Exercitations concerning the name, original, nature, use, and continuance of a day of sacred…

§. 5 Others building on this Foundation, that the Dedication of some part of our Time to the Worship of God, is a duty Natural or Moral, as required by the Law of our Creation, (not that Time in it self which is but a circumstance of other things, can be esteemed Moral, but that our observation of Time may be a Moral Duty) do add; that the Determination of one Day in seven, to be that portion of Time so to be dedicated, is inseparable from the same foundation, and is of the same Nature with it; That is, that the Sabbatical Observation of one Days Holy Rest in seven, hath a Moral Precept for its Warranty, or that which hath the nature of a Moral Precept in it; so that although the Revolution of Time in seven Days, and the confining of the Day to that determined ⟨p. 123⟩season, do depend on Revelation and a Fositive Command of God for its Observance, yet on supposition thereof, the Moral Precept prevails in the whole, and is everlastingly Obligatory. And there are some Divines of great Piety and Learning, who do judge, that a Command of God given unto all men, and equally Obligatory unto all, respecting their manner of living unto God, is to be esteemed a Moral Command, and that indispensable and unchangeable; although we should not be able to discover the Reason of it in the Light and Law of Nature. Nor can such a Command be reckoned amongst them that are merely positive, arbitrary, and changeable, all which depend on sundry other things, and do not firstly affect men, as men in general. And it is probable, that God would not give out any such Catholic Command, which comprised not somewhat naturally Good and Right in it. And this is the best measure and Determination of what is Moral, and not our Ability of discovering by Reason what is so, and what is not; as we shall see afterwards.

§. 5 Others building on this Foundation, that the Dedication of some part of our Time to the Worship of God, is a duty Natural or Moral, as required by the Law of our Creation, (not that Time in it self which is but a circumstance of other things, can be esteemed Moral, but that our observation of Time may be a Moral Duty) do add; that the Determination of one Day in seven, to be that portion of Time so to be dedicated, is inseparable from the same foundation, and is of the same Nature with it; That is, that the Sabbatical Observation of one Dayes Holy Rest in seven, hath a Moral Precept for its Warranty, or that which hath the nature of a Moral Precept in it; so that although the Revolution of Time in seven Dayes, and the confining of the Day to that determined