenth ſhall be the Lord's; not appointing them which tenth, but only one of ten—So here I find not one word for the laſt of ſeven.
Moreover, I perceive nothing at all in God's Example for it, nothing there but one day in ſeven: but when the laſt day of ſeven is required of Iſrael, that refers to the Covenant of Works, their labouring firſt, doing all they had to do, and ſo to reſt, which was a ſign (as I have proved) of the Covenant of Works, and a Pledg of their Obligation in their Reſtipulation with God, according to the Tenour of that conditional Covenant: hence their Sabbath was called a perpetual Covenant, Exod. 31.and with that Covenant it is gone for ever.
Yet one day in ſeven, as a day of Reſt and ſolemn Worſhip, is ſtill to be the Lord's by virtue of the fourth Command: and tho God's Example of reſting is mentioned, yet it muſt be acknowledg'd to relate to ſome ſpecial end and purpoſe, which may not only refer to Man's good, but to God's ceaſing from the Work of Creation for ever; which being the firſt and greateſt Work then done, the day of his finiſhing his Work was to be obſerv'd upon that reaſon.
But when Chriſt God-man came, and alſo had finiſhed the Work of Redemption, and ceaſed from his Work, as God did from his; there is the ſame moral reaſon why the Day in which he reſted from redeeming, i.e. the firſt day of ſeven, ſhould be our day of Reſt, becauſe this is a far greater Work than that of Creation, as ſhall be made plain and clear hereafter. For we in Goſpel-days (as foretold) ſhall not remember the old Heavens and the old Earth any more, the new carrying away the Glory of that; i.e. remember them no more by the obſervation of that old ſeventh day. To this purpoſe Mr. B. of Dorcheſter.
Now I ſay God's Example under the Covenant of Works in working ſix days, and then reſting, is no ways obligatory on us, tho it was on Iſrael under the ſame old Covenant. But we muſt ground and bottom our Obſervation of one Day in ſeven upon Chriſt's ceaſing and reſting from his Works, and his Inſtitution of a new Day upon the tenor or nature of the Covenant of Grace, to reſt firſt, and then work ſix days, not for Reſt, or to reſt, &c. but from that Reſt Chriſt enter'd into on the firſt day of the week, when our Reſt and Juſtification was compleated, which we enter actually into when we firſt believe.
Now the reaſon (ſaith Mr. B. to Mr. Banfield) why herein I diſſent from you,Mr. B. of Dorcheſt. p. 40. 'tis this, God bleſſed the ſeventh Day and ſanctified it, but not as it was the laſt day of the ſeven, but as it was the day of his Reſt, declaring thereby Creation-work to be perfected. Neither was his reſting, ſo far as I can ſee, the ground of his bleſſing and ſanctifying it, but as conſider'd in conjunction with the reaſon of his Reſt, i.e. his finiſhing his Creation; and alſo with the Reſult and Conſequence of his Reſt, viz. his magnifying and honouring that day, for the time being, above all other days, for the greateſt work in being. For,
1. God's reſting cannot refer to any thing but his ceaſing from creating-work; becauſe otherwiſe he ceaſeth not working*My Father, ſaith our Lord, worketh hitherto, and I work.; and his Example of reſting, as ſome learned Men obſerve, is not alledged here to lay an obligation on our Conſcience, that that ſame Day we muſt obſerve for ever.
2. It ſeems to relate to what God himſelf did, rather than any way propounded as an Argument to prove that for which 'tis urged. Take a parallel caſe, 1 Cor. 11. 23. where we have the Inſtitution of the Lord's-Supper repeated out of the Evangeliſts, and Chriſt's Example is related as to the time when, which was not only in the Night, but that particular Night in which he was betray'd. Now this is not recorded as a binding Rule on us for our Imitation. That is hiſtorically related, and ſo may this of God's Example in the fourth Commandment. There is one thing more worth noting.
Dr. Twiſs, Dr. Owen, and many other learned Men cannot ſee how it can be ſaid that God ſanctified the ſeventh day, Gen. 2. but that it muſt refer to Adam in Innocence, as his duty to keep it, and not that God then only by Deſtination, Decree and Purpoſe, ſet it apart for his Church and People to obſerve in after-times —Now grant it was, as I have laſt hinted, pray do not they ſay as much as this comes to in reſpect of the Goſpel-Sabbath? Do not they ſay, that in the fourth Command (both in the firſt part, and cloſe of that Precept) God only ſet apart or ſanctified one day in ſeven, and ſo conclude the original Sanctification of the firſt day of the week is comprehended in the fourth Commandment? (which I will not deny) but was not this near 2000 years before he deſign'd his People ſhould obſerve it, or that it was the abſolute Duty of any ſo to do?
And as there was an interval from Adam to Moſes, of ſuch a ſtate of God's People and things, as render'd them not capable to obſerve the Seventh-day Sabbath according to the Law of it; ſo there was an interval of ſuch a ſtate of the Church and things under the legal Covenant, from Moſes to Chriſt, as render'd them not capable to obſerve the Lord's-day according to the deſign and purport of God therein, tho that Day was by God's Deſtination ſet apart long before.
Eleventhly, Whatſoever is a ſimple moral Precept, or one of the ten Commandments, as materially ſo, the Holy Ghoſt doth convince all Believers of now under the Goſpel (as I have ſhew'd before) and alſo he reproves them for the neglect or breach of all ſuch Precepts: but the Holy Ghoſt doth not convince Believers 'tis their Duty to obſerve the Seventh-day Sabbath, for reprove them for the neglect or breach of …t, tho they work and bear Burdens on that as well as on any other day of the week; therefore 'tis no moral Precept.
Twelfthly, That which is a pure moral Precept is written in the Hearts of all true Believers by the Holy Ghoſt. God promiſed in Goſpel-times he would not write his Law in Tables of Stone, put in the fleſhly Tables of our Hearts: now the Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath is not written in the Hearts of Believers by the Spirit, therefore 'tis no moral Precept. Tillam ſaith, the moral Law is written in the Hearts of all Believers, and ſo ſaith Mr. Soarsby, and they ſay right; yea even the whole moral Law, we being created again in Chriſt Jeſus in the Image of God: but no Law of the Seventh-day Sabbath is written in our Hearts; Ergo,
To conclude, we may hereby learn to diſtinguiſh between thoſe parts contain'd in ſome of the ten Commandments that are ſimply moral, and oblige us as the Law is in Chriſt's hand, and what was judicial. For, 1. The Preface to the whole Ten was Judicial. 2. The ſecond Command obliged the Jews to obſerve the whole Ceremonial Law; and that part of God's viſiting the Sins of the Fathers on the Children unto the third and fourth Generation, belonged to the Covenant of Works, and not to us. 3. That in the fourth Command alſo of the ſeventh preciſe day belonged to the Covenant of Works, and ſo to them only. 4. The Promiſe annexed to the fifth only belonged to the Iſraelites that inherited the Land of Canaan. 5. In the tenth Commandment, Vſury or Intereſt of Mony, Houſes, &c. was forbid to the Jews from their poor Brethren; but that was only a Judicial Law, and is no Law to us. Thus we may ſee that the moral Law is only a Law to us as in the hand of Jeſus Chriſt.