The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Thesis 33 – Thesis 39
Thesis 33.
Some of those who maintaine the law of the Sabbath to be ceremoniall,Prim. 2. par. cap. 6. S. 8. Irons. quest. …. cap. 9. affirme that every Law in the Decalogue is not morall upon this ground, to wit, because the Law is called Gods Covenant, which Covenant they shew from sundry instances, not only to comprehend moralls, but also ceremonialls: for they make it the excellency of the Decalogue to comprehend, as a short epitome, all Gods Ordinances, both morall and ceremoniall, which epitome is more largely opened in the writings of Moses, where not onelyonly morall, but also ceremoniall lawes are expressed and dispersed. And hence they thinke that as the other nine are the summary and epitome of all morall Ordinances, so the fourth Commandment which was kept with the practise of Ceremonies, was the summary and epitome of all the ceremoniall ordinances, and hence the fourth Commandment becomes ceremoniall. But for answer to this wily notion, unjustly father'd upon Austin and Calvin by some, it may thus farre be granted, that as the word Law is sometimes taken more strictly for the Decalogue onelyonly, Rom. 3.20. Iames 3.8. and sometimes more largely, for the whole doctrine contained in all the writings of the Old Testament, wherein the Gospel also is comprehended, Psal. 19.7. Psalme 119.1.51, 55. so the word Covenant is sometime taken more strictly for the covenant of works, which is contained compendiously in the Decalogue onelyonly, writ by the finger of God, in two Tables, Deut. 4.13, 14 Exod. 34.38. and sometime more largely for all the holy writings of Moses, Exodus 24.7, 8. and 34.10. Levit. 26.14. Ier. 34.13. Now although all the writings of Moses may be called the Covenant, as it is largely taken; and so the covenant comprehends not onelyonly morall, but ceremoniall lawes; yet they are never called That Covenant which was writ by the finger of God in two Tables of stone, and given to Moses: and in this strict sense the word Covenant comprehends no other lawes but morall, nor can the places and texts which they alleadge evince the contrary, for in that place of Exodus 24.7. it is not said that the Tables of the Covenant, but the Booke of the Covenant was read in the audience of all the people; which Booke, we readily acknowledge to comprehend ceremonials as well as morals, but not the Tables of the Covenant, of which the question now is: so also when the Lord saith, Exod. 34.10. that he will make a Covenant, his meaning is that he will revive his Covenant by writing (as it is there set downe in the same chapter) in which writing it is very true that there is mentioned made of many ceremoniall lawes; but suppose this covenant written by Moses comprehends sundry ceremoniall lawes, will it therefore follow that the Tables of the Covenant written with the finger of God did the like? No such matter, and therefore there is an *So Iuni…, W…llet, in loc.expresse difference put in the same chapter, verse 27, 28. between the covenant written by Moses, and the ten Commandments written by the finger of God. But secondly, Let it be granted that the Decalogue comprehends summarily all the lawes which are particularly dispersed here and there in the writings of Moses, yet it doth not follow that there must bee one ceremoniall law written by the finger of God, and lifted up in the Decalogue to be the epitome and summarie of all ceremoniall lawes elsewhere explained in the writings of Moses: For all lawes, whether ceremoniall or judiciall, may be referred to the Decalogue as appendices to it or applications of it, and so to comprehend all other lawes as their summary. But such a summary will no way enforce a necessity of making any one of them the epitome of ceremonialls, and the other nine of them of the morals, for we know that many judiciall lawes are comprehended under morall lawes, being referred as appendices thereunto by Calvin, Martyr, Chemnitius, Ames, and sundry others, and yet it will not follow from hence that one of the lawes in the Decalogue must be a judiciall law as the summary of all judicials, which are branches of the Covenant as well as Master Primrose his ceremonials.
Thesis 34.
