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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77854	Vindiciæ legis: or, A vindication of the morall law and the covenants, from the errours of papists, Arminians, Socinians, and more especially, Antinomians. In XXIX. lectures, preached at Laurence-Jury, London. / By Anthony Burgess, preacher of Gods Word.	Burgess, Anthony, d. 1664.	1646 (1646)	Wing B5666; Thomason E357_3; ESTC R201144	253,466	294

It was well said by one that A superstitious man is Gods flatterer and not his friend hee is more officious then needes and where a man is busie ubi non oportet said Tertullian he is negligent ubi oportet Such carnall sensible worshippers are well compared to those that because they have no children delight in birds and dogs so because they have no true graces of the Spirit of God they delight in these imitations 2. To appoint mediatours between us and God This was the 2. Because its prone to appoint mediatours between God and us great Argument of the Heathens they thought themselves unworthy and therefore appointed others to mediate between them and God which Argument of the Heathens some of the Fathers wrote against But doe not the Papists the same thing Doe not they tell us Petitioners at the Court doe not addresse themselves immediatly to the Prince but get Favourites to speak for them so must we to God And therefore Salmeron doth give some reasons why it s more piety and religion to pray to God and Saints together then to God alone But is not this to forget Christ our head who is made nearer to us then Angels are And indeed Angels are reconciled to us by Christ If therefore we follow the light of Nature thus we shall fall into the ditch at last and superstition is never more dangerous then when it s coloured over with the specious colours of Arguments 3. To doe all by way of compensation and satisfaction to God 3. Because it performes all duties by way of compensation merit Upon this ground were all the sacrifices of the Heathens And is not all this with Popery Doe they not make all penall things compensative If they pray that is meritorious if they fast that is satisfactory Hence ariseth that seeming not to spare the flesh Col. 3. ult and the Apostle saith it hath a shew of wisedome But the more like any actions are to worship and wisedome and are not so the more loathsome they are as in an Ape that which makes an Ape so much deformed and loathsome is because it is so like a man and is not a man Vse Of Instruction What hath made the idolatry of the Church of Rome so like Paganish and Ethnicall idolatry Even because they followed their light the light of Nature and Reason Look over all their Paganish gods and they have answerable saints As the Heathens had their Ceres and Bacchus and Aesculapius insomuch that Varro said Discendum fuisset quâ de causâ quisque deorum avocandus esset nè à Libero aqua à Lympho vinum optaretur so here they have their St. Martin for the vineyard Christopher for suddaine death Nicholas for mariners c. And this was done at first they say to gaine the Heathens but the contrary fell out Let us then follow the light of Nature no further then wee ought let her be an hand-maid not a mistresse And then we must take heed of going against her where shee doth truely direct Are there not many not onely unchristian but also unnaturall actions let us remember that LECTURE VIII ROM 2. 14. For the Gentiles c. YOu have heard of two things considerable in the law of Nature the knowledge or light of it and the power or ability of it We shall God willing at this time prosecute the doctrine of the former part and the taske we have at this time is to answer some Questions about the light of the Nature for as there are some who depresse it too much so there are others advance it too high The Philosophers called the Christians Credentes by way of reproach because they did not argue by reason but receive upon trust and there are some who doe not indeed with Abilardus make faith aestimatio a fancy yet they make it ratio Let us see therefore what this light can doe by way of answer to some Questions onely not to answer all The first Question Whether a man can by the light of Nature That there is a God may be known by the light of Nature and by the consideration of the creatures come to know there is a God This is denied by Socinians and others Indeed Bellarmine chargeth tenets to this effect upon Calvin but that which the Protestant Authours hold is that he may indeed have a knowledge that there is a God but what this God is whether he be one and what his attributes are they cannot so reach to Nihil Deo notius nihil ignotius otherwise they say there is no naturall Atheist in opinion though many in affections desiring there were no God As Tully argueth let us take heed how we bring this opinion into the world that there is a God lest hereby we bring a great slavery and feare upon our selves Are there not many Polititians have too much of this poyson in their hearts But of this more anon Onely that there is such a knowledge naturall appeareth by some places as first Rom. 1. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That which may be knowne of God for there are some things that by Nature could never be knowne as the Trinity and Incarnation of Christ Now this knowledge is by the book of the creatures This whole universe may be called the lay-mens book Rebus pro speculo utamur we may see the power and wisdome of God in them Tully hath a good comparison As a man that seeth and readeth a book and observeth how every letter is put together to make an harmonious sense must needs gather that all those letters did not fall together by chance but that there was a wise authour in the composing of them so it 's in the world which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 none can think such a sweet compagination of all the parts of it should come together meerly accidentally It 's said to be the speech of one Antony much spoken of in Ecclesiasticall story that he called the world a great volume and the heaven and water and earth were the pages and leaves the stars and living creatures were the letters in those pages and how glorious a letter is the Sun when Eudoxus said he was made onely to behold it The waies and arguments by which Naturalists have proved this have not been by demonstrations à priori for that is impossible but by the effects As a man that cannot see the Sun in it selfe it is so dazeling doth look upon it in a bason of water thus we who cannot know God in himselfe know him in the creatures The second proofe is from Psal 19. compared with Rom. 10. where the Psalmist makes the creatures so many tongues speaking a God yea the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 eructat doth signifie the plenty and serenity as also the fluid eloquence of the heavens and this is quoted by the Apostle And here two doubts are by the way to be removed first Whether that of Bellarmine and others be

a great part of it they make it commonitory and not obligatory and the power of man they make to be the rule of his duty whereas it is plaine by Scripture that that measure of grace which God giveth any man upon earth is not answerable to the duty commanded there It is true Hierome said It was blasphemy to say God commanded any thing impossible but in this sense impossible absolutely so that man could never have fulfilled it 5. When they doe oppose it to Christ. And this was the Jewes 5. When they oppose it to Christ fundamentall errour and under this notion doth the Apostle argue against it in his Epistles to the Romans and Galatians And howsoever they would have compounded Christ and the Law together yet this composition was to make opposition There can be no more two Suns in the firmament then two things to justifie Therefore the reconciliation of the Law and Christ cannot be in matter of justification by way of mixture but yet one is antecedaneous and subordinate to the other and is no more to be opposed then the end to the meanes Nor is it any wonder that the Law through errour may be opposed to Christ seeing that Christ may be opposed to Christ as in Popery Christ sanctifying is opposed to Christ justifying for when we charge them with derogating from Christ in holding our graces doe justifie Nay say they we set him up more then you for we hold He doth make us holy That this holinesse doth justifie Thus you see Christ in his works is opposed to Christ in his justifying And here by the way you may see that that onely is the best way of advancing Christ or grace which is in a Scripture way and not what is possible for us to think as the Papists doe 6. When they look for justification by it and this is a dangerous 6. When they expect justification by it and desperate errour this is that which reigneth in Popery this is that inbred canker-worme that eateth in the hearts of all naturally They know not a Gospel-righteousnesse and for this end they reade the Law they heare it preached onely that they may be selfe-saviours And certainly for this two-fold end I may think God suffers this Antinomian errour to grow first That Ministers may humble themselves they have not set forth Christ and grace in all the glory of it If Bernard said he did not love to reade Tully because he could not reade the Name of Christ there how much rather may we say that in many Sermons in many a mans ministery the drift and end of all his preaching is not that Christ may be advanced And in Christians in Protestants it is a farre greater sin then in Papists for it is well observed by Peter Martyr that the Apostle doth deale more mildly in the Epistle to the Romans then in the Epistle to the Galatians and the reason is because the Galatians were at first well instructed in the matter of justification but afterwards did mixe other things with Christ therefore he thunders against them I desire to know nothing saith Paul 1 Corinth 2. but Jesus Christ and him crucified And secondly another end may be to have these truths beaten out more As The deity of Christ because of the Arrians and Grace in predestination and conversion by the Pelagians so The grace of justification because not onely of Papists but Antinomians And certainly these things were much pressed by Luther at first as appeares in his Epistle to the Galatians but perceiving how this good doctrine was abused he speaks in his Commentary on Genesis which was one of his last workes much against Antinomists But yet because generally people are fallen into a formality of truthes it 's good to set up Christ And