of the Law The law Iustifies none we must therefore be either freed from the law or not at all Iustified For as many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things in the book of the Law to doe them Gal. 3.10 Deut. 27.26 But here is our freedome Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Hee became a curse for us and was made for our sakes as the greatest sinner he stood in place as David the Adulterer as Peter the Denyer as Paul the Persecutor Wee must see our Christ wrapped as well in our Sinnes as in our flesh He was numbred with the Transgressors and he bare the sinne of many Esa 53.12 He was made sinne for us who knew no sinne that we might bee made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 Thus is hee pleased to call our sinnes his and he speakes in David his Type Psal 40.12 Mine iniquities have taken hold upon mee so that I am not able to looke up they are more than the hayres of my head Christ standing thus a sinner the law accused him and after accusation kild him But hee hath satisfied and the Law is overcome we have learned to triumph O death where is thy sting The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law but thankes be to God which giveth us the victory through Iesus Christ our Lord 1 Cor. 15.55 56 57. When the Law curseth sends out Writs sues out Attachements wee plead Immunity and send the law to Christ by whom we aree freed 2. From the power of sinne the other evill of servitude Yeeld your selves unto God Ante legem non pugnamus sub â—ege pugnamus sed vintimur sub gratia pugnamus vincimus in pace ne pugnamus quidem Aug. in Rom. 6. for Sinne shal not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under grace Rom. 6.14 They are incouraged to the Combat by a double motive the goodnesse of their cause the easinesse of their conquest When wee are freed from the Law which onely commands but gives no strength to obey rather takes away our strength addes strength to sinne then are we under grace which beside that it forgiveth that which is past Quae praeterquam prioradimittit ad futura quoque cavenda animat Chrys it doth arme us to take heed of that which is to come as Chrysostome sweetly expounds the Romans To whom the holy Apostle glorieth Rom. 8.2 The Law of the spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath made mee free from the Law of Sinne. From the a Osiander accusing the b Calvin power the c Lyranus bond the d Erasmus right the e Chrysost guilt of sinne the f P. Mart. law of the members 2. We are freed not only from the evils but from the burdens of servitude 1. From the Coaction of the Law for the Law doth burden a man and hinder the alacrity of his obedience A precept of the Law is Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy mind with all thy strength To bee empty of all other loves to set the sole affection upon God Here the most perfect faile for though our love unto God be sincere yet we are many times drawne off with other lusts But the Law tels us He is cursed that continues not in all Now we see what ever we endevor we are still under the Curse our workes are Mala quia imperfecta therefore evill because not perfectly good This dulleth the heart and discourageth it from any offer The peevish eye of a froward Master makes the servant heartlesse What should I do any thing seeing whatsoever I doe I cannot please This is the burden of the Legally righteous the taske it set they must either doe it or smart for neglect The Israelites are beaten iâ— they bring not in their tale of bticke Exod. 5.14 But here is our Liberty God spareth us as a man spares his owne sonne that serveth him Mal. 3.17 The Command is given Let not sinne reigne in your mortall Body and the Promise is added with the Command Sinne shall not have dominion over you The Law cannot coact us but grace unloads us removes our burthens and sweetens our labours 2. Wee are freed from Indifferents when they prove burdens 1. Things The Iewes were bound to use and refuse many things the Vsing and Refusing of which had else beene Indifferent They must abstaine from Swine from things strangled and the like We have liberty of a freer use of Gods creatures being not subject to ordinances Touch not Taste not Handle not Col. 2.20.21 2. Men. We are not subjected to such commands as whereby they would bind the conscience Now the constitutions of men are either 1. Civill and politicall These wee have a rule for that wee must obey them though in 1 Cor. 7.23 hee seeme to give exemption Yee are bought with a price be yee not the servants of men yet Rom. 13.1.5 we have that other expounded Let every soule bee subiect to the higher powers for the powers that bee are ordained of God Who resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God Wherefore yee must needs bee subiect for conscience sake 2. Ecclesiasticall These concerne either 1 The matter of Gods worship then we renounce them as great presumptions for Divine worship cannot have institution from humane command 2. Or the manner of worship tending to decency Here Constitutions may order not bind order the carriage not binde the conscience But concerning both these and those Constitutions I meane both Ecclesiasticall and Civill I would deliver my selfe a little more fully and to that end wil present a few conclusions touching Indifferents their nature and extent 1. An Adiaphoron or Indifferent is Res media a