alleadged for this purpose Ciprian Epiphanius Origen Chrysostome Hierome Athanisius S. Augustine Some Fathers produced as of a contrary opinion are not to be understood of a bare naturall Sabbath which we plead for but as the Sabbath ceremonious as the Jews held it and so these Fathers deny the observation of it Lastly our learned Translators of our English Bible are of this judgement or they who have prefixed the Contents to the second chapter of Genesis in which are these words The first Sabbath And this is allowed to be read in our Churches SECTION VII The Institution was binding and required the observation of the Sabbath from the beginning THis Institution was virtually binding as a Law requiring abservation of man even of Adam in his innocency 1. Though in Terminis the words be not * To sanctifie a day is either to keep it holy or to make it holy and seeing God keeps not any day more holy than another the meaning must be that he made it holy which is as much as to command the keeping of it holy And this my Lord of Armach justifieth preceptive yet had they in them virtually a Commandment For God in giving his Law deduceth out of this his institution a Commandment as before is shewed For Gods Commandments do arise and are imposed upon man not from his absolute authority as if he commanded because he would so command this or that but he doth it upon good reason which reason carrieth the force of a Commandment As for instance God brought Israel out of Egypt and great bondage whereupon God frameth to them his first Commandment in the Law and forbiddeth them to have any other God besides him Now what if God had not thus in form of words imposed this precept upon them had not his act of their so great deliverance bound them as a Law to have him only to be their God yes without doubt it carried with it the force and nature of that Commandment Even so here God having rested from his work made the seventh day a Sabbath blessing and sanctifying it for man for it was made for man Mark 2. 27. though the Commandment of keeping holy the Sabbath had not been published yet Gods rest Gods example in resting and his blessing and sanctifying the day for man had been as a precept Paraeus saith the words are preceptive and Marius a learned man saith they were a Commandment For Gods own example propounded to man for imitation is as if he had said Do as you see me do else it is to no purpose to propound himself to us for an example And Gods acts in this nature * This way our Homily takes teaching that as obedient children we should imitate our heavenly Father in this imitable and for mans use binde men to make that same use of his acts for which use and end he did so as his blessing and sanctifying the Sabbath for to keep it holy to him did binde them to keep it holy as Gods Commandment in the promulgation of the Law Exo. 20. 8. grounded upon this his act sufficiently evidenceth 2. The keeping holy the Sabbath day is called Gods Law before the Law at Sinai Exo. 16. 4. For the Law in this place is the keeping of the seventh day holy as a Law for what Law in all the sixteenth chapter was there else by which God would try his people concerning the keeping thereof but the keeping holy the Sabbath as the maine of the chapter touching their Manna in gathering it the sixt day in Gods preserving it from Worms and stinking in Gods not rayning it on the seventh day in Moses commanding to have them keep in on the seventh day tended all to the keeping of the Sabbath to the Lord which is the Law mentioned in verse 4. 3. Some going out to gather Manna on that day the Lord rebuketh the people for refusing of a long time to keep his Commandements and Lawes saying how long will yee refuse to keep my Commandements and Lawes Exod. 16. 28. In which words we may observe these things First that the people had Commandements and Lawes before this time and so before the giving of the Law at Sinai Secondly that the Lawes and Commandements were not mens but Gods for he acknowledgeth them for his owne saying my Commandements and my Lawes Thirdly in these words is comprehended the rest of the holy Sabbath to the Lord of which he maketh mention in the three and twenty five and twenty six and twenty verses before the reproofe of the breach thereof in this twenty eighth verse For some going out to gather Mannah on this day he taxeth them for refusing to keep his Commandements and Lawes which hee would not have done if the seventh day an holy Sabbath had beene none of them Fourthly that these his Commandements and Lawes they had knowne and had refused to keep for a long time before for he saith How long refuse yee to keep them Understanding among these the Commandement of the Sabbath which being reckoned among the Commandements it must needs be of a binding power If any man aske me where doe we before this time finde mention of any such Commandements and Lawes I answer in Gen. 26. 5. which Abraham kept and taught his to keep Gen. 18. 