the poyson of this opinion will be seen in these things 1. It overthroweth the nature of grace And this holdeth against 1. Justification by the Law overthrowes the nature of grace the workes of the Gospel as well as those of the Law Take notice of this that justification by workes doth not onely exclude the workes of the Law but all workes of the Gospel yea and the workes of grace also Hence you see the opposition is of works and of grace Here the Apostle makes an immediate opposition whereas the Papist would say Paul hath a non sequitur for datur tertium workes of and by grace But workes doe therefore oppose grace because the frequent acception of it in the Scripture is for the favour of God without us not any thing in us I will not deny but that the word grace is used for the effects of it inherent holinesse wrought in us as in that place Grow in grace and knowledge but yet commonly grace is used for the favour of God And the ignorance of the use of the word in Scripture makes them so extoll inherent holinesse as if that were the grace which should save us As saith the Papist a bird cannot fly without wings the fish swimme without scales the Sculler without his oare cannot get to the haven so without this grace wee cannot fly into heaven and that as the meritorius cause But this is ignorance of the word grace and so the troubles and unbeliefe of the godly heart because it is not so holy as it would be cometh from the mistake of the word grace I shall anticipate my selfe in another subject if I should tell you how comprehensive this word is implying no merit or causality on our part for acceptance but the cleane contrary and therefore for God to deale with us in grace is more then in love for Adam if he had continued righteous he had been partaker of life this had been the gift of God but not by the grace of God as it is strictly taken for Adam was not in a contrary condition to life I will not trouble you with Pareus his apprehension that thinketh Adams righteousnesse could not be called grace therefore reproveth Bellarmine for his title De gratia primi hominis neither will hee acknowledge those habits of holinesse in Christ to be called grace because there was not a contrary disposition in his nature to it as it is in ours And this also Cameron presseth that besides the indebitum which grace implyeth in every subject there is also a demeritum of the contrary Thus then justification is of grace because thy holinesse doth not onely not deserve this but the cleane contrary Now what a cordiall may this be to the broken heart exercised with its sinnes How may the sicke say There I finde health the poore say There I finde riches And as for the Papists who say they set up grace and they acknowledge grace yet first it must be set downe in what sense wee take grace It is not every man that talketh of grace doth therefore set up Scripture-grace Who knoweth not that the Pelagians set up grace They determined that whosoever did not

posterity in him although it may truly be thought that Adam did know this precept to be to him and his posterity for hereby his sin is made the more hainous in undoing himselfe and all his as also by the knowledge of this he would be the more thankfull unto God that should propagate such great mercies to him and his and also be made more vigilant against falling 3. In the next place let us consider how God can be said to covenant God enters into Covenant with man by way of condescension makes promises unto him to confirme him in his hope and confidence in him or enter into a promise with man for it may be thought an imperfection and hereby God may seem to lose his right that he cannot doe what he will But this may be easily answered for if God can give good things to man he may also promise to give them and therefore both to give and to promise to give are acts of liberality and dominion and so not repugning to the majesty of God Nor doth God by promising to give lose his dominion no more then he doth by giving It is true a promise doth induce an obligation and so in man it is with some imperfection but in God it is not because he doth not hereby become obliged to us but to his owne selfe so that we have not a right of justice to the thing because God hath promised it to us but onely God cannot deny himself nor his word and therefore we are confident And so Aquinas well Deus non est debitor quia ad alia non ordinatur sed omnia ad ipsum God by covenanting and promising doth not become a debtor because he is not to be ordered for other things but all things for him Hence is that saying of God Reddit debita nulli debens donat debita nihil pendens And so againe Justus est non quia reddit debitum sed quia facit quod decet summè bonum So that when God entreth into a covenant or promise you must conceive of this sutably to his great majesty you must not apprehend of it as when two men agree that are equall and therefore a debt of justice ariseth between them and one may implead the other but as a mercifull condescension on Gods part to promise such things to us that so we might be the more confirmed in our hope in him Hence Durand and Ariminensis labour to prove that Gods promises doe not induce an obligation but denote the disposition of God to give although their arguments exclude onely a