The law unsealed

This Fourth pointeth out the Time which most solemnly the Lord will have set apart for his Worship, that so He, who is both Lord of us, and of our time, may show what share he has reserved as a Tribute due to himself, who hath liberally vouchsafed on us the rest; which time is not to be understood exclusively, as if he would have only that spent in worship (there being no exclusive determination of the frequency of the exercises of worship, or duration of them in Scripture, that is to say, that they shall be so long and so often, and no longer, nor oftener) but that he will precisely have this time as an acknowledgement from us, even as when he gave Adam the use of all the Trees in the Garden, he reserved one; so when he giveth six days to us, he keepeth a seventh for himself.

This Fourth pointeth out the Time which most solemnly the Lord will have set apart for his Worship, that so He, who is both Lord of us, and of our time, may shew what share he has reserved as a Tribute due to himself, who hath liberally vouchsafed on us the rest; which time is not to be understood exclusively, as if he would have onely that spent in worship (there being no exclusive determination of the frequency of the exercises of worship, or duration of them in Scripture, that is to say, that they shall be so long and so often, and no longer, nor oftner) but that he will precisely have this time as an acknowledgement from us, even as when he gave Adam the use of all the Trees in the Garden, he reserved one; so when he giveth six dayes to us, he keepeth a seventh for himself.

This Command is placed in a manner betwixt the two Tables, because it is a transition as it were from the one to the other, and containeth in it duties of immediate Service to God, and of Charity towards men, and so in some sort serveth to reconcile (if we may speak so) the two Tables, and to knit them together, that so their harmony may be the more clearly seen: It is also more largely and fully set down for plurality and variety of expressions and words, then any other in either of the Tables; yet hath it notwithstanding, been in all times in a special manner assaulted and set upon, and endeavours used to overturn it: Satan aiming sometimes to darken the meaning of it, sometimes to loose from the strict tie of observing it, and that not only by old Sabbatarians, Anti-sabbatarians, and corrupt School men, but even by those whom God hath made Orthodox in the main; And especially by a Generation in these days, who having a hatred at all Ordinances, and at all the Commands of the Decalogue, yet do especially vent it against this Command; because in it is contained a main foundation of Godliness. As it is wonderfully great presumption for men to assault and set upon Gods Authority, even where he hath strengthened himself (as it were) most, by more full explication, and more large and particular pressing of duty, and forbidding of the contrary sin, as he hath done in this Command, more then in any of all the rest; So it will be necessary before we can speak to the practical part of piety comprehended in it, concerning the sanctification of the Christian Sabbath, or Lords day, either in the negative or positive part of it, to speak doctrinally (for clearing of the precept) to these three.