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A30739
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An enquiry whether the Lord Jesus Christ made the world, and be Jehovah, and gave the moral law? and whether the fourth command be repealed or altered? by Tho. Bampfield.
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Bampfield, Thomas, 1623?-1693.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing B629; ESTC R10575
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118,081
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148
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should be proceeded against by Magistrates and by Ministers for there we find many Directions for the Discipline of transgressing Subjects by their Princes and Judges and of Members of the Church by their then Pastors But to return to those who defend the Change of the Seventh day and teach it to others let such have a care of that Threatning Mat. 5. 19 20. for if the Exceptions they make against the Law in that point be not good they are certainly dangerous to those that make them Whosoever shall break one of these least Commandments and shall teach men so he shall be called the least 〈◊〉 the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 5. 19. And how far that least Extends think well of These Ten Commands many call the Moral Law and not to quarrel with Terms Moral signifieth pertaining to Moral Law Manners which being applied to Divine Laws may be said to be a Rule prescribed by the Lord to direct our Thoughts Words and Actions and so does include whatsoever is commanded or forbidden in Thought Word or Deed which our Lord comprehends in the love of God and of our Neighbor Mat. 22. 38 39. a part of which Moral Law all agree was in the time of Christ the Command for the Seventh day And he that will enter into Life must keep the Commandments Mat. 19. 17. Which he that keepeth loveth Christ and Christ will love him and manifest himself unto him John 14. 21. And it is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass than one tittle of the Law to fail Luke 16. 17. And surely Christ does not there exclude the Law of the Ten Commands whereof one tittle cannot pass away And let any man shew us what other Law it is that Christ there means And if it be easier for Heaven and Earth than for one tittle of the ten Commands to pass away it will be impossible to take away the Seventh day positively said to be the Sabbath of the Lord And if the Commands and therein the Seventh day stand as long as Heaven and Earth they surely stand now for the Heaven and Earth yet stand And our Lord farther confirms the Moral Law by shewing what Sins they are which defile a man Mat. 15. 3 11 18 19. Evil Thoughts Murders Adulteries Fornications Thefts False-witness Blasphemies Now Murders Adulteries Fornications Thefts and False-witnessing are Sins against the Second Table Blasphemies Sins against the First Table and Evil Thoughts Sins against every Command in both Tables The Scribes and Pharisees there transgressed the Commandments of God by their Traditions v. 3. The Commands Christ there affirms are the Fifth Command v. 4 and the Second Command v. 8 9. which Moral Law they unlorded v. 6. The Command Christ charges them with as making it of no effect or of unlording it Exod. 20. 12. Deut. 5. 16. is the Fifth Command one of the Second Table And that about their vain Worship v. 8 9 was against the Second Command in the First Table and so Christ by those instances affirms both Tables When the young man asked Christ what good thing he should do that he might have Eternal Life Mat. 19. 16 17 18 19 20. Christ answers If thou wilt enter into Life keep the Commands and names some of them as Thou shalt do no Murder and Thou shalt not commit Adultery so that Christ in his Answer referrs him to the Moral Law Charnock's Attributes pag. 612. And so Christ there affirms the Moral Law which I think does fully prove that by the general word of Commands Christ meant the Ten Commands and if Christ meant the Ten Commands and have confirmed and established them by One and much more by so many plain Scriptures what Power on Earth can alter any one of them The great Commission which the Lord gives his Ministers is to teach all Nations to observe all things Christ doth not except the Seventh day whatsoever I have commanded you Mat. 28. 19 20. A very learned Writer in his Annotations on that Text saith It implyeth that his Commands are the Universal Laws of his Catholick Church and no Man or Men have Authoâ—ity to make Laws for the Universal Church on Earth but He and to undertake it is to undertake the Prerogative of Christ and be Vice-Christ by Usurpation be it Pope or Councils Which I think are words of much strength consequence and truth and I may say as Cornelius to Peter We are here present to hear all things that are commanded thee of God Acts 10. 33. But if any speak not according to this Rule we are not to follow Paul further than he follows Christ 1 Cor. 11. 1. And as any person is brought to love Christ he takes present care to keep his Commands John 14 15. and Christ shews mercy to those who love him and keep his Commands Exod. 20. 6. And what other way is there to declare our selves the Friends of Christ and good Subjects to him but by doing whatever he commands us John 15. 14. 14. 21 here is no exception of the Seventh day nor elsewhere that I can find in all the Scriptures 't is by this Law of the Decalogue that we have the knowledge of Sin Rom. 3. 20. 7. 7. And we find the Apostle did not make void the Law through Faith but established it Rom. 3. 31. And the Law of Works mentioned in Rom. 3. 27 shews the Law which Faith doth not make void Rom. 3. 31 to be the Ten Commands and speaking of the same Law resolves it to be holy and the Commandment holy just and good and spiritual to which he consented as good and delighted in it after the Inner man Rom. 7. 1 12 14 16 22 25. To which the carnal mind cannot be subject Rom. 8. 7. What Law do Opposers understand by these Scriptures if not the Ten Commands And if these Scriptures mean the Ten Commands as they plainly do how comes one to be changed and mangled and the Seventh day to be excepted Which Ten Commands are called a Royal Law to be fulfilled and a Law by which all Believers shall be judged Jam. 2. 8 12. which Law in the new Covenant is promised to be given into their Minds and to be writ upon their Hearts and that by Jehovah Christ Heb. 8. 18 10 compared with Jer. 31. 33 which is farther Proof that Christ is Jehovah and this without any exception of the Seventh day But if any man sin i. e. break the Sabbath or any of the Ten Commands we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous he is the Propitiation for our sins And hereby we know that we know him if we keep his Commands John 2. 1 23. And it is as it seems to me very strange how the World should be so long misled in so discernible a case And this is the love of God that we keep his Commands 1 John 5. 3. And what can that mean if not the Ten Commands And whatsoever we ask we receive
