ment in the book of God, before the wandering of God's people in the wilderness, and the fall of manna.

It is true, that all men generally have agreed on this,—that it is consonant to the law of nature to set apart some time to God's public service: but that this time should rather be the seventh day, than any other, that they impute not unto any thing in nature; but either to divine, legal, or ecclesiastical institution. And for the ancients, our venerable Bede assures us, that to the fathers before the law, all days were equal; the seventh day having no prerogative before the others and this he calls, the liberty of the natural Sabbath; which ought (saith he) to be restored at our Saviour's coming.-If so,

if that the Sabbath, or time of rest unto the Lord, was naturally left free and arbitrary, then certainly it was not restrained more unto one day than another; or to the seventh day more than to the sixth or eighth.

Sabbaths and all days are alike in respect of providence; in reference to the universal government of the world and nature. No Sabbath, whereon God doth rest from the administration of the world by him created; whereon he doth not make his sun to shine both on good and bad; whereon he rains not plenty upon the sinner and the just, Origen hath truly noted.-Nor is this more than what our Saviour said in his holy gospel, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."1

1 John v. 17.

as

again, it will appear that he which hath gone east, hath gotten, and that the other going westward hath lost a day in their account. Suppose that a Turk, a Jew, and a Christian, should dwell together at Jerusalem,—whereof the one doth keep his Sabbath on the Friday, the other on the Saturday, and the third sanctifieth the Sunday-then, that upon the Saturday the Turk begin his journey westward, and the Christian eastward, so as both of them compassing the world do meet again in the same place, the Jew continuing where they left him,-it will fall out, that the Turk by going westward, having lost a day, and the Christian going eastward, having got a day, one and the same day will be a Friday to the Turk, a Saturday unto the Jew, and a Sunday to the Christian. And now what should these people do when they were returned? If they are bound by nature and the moral law, to sanctify precisely one day in seven, they must then sanctify a day apart from their other countrymen, and, like a crew of Schismatics, divide themselves from the whole body of the church; or to keep order, and comply with other men, must of necessity be forced to go against the law of nature, or the moral law, which ought not to be violated for any by-respect whatever.

The Scripture is exceeding copious in setting down the life and actions of Abraham, as also of the lives and actions of his son and nephews; their flittings and removes, their sacrifices, forms of prayer, and whatsoever

nence from sundry kinds of meats, which are prohibited by Moses, nor are we neither."

It is true the Scriptures tell us that Abel offered sacrifice: but yet they do not tell us, that in his sacrifices, he had more regard unto the seventh day than to any other. To offer sacrifice he might learn of Adam, or of natural reason, which doth sufficiently instruct us, that we ought all to make some public testimony of our subjection to the Lord. But neither Adam did observe the Sabbath, nor could nature teach it. And however some modern writers have conjectured-and conjectured only-that Abel in his sacrifices might have respect unto the Sabbath, yet those whom we may better trust, have affirmed the contrary.

Enoch, as the text tells us, walked with God, and therefore doubt we not, he would carefully have kept the Sabbath had it been required. But of him also, the Fathers generally say the same as they did of others. "Enoch," saith Tertullian, "that righteous man, being neither circumcised nor a Sabbath-keeper, was by the Lord translated, and saw not death; to be an item or instruction unto us, that we, without the burden of the law of Moses, shall be found acceptable unto God."

It is a conclusion in Geography, that if two men do take a journey from the self-same place, round the earth,—the one eastward, the other westward,—and meet in the same place

again, it will appear that he which hath gone east, hath gotten, and that the other going westward hath lost a day in their account. Suppose that a Turk, a Jew, and a Christian, should dwell together at Jerusalem,—whereof the one doth keep his Sabbath on the Friday, the other on the Saturday, and the third sanctifieth the Sunday—then, that upon the Saturday the Turk begin his journey westward, and the Christian eastward, so as both of them compassing the world do meet again in the same place, the Jew continuing where they left him, it will fall out, that the Turk by going westward, having lost a day, and the Christian going eastward, having got a day, one and the same day will be a Friday to the Turk, a Saturday unto the Jew, and a Sunday to the Christian. And now what should these people do when they were returned? If they are bound by nature and the moral law, to sanctify precisely one day in seven, they must then sanctify a day apart from their other countrymen, and, like a crew of Schismatics, divide themselves from the whole body of the church; or to keep order, and comply with other men, must of necessity be forced to go against the law of nature, or the moral law, which ought not to be violated for any by-respect whatever.

The Scripture is exceeding copious in setting down the life and actions of Abraham, as also of the lives and actions of his son and nephews; their flittings and removes, their sacrifices, forms of prayer, and whatsoever

else was signal in the whole course of their affairs; but yet no mention of the Sabbath. Though such a memorable thing as sanctifying of a constant day unto the Lord, might probably have been omitted in the former Patriarchs, of whom there is but little left, save their names and ages, (as if they had been only brought into the story to make way for him,) yet it is strange that in a punctual and particular relation of his life and piety, there should not be one item to point out the Sabbath, had it been observed.-This is enough to make one think there was no such matter. Et quod non invenis usquam, esse putes nusquam-in the poet's language(And what thou dost not find any where, thou mayest conclude to be no where.)

I grant, indeed, that Abraham kept THE CHRISTIAN SABBATH in righteousness and holiness, serving the Lord his God all the days of his life; and so did Isaac and Jacob.

Our venerable Bede, also, hath affirmed as much, that Abraham kept indeed the spiritual Sabbath, whereby he always rested from the servile works of sin; but that he kept or sanctified any other Sabbath, the Christian fathers deny unanimously.

"What" (saith Eusebius) "shall we say of "Job?—that just, that pious, that most blame"less man. What was the rule whereby he "squared his life, and governed his devo"tions? Was any part of Moses' law? Not 66 So. Was any keeping of the Sabbath, or "observation of any other Jewish order?