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firming the judgment of the ancient Chriftians, Juftin, M. Irenæus, Tertullian, &c. who refer the first institution of the Sabbath to Mofes, affirming (that which indeed the history by its total filence concerning the Sabbath before him fufficiently doth feem to confirm) that the Patriarchs were not obliged thereto, nor did practise iti.

And we may observe, that the law concerning the Sabbath is mentioned and infifted upon feparately from the body of their laws, as being in nature different from the reft, and enacted upon a fpecial defign; as from the forecited paffages appeareth; and farther may appear from confidering how the condition of profelytes (those of the ftricter fort, called profelytes of righteousness) is described in Ifaiah; The fons of the ftrangers, faith God in that Ifa. Ivi. 6, Prophet, that join themfelves to the Lord, to ferve him, 7. (4.) and to love the name of the Lord, to be his fervants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: where to undertake the observance of the Sabbath, and to lay hold of the Jewish covenant, are fignified to be coincident, or especially coherent.

All the other precepts indeed (one paffage in the fecond commandment, as it may be understood to prohibit abfolutely the making of any fimilitude, being liable to exception) are immediately grounded in the reafon of the thing, and have a neceffary obligation, even vifible to natural light; they consequently have been acknowledged as reafonable and obliging by the general consent of men; or might be fo propounded and afferted by argument, as eafily to extort fuch confent: but this command, (although as to its general and remote matter it is most evidently reasonable, and requireth that which no man can deny to

* Καὶ γὰρ μὴ Σαββατίσαντες οἱ προωνομασμένοι πάντες δίκαιοι τῷ θεῷ ἐνηρίσησαν, &c. Juft. p. 236.

̓Απὸ ̓Αβραὰμ ἤρξατο περιτομὴ καὶ ἀπὸ Μωσέως Σάββατον, καὶ θυσίαι, καὶ προστ Pogai, &c. 261.

Abraham fine circumcifione, et fine obfervatione Sabbatorum credidit Deo, &c. Iren. iv. 30.

Tertul. adv. Jud. ii. 4.

xcii. 4. cvii.

be matter of neceffary duty, yet,) as to the more immediate matter, as to the determinate measure and manner of performing thofe general duties, no reafon can difcern an obligation diftinct from, or antecedent to, the LawPf. cxliii. 5. giver's will, to practife according thereto : that we should 22. xxvi. 7. frequently with grateful and joyful fenfe reflect upon the cxlv. 10. glorious works of God; (especially that grand and fundamental one, wherein God's wonderful excellencies of goodnefs, wisdom, and power, were fo illuftriously displayed, the creation of the world; wherein fo great accommodations and benefits were generally dispensed to all the creatures, and to us eminently among them; remembering with deepest respect and most hearty thankfulness our bountiful Maker;) that we should not be unmindful of the special favours by God's gracious providence vouchsafed to our country, our relations, ourselves; (especially fuch very fignal ones, as was that of the delivery from Egyptian flavery in a manner fo remarkable and miraculous ;) that we should not spend ourselves and our time in perpetually carking and labouring about affairs touching our body and this prefent life; but should affign fome competent time both for the relaxation of our mind, and for attendance to the concernments of our foul: that alfo we should allow fitting time of respite and refreshment to thofe of our brethren, whom Divine Providence hath difpofed into a meaner condition and relation of fervants to us; that their lives may not by inceffant care and toil be rendered overburdenfome and grievous to them, but fo that they may with some comfort ferve us; that also they be not deftituted of leifure and opportunity to ferve God, our common Mafter; and to regard the welfare of their fouls, no less precious than our own: that alfo we should fhew fome kindness and mercy even toward our beafts, allowing them fome eafe from their painful drudgeries in our behalf: these are all of them things which reason evidently dictates, which common fense must needs admit, as duties of piety, justice, and humanity: and to fecure the performance of them, both as to the substance, due measure, and fit manner of them, common prudence

would suggest that fet times fhould be appointed; in which they should be folemnly and notoriously discharged, under the public teftimony and cognizance: and accordingly we find that, in all wife and civil focieties, fome provifion ever hath been made, by appointing festival times, for the practice of fuch duties, in fome kind or degree; The founders of laws, faith Seneca, did inftitute feftival days, that men should publickly be conftrained to cheerfulness; interpofing, as necessary, a temperament of their pains : Plato, with a more admirable fagacity, refers the invention, or first institution, of fuch times unto God himself; 'The Gods (faith he; that is, the Divine Providence administering affairs here by the miniftry of inferior invifible powers, according to his notion and manner of speaking) pitying mankind, born to painful labour, appointed, for an ease and ceffation from their toils, the recourfes of festival feafons obferved to the gods. Thus, I fay, reafon acknowledges the fubftance of these duties, and approves the fecuring their performance, as a good end, or fit matter of law, both divine and human. But as to the circumftantial determination of measure and manner; that a feventh day precifely should be affigned, that a total ceffation from labour for man and beast should be prescribed; this is above reafon to discern a neceffity of, or a conveniency in comparison with other limitations in those respects devisable and practicable: nor can we affuredly refolve the obligation thereto into any other ground than the pleasure of the most wise Author of this law, who did fee what was most fit to be prescribed to those whom this law concerned. Here is indeed mentioned a reason, why God especially did choose this day to blefs, and fanctify it in this manner to fuch purposes; namely, his refting upon the feventh day from his works of creation; the which yet doth not certainly import a natural conveniency, toward accomplishing thofe

k Legum conditores feftos inftituerunt dies, ut ad hilaritatem homines publice cogerentur, tanquam neceffarium laboribus interponentes temperamentum. Sen. de tranq. An.