19. and if you would know how they learned them the Text there tells you from Gods voyce which voyce Abraham obeyed for God never suffered his people to live by the unwritten Law in mans nature without his positive Lawes after the fall yea hee gave a positive Law to Adam before in his estate of innocency SECTION VIII The Sabbath was observed of Gods people before the Law given at Mount Sinai THe Sabbath being instituted of God Gen. 2. 3. it was observed of Gods people before the Law at Sinai 1. It must needs bee that Adam observed it else he did neglect the institution and Gods imitable example to stirre him up to the same Now if Adam did neglect it it must needs be First either of ignorance which could not be for as he knew the Lords work of six dayes so could he not be ignorant of Gods rest the seventh day this he saw being created before though he must be taught the six dayes work either by Gods secret inspiration or by instruction of his voyce Therefore Adam was not ignorant of this first institution of the Sabbath Secondly if he neglected it wittingly it was no lesse than contempt which to conceit of Adam could neither stand with his state of innocency before his fall nor with his state of grace after his fall Therefore seeing Adam did neither of ignorance nor knowledge neglect it he then observed it and if he knew it and observed it without all question he would teach others to observe it he being after the fall one of the holy men of God a teacher and instructer of Gods people as hee is reckoned in Gen. 5. amongst the teachers in those dayes
those Generalities unto more Specialities which naturall men could never rightly discover without this help of Gods externall precepts This consists in the Letter and written words of the Law in the Commandements and the farther meaning thereof is to be learned from other Scriptures to know what is contained in the short precepts This Externalitie properly belongeth to the outward man for the ordering of it And this Externalltie may be dispensed with in some precepts though the naturalitie cannot for this is written in every mans heart but so is not this Externalitie We see Gods dispensation in some Specialities as Gods allowing Cain to marry with his Sister also Polygamie in the Patriarches In Gods commanding Abraham to kill his sonne In the Magistrate commanded to kill the offender Deut. 13. 9. so in warre to kill Numb 31. 17. In his allowing of the Israelits to rob and spoile the Egyptians Exod. 3. 22. And what is it but a dispensation when God raiseth up some to spoile other And that children may leave their parents in case of Marriage Gen. 2. 24. and Matth. 19. 5. and that variance may be between them for the Gospel sake Matth. 10. 35. Luk. 14. 26. The Commandements of this Law in respect of the meer Externalitie manifested in Specialities may be called Positive laws as superadditaments for Specialities of those generals as for example Naturalitie teacheth me a God but the Positivenesse telleth me that I must have only the God of Israel for my god Nature teacheth to worship God but the Positive precept forbids to make any graven image or likenesse thereby to worship him but to worship in spirit and in truth Nature teacheth to honour God the Positive Commandement forbids the taking of Gods name in vaine Nature * It teacheth also that for the proportion of this time the creature must depend and waite upon his Creator who alone can make the work of six dayes serve to keep us seven By light of nature t is no way fit the servant should prescribe unto his Master but rather the Master unto his servant especially considering the ground of that distinction of servi a libere natura teacheth to have a time to serve God solemnly the Positive precept commandeth a Sabbath day and directeth us to the keeping of a seventh day Sabbath SECTION V. Of the Spirituality of the Law THe Spirituality of the Law is the spirituall extension of every precept of the Law beyond all that which the naturality reacheth unto and above the speciality of the Letter of the Commandements in the externalitie thereof I call it the Spiritualitie of the Law for that this knowledge is only attained by the spirits speciall illumination and grace And consists not in the only bare knowledge of the minde touching the extension but also in the hearts affection drawn on along with the utmost extent of the understanding to love what is commanded to hate what is forbidden to joy in obedience to sorrow for failings and falls fearing ever to offend This Spirituality is that which is promised of God in his Covenant of Grace made with his People to be written in the minde and heart Jer. 31. 33. Heb. 8. 10. This is the reparation of that blessed image of God consisting in wisedome holinesse righteousnesse and uprightnesse Col. 3. 10. Eph. 4. 24. Eccles 7. 