A treatise of the Sabbath-day. Containing, a defence of the orthodoxall doctrine of the Church of England, against sabbatarian-novelty. / By Dr. Fr. White, L. bishop of Ely..

T. B. Argument 8.

Whatsoever GOD hath commanded in the Morall Law or ten Commande∣ments, is still in force, and to be ob∣served and obeyed, unto the end of the world. For it is a part of the Di∣vine Law, which is unrepealed: and the holy Scripture in generall termes, ratifieth the continuance and obliga∣tion of the whole Morall Law, Iam. 2.10. Gal. 3.10. Rom. 3.31.

But in the Morall Law or ten Com∣mandements, GOD hath expressely commanded the observation of the seventh-day Sabbath.

Therefore, the observation of the seventh day Sabbath is still in force.

T. B. Pag. 441. I appeale unto the con∣science of my Reader, &c. if he finde not the Spirit of GOD, secretly mo∣ving

him to thinke, that all things commanded among the Moralls, should be Morall: And that all Prea∣cepts which GOD wrote and spake, should be more lasting and durable, than those Precepts which Moses wrote and spake.

Answ. 1. The Holy Scripture of the New Testament ratifieth in generall, every branch, and every precept of the ten Commandements, which is simply and naturally Morall. But I have formerly made evident proofe, that the fourth Commandement concerning the keep∣ing holy the Sabbath day, is not simply Mo∣rallk . And GOD's externall promulgation, or speaking thereof did not alter the same, in respect of the inward forme or quality: But He therby made this positive Precept of grea∣ter esteeme among the Iewes and Israelites: And because the observation of it, was a most hea∣vie burden, this circumstance, of His speaking and writing it, was necessary to stirre up that stiffe-necked peoplel , to be more diligent in the obeying of it.

Secondly, If God's immediate writing, ma∣keth things durable and everlasting: How hap∣pened it, that the characters of the fourth Com∣mandement,

which God Himselfe wrote, are so long since perished? for if any shall reply, that all the artificiall characters of the whole Decalogue, which were written with the fin∣ger of GOD, are perished, aswell as the Cha∣racters of the fourth Commandement: And therfore the losse and destruction of the Characters, is no argument to confirme the cessation of the Law of the Sabbath: It is answered, That none of the Precepts in the Decalogue, were simply and perpetually morall, for this reason onely, or principally, because the Lord Himselfe imme∣diately wrote or ingraved them, in Tables of stone: but by reason of the kind, and quality of their object, and because the Divine will or∣dained them to be such.

T. B. At the conclusion of his eighth Argument appealeth to the consci∣ence of his Reader: whether he finde the Spirit of GOD, secretly (inward∣ly) moving him to thinke (beleeve) that all things commanded among the moralls, should be morall.

The answer is: The holy Spirit of God ordi∣narily moveth and perswadeth the conscience; not by sudden raptures or immediate impres∣sions, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: but by mediate causes, to wit, by arguments and sound reasons of holy Scrip∣ture,

Luke 24.32. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burne within us, while he talked with us, by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures? Acts 2.37. When they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, &c.

But the Objector's motives, in his former argument, are not arguments or sound reasons of Scripture, but meere phancies and presump∣tions.

For first, All things commanded among moralls, are not alwaies simply and eternally morall: and positive Precepts, and morall Commandements, are often in one and the same Chapter, yea, and in the same verse of holy Scripture, conjoyned and rehearsed toge∣ther, Lev. 19.4, 5. Ezech. 18.6. Act. 15.29. and the whole and entire Law of Deuteronomy, containing both Legalls and Moralls, was placed within the same Sanctuary, with the Decalogue, Deut. 31.26. Take this Booke of the Law, and put it in the side of the Arke.

Secondly, many morall and perpetuall Commandements were uttered and penned by Moses, to wit, Deut. 1.17. You shall not respect persons in Iudgement. Exod. 22.22. You shall not afflict any Widow or Fatherlesse Childe, Deut. 24.14. Thou shalt not oppresse an hired servant that is poore and needie. Exod. 22.25. If thou lend money unto any that is poore, thou shalt not be to him as an Vsurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. Chap. 23.2. Thou shalt not follow a multi∣tude to doe evill.

By these and many other testimonies it is evident, that some morall Commandements were uttered and penned by Moses, which were not expresly and immediately written with the finger of GOD.

Thirdly, in the New Testament, the Precepts penned or preached by the holy Apostles, were as divine & as perpetuall in respect of obligati∣on, as those which were preached by our bles∣sed Saviour Himselfe.a And Christ Himselfe wrote no part of the Evangelicall Law, de∣claring thereby, that the immediate writing of GOD, is not necessary to the constitution of Divine Law, or to make the same morall: but that his inspiration is of as great efficacie, and authority, as his writing.

Notes

• k

  Aug. de Spir. & lit. cap. 14. In il∣lis decem praecep∣tis excepta Sabbati observatione, dica∣tur mihi quid non sit observandum a Christianis?
• l

  Alex. Hal. 3. q. 55. m. 5. ar. 2. Quia ille populus durae cervicis, difficilli∣mus erat, ut abstra∣heretur à terrenis & converteretur ad coelestia & divina: Inde est, quod de∣terminata dies vacationis, scilicet septima, repetebatur eis frequenter in jussione: & transgressio ••uniebatur, cum magna districtione & severitate.
• a

  Cypri. d. Ablut∣ped Nec minus ra∣tum est quod dict∣ante spiritu sancto Apostoli tradide∣runt, quàm quod Dominus per se tradidit. Aug. d. Consens. Evang. li. 1. c. 35. Quicquid enim il∣le de suis factis & dictis nos legere voluit, hoc scriben∣dum illis tanquàm suis manibus im∣peravit. Hoc quis∣quis intellexerit, non aliter accipiet quod narrantibus Discipulis Christi in Evangelio lege∣rit, quàm si ipsam manum Domini, quam in proptio corpore gestabat, scribentem con∣spexerit, &c.