The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Thesis 17 – Thesis 19
Thesis 17.
This is Austins description of it long since, whom most of the Schoolmen follow,Aug. de lib. arb li. 1 ca. 3. which learned *Camer in Matth 16.Cameron with sundry late Wri… confirme, and which our adversaries in this controversie plead hard for, and unto which the evidence of Scripture and reason seemes to incline: for laws meerly judiciall and ceremoniall are good lawes, Deut. 6.18, 24. but this was meerly because they were commanded, and therefore it had been simply evill to burne Incense, offer Sacrifice, or performe any ceremoniall duty in the worship of God, unlesse they had been commanded. What is there therefore in morall lawes which is not in those lawes? verily this inward goodnesse in them which others have not, and because of which goodnesse they are therefore commanded: For to love God, to honour parents, to preserve the life of man, to be mercifull and bountifull and just in all our dealings, &c. are inwardly good, and are therefore commanded, and are therefore morall laws: and hence we see that when the Apostle would set forth the glory and excellency of the morall law (for of no other law can he speake, Rom. 7.7, 12.) he gives these titles to it, that it is holy, just and good: which holines, justice and goodnesse, he opposeth to his owne morall (not ceremoniall) wickednesse: I am carnall (saith he) but the law is holy, just and good. And look as it was evill in it selfe for to have a nature contrary to the law, so the Law which was contrary to that nature, was good in it selfe and was therefore commanded, and therefore in this thing, morall lawes are in a higher degree good, than such as were onelyonly ceremoniall, which were therefore good meerely because commanded. The Prophet Micah therefore perceiving how forward many were in ceremonial duties & sacrifices, in opposition hereunto, he tels them, The Lord hath shewed thee, O man, what is good (speaking of morall duties, of shewing mercy, and walking humbly with God, Micah 6.8.) Was not Sacrifice and Offerings good, as well as mercy and walking humbly? Yes verily, but herein lies the difference (as our most Orthodox generally make it) Sacrifice and Offerings were not per se and in themselves good, but onelyonly as commanded for higher ends, and to further morall obedience, Ier. 7.22, 23, and 6.19, 20. Isa. 1.14, 16, Psal. 50.13, 14, 15. but such morall obedience as th… Prophet mentions, viz. to shew mercy and to walk humbly, were good in themselves, and were therefore commanded of God, and here called by the Prophet good. The summe of morall obedience is love to God and man, Matth. 22. But what love is this? surely tis in such things … are in themselves lovely, and consequently in themsel… good, for otherwise ceremoniall obedience should be a part of morall obedience, because in performing such obediences is meerely ceremoniall, wee shew our love to God also, It being a branch of love to have respect unto all Gods Commandments, Deut. 6.1, 2, 3. with 5, 6. OnelyOnly herein our love toward God appeares in ceremoniall duties, because these lawes are commanded, our love appeares in the other, because the things commanded are also lovely in themselves▪ The Image of God is good in it selfe, as God himselfe is good in himselfe, now the morall law is an exact rule of nothing else but Gods Image, as is evident, Eph. 4.24. where the Image of God is made to consist in holinesse and righteousnesse, the first Table being the rule of the one, the second Table being the rule of the other; and hence it followes undenyably, that morall lawes, respecting onelyonly Gods Image, have respect onelyonly to such things as are good in themselves, and wherein we resemble and are made like unto God.C…et. Pral. in …p. Mat. 16. Some things (saith Cameron) are good in themselves, viz. such things wherein Gods Image shines forth, as hee is holy, just and good, Colos. 3.10. Ephes. 4.24. Some things are indifferent, neither good nor bad in themselves, but meerely as commanded or forbidden, which also bear not Gods Image, unlesse it be sub ratione entis, but not sub ratione boni moralis, i. e. they resemble God as he is a being, but not as he is holy, just and good in himselfe, the rule of which resemblance is the morall law, which therefore commands things because they are good.
Thesis 18.
God out of his absolute soveraignty could have made lawes binding all persons in all ages (and in this respect morall) without having any more goodnesse in them, then meerely his owne will, but it is his will and good pleasure to make all lawes that are morall to be first good in themselves for all men, before he will impose them upon all men. And hence it is a weaknesse for any to affirme, that a morall law is not such a Law which is therefore commanded because it is good, because (say they) tis not the goodnesse of the thing, but the soveraigne will of God which makes all things good; for it is the soveraigne will of God (as is proved) to make every morall law good, and therefore to command it, rather than to make it good by a meer commanding of it.
Thesis 19.
The will of God is indeed the rule of all goodnesse, and consequently of all morall lawes, but we know there is voluntas decreti, and voluntas mandati, the first of which, viz. the will of Gods decree (as it appeares in the execution of it) makes a thing to be good, whether it bee creature or law: the second of these, viz. the will of Gods command, enjoynes the practise of such a duty, the rule and law to guide which is first made good (if it bee a morall law) by the wisdome and power of the will of Gods decree; so that the will of God appearing in both these (viz. Gods decreeing and commanding will) is the compleat rule of every morall law: So that as no law is morally good meerly because it is commanded, so neither is it thus good unlesse also it be commanded. Gods will in all morall laws, is first to make them good, and then to command them, when they are thus far made good; both which together make up a morall law.