Of the morality of the fourth commandment as still in force to bind Christians…Of the morality of the fourth commandement as still in force to binde Christians…

and lastly Damascene, ¹When there was no Law nor Scripture of divine, inspiration, nor ²Sabbath consecrated unto God. For as for Bede (alleged by Pererius to that purpose, in his Hexameron) I find in that place nothing answerable thereunto. Now Hospinian is of opinion that these passages of the Ancients are to be understood of the rigorous observation of the Sabbath among the Jews; I add, or in reference to the other Sabbaths commanded in the Law of Moses; or lastly in reference to the manner of solemnizing them among the Jews, who we know had a peculiar Sacrifice ordained for the Sabbaths; and this I prove by these reasons. First, they deliver this as a thing well known; for they take ⟨p. 13⟩no pains to prove it. Now consider, what ground could they have for the custom of the Patriarchs before the Flood, especially considering that the testimony of Moses, Gen. 2. 3. is far better evidence for the keeping of a weekly Sabbath, in a moral way only, than any they could bring to the contrary. Secondly, then again, could they have better grounds for the practise of those ancient Patriarchs both before, and after the Flood than the Jews themselves? I presume none will be so immodest as to affirm this; and if they had any such evidence, it stood them upon to produce it, especially in dealing against the Jews. Thirdly, they deliver this as a thing undeniable by the Jews themselves, with whom they deal in this particular: but the Jews had no such faith, as to believe that the ancient Patriarchs never observed the weekly Sabbath. For none are of this opinion but such as think that passage Gen. 2. 3. of Gods blessing the seventh day and hallowing it, was not delivered of that present time, as if then God ordained it should be sanctified, but only by way of anticipation for the time to come. But this was not the opinion of the Jews, Manasseh Ben Israel a modern Rabbin, in his book entitled The Reconciler, Conciliator, according to the argument of that his writing, which is to reconcile places of Scripture, in show disagreeing; and that upon enquiry into all the Rabbins both ancient and later; in his 36. Question upon Exodus, writes thus, as out of the opinion of the Ancients; those words, Thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in Egypt, observe how he expounds them;