that the law for the Sabbath was extint, and the obfervation of it in ufe, before either the promulgation of the moral law at mount Sinai, or the giving of the ceremonial law, which was foretime afterwards.

3. The firft words of the fourth command, "Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day," plainly infinyate the renovation of an old command, and not the enacting of a new one. It is highly probable, that the obfervation of this ancient law had been greatly ne glected for many years before, while the Ifraelites were in bondage in Egypt, and obliged to fore labour every day by their tafk-masters, and fo not fuffered to keep the Sabbath as before. Hereby, no doubt, the impreffions of the duty of keeping it, might be much worn off the minds of many; though the memory of the Sabbath was not quite loft, as appears from the peoples gathering double manna on the fixth day of the week without direction. But, that they might guard against neglecting or forgetting the law for the Sabbath in time coming, the Lord renews the command with a folemn memento, "Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day."

4. Though Mofes makes no exprefs mention of the patriarchs obferving of the Sabbath, it is no wonder; in regard he writes the hiftory of fome thousands of years after the creation, in very fmall bounds; wherein many things relating to the church in that period must certainly be omitted: for the account which Mofes gives of thofe early times, is only defigned for an introduc tion to his hiftory of the deliverance, erection, and polity of the nation of the Jews, God's peculiar people, and the only visible church he then had upon the earth. Nevertheless, we have no reason to call in queftion the patriarchs obfervation of the Sabbath from the begin ning of the world; but good ground to believe they did it, if we confider the eminent piety of fome of them, together with their long lives, by reafon whereof it was very eafy to hand down the institution of the Sabbath, with others of God's revelations, from Adam to Abraham's days. For Adam's life reached to Methufalem's time; Methufalem's life reached to Shem's time; and Shem's life reached to Abraham. And, being religi

ous men, they would not fail to teach and recommend God's ftatutes to one another. And for Abraham the father of the faithful, we read exprefsly of his commanding his children to keep thefe ftatutes, Gen. xviii. 19. and, without doubt, he enjoined the keeping of the Sabbath among the rest. And, though it be not mentioned in fo many words, that is no argument again the thing; for we read not of the church's observing of the Sabbath all the time of the Judges, which was near five hundred years; yet there is no ground to question but they kept it all that time.

Several things might be added, which make it highly probable, that the institution of the Sabbath was handed down by tradition from Adam to his pofterity, through all the world. What reafon elfe can be given of Noah's obferving the revolution of feven days while in the ark? Gen. viii. 10, 12. where we fee him once and again waiting the fall of the waters by fevens. He tul did let the feventh day or Sabbath be over, before he fent out the next meffenger: wifely reckoning, that upon his fuitable obfervation of the Lord's Sabbath, he might look for the more agreeable news to be brought him. What reafon else can be given for the Heathens dividing of their time into weeks, and their weeks into feven days, and their conftant holding the feptenary number as facred? Yea, (as Clemens Alexandrinus tells us) the feventh day of the week was ftill held, facred by the Greeks. All this certainly was conveyed to them by tradition from Adam and Noah, their forefathers; and not learned, to be sure, from the Jews, against whofe customs and religion they had fuch rooted prejudices.

And

II. A fecond argument for the morality of the fourth command, may be drawn from the fituation of it. We find this command placed in the midst of the Decalogue, or those moral preceps which God hath delivered to the world, as a perpetual rule of their lives. is it any way probable, that God would place a ceremonial law, or temporary precept, in the very midst of them? As it is certain that the moral precepts have the preference to the ceremonial in many things; fo it is

as

as fure that the fourth command, or the facred obfervation of one day in feven, hath an equal share with the other nine, in all the dignity and privileges of the moral law. For,

In the place, This fourth command, as well as the reft, was spoke immediately by the voice of God, in the hearing of all the people; whereas the other laws, ceremonial or judicial, were only given unto Mofes, and by him declared unto the people.

2. This command, as well as the reft of the Decalogue, was written by the finger of God; nay, twice written by him in tables of ftone: Whereby the Lord intended to teach us its axed continuance and lafting obligation; and that by his Spirit he would have this law writ in the fleshly tables of his people's hearts, never to be obliterated. But this was not done with the ceremonial laws, which were only delivered verbally to Mofes, and written by him from God's mouth.

