N13259:617
Sermons, on the following subjects
Sermons, on the following subjects; The manner in which salvation is to be sought. The unreasonableness of indetermination in religion. Unbelievers contemn the glory of Christ. The folly of looking back in fleeing out of Sodom. The warnings of Scripture in the best manner adapted to the awakening and conversion of sinners. Hypocrites deficient in the duty of prayer. The future punishment of the wicked unavoidable and intolerable. The eternity of hell-torments. The peace which Christ gives his true followers. The perpetuity & change of the Sabbath. / By the late Reverend Mr. Jonathan Edwards, president of the College of New-Jersey.
Hartford: printed by Hudson and Goodwin, 1780
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 particular determination of the proportion of time in the fourth commandment, is also founded in the nature of things, only our understandings are not sufficient absolutely to determine i• of themselves. We have observed already, that without doubt one proportion of time is in itself fitter than another, and a certain continuance of time fitter than any other, considering the universal state and nature of mankind; which GOD may see, though our understandings are not perfect enough absolutely to determine it. So that the difference between this command and others, doth not lie in this, that other ⟨p. 234⟩commands are founded in the fitness of, the things themselves, arising from the universal state and nature of mankind, and this not: but only in this, that the fitness of other commands is more obvious to the understandings of men, and they might have seen it of themselves; but this could not be precisely discovered and positively determined without the assistance of revelation.
SO that the command of GOD, that every seventh day should be devoted to religious exercises, is founded in the universal state and nature of mankind, as well as other commands; only man's reason is not sufficient, without divine direction, so exactly to determine it: Though perhaps man's reason is sufficient to determine, that it ought not to be much seldomer, nor much oftener than once in seven days.
5. IT further confirms it, that it is the mind and will of GOD, that such a weekly sabbath should for ever be kept, that GOD appears in his word as laying abundantly more weight on this precept concerning the sabbath, than on any precept of the ceremonial law; not only by inserting it in the decalogue, and making it one of the ten commands, which were delivered by GOD with an audible voice, by writing it with his own finger on the tables of stone, which were the work of GOD in the mount, and by appointing it afterwards to be written on the tables which Moses made: but as the keeping of the weekly sabbath is spoken of by the prophets, as that wherein consists a great part of holiness of life; and as it is inserted among moral duties, as particularly in