debt of justice from God 4. Consider why God will deale with man in a covenant way rather then in a meere absolute supreme way There may be these Reasons 1. That God might hereby sweeten and indeare himselfe to us For God deales with man by way of covenant not of power whereas he might require all obedience from us and annihilate us at last or at least not vouchsafe heaven and everlasting happinesse to shew how good and loving he is he will reward that most bountifully which is otherwise due to him for God did 1. To indeare himselfe unto him not make man because he needed him but that there might be objects to whom he would communicate his love Thou needest not my goodnesse or that extendeth not to thee saith David It 's Austins expression The earth doth farre otherwise dry up or swallow the water thirsting for it then the Sun beames which also consume the water the one doth it indigentiâ out of want the other potentiâ out of power and strength so that Adam could not but have thankfull and loving thoughts of God that would thus condescend 2. Another Reason might be to incite and incourage Adam the 2. To incite man to more obedience more to obedience For howsoever there was no sin in Adam or remisnesse yet this might serve as a meanes to preserve him in his obedience to God And here you may see that to do a duty because of a reward promised is not a slavish and unlawfull thing for did not God deale thus with Adam If he would obey he should live but if not then he must dye Will you say with the Antinomian That this was an unlawfull thing and this was to make Adam legall and one that was not affected with the goodnesse of God to him It is true if a man obey God out of love to any thing more then God or equally with God this is unlawfull according to that Minus te amat qui tecum Domine aliquid amat 3. That hereby Adams obedience might be the more willing and 3. To make this obedience more willing and free free An absolute law might seem to extort obedience but a covenant and agreement makes it to appeare more free and willing as if Adam would have obeyed though there could have been no obligation upon him to doe it 5. Consider that the nature of this Covenant was of workes and not The Covenant God made with Adam was of works not of faith of faith It was not said to Adam Beleeve and have life eternall but Obey even perfect and entire obedience It is true indeed there was faith of adherence and dependance upon God in his promise and word and this faith doth not imply any imperfection of the state of the subject as sinfull which justifying faith doth for it was in Christ who in his temptations and tryalls did trust in God And what the Old Testament calls trusting the New calls beleeving yea some say that this kind of faith shall be in heaven viz. a dependance upon God for the continuance of that happinesse which they doe enjoy This faith therefore Adam had but in that Covenant it was considered as a gracious act and work of the soule not as it is now an organ or instrument to receive and apply Christ With us indeed there is justifying faith and repentance which keeps up a Christians life as the Naturalists say the calor innatus and humidum radicale doe the naturall life Faith is like the calor innatus and Repentance is like the humidum radicale and as the Philosopher saith if the innate heat devoure too much the radicall moisture or the radicall moisture too much the heat there breed presently diseases so it is with us if beleeving make a man repent lesse or repenting make a man beleeve the lesse this turneth to a distemper Yet though it were a Covenant of workes it cannot be said to be of merit Adam though in innocency could not merit that happinesse which God would bestow upon him first because the enjoying of God in which Adams happinesse did consist was such a good as did farre exceed the power and ability of man It 's an infinite good and all that is done by us is finite And then in the next place Because even then Adam was not able to obey any command of God without the help of God

it that so the people might be raised up to fear and reverence of the Law-giver Hence Rev. 4. 5. God is described in his Majestie sitting upon his throne and lightnings with thunders proceeding from him Now it 's very probable that these were raised by God in an extraordinary manner to overcome the heart of the stoutest And in this nature we are still to suppose the Law preached to us for howsoever all that terrour be past yet the effect of it ought to abide upon every man so farre forth as corruption abideth in him for what man is there whose pride lukewarmnesse or any sinfull corruption needs not this awakening It 's said Exod. 19. 18. God descended upon the mount Sinai in a smoake of fire and a cloud all was to shew the incomprehensible Majesty of God as also his terrour to wicked men and in this respect the dispensation of the Gospel was of greater sweetnesse Hence Gal. 4. 24. the Apostle makes this mount Sinai to be Agar generating to bondage This I say must be granted if you speake comparatively with Gospel-dispensations but yet the Psalmist speakes of this resolutely in it self as a great mercy Psal 50. 