5. Neither is this opinion amongst them universal. Some of their most famous masters are otherwise minded; for they both judge that the Sabbath was instituted in paradise, and that the law of it was equally obligatory unto all nations in the world. Of this mind are
292 OF THE ORIGINAL OF THE SABBATH. [EXERC. 1.
Maimonides, Aben Ezra, Abarbanel, and others; for they expressly refer the revelation of the Sabbath unto the sanctification and bene- diction of the first seventh day, Gen. ii. 3. The Targum on the title of Ps. xcii. ascribes that psalm to Adam, as spoken by him on the Sabbath day ; whence Austin esteemed this rather the general opi- nion of the Jews, Tractat. 20 in Johan. And Manasseh Ben Israel, lib. de Creat. Problem. 8, proves out of sundry of their own authors that the Sabbath was given unto and observed by the patri- archs, before the coming of the people into the wilderness. In particular, that it was so by Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph, he confirms by testimonies out of the Scripture not to be despised. Philo Judeeus and Josephus, both of them more ancient and more learned than any of the Talmudical doctors, expressly assign the original of the Sabbath unto that of the world. Philo calls it, Tod xéomov yevectoy, “The day of the world’s nativity ;” and ‘Eopriy od pustis WOAEWS A xapus GAAw rod ravrés, “ A feast not of one city or country, but of the whole world,’ De Opificio Mundi, et de Vita Mos. lib. i, To the same purpose speaks Josephus, lib. 1. cont. Apion. And the words of Abarbanel are sufficiently express in this matter: wip noxdo min nodes inpssnaw ays ‘yawn oy ny mosandy yaad San AD OY AAW ANA INS Twy 7p" naxbp INWYI DIWA W3 PIN) DY j;— “He sanctified and separated the seventh day unto glory and honour, because on its approach the work of heaven and earth was perfected and finished,.... even asa man when he hath performed an honour- able work and perfected it maketh a banquet and a day of feasting.” And yet more evident is that of Maimon. Tract. Kiddush Hakkodesh, cap. i: nyy move Ins Saw mws12 nay ys oN $$ mDD AT AN pS DY IMIS APY PT MD MEAP YY TY ToD ITT PT MN Ads yas naw IN YN Dy xin win wxi;—“ The vision or sight of the moon is not delivered to all men, as was the Sabbath bereschith” (or “in the beginning”). “ For every man can number six [days] and rest on the seventh: but it is committed to the house of judgment” (the san- hedrin), that is, to observe the appearances of the moon; “and when the sanhedrin declareth and pronounceth that it is the new moon, or the beginning of the month, then it is to be taken so to be.” He distinguisheth their sacred feasts into the weekly Sabbath and the new moons, or those that depended awd rig pdoewe rig ceAqune, “upon the appearing of the new moon.” The first he calls naw mwa, “Sabbath bereschith,’ the Sabbath instituted at the crea- tion ; for so, from the first of Genesis, they often express technically the work of the creation. This, he says, was given to every man; for there is no more required to the due observation of it, in point of time, but that a man be able to reckon six days, and so rest on the seventh. But now for the observation of the new moons, for all feasts
SECT. 6.] OF THE ORIGINAL OF THE SABBATH. 293
that depended on the variations of her appearances, this was pecu- liar to themselves, and the determination of it left unto the sanhe- drin. For they trusted not unto astrological computations merely as to the changes of the moon, but sent persons unto sundry high places to watch and observe her first appearances; which if they answered the general established rules, then they proclaimed the beginning of the feast to be. So Maimon. Kiddush Hakkodesh, cap. ii.
And Philippus Guadagnolus, A pol. pro Christiana Relig, part. i. cap. vili., shows that Ahmed Ben Zin, a Persian Mohammedan, whom he confutes, affirmed that the institution of the Sabbath was from the creation of the world. This, indeed, he reflects upon in his adversary with a saying out of the Koran, Azoar. 3, where those that sabbatize are cursed: which yet will not serve his purpose; for in the Koran ~ respect is had to the Jewish Sabbath, or the seventh day of the week precisely, while one day of seven only is pleaded by Ahmed to have been appointed from the foundation of the world. I know some learned men have endeavoured to elude most of the testimonies which are produced to manifest the opinion of the most ancient Jews in this matter; but I know also that their exceptions might be easily removed, would the nature of our present design admit of a contest to that purpose.
6. We come now to the consideration of those different opinions concerning the original of the Sabbath which are embraced and con- tended about amongst learned men, yea, and unlearned also, of the present age and church. And rejecting the conceit of the Jews about the station in Marah, which very few think to have any probability at- tending it, there are two opinions in this matter that are yet pleaded for. The first is, that the Sabbath had its institution, precept, or warranty for its observation, in paradise, before the fall of man, immediately upon the finishing of the works of creation. This is thought by many to be plainly and positively asserted, Gen. ii. 3; and our apostle seems directly to confirm it, by placing the blessing of the seventh day as the immediate consequent of the finishing of the works of God from the foundation of the world, Heb. iv. 3, 4 Others refer the institution of the Sabbath to the precept given about its observation in the wilderness of Sin, Exod. xvi. 22-26; for those who deny its original from the beginning, or a morality in its law, cannot assert that it was first given on Sinai, or had its spring in the decalogue, nor can give any peculiar reason why it should be inserted therein, seeing express mention is made of its observation some while before the giving of the law there. These, therefore, make it a mere typical institution, given, and that without the solemnity of the giving of other solemn institutions, to the church of the Hebrews only. And those of this judgment, some of them, con-