A53694:187
Exercitations concerning the name, original, nature, use, and continuance of a day of sacred…
Exercitations concerning the name, original, nature, use, and continuance of a day of sacred rest wherein the original of the Sabbath from the foundation of the world, the morality of the Fourth commandment with the change of the Seventh day are enquired into : together with an assertion of the divine institution of the Lord's Day, and practical directions for its due observation / by John Owen.
London: printed by R.W. for Nath. Ponder, 1671
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.
§. 3 Unto these two sorts do all Divine Laws belong, and unto these Heads they may be all reduced. And it is pleaded by some, that these kinds of Laws are contradistinct; so that a Law of one kind, can in no sense be a Law in the other. And this doubtless is true reduplicatively, because they have especial formal Reasons. As far, and wherein, any Laws are Positive, they are not Moral; and as far as they are purely Moral, they are not formally Positive, though given after the manner of positive Commands. Howbeit this hinders not but that some do judge, that there may be and are Divine Laws of a mixed nature. For there may be in a Divine Law, a foundation in, and respect unto somewhat that is Moral, which yet may stand in need of the superaddition of a Positive Command for its due Observation unto its proper End. Yea, the Moral Reason of things commanded, which ariseth out of a due natural Respect unto God, and the order of the Universe, may be so deep and hidden, as that God who would make the Way of his Creatures plain and easy, gives out express positive Commands for ⟨p. 120⟩the Observance, of what is antecedently necessary by the Law of our Creation. Hence a Law may partake of both these Considerations, and both of them have an equal influence into its Obligatory Power. And by this means sundry Duties, some Moral, some Positive, are as it were compounded in one Observance; as may be instanced in the great Duty of Prayer; Hence the whole Law of that Observance becomes of a mixed nature, which yet God can separate at his pleasure, and taking away that which is Positive, leave only that which is absolutely Moral in force. And this kind of Laws, which have their Foundation in the nature of things themselves, which yet stand in need of farther Direction for their due Observation, which is added unto them by Positive Institution, some call Moral Positive.
§. 3 Unto these two sorts do all Divine Laws belong, and unto these Heads they may be all reduced. And it is pleaded by some, that these kinds of Laws are contradistinct; so that a Law of one kind, can in no sense be a Law in the other. And this doubtless is true reduplicatively, because they have especial formal Reasons. As far, and wherein, any Laws are Positive, they are not Moral; and as far as they are purely Moral, they are not formally Positive, though given after the manner of positive Commands. Howbeit this hinders not but that some do judge, that there may be and are Divine Laws of a mixt nature. For there may be in a Divine Law, a foundation in, and respect unto somewhat that is Moral, which yet may stand in need of the superaddition of a Positive Command for its due Observation unto its proper End. Yea, the Moral Reason of things commanded, which ariseth out of a due natural Respect unto God, and the order of the Universe, may be so deep and hidden, as that God who would make the Way of his Creatures plain and easie, gives out express positive Commands for