A53694:235
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.
The Polytheism that prevailed amongst the best of the Heathens, their open profession of living unto themselves, and seeking after their Happiness in themselves, with many other Instances make this evident. And if Revelation or Scripture Light contributed no more to the Discovery of the Postulata of the Law of Nature, but by a removal of those Prejudices, which the manner and fashion of the world amongst men, and a corrupt conversation received by Tradition from one Generation to another had fixed on, and possessed their minds withal, yet were the Advantages we have by it unto this end, unspeakable. Let then this help be supposed, and let a Judgement be made of the Injunctions of the Law of Nature, rather by its condemning Right and Power, than by its Directive Light, (for that in our lapsed estate is a better [Greek or Hebrew] of its Commands, than the other) ⟨p. 159⟩and we shall find it manifesting it self in this matter. For on this supposition, let those who will not acknowledge, that the Observation of one Day in seven, is to be separated unto God for the Ends declared, allowing the Assertion before laid down of the necessity of the separation of some stated Time to that purpose, fix to themselves any other Time in a certain Revolution of Days, and they will undoubtedly find themselves pressed with so many Considerations from the Law of their Creation to the contrary, as will give them little Rest or satisfaction in their minds, in what they do.
The Polutheisme that prevailed amongst the best of the Heathens, their open profession of living unto themselves, and seeking after their Happiness in themselves, with many other Instances make this evident. And if Revelation or Scripture Light contributed no more to the Discovery of the Postulata of the Law of Nature, but by a removal of those Prejudices, which the manner and fashion of the world amongst men, and a corrupt conversation received by Tradition from one Generation to another had fixed on, and possessed their minds withal, yet were the Advantages we have by it unto this end, unspeakable. Let then this help be supposed, and let a Judgement be made of the Injunctions of the Law of Nature, rather by its condemning Right and Power, than by its Directive Light, (for that in our lapsed estate is a better 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 of its Commands, than the other) ⟨p. 159⟩