A53694:372
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. The Apostle proposeth the three-fold state of the Church unto consideration: (1) The state of it under the Law of Nature or Creation. (2) The state of it under the Law of Institutions, and carnal Ordinances. (3) That then introducing under the Gospel. Accordingly have we distinguished our Discourses concerning a Sabbatical Rest, in our third, and fourth, and this present Exercitation. To each of these he assigns a distinct Rest of God, a Rest of the Church, entering into Gods Rest, and a Day of Rest, as the means and pledge thereof. And withal he manifests that the two former were ordered to be previous Representations of the latter, though not equally, nor on the same account.
3. The Apostle proposeth the three-fold state of the Church unto consideration: (1) The state of it under the Law of Nature or Creation. (2) The state of it under the Law of Institutions, and carnal Ordinances. (3) That then introducing under the Gospel. Accordingly have we distinguished our Discourses concerning a Sabbatical Rest, in our third, and fourth, and this present Exercitation. To each of these he assigns a distinct Rest of God, a Rest of the Church, entring into Gods Rest, and a Day of Rest, as the means and pledge thereof. And withall he manifests that the two former were ordered to be previous Representations of the latter, though not equally, nor on the same account.
First, He considers the Church and the state of it under the Law of nature, before the entrance of sin; and herein he shows first that there was a Rest of God in it; for saith he, the works were finished from the foundation of the world, and God did rest from all his works, verse 3, 4. As the foundation of all, he layeth down first the works of God. For the Church and every peculiar state of the Church is founded in the work, some especial work of God, and not merely in a Law or Command. The works saith he, were finished from the foundation of the world; [Greek or Hebrew], the works; [Greek or Hebrew], the work, that is of God, the effect ⟨p. 372⟩of his creating power, was finished or completed; [Greek or Hebrew], from the foundation of the world: a Periphrasis of the six original Days, wherein time, and all things measured by it, and existent with it, had their beginning. This work of God, as hath been proved Exercit. 3. was the foundation of the Church in the state of Nature, and gave unto it the entire Law of its obedience.