29. The Naturality is common to all in and out of the Church The Externality belongeth to those in the Church and in this respect may the Law be said to be given only to the Israelits This all the outward children of the Church may attain unto and others out of the Church by conversing with and coming among them or these going unto them or getting some of the wriâ—â—ngs of the Church For it s not possible that the learned Heathen got all their knowledge by the Naturality in them and their common light but by the accession of the helps from the Church Therefore to gather that whatsoever we finde in their writing concerning God and the things appertaining to him to be all from their meer light in nature will not hold for a sound conclusion This Spirituality is proper only to the Elect The first is by inscription but bettred by diligent improvement of those principles and helps from the Church The second is by information and bettered by good education and instruction publikely and privately in the Church The third is by the speciall inspiration of Gods holy Spirit in a constant use of the means and in the grace of Self-deniall which every one must come with that will be a true obedient observer of the Law SECTION VI. Of the Morality of the Law THe Moralitie of the Law properly speaking and distinctly to common understanding is not the Naturalitie nor perpetuity of the Law as if these three indistinctly were all one But the Moralitie of the Law is the Laws power binding the whole man outwardly to the good behaviour in all good manners concerning holinesse towards God and righteousnesse towards man according to the Naturalitie Externality and Spiritualitie of the Law And from this consideration truely properly distinctly and clearly it is and may be called the Morall Law the brief Epitome of Christian Ethick Oeconomick Politicks and Ecclesiasticks and of whatsoever duâ—â— we owe to God or man SECTION VII That there are ten Commandements HAving thus prefaced these necessaria praecognita I come to the fourth Commandement for the right understanding whereof many things are to be made clear First that there are ten Commandements of the Law I would not speak of this but that one hath pleased to call this number vulgar Idols I. It s the number which Moses recordeth Exod. 34. 28. Deut. 4. 13. and holdeth Deut. 10. 4. and saith God added no more Deut. 5. 22. more then ten there was not nor fewer may we make them least we be guilty of the curse and break the Commandement Deut. 4. 2. of adding to and taking from Deut. 12. 32. II. Its commonly called the Decalogue by the most learned Divines III. Our Church in the Catechiâ—me would have children to be taught that there are ten Commandements IV. Saint Augustine in Epist 118. cap. 12. speaks of ten Commandements V. The Papists though they rob God of one sacriledgiously yet do not diminish his number of ten VI. The number hath thus been reckoned for three thousand and two hundred of years and more and never either denyed or lightly disregarded till the spirit of too much boldnesse in some hath dared without shame to speak contemptuously of the number SECTION VIII Of the fourth Commandement in what words contained THis fourth Commandement is and hath been hitherto accounted one of them and is a Commandement in forme of speech so delivered unto us But here we are carefully to consider which is the Commandement and in what words its comprehended The mistake herein hath occasioned all the contention concerning the perpetuity of the Commandement The Commandement
by the light of Nature it self for the substance and will readily assent unto it for the Circumstance when natures light is holpen by due and right means and so being naturall is also perpetuall I. Naturall light will finde out the substance which is to keep holy a Sabbath day For as it acknowledgeth God and that he is to be worshipped publikely So it will enforce a time for this his worship and reason by naturall light from Common principles in all men to know and to worship God will thus proceed 1. Worship is an action and every aâ—tion must be allowed it time and a publike act a publike time 2. This time of solemne worship cannot be all the time and the whole time of mens lives for that there must be a time for other things 3. That therefore if not all then some time for such publike service is to be set apart from the rest of the time of life 4. That this parting of time must needs be a set time that the certainty of a publike service time may be publikely known else how shall they meet together Thus farre naturall light will go with an unanimous consent in all of any common Capacitie in discourse and this is the knowledge of the fourth Commandement grounded in man by his light in Nature touching the substance of the Commandement II. By the help of instruction it will readily assent unto the Circumstance both in regard of what space as also how much within that space is to be allotted unto God for his publike service For let this thing be propounded to a discoursive naturall understanding and see if it do not easily yeild That the set and lymitted space and quantity of time must