2. Out of Sion the perfection of beauty God hath shined and the fire about him did signifie his glorious splendour as also his power to overthrow his enemies and consume them so Psal 96. All the earth is bid to rejoyce at the Lords reigning which is described by his solemne giving of the Law which the Church is to rejoyce at yea ver 7. it is applyed to Christ Heb. 7. though the Apostle followes the Septuagint so that if you take these things absolutely they are lookt upon as mercies yea and applyed to Christ And it is made a wonderfull mercy to them that God did thus familiarly reveale himself to them Deut. 4. 7. and Deut. 5. 4 yea learned men think that Christ the Son of God did in the shape of a man deliver this Law to Moses and spake familiarly with him but especially see Deut. 33. 3. where the word loving signifies imbracing by way of protection in the bosome The gifts of the holy Ghost were given with fiery tongues and a mighty rushing wind so that the Gospel is fire as well as the Law 3. Gods immediate writing of these with his own fingers in tables 3. The Law was written by God in Tables of stone to denote the dignity and perpetuity of it What meant by the finger of God of stone Exod. 31. 18. Which honour was not vouchsafed to the other Lawes Now by the Finger of God howsoever some of the Fathers have understood the holy Ghost and because the Finger is of the same essence with the body inferre the holy Ghost to be of the same nature with God yet this conceit is not solid yet Luke 11. 20. that which is called the finger of God is Matth. 12. 28. called the Spirit of God We must therefore understand it of the power and operation of God who caused those words to be written there The matter upon which this is written is said to be tables of stone The Rabbins conceit saying that because it is said of stone in the singular number that therefore it was but one table which sometimes did appeare as one sometimes as two is not worthy the confuting That which is here to be considered and makes much to the dignity of the Law is that it was written by God upon tables of stone to shew the perpetuity and stability of it And howsoever this of it selfe be not a demonstrative argument to establish the perpetuity of the Law against any Antinomian yet it may prevaile with any reasonable man Hence Law-givers that have laboured the stability of their lawes caused them to be ingraven in Brasse or a Marble so Pliny lib. 39. ca. 9. Job 19. 14. speakes of brassie tables ad perpetuitatem monimentorum and Plato as Rhodoginus reports lib. 25. cap. 2. thought that Lawes should be written in tabulis cupressinis quod futuras putabat aterniores quàm aereas It is true there is also a mysticall signification which is not to be rejected because the Apostle alludes to it that hereby was signified the hardnesse of the Jewes heart which could not easily receive that impression of the Law Hence the excellency of the Gospel doth appeare in that it is by grace wrought in the hearts of men But yet this is not so to be understood as if God did not in the old Testament even then write his Law in the hearts of men Therefore that Promise of the Gospel mentioned by Jeremiah is not to be understood exclusively as if God did not at all write his Law in their hearts but comparatively 4. The sad breaking of this Law by the people of Israel As the 4. The Israelites notwithstanding the delivery of this Law was with power and Majesty quickly broke it Law given by God to Adam was immediately broken so this Law given in such a powerfull manner to keep the Israelites in an holy fear and reverence yet how soon was it forgotten by them For upon Moses his delay they presently fell into idolatry Some think they thought Moses was dead and therefore they desired some visible god among them as the Egyptians had and because they worship'd Apis an Oxe hence they made a Calfe wherein their wickednesse was exceeding great though against the truth some Rabbins excuse them from idolatry because they did immediately upon the promulgation of the Law when they had so solemnely promised obedience fall into this sinne and not only so but worshipp'd it and gave the glory of all the benefits they injoyed unto this not as if they were so simple as to think this a god but to worship the true God by this And this confuteth all those distinctions that Idolaters use especially Papists about their false worship We are not to follow our own hearts but the Word As the childe in the wombe liveth by fetching nourishment by the navell only from the mother so doth the Church by fetching instruction and direction from Christ 5. The time of Moses his abode on the Mount This also is observable 5. Moses his abode in the Mount procured authority both to himself and the Law in the story for hereby God did not only procure great ground of Authority for Moses among the people but also unto the Law And therefore as some compare the time of giving the Law with the effusion of the gifts of the holy Ghost in the Gospel making the former to be the fiftieth day of their egresse out of Egypt called Pentecost so at the same time the holy Ghost was given to the Church Thus also they compare Moses forty dayes upon the Mount with our Saviours forty dayes in the wildernesse when he was tempted It was certainly a miraculous preservation of Moses that he should be there so long and neither eate nor drinke But this example of