Seven questions of the sabbath briefly disputed, after the manner of the schooles. Wherein such cases, and scruples, as are incident to this subject, are cleared, and resolved, by Gilbert Ironside B.D.

CAP. V. The second question is proposed, whether the letter of the fourth Commandement be a morall precept?

A Law being once enacted, we take into consi∣deration the binding power thereof; for all lawes doe naturally bind all such, upon whom they are imposed, untill it doth appeare, that they be repealed. Hence though Critickes say, lex à legendo, yet Divines take up another Etymology, lex à ligādo, its therefore a law, because it doth oblige. But all Lawes being not of the same kind, doe not bind after the same manner, neither as they are lawes, nor as they are intended by the lawgivers. This is most true not only of humane lawes, whose authors are men, but of such also as proceed immediatly from God himselfe. For there be some lawes of his, which ob∣lige all people, nations, and languages upon the face of the whole earth, even every son of Adam. Others of them are prescribed either to particular persons, or some one people, & nation only: some of them al∣so are of perpetuall, and everlasting continuance, ne∣ver to be revoked; others were ordained only for a certaine period of time. Lawes of the first kind are properly stiled morall, which are in both the forena∣med respects universall, the dictates of nature, and in∣cluded in the divine essence, which is not subject to a∣ny

shadow of change; Lawes of the latter kind are all the ceremoniall, and judiciall ordinances. The se∣cond question therefore is, whether the fourth com∣mandement of the Decalogue be a morall law, bind∣ing all men throughout all ages to the end of the world: or whether it were given only to the Israelites, till the fulnesse of time, and exhibiting of the Messiah? The affirmative seems to some men as cleer as the day it selfe, and to be a point of that high consequence in religion, as that we ought rather to suffer as Mar∣tyrs, then to quit this truth. We will therefore mu∣ster up all such arguments, as make to this purpose.