be prescribed either by God or man But not by man for if left to man then 1. Either to every man severally and so tot capita tot sensus and never an agreement 2. Or to all mankinde conjoyntly who can never meet together 3. Or to some one over all the world which Monarchicall power never any had yet for I count not Adam and Noah Monarches in this sense 4. Or to some speciall persons of equall authority over all nor did God yet erect such an Aristocratie 5. Or to severall Princes in their severall Dominions and here we see a discrepancy Therefore seeing men cannot agree the discoursive naturall understanding will not leave this time to man Then will it allow it unto God as most equall to him to prescribe the same Now if it be Gods authority to set the time then will reason perswade further and think 1. That certainly God hath set down the time 2. That I am to seek and make inquiry after the time when and how much he hath appointed 3. That this inquiry must be by the best means the most sure and certain to come to the knowledge of the time determined 4. That means is and can be no other but Gods own revealed will 5. That this revealed will is known by his Word on which even naturall understanding maketh a man to rest as the Heathen did upon the Oracles of their gods Now then if mans naturall light be informed that God hath commanded a Sabbath in a week allowing us first six dayes and the seventh reserved only for the Sabbath man in his understanding will acknowledge it great reason to yeild it him Thus we see how nature informed can reach unto the Circumstance of the fourth Commandement and therefore its perpetuall IX That a perpetuall Law and precept which we are daily to pray unto God to write in our hearts and to incline our hearts to keep and to be mercifull therein unto us But thus are we to pray unto God concerning this Commandement and that by the Direction of our Church every Lords Day publikly Therefore is it perpetuall else we mock God in so praying The holy and learned Bishop Lakes understands it of our Lords day grounded upon the fourth Commandement And who can think them to be of any other minde that added this prayer to this and every one of the Commandments The Authors of the Homilies understood it so it is more then probable for that they call the Lords day our Christian Sabbath and affirm it to be the Commandment of God It hath been understood of all so heretofore till of late whose perverse answers to it are but unconscionable perversion of it and without soliditie yea some answers ridiculous and absurd X. That Law is perpetuall the breach whereof God hath punished heretofore and yet doth and lately within these few yeers with very remarkable judgements For Gods punishments he sendeth for breach of his own Laws if the Law were not in force then were there no sin and there should be no punishment this our Homily taketh notice of And albe it such judgements might fall upon other dayes yet let any sober spirit tell me why such happen on these dayes so frequently what may be the cause but sin and breach of this Commandment XI That Commandment which the Church of God hath from the beginning of it unto this day observed as one of Gods Commandments that is perpetuall But so hath this been observed For let any shew that any Church since Christ ever rejected this as none of Gods Commandments Who are they that ever durst deny it or ever attempted to expunge it out of the Decalogue The Papists make it a Commandment of God so doth our Homily our Book of Common-Prayer the Book set out by King Henry the eighth approved by one and twenty Prelates and many Doctors and by the Parliament alloweth this for a Commandment affirming that the breach thereof doth much offend God and provoketh his wrath and indignation against us Therefore it being so held to be one of Gods Commandments in all ages hitherto it remaineth in all sober mens account the Commandment of God It cannot be perpetuall say some because it is a positive precept But I have shewed 1. That it is in nature acknowledged both for substance and circumstance 2. Albeit it were positive it would not follow that therefore it should not be perpetuall For a precept may be Positivum naturale and so durable for the positivenesse taketh not away the naturality of it but it remaineth perpetuall although the precept have further revelation then the naturality thereof can extend unto For the positivenesse only accommodateth the naturalitie to some speciall certainty Again albeit the precept be meerly positive yet might it be perpetuall as the Law to Adam of not eating the forbidden fruit it was perpetuall to Adam and all mankinde as we may see in the bringing of death upon us aswell as upon Adam Also is not the institution of Baptisme and the Lords Supper positive and not naturall yet as durable as the world to the second coming of Christ For here we must know two things whether the Law be naturall or positive in which they do agree 1. The authority of both is