3. This command was put and referved with the reft of the moral law in the ark; whereas the law of ceremonial ordinances was placed in a book without on the fide of the ark, and which might be feparated from the ark. The moral precepts were laid up within the ark of the covenant, as a fign of their excellency and perpetuity, and of their being infeparable from Chrift and his covenant, (of whom the ark was a famous type) therefore faith Chrift, Pfal. xl. 8. " Thy law is within my heart:" But the ceremonial precepts being without the ark of the covenant, was a token they were feparable from it, and to be abolished by Jefus Chrift, when the appointed time should come. And, if the law of the Sabbath had been of this nature, to be fure it had been placed on the fide of the ark, with the other ceremonial laws, and not lodged within it, together with the moral precepts, which were perpetual and unalterable. Moreover, if fituation in the Decalogue, among the moral precepts, which were laid up in the ark, be a good argument for the morality of the fecond command, against the Papifts, as it is improven against them by Proteftant divines, there can be no reafon, why the fame argument fhould not be fully as

concluding

concluding for the fourth command against the Antifabbatarians.

III. A third argument for the morality of the fourth command, may be this: The reafons and grounds of this command are, in their nature, moral and perpetual, and as forcible upon Chriftians as Jews; confequently the command itself must be moral also.

The reafons included in the fourth command are various. 1. One reafon, enforcing the fanctification of the Sabbath, is taken from the propriety of the day, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God;" it is the Lord's day, and the "holy of the Lord," Ifa. Iviii. 13. the day which the Lord hath referved for himfelf and his use, and therefore must be entirely dedicated to him; no man may incroach upon this confecrated time, without the guilt of facrilege. And doth not this reafon bind us as much as the Jews? Have we any power to alienate from God, what is his property, more than they had?

2. Another reafon is taken from the equity and rationality of this precept. God is good and liberal to us, in giving us fix days for our works: Wherefore it is highly reasonable and juft, that we should give him one day for his worship. It aggravated David's fin, that he took the poor man's darling ewe-lamb, when he had a whole flock of his own: As it did our first parents fault in pulling the fruit of one tree that God had reserved, when he gave them all the rest of the trees at their will; fo it heightens our crime, if we rob God of his one day, when he gives us no less than fix to ourselves. Moreover, it is highly reasonable and fit, when our dying bodies have fix days for their neceffities and occafions, that our immortal fouls fhould have one for theirs. Now, doth not the equity and justice of this command affect and oblige us as much as it doth the Jews?

3. A third reason is taken from the charitableness of this law; viz That our bodies and cattle fhould have a day allowed them for reft; charity faith, that they should have some ease and relaxation from fore labour, and not be wearied out with continual toil: And

is

is not this as needful now as it was of old among the Jews?

3. Another reafon is drawn from God's example, which is a rule to us: "For in fix days the Lord made heaven and earth, the fea, and all that in them is and refted the feventh day." Here we have a twofold example, both of God's refting and working; and they are both fet before us for our imitation. As God employed fix days in the works of creation; fo we are to make use of fix days in the works of our lawful calling: And as he ceased from his works, and rested on the feventh day; fo we are bound to imitate him in that refpect by quitting our weekly labours, and fan&tifying of the Sabbath day. Now, can there any reafon be given, why we are not as much bound to follow God's example, in refting one day after fix days labour, as the Jews were?

A fifth is taken from the bleft advantages of it; it is a bleft day to them that keep it. And, is not God as able and willing to blefs the Sabbath to us now as he was of old? And, do not we need his bleffing as much as the Jews?

Now, if thefe arguments be moral, perpétual, and obligatory to us, as much as to the Jews; the command that is enforced by them must be fo likewife.

IV. A fourth argument may be taken from the fpecial marks of honour and refpect that God puts on this command. It is not only engraven in tables of stone by the immediate finger of God, as all the reft; but it is privileged above them, in feveral respects.

1. It is placed in the first table of the law, and there. by preferable to thofe of the fecond table.

2. It is fituated in the midst of the Decalogue, in the close of the first table, and before the front of the fecond table; thereby teaching us, that the obfervation of both tables much depends on the right keeping of this one command. God hath placed it in the heart of the Ten Commands, becaufe the keeping of it gives life to the keeping of all the reft. The fanctification of the Sabbath is an epitome of all religion; it virtually includes all the commands, and ftrongly engages men to

keep