any other Law, seems very unlike to truth, to a serene and so∣ber minde, not disturbed with such mud, which usually lies at the bottome of the heart, and turns light into darknesse: and why one ceremoniall precept should be shuffled in among the rest which are of another tribe, lineage and language, hath been by many attempted, but never soundly cleared un∣to this day: surely if this Commandment be not morall, then there are but nine Commandments left to us of the morall Law, which is expresly contrary to Gods account, Deut. 4.
To affirm that all the commands of the Decalogue are morall, yet every one in his proportion and degree, and that this of the Sab∣bath is thus morall, viz. in respect of the purpose and intent of the Lawgiver, viz. That some time he set apart, but not morall in res∣pect of the letter in which it is exprest: it is in some sence for∣merly explained, true, but in his sence who endeavours to prove the Sabbath ceremoniall, while he saith it is morall, is both dark and false: for if it be said to be morall only in res∣pect of some time to be set apart, and this time an individuum vagum, an indeterminate time, beyond the verges of a seventh part of time; then there is no more morality granted to the fourth Commandment, then to the Commandment of buil∣ding the temple and observing the new moons, because in Gods command to build the Temple: the generall purpose and intention of the Lawgiver was that some place be appoin∣ted for his publike worship, and in commanding to observe New Moons, that some time be set apart for his worship, and so there was no more necessity of putting Remember to keep the Sabbath holy, then to remember to keep holy the new moons: And look as the commandment to observe new moons, cannot in reason be accounted a morall command∣ment, because there is some generall morality in it, viz. for to observe some time of worship, so neither should this of the Sabbath be upon the like ground of some generall morality mixed in it; and therefore for M Ironside to say that the law of the Sabbath is set among the rest of the morall precepts, be∣cause it is mixtly ceremoniall, having in it something which is morall, which other ceremoniall commands (he saith) have not, is palpably untrue; for there is no ceremoniall law of observing Jewish moons and festivals, but there was some∣thing generally morall in them, viz. That (in respect of the purpose and intention of the Law-giver) some time be set apart for God, just as he makes this of keeping the Sab∣bath.