1 Θεοὶ δὲ οἰκτείραντες τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐπίπονον πεφυκός γένος ἀναπαύλας το αὐτοῖς τῶν πόνων ἐτάξατο τῶν ἑορτῶν ἀμοιβὰς τοῖς θεοῖς. Plat. de Leg. ii. p. 787. VOL. V.

purposes, of this precife quantity of time, or in this way of obferving it, in preference to any other that might have been appointed; it only feemeth to imply a fitness of these determinations, as containing fomewhat of profitable fignificancy, that fuch a correfpondency in circumstance of time, and manner of practice, might admonish us concerning the fubftance of our duty, or a principal part thereof, peculiarly defigned in the fanction of this law, the grateful commemoration of God's most glorious work, (the foundation, as it were, of all other his acts of beneficence,) the creation of the world: for thus in all ceremonial inftitutions we may observe, that some fignificant circumstance is selected on purpose to inftruct or excite us to practice, by representing to our fancy the nature and intention of the main duty required; as in circumcifion, in the paffover, in baptifm, and other ritual conftitutions, it is not hard to perceive: fo it being God's defign to enforce the performance of that excellent duty, by appropriating a time thereto; we may conceive that he therefore especially felected that day, as moft apt to mind them, to whom this law was given, of the hiftory of the creation; the reflecting upon and celebrating which was the main duty in

tended.

Seeing therefore the obfervation of the Sabbath is expreffed to have a peculiar respect to the children of Ifrael, as a fign of the covenant made with them, when he led them out of Egypt; seeing in its own nature it differeth from the rest of the ten Laws, the obligation thereto being not, difcernibly to natural light, grounded in the reafon of the thing, we can nowife be affured that an universal and perpetual obligation thereto was intended, or that its obligation did extend farther than to the Jews, to whom it was as a formal law delivered, and upon fpecial confiderations feverely inculcated; to whofe humour, condition, and circumftances, it might alfo perhaps be parJuft. Dial. ticularly fuited: Juftin Martyr was of opinion that this cumTryph. law, as many others, was given to the Jews did tùv ávoμíav, » σxλnpoxapdíav, for their iniquity, and hardness of heart,

P. 235, &c.

by way of conceffion and indulgence; for, because they

by their natural difpofition were apt to forget their Maker; to neglect the state of their foul, being wholly intent on worldly affairs; to exact intolerable pains from their brethren, who ferved them; to use cruelly the poor beasts employed in tilling their ground, or bearing their burdens; therefore God (confidering this incorrigible temper of theirs) did indulge fix days to them for the prosecution of thofe affairs to which they were fo devoted, contenting himself to exact from them no more than this part of time for his own fervice, for the benefit of fervants and eafe of beafts: if he had required more of them, they could, it seems, or would hardly have endured it; the command would perhaps not only have been disobeyed itself, but the dislike thereof might have rendered them averfe from all religion and fervice of God; as it happeneth, when commands very rigorous, and exceeding men's strength, are enjoined: for we see the Prophets complain of them, that they could hardly be induced to go thus far, or to afford God this fo moderate fhare of time; but were impatient even for this one day in feven to abstain from their fecular bufinefs, to relax themfelves, or their fervants, or their cattle, from their daily labours: they impeach them for polluting, profaning, hiding their eyes Ifa. Iviii. from (that is, wholly overlooking, neglecting, and dif-3, 13. regarding) the Sabbath; for doing their own pleafure, and 13,21. xxii. exacting their own labours upon it; for not delighting therein, or not willingly obferving it: Hear this, faith the Amos viii. prophet Amos, O ye that Swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail, faying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may fell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may fet forth wheat? This being the difpofition of that people, not bearing a greater ftrictness, they not being able to preserve within their hearts a perpetual remembrance of God's works and favours; not to moderate their pursuits of temporal good things; not to bear a due regard and tenderness toward their brethren and their fellow-creatures; (the performing which things in a conftant uninterrupted tenor, the said holy Father and bleffed Martyr fuppofeth to be the fabbatifm which Chriftians

002

Ezek. xx.

26.xxiii.38.

4, 5.

Σαββατίζειν

savos

νόμος διαπαν τὸς ἐθέλει. p. 229.

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