AN ENQUIRY Whether the LORD JESUS CHRIST made the World and be Jehovah and gave the Moral Law AND Whether the Fourth Command be Repealed or Altered By THO. BAMPFIELD LONDON Printed for the Author and are to be sold by Tho. Fabian at the Bible in St. Paul's Church-yard a Corner-Shop next Cheapside 1692. AN ENQUIRY Whether the Lord JESUS CHRIST made the World and be JEHOVAH c. THE Word of God and the general Consent of the Christian and of much of the Heathen World being agreed for a weekly day of rest And Opinions and Practice varying which day of the week is to be observed some affirming it to be one day and some another And those agreeing upon the day differing in the Grounds of its observation and the time of its beginning and ending And these Questions concerning a Moral Duty to which All are weekly obliged do make it worth while to look into it to find if possible whether the Question be as doubtful as the many Treatises thereof have left it and whether the Unresolvedness which is upon and still afresh ariseth in the Minds of Men be incurable And when we consider the number and weight of Books and their Authors for about an Hundred years last past pleading for the first day of the week as the weekly day of rest it is some marvel whence that Unresolvedness does come and how it is maintained and with some gets Strength under many endeavours to suppress it private Consciences raising sometimes the old and sometimes new Objections and Doubts which neither themselves nor any Man or Book did yet ever answer to their satisfaction The plain Word and Law of Jehovah seeming expresly to command the observation of one day and many writing for and keeping up another Consciences are commonly startled out of all that settlement which they seem sometimes to have gotten from the Opinions good Intentions Practice Authority and Books of Men and are still suspicious that a positive Command of God and that one of the ten Commands requires positive Obedience from Man Wherein that I may commuâ—icate what I can I premise 1. First The Persons herein eminently treated with being such as are professedly awed by a Principle of Subjection to the Will of Christ if it can be known what it is and who resolve their Perswasion in Religion into the Word of God and who acknowledge themselves obliged to practise his Will whatsoever it shall prove to be I take this for granted That whatever is the Mind of Christ in this as in other Cases in his Word ought to be observed by us all 2. Secondly That Christ's Will in this is revealed to us in the Scripture or no where As for those who because they find not a Command for the first day in the Scriptures do reflect upon them as not perfect and resort to Traditions to make up what they surmise is defective in them and who to supply the want of a particular Command for the First day lodge a general Power in the Church to make Laws in this Case to bind after-Ages I answer That the Scriptures do teach us all Truths and Duties necessary to Salvation and that it is so full a Direction 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. in all cases that Christians need not go down to what is not written for direction what to do Peace on them who walk according to this Rule Gal. 6. 16. And if the Church had such Power as some pretend there being such variety of Churches which of the Churches shall give the World a Rule in this And if all Churches had been of one mind all along quo jure by what Right could they alter any Law of God And after such a loose Principle admitted where shall any man and who shall set Bounds to that loose Principle And generally the most Learned of the Prelatical as well Romanists as others go that way Mr. Calvin Calvin's Instit Book 2. chap. 8. sect 33 34. also lays the greatest stress for the observation of the First day upon the Authority of the Church he says the old Fathers have not without reason of their choice put in place of the Sabbath-day the day we call Sunday so Mr. Calvin allows the alteration to be made by the old Fathers but Mr. Calvin's particular Opinion in this case was for a seventh part of every day And for those who think the Seventh day in the fourth Command was ceremonial and that keeping one day in seven that is the First day of the week is moral and remaineth Calvin calls this a trifling of false Prophets and an infecting the people with a Jewish Opinion and he adds that such do as much exceed as the Jews in gross and carnal Superstition Some of those again but those few and mean who are for the Seventh day have run far into another Extreme and endeavoured to introduce some of the Mosaical Ceremonies which are all abolish'd by the death of Christ and are nailed to his Cross and buried in his Grave and by such Col. 2. 14. conceits occasion Slanders upon others and discourage Eph. 2. 15 16. further Enquirers which Extravagancies I take to be the usual Artifice of Satan to prejudice and hinder us from using due means to givâ— our selves or others that satisfaction we need in so weighty a case and by how much the more Wanderings there are about this Question by so much the more it is requisite that we do what we can to clear our way therein And some who have written for the First day are so confident that they count all contrary Reasoning vain Cavils and say they think they have fully proved that point And some represent such as think that Seventh day is still the Christian Sabbath as Jews On the other hand same few of those who think the Seventh day the Christian Sabbath set out the First-day-men as decliniâ—g the determining Authority of the Scriptures And these Heats are carried so high on both sides that the Bonds of Love are much broken and Christian Communion almost cut asunder which ways of speaking and writing as vehement we much dislike and I am perswaded many of both sides whoever do mistake do conscientiously mistake and I hope if it be possible to come at the certain knowledge of the Will of Christ our common Lord would sit down thereby and a right way herein we may well presume has been often and earnestly sought on all hands of Him about it and the Scriptures and Histories searched and those who love Christ are undoubtedly or ought to be willing to keep his Commands Joh. 14. 15. And here without prejudice it cannot be denied but those worthy learned pious and excellent Ministers of Christ and others who have written so many elaborate Tracts for the First day have done it with good intentions as thinking it for the Honour of Christ to keep up a day in memory of his Resurrection Nor can they or any others without