fifted in the knowledge and enjoyment of the ever bleffed God, was not however eternal life; but, in its nature, was different from that unspeakable gift which, through grace, is beftowed upon believers; which truth, it has been thought, was intimated by the circumftance of this life of man being breathed into his noftrils. The eternal life is clearly defined in the fcriptures to confift in that commandment of the Father which fent his Son Jefus Chrift into the world, including the reward of his filial obedience. This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent: and this knowledge certainly Adam did not possess.

But, being united to God by that divine medium of light and knowledge, which is the breath of life, man became a living foul, enjoying the glory and felicity of his Maker, and thereby illuftrating the excellency and bleffednefs of the Lord Chrift; and alfo the divine benevolence in the appointment of him to be the head of the world, and in thus raifing up his creatures to a communion with him in his glory.

Section 5. The Sabbath.

The Ordinance of the Sabbath refpects the whole doctrine of Chrift; it embraces amply the threefold glory of the Beginning, the Servant, and the Son, and offers the moft clear and perfect illuftration of the divine theory.

The Apoftle fpeaking of the Sabbaths enjoined by the law, fays, they are a fhadow of things to come; but the body is of Chrift, Col. ii. 17. The Sabbath was inftituted by the Creator, upon his finishing the heavens and the earth, and all the hoft of them, after fix days; And on the feventh day God ended the work which he had made: and he rested on the feventh day from all his work which he had made. And God bleed the feventh day, and fanctified it: because that in it he had refted from all his work, which God created and made.

The first Sabbath respected merely the finifhing of the work of creation, and the divine pleasure, in the glory of his eternal purpose, unfolded in the world of nature; and this reafon only was then affigned for the fanctification of the feventh day, that in it God refted from all his work. But as this work of creation was the broad foundation, and every way exact beginning of the difplay of Chrift, we must conceive of the divine mind as contemplating therein the whole glorious exhibition; and that this was, indeed, the holy and bleffed reft of God-the perfect day, which opened, as it were, upon all his finifhed work.

And though no mention is made of the observance of this day being at firft enjoined upon men, yet, the knowledge of its being fo fanctified and bleffed of God, was a fufficient reafon for its being regarded as an holy and bleffed day; and there are fome notices of its being obferved, in the divifions of time by feven days, before the giving of the law, such as the following: The Lord faid unto Noak,

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Come thou and all thy houfe into the ark: For yet feven days, and I will caufe it to rain upon the earth, Gen. vii.-Alfo Noah fent forth a dove from him, to fee if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground. But the dove found no reft for the fole of her foot, And he flayed yet other feven days, and again he fent forth the dove out of the ark. And the dove came in to him in the evening, and lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off: fo Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth. And he stayed yet other feven days, and fent forth the dove, which returned not again unto him any more, chap viii.-Jofeph made a mourning for his father in the borders of Canaan feven days. There is also the mention of weeks before the law; and fome have fuppofed there was a reference to the Sabbath in the account of the offerings of Cain and Abel, which are faid to have been made at the end of days. Many events took place in this difpenfation of time, which clearly pointed to a Sabbath, and to a Sabbath of Sabbaths; fuch as the clean beafts and fowls going into the ark by fevens, the terms of Jacob's fervices in Syria, and the feven plentiful years, and the feven years of famine in Egypt.

The Jewish Sabbath respected, not only the finishing of the work of creation, but also the finifhing of the fervice-work of the law, and the release of God's people from the bondage of a fervice fiate; and, therefore, in addition to the reafon of God's having refted from his works of creation, which is introduced into the fourth commandment, this is alfo ex

prefsly given, Keep the fabbath day to fanctify it, as the Lord thy God bath commanded thee. And remember that thou waft a fervant in Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence, through a mighty hand, and by a Stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the fabbath day.

The fervice of Ifrael in Egypt is often ufed as a reprefentation of the fervice work under the bondage of the law; as alfo, their deliverance from that bondage is used to reprefent the great redemption from fin and wrath, by our Lord Jefus Chrift. The works of the law are properly called our own works, as the righteoufnefs of the law is fitly ftyled our own righteoufnefs; for the deeds of the law which compofe this righteoufnefs, naturally belong to the ftate of creatures, and are indifpenfably requifite in the fubjects of moral government; and, therefore, the Apoftle to the Hebrews, fpeaking of the emancipation of belevers from the fervice-work of the law, fays, He that is entered into his reft, be alfo bath ceafed from his own works, as God did from

bis.

The Chriftian Sabbath, together with both the forenamed things, refpects alfo the accomplishment of the Church's warfare, and clofe of the militant ftate, by a final victory over Sin and Death and all the of powers Earth and Hell. This gofpel reft is the perfect day, the Sabbath of Sabbaths; concerning which it is faid in Ifaiah; Yet a very little while, and the indignation fhall ceafe, and mine anger in their deftruction. He shall finite the

earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips fhall be flay the wicked. And in that day there shall be a rost of Jesse, which fball ftand for an enfign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles feek, and his reft, or fabbath shall be glorious.

In the fourth chapter of Hebrews, the truth of the Sabbath is established and illuftrated in these three diftinct relations; once by a reference to the reft which fucceeded the work of creation; again, by the promise which was made to the people going out of Egypt; and again by the tribes of Ifrael fitting down in Canaan, at the conclufion of the wars of Jofhua; all which Sabbaths, it is fhewn, were clearly fignificant of another day, and looked forward, and pointed to a future reft. See ver. 4. For be jpake in a certain place of the Jeventh day on this wife, and God did reft on the feventh day from all his works: and ver. 5. Again, If they fall enter into my reft; which manner of expreffion implies that the reft was future. And 7th and 8th verfes. Again be limitetḥ a certain day, faying in David, To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your For if Jefus had given them reft, then would be not afterward have spoken of another day.

bearts.

There remaineth therefore a reft to the people of God. And though the obfervance of the Chriftian Sabbath be not exprefsly enjoined, as were all things under the law; for it was a greeable to the nature of that difpenfation, which was the fervant flate, that all things fhould be laid down by precept, and by line; yet there is no room to doubt of the obliga