The Lords Day Vindicated, Tract · Section 7
SECT. VII.
HE gives us his Opinion Page 34. of abrogating the Ceremonial Laws: But why does he not bring us an Expreſs Command for their Abrogation, as he requires us to do, for not the Abrogation, but only the Mutation of the Sabbath, from one Day of the Week to another? For I aſſert, and can prove it, that ſome part of the Ceremonial Law was more confirmed by the Mouth of Chriſt, than his Seventh-day-Sabbath. I take leave to call it his, becauſe though 'twas Gods day before the Reſurrection of Chriſt, yet now 'tis not ſo; but Men will be favourably to themſelves and their own Opinions, while they are rigorous towards others, and their more Orthodox and Scriptural Reſentments.
In the ſame Page he gives us a Caution of not incurring the Threats of infringing the Laws of Chriſt, even the leaſt of them; and by way of a charitable Requital, we warn him to be cautious leſt he build again that which Chriſt hath deſtroyed, and repair the raſed Synagogue.
Here we have alſo his Notion of what is Moral, telling us that many call the Ten Commandments the Moral Law: I think all ſlid Divines do call them ſo; but none that I know, do ſay that every Clauſe and Word in them, or belonging to them, (by this laſt Expreſſion, I mean part of the Preface to them) is Moral; and particularly not the Seventh-day-Sabbath, or that Clauſe appertaining thereto in the Fourth Commandment; no, nor yet the Seventh Part of Time therein expreſly commanded, and perpetually too, (that is not primarily nor abſolutely, and of its ſelf ſo.) As to his Notion of what is Moral, I cannot call it either a Definition, or a Deſcription of the thing; but only an Interpretation of the Word Moral, viz. pertaining to Manners. We uſually in ſuch Diſcourſes, put Moral, in oppoſition to what is poſitive; whether it be Ceremonial, or Judicial: But this is ſuch a Notion, as includes all Laws whatever, even Human as well as Divine, and of Divine, all of them of what ſort or kind ſoever; for they all apertain to Manners: Yea, to Thoughts, Words and Actions; yea, and are included in the Love of God, becauſe whoever loves God truely, will, and muſt yield Obedience to all his Laws of what ſort ſoever; whether Moral or Poſitive. But ſuch a lax Interpretation of the Moral Law, ſerved to the Deſign of the Seventh Day, becauſe it includes it will all other poſitive Laws; but had he given us a true Notion of what is Moral in its ſelf, or in its own Nature, it would neceſſarily have been exclued: As may be evinced by ſome Properties of what is truly Moral.
1. The Moral Law is inward, and was conſecrated with the rational Creature; and does need no external Revelation, or Divine Inſtitution; eſpecially in the State of human Integrity before the Fall; but ſuch was not the Seventh day: For 'twas Inſtituted by God, after Mans Creation. 2. The Moral Law yet remains in ſome Footſteps and Degrees thereof, in the Human Nature, and ſo in the generality of Mankind, the Heathens themſelves not excepted; (as might be eaſily proved by their Laws and Writings) but the Notion of the Seventh day, is Univerſally excluded; and the Generality of Mankind totally deſtitute thereof. If it be here objected, That the Heathen did ſeparate a Seventh-day to their Religious Service: To this may be applyed, That 'twas but ſome of them, and but for ſome time; not Univerſally and Perpetually. That they did it by Tradition from the Jews, or by Satans Inſtitution and Injunction, who in his curſed Pride, affects to have his Votaries ſerve him, as the Acknowledgers of Jehovah do him. 3. All Moral Laws are clearly and diſtinctly ingraven upon the Minds and Hearts of thoſe that are enlightned and ſanctifyed by the Spirit of God: But not a Tittle or punctum of his Seventh-day is ſeen in the Generality of them. 4. Man was made for Moral Duty, that is, to Glorify and Honour God in all Acts of Internal and External Piety; to profit and comfort his Neighbour by all Acts of Charity; to poſſeſs his own Veſſel in Sanctification and Honour. And by ſo doing, he lives up to the end for which he was made: But now Man was not made for the Sabbath and for its Obſervance, but the Sabbath was made for Man, and for his Good, Mark 2.27. 5. Moral Duties are ſuch, as a Man cannot change them, or neglect them, or do any thing beſide them, without diſhonouring and ſinning againſt God. But now it is certain, That as to the Nature of the thing its ſelf, (ſeparated form a poſitive Inſtitution) that a Man may as fully Glorify and Honour God, and as compleatly ſerve him, by appropriating and imploying another day of the Week to, and in his Workſhip and Service, as the Seventh; provided he do dedicate another day in Seven, to that Service, the Worſhip is the ſame; and the proportion of time the ſame: and ſo God as much and as long ſerved, as upon the laſt day of the Week. Let him denominate any other Propriety of what is Moral; and I will undertake to evince, That it belongs not to his Seventh-day-Sabbath. To what purpoſe then to urge and inſiſt ſo much, and ſo long, upon the Moral Law, when the Seventh-day-Sabbath, is no part at all of the Morality thereof?
