A47576:369
The Jewish Sabbath abrogated, or, The Saturday Sabbatarians confuted in two parts
The Jewish Sabbath abrogated, or, The Saturday Sabbatarians confuted in two parts : first, proving the abrogation of the old seventh-day Sabbath : secondly, that the Lord's-Day is of divine appointment : containing several sermons newly preached upon a special occasion, wherein are many new arguments not found in former authors / by Benjamin Keach.The Jewish Sabbath abrogated, or, The Saturday Sabbatarians confuted in two parts : first, proving the abrogation of the old seventh-day Sabbath : secondly, that the Lord's-Day is of divine appointment : containing several sermons newly preach'd upon a special occasion, wherein are many new arguments not found in former authors / by Benjamin Keach.
London: printed by John Marshall, 1700
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
But if the precise Seventh-day Sabbath was a pure moral Precept, equal with, and of the same nature of that Precept of showing Mercy, there had been no ground for our Lord thus to have answered the Jews: for if it had been ⟨p. 88⟩[…] ⟨p. 89⟩[…] ⟨p. 90⟩so, no doubt he would have said, I must indeed blame my Disciples, because they have broke one of God's righteous Precepts, whose Nature and Quality is above that of David's eating of Show-bread, or Sacrifices. But he who was the great Expounder of the Law, knew best the vast difference between a moral Precept, and such as their Sabbath and Sacrifices were.
But if the precise Seventh-day Sabbath was a pure moral Precept, equal with, and of the same nature of that Precept of shewing Mercy, there had been no ground for our Lord thus to have answered the Jews: for if it had been ⟨p. 88⟩〈…〉 ⟨p. 89⟩〈…〉 ⟨p. 90⟩so, no doubt he would have said, I must indeed blame my Disciples, because they have broke one of God's righteous Precepts, whose Nature and Quality is above that of David's eating of Shew-bread, or Sacrifices. But he who was the great Expounder of the Law, knew best the vast difference between a moral Precept, and such as their Sabbath and Sacrifices were.
Our late Annotators on this place, express themselves to this purpose: The meaning is, that God preferreth Mercy before Sacrifices; where two Laws in respect of some Circumstances, seem to clash one with another, so as we cannot obey both, our Obedience is due to the more excellent Law. Now, saith our Saviour, the Law of Mercy is the more excellent Law; God prefers it before Sacrifice; which had you considered, you would never have accused my Disciples, who in this point are guiltless. Why a more excellent Law? Is it not because the one is a moral Law proceeding from God's Nature, and the other but merely positive and Typical, and so arbitrary? And why do the Annotators apply that to Sacrifices? Our Lord remotely refers to that, but directly and immediately to the Seventh-day Sabbath, and mentions Sacrifices to show that the precise Seventh-day Sabbath was no moral Law, but of the same nature with the Law of Sacrifices, and that of the Show-bread.