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

At present we know, that the Light of Nature is so defective, or so impotent in giving Indications of it self, that many Nations left destitute of Divine Revelation, or wilfully rejecting it, have lived and approved themselves in open Transgressions of the Law of it, as hath been showed. The Apostle gives sundry Instances of that kind, amongst them who most boasted themselves to attend to the Dictates of Right Reason, Rom. 1. All Idolaters, Polygamists, Fornicators, and those who constantly lived on Spoil and Rapine, approving themselves, or not condemning themselves in what they did, are Testimonies hereof. That alone then is not to be pretended to be of the Law of Nature, which all men acknowledge to be a part of it, nor is every thing to be rejected from having a place therein, which some have lived in a secure transgression of, and others say, that it gives no Indications of it self; but that is to be understood to ⟨p. 170⟩belong thereunto, which by the diligent consideration of all means and advantages of knowledge, may be found to be congruous to all the other known and allowed Principles and Maxims of it, and to have its Foundation in it, being what Originally God by any means instructed our Nature in, as that which belonged unto our living unto him. And it may be a man may sooner learn, what is Natural Duty to God, in and from corrupted Nature, by the Opposition that it will make unto its Practice, as it is corrupted, than by the Light and Guidance it will give unto it, as Nature. It is also, as we have observed, more discernible in its judging and condemning what is done contrary unto it, than in directing unto what it did originally require.

At present we know, that the Light of Nature is so defective, or so impotent in giving Indications of it self, that many Nations left destitute of Divine Revelation, or wilfully rejecting it, have lived and approved themselves in open Transgressions of the Law of it, as hath been shewed. The Apostle gives sundry Instances of that kind, amongst them who most boasted themselves to attend to the Dictates of Right Reason, Rom. 1. All Idolaters, Polygamists, Fornicators, and those who constantly lived on Spoil and Rapine, approving themselves, or not condemning themselves in what they did, are Testimonies hereof. That alone then is not to be pretended to be of the Law of Nature, which all men acknowledge to be a part of it, nor is every thing to be rejected from having a place therein, which some have lived in a secure transgression of, and others say, that it gives no Indications of it self; but that is to be understood to