Thoſe Paſſages before mentioned, That Chriſt came not to deſtroy, but to fulfil the Law; that the Breaker of the leaſt of Gods Commands, ſhall be leaſt in the Kingdom of God, &c. And theſe Page 35. He that will enter into Life, muſt keep the Commandments: It is eaſier for Heaven and Earth to paſs away, than one tittle of the Law, to fail; do not only concern the Moral Law (though if they did, we have ſufficiently ſhewn that the Sabbath is not concerned in them) but alſo the Poſitive; even the Ceremonial Law. For while they were in Force, as they all were throughout the days of our Saviour's Animal Life; (which I ſo call, to diſtinguiſh it from the Glorious Life of his Humanity upon Earth after his Reſurrection.) They that would enter into Life (at leaſt of the Jews and their Proſelytes, to whom only they were Laws and Obligatory) were bound to keep them. And if they did willfully and perſeveringly diſobey them, they would as certainly be Damned, as if they had lived in a Contradiction to any of the Moral Laws: Becauſe ſuch a Refuſal to obſerve and keep the Ceremonial Laws, is directly and ultimately a Diſobedience to the Moral; and that too, to the very Soul and Foundation of all the Commandments: Even the Firſt Command, by being a Renunciation of Gods Authority in refuſing a Conformity to his revealed Will. Again it was a direct and immediate Sin againſt the Second Command; by being a refuſal to worſhip him according to his own inſtituted Worſhip: So Chriſt came not to deſtroy the Ceremonial Law, but to fulfil it. Which he did by being the End and Conſummation thereof; by being the Subſtance of thoſe Figures, and the Body of thoſe Shadows, and no Law is deſtroyed which continues in its Force as long as the Legiſlator intended, and produces all thoſe Ends for which he deſigned it. Now the Ceremonial was intended by God to be no longer a Law, than till our Lords Death, or Reſurrection, or Miſſion of the Holy Ghoſt; and it was deſigned only to typiſie the Lord Chriſt, and to lead Believers to him, as to the End and Subſtance thereof; which our Lord, being he was ſo far from deſtroying it, that he perfectly fulfilled it, though he abrogated its future legal Authority: And ſo not one tittle of the Ceremonial Law did fail, for all had its Accompliſhment on Chriſt, no more than a tittle of the Moral Law cannot: So that we have granted him his deſire, in ſhewing him what Law Chriſt meant in ſuch Paſſages, even the Ceremonial as well as the Moral; for they were the Object of the Superſtitious Jews greateſt Zeal, and they perſecuted him and his Diſciples, as the Overthrowers of the Ceremonial Laws; and therefore Chriſt tells them, He came not to deſtroy, but to fulfil them, &c.
By all that hath been already ſaid, is fully ſhewn, the Impertinency of thoſe Quotations (Page 35. 38.) where our Saviour makes uſe of an confirms the Moral Law: For there is not one word of his Sabbath in them all. In our Saviour's Carriage and Language he vindicates the Sanctity of the Temple, John 2.13, 17. ſo he does Circumciſion, and Authorizes its Adminiſtrations upon the Sabbath day, and derives it from a more Auguſt Antiquity than Moſes, John 7.22, 23. If our Author had any ſuch Expreſſion from our Saviour's Mouth concerning the Sabbath; how would he have triumphed therein, and have fetch'd its everlaſting Eſtabliſhment therefrom? But there is not one ſuch Syllable concerning it. Theſe have a greater ſhew for their Authority from our Saviour's Diſcourſes than the Seventh-day-Sabbath; yet I doubt not but he looks on them as no longer in Force, and of no Obligation in theſe latter and Evangelical days.
Page 37. He produces the Church of England Articles, the Presbyterian Confeſſion, the Independants Declaration of Faith, for the Ratification of the Moral Law; who yet are all for the Excluſion of the laſt day of the Week from being the Chriſtian Sabbath; and thereby declare their Rejection of it from being any part thereof: And thus all the Authority, both Divine and Humane, that he produceth, makes nothing at all for him, but very much rather againſt him: With which this queſtion is concluded.