It should not seem strange that that law which in the generall nature of it is moral, may in the particular application of it be unto a thing ceremoniall, and in this respect it cannot be denyed but that the morall law may comprehend all ceremoniall lawes; but it will not hence follow (as Mr. Primrose inferres) that one law in the Decalogue must be ceremoniall as the head and summary of all ceremoniall lawes, because we say ceremoniall lawes may bee comprehended under some morall law, as speciall applications thereof: ex gr. It is a morall law to worship God according to his owne will, and not after mans inventions, as the second Commandment holds it forth: Now in the application of this law the Lord points out his owne instituted worship in sundry significant ceremonies, sacrifices, sacraments, &c. which particular institutions (though ceremoniall) are to be referred unto, and are comprehended under the second Commandment which is a morall law: for if God will be worshipped with his owne worship according to this Commandment, then its necessary for the Lord to shew (and that under his Commandment) what those institutions be, wherein he will bee worshipped, many of which are ceremoniall, which are therefore directly comprehended here.
Thesis 35.
There is therefore no necessity of making one law in the Decalogue to bee ceremoniall, that it may be the summary head of all ceremonials, viz. because ceremonialls are branches of the covenant, which is the Decalogue; for upon the like ground there must bee one judiciall law also as the summary of all judicials, nay one Evangelicall law also as the head of all Evangelicals, sprinkled here and there in Moses his writings, of which we read Iohn 5.43. Rev. 10.6, 7, 8. with Deut. 30.12, 13. Gal. 3.8. with Gen. 12.3. for judicials and Evangelicals are branches of the Covenant, as well as ceremonials, if Mr. Primrose his principle be true; but if by his owne confession nine of them are morals, and one of them only the head of ceremonialls, how shall judiciall and Evangelicall summaries come in? which either he must make room for in the Decalogue, or acknowledge his foundation to be rotten, upon which he hath built up one ceremoniall law among the nine moralls.
Thesis 36.
It is true, that among men, the same body of Lawes may be framed up of divers articles, as Mr. Primrose pleads, but that the Decalogue was such a body as had ceremonials mixt with morals, it can never be made good by any colour of proof, except it be that which we have shewn will as strongly enforce an introduction of some one judiciall and another Evangelicall law into the Decalogue, as well as one ceremoniall; but such a confusion of Law and Gospell, Evangelicals and judicials, ceremonialls and morals, the blessed God abhorres: for it neither suits with Gods wisedome and end in giving the law, nor yet with mans weaknesse (which God pitties) to make such a jumbling and confusion of things together: for who can then tell what law is morall and what Evangelicall, and what ceremoniall, unlesse it be (as was shewn) by flying for light to the dictates and instinct of nature, to shew unto poore deceitfull man, what lawes are morall and what not, wherein the remedy would have been as bad as the disease?
Thesis 37.
If there must be one law in the Decalogue, ceremoniall, Prim. part. 2. cap. 6. S. 8.that so the more Authority may bee procured hereby (as Mr. Primrose pleads) unto all Gods Ordinances, and therefore one of the ceremonials was written in the Decalogue with Gods owne finger, and honoured with the like prerogatives as the morall lawes were, which were immediately spoken by God himselfe: Then (if this reasoning be solid) why was not one judiciall and another Evangelicall precept alike honoured also? For was there not as much need to procure Authority to this as well as to ceremonials? and yet wee see their Authority was sufficiently procured without being shusted into the Decalogue, and so might ceremonialls also.
Thesis 38.
There were three sorts of laws which are commonly knowne, and which were most eminently appearing among the Jewes,
1. Morall.
2. Ceremoniall.
3. Judiciall.
Thesis 39.
The morall respected their manners as they were men, and are therefore called morall. The ceremoniall respected them as a Church, and as such a kinde of Church. The judicial as a Common wealth, and as that particular Common-wealth. Morall laws were to govern them as an human society. Ceremoniall as a sacred society, Judiciall as a civill society: Thus the Learned speak, and being candidly understood, are true.