fifted in the knowledge and enjoyment of the ever bleffed God, was not however eternal life; but, in its nature, was different from that unfpeakable gift which, through grace, is beflowed upon believers; which truth, it has been thought, was intimated by the circumflance of this life of man being breathed into his noftrils. The eternal life is clearly defined in the fcriptures to confift in that com'mandment 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 Christ whom thou haft fent: and this knowledge certainly Adam did not poffefs.

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 bleifedness of the Lord Chrift; and alfo the divine benevolence in the appointment of him to be the head of the world, and in thus railing 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 Ser vant, and the Son, and offers the most 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 refted on the feventh day from all his work which he had made. And God bleffed the feventh day, and fanctified it: becaufe that in it he had refted from all his work, which God created and made.

The firft Sabbath refpected merely the fin ifhing of the work of creation, and the divine pleafure, 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 obfervance of this day being at firft enjoined upon men, yet, the knowledge of its being fo fanctified and blessed 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, fuch as the following: The Lord faid unto Noah,

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Come thou and all thy houfe into the ark: For yet feven days, and I will cause 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 stayed yet other seven 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 leven 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 alfo 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 à Sabbath, and to a Sabbath of Sabbaths;: fuch as the clean beafls 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 Sabbaih respected, not only the finishing of the work of creation, but also the finishing of the fervice-work of the law, and the releafe of God's people from the bondage of a fervice flate; and, therefore, in addition to the reafon of God's having refled 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 ftretched out arm; therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the fabbath day.

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

The Chriftian Sabbath, together with both the forenamed things, refpects also the accomplishment of the Church's warfare, and clofe of the militant flate, by a final victory over Sin and Death and all the powers of Earth and Hell. This gofpel reft is the perfect day, the Sabbath of Sabbaths; concern ing which it is faid in Ifaiah; Yet a very little while, and the indignation fhall ceafe, and mine anger in their deftruction. He shall fmite 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 root of Feffe, which fball stand for an enfign of the people; to it fhall 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 promife 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 rest. 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 hall enter into my reft; which manner of expreffion implies that the rest was future. And 7th and 8th verfes. Again be limiteth a certain day, Jaying in David, To-day it ye will bear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jefus had given them reft, then would be not afterward have spoken of another day.

There remaineth therefore a reft to the people of God. And though the obfervance of the Chriflian Sabbath be not exprefsly enjoined, as were all things under the law; for it was agreeable 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