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deliver'd by Mofes, (tho' we confess they do oblige us, yet they) do not oblige us at all, by Virtue of that Promulgation, but upon other Accounts; namely, either the Reafonablenefs and Goodnefs of the Matter of them, or fome new Authority that is ftamped upon them. Whatever therefore is wholly Jewish in the Sabbath, though it be never fo plainly required by God's Law, doth no way concern us: And there are feveral Laws relating to the Sabbath in the Old Teftament that are of that Nature; nay, and fome even in the fourth Commandment (which, as I faid, our Church owns in the General to be a Law to us) namely, not only the fixing the Sabbath to the feventh Day of the Week, but alfo the ftrict Reft both of Man and Beaft on that Day, which is there enjoined. But thefe Things, as I fhall fhew hereafter, were no part of the Law of the Sabbath, as it is a Law to us; and therefore we have no Reafon to concern our felves about them.

The third and laft Thing I have to premife is this. When I talk of fhewing the Obligation that is upon all Chriftians to obferve the Sabbath, I would not have you expect other fort of Proof for it than the Thing affords. I will not be fo pofitive as fome have been, to affirm that the Obfervance of the Sabbath is bound upon us by the Law of Nature. nor dare I

No,

But

affirm that we have any direct exprefs Law of our Lord Jefus to oblige us to it. it is abundantly enough for our Purpose, if we can fhew that there are Evidences enow of its being a Law to all of us, that believe in Scripture; and that it is our Duty to obferve it; and that we fin if we do not, unless there be urgent Neceffity in the Cafe to excufe us.

Having premised thefe three Things, I come to the Point, and here I have two Things to offer to you.

And, firft of all, if we take the lowest Hypothefis that is laid down in this Matter, I do not fee, but that it fufficiently infers our Obligation to obferve the Sabbath. Thofe that give themselves the greatest Latitude and Liberty in talking on this Argument, yet do own fo much, as that it is impoffible, even according to their Principles, to excufe a Man from Sin, (if he be a Chriftian) that lives in a conftant Neglect of the Lord's-Day. For thus we reason,

It is for ever a Law to all Mankind, and it is owned by all to be fo, (because it is a Branch of the Law of Nature) that fome Portion of that Time that God hath given us, fome Days of thofe many that he af fords us, fhould be folemnly confecrated to his more immediate Worship and Service; and there ought to be a very frequent Return of those Days. For the HoS2

nour

nour of God is concerned in thefe two Things, and without them it is impoffible that even a Face of Religion fhould be kept up in the World.

Now if God has not by any immediate Revelation, fet out thofe Times or Days, and the Returns of them, it falls to the Publick Authority in every Country that hath the Care of Religion to do it. And what they establish in this Cafe, doth bind the Confciences of all the Subjects to its Observance, even as if it was a divine Law. Just as in the Cafe of paying Part of our Eftates, by way of Tribute, to the publick Ufe of our Country. The Law of Nature, as well as the Law of Chrift, oblige us to pay Tribute to whom Tribute is due ; Cuftom to whom Cuftom. But now how much, or in what Way we are to pay Tribute or Cuftom, that is not determined by the Law of God, but by the Laws of the Country where we live: And they are to be the Measure of every one's Conscience in that Matter; and he who in that Cafe cheats the King of those Customs, which the Law gives him as his Due, doth offend against the Law of God, and Nature, as well as against the Law of the Land.

So I fay, it ftands with reference to our Dues to God. He that defrauds God Almighty of that Portion of Time, which by the Laws of his Country, is folemnly confecrated or devoted to him, may be

truly

truly faid to fin against God in that Matter, as well as to tranfgrefs a Canon, or an Act of Parliament.

The Cafe now ftanding thus, admit that there was no particular Law of God about this Matter, that did any way concern us Christians, yet thefe two Things we find;

We find in the firft Place, that whereas all other Nations were left to the Discretion of their Law-givers, for the affigning those Portions of Time that fhould be given to God's publick Service; yet there was one Nation, among whom that Matter was perfectly taken Care of by God himself, (who certainly is the beft Judge of what Proportion of our Time is fit to be given to him) and he determined to make it a perpetual Law, that every Seventh-Day that came over their Heads, fhould be folemnly dedicated to his Service.

We find likewife, that though our Lord Jefus made no new Law in this Matter, yet his Difciples, from the very Beginning, thinking they could not follow a better Precedent, than what God had fet before them in his Laws, to his own People the Jews; they likewife pitched upon the fame Proportion, and religioufly fet apart one Day in every Seven, to their more folemin Affemblies for the Worship of God. And accordingly that Practice hath been ever fince continued by all the Chriftians in the World; and where-ever Chriftianity hath been

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been the established Religion of a Country, the Laws of that Country, both Ecclefiaftical and Civil, have appropriated that Day to the folemn Worship of God.

Why now I fay, admit there was no more to be faid, for the religious Observation of one Day in feven among us, but this that I have mentioned, yet even this, is abundantly fufficient to lay an Obligation upon every Man's Confcience to do it, and abundantly fufficient to convince him, that he fins if he do not. Tho' the Gofpel gives no Command about the Sabbath, yet both the Law of Nature and the Gospel, give this general Command, That ftated Times fhould be fet apart for God's publick Worship And if all Christendom have agreed, that one Day in feven shall be that ftated Time, every Man, in my Judgment, is bound in Point of Confcience to the Obfervance of that Day, unless fome great Neceffity happens that hinders him ; in which Cafe, the most exprefs Law of God, in fuch Matters, might be difpensed with.

Thus, I am fure, we are wont to argue in twenty other Cafes. It will be as hard, to produce a plain Precept out of the New Teftament, for the Baptifm of Infants, as it will be for the Obferving of the Lord'sDay: But yet, fince there is this general Precept, that all Nations fhould be made Profelytes to the Gofpel; and the Way of making a Profelyte, was by Baptifm; and fince

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