The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Thesis 29
Thesis 29.
If that commandment be morall which is therefore commanded because it is good, then hence it followes in the second place, that such lawes onelyonly are not morall lawes, which are known to all men by the light of corrupt nature: For as hath been already said, a law may bee holy, just, good, suitable and meet for all men to observe, whether the light of corrupt nature, by awakening or sleeping principles (as some call them) know it or no, and such a comelinesse and suitablenesse in such a law is sufficient to make it morall. There were many secret morall sinnes in Paul which he never saw, nor could have seene by the light of corrupt nature, untill the law fell upon him with mighty efficacy and power,Romans 7. for God is not bound to crook his morall lawes to what our corrupt mindes are actually able of themselves to see, any more than to what our corrupt wils are actually able to doe: If the light of nature be imperfect in us since the fall (which no wise man doubts of) then there may be many things truely morall, which the light of nature now sees not, because 'tis imperfect, which in its perfection it did see, and this consideration of the great imperfection of the light of nature, is alone sufficient for ever to stop their mouthes and silence their hearts, who goe about to make an imperfect light and law of nature, the perfect rule and onelyonly measure of morall duties; and who make so narrow a limitation of that which is morall to that which is thus imperfectly naturall: 'tis not now lex nata, but lex data, which is the rule of morall duties: The holy Scriptures containe the perfect rule of all morall actions, whether mans corrupted and imperfect light of nature see them or no. It is a common, but a most perilous, and almost groundlesse mistake of many in this controversie, who when they would know what is morall and what is not so, of such things as are set downe in the Scriptures, they then …lye to the light of corrupt nature, making it to bee the supream Judge hereof, and there fall to examining of them, whether they are seen by the light of nature or no, which is no lesse folly than to set up a corrupt and blinde Judge to determine and declare that which is morall, to make the perfect rule of morality in Scripture to bow downe its back to the imperfection and weaknesse of nature, to pull out the Sunne in heaven from giving light, and to walke by the light of a dim candle, and a stinking snuffe in the socket almost gone out; to make the horne-book of naturall light, the perfection of learning of the deepest matters in morall duties; to make Aristotles Ethicks as compleat a teacher of true morality, as Adams heart in innocency; and in a word to make man fallen and in a manner perfectly corrupt and miserable, to bee as sufficiently furnished with knowledge of morall duties, as man standing, when he was perfectly holy and happy: Imagine therefore that the light of nature could never have found out one day in seven to bee comely and most meet for man to give unto God; yet if such a proportion of time be most meet for man to give to God, and it appeares so to be when God reveales it, it may and should then be accounted a morall law, although the light of nature left in all men could never discerne it. The Schoolmen, and most of the popish generation not considering these things (which notwithstanding are some of their owne principles) have digged pits for themselves, and made snares for some of their followers, in abolishing the fourth Commandment from being (in the true sense of it) morall, because they could not see how such a speciall part of time, viz. a seventh part, could be naturall, or by the light of corrupt nature discernable; which things so discernable they sometimes conclude to be onelyonly morall. But how farre the light of corrupt nature may discerne this proportion, shall be spoken to in its proper place.