middle thing which stands so to two extremes that it may alike incline to both And in the ordinary though not proper use of the word Medium Abnegationis Medium Participationis Aquin. it is a Medium betweene morall good and evill Now such a Medium is either of meere Abnegation so all Substances whether naturall or artificiall are Res mediae Indifferent things or of some participation which so farre agrees with either extreme as the extremes agree between themselves so no Substances are properly Indifferents but Actions only Actions therefore which are neither commanded nor forbidden and which in their intrinsicke nature have neither obedience nor disobedience are indifferent 2. Indifferent Actions in their owne intrinsicall nature nothing differ among themselves but are all equally far from good and evill But there are some which for the most part have evill circumstances accompanying them and therfore sound in the worse sense as if they did incline to evill as to be an accuser may be indifferently good or
which iustifies cannot bee alone so the Apostle to these Galatians cap. 5. ver 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Faith that workes by love yet the inference is unworthy the quicknesse of a Iesuite as if a man should say If the eie see alone then it wil see if it be alone Whereas we know to give you the thing cleare by this similitude that although the eye alone see yet if it were by it selfe alone it could not see at all There is no part of my body can see an obiect visible and presented not my eye-lid not my fore-head not my braine but my eye onely yet if my eye were taken out of my head I could discerne nothing Wee dare not separate workes from faith that were to leave it naked and shew it dead yet it is an untoward translation which Bellarmine renders Bel. de Iust lib. 2. c. 4. not without a manifest barbarisme when he reads thus Faith that is wrought by love so making charity the forme and soule of faith But let us retaine that forme of words Wee are iustified Sola fide by faith alone The Fathers are so usuall in that phrase that I could easily weary you with the allegations Let mee referre to some that have the very word Sola fide Orig. in loc Basil in conc de humil Ambr. cap. 9. in Rom. 3. Hier. in Rom. 4. Pet. Chrysol serm 34. de Haemorroissa Bern. serm 22. in Can. August in 83. Quaestionibus quaest 76. But no more for I remember where I speak onely let mee adde the words of two testimonies That of Chrysostome in 3. ad Galat. is very pertinent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Againe saith hee some say hee that relyes on faith alone is execrable But the Apostle speakes the contrary hee that relyes on Faith alone is blessed This Theodoret septimo Therapeuticon almost repeats 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nor do wee obtaine those secret good things by any of our owne merits but by faith alone This for the second The exclusioÌ„ of false causes the third thing propounded for explication is The designement of the true meritorious cause of our Iustification The Text declares it to be Iesus Christ His merits Hic videtur esse implicatio terminorum Consule pa. 14 ad finem his obedience in doing in suffering Take it in a briefe head thus Where there cannot be Iustification by plea it must bee by some other proportionable means which we call Satisfaction This Satisfaction must be proportioned to the offence this being infinite that must be alike infinite Man therefore cannot satisfie for both his doings and his sufferings are limited It must be done by another now all creatures are both unholy and finite and the two requisits necessâ—rily to be in the satisfier are righteousnesse and infinitenes These are solely in God but God cannot be satisfied by himselfe that were onely to forgive so he should not be fully iust It fals therefore into this that he who must satisfie must be God truly righteous truly infinite and in somewhat different from God that there may be a compleat fitnes Let nature search this mystery she wil easily be confounded nay let the soule that sinned bee put upon the search it leaves studying and fals to despairing Briefly it must fal upoÌ„ the appointment of an higher wisdome namely Christ in whom those fitnesses do all meet Therefore the Righteousnesse of the Iustified is that which formally is in Christ only See how the Apostle inlarges and explaines himselfe in this in his holy zeale against proud Zelots they being ignorant of Gods righteousnesse and going about to establish their owne righteousnesse have not submitted themselves to the righteousnesse of God Rom. 10 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. See the same Apostle in a more practique expression his owne Resolve I count all things but losse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Iesus my Lord and doe count them but dung that I may winne Christ and bee found in him not having mine owne Righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ Phil. 3.8 9. The determination of a spirit made Divine Let us so goe out of our selves and flye unto our Christ Hee is our hiding place and must be our strength Surely shall one say In the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength even to him shall men come and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be iustified and shall glory Esay 45.24 25. We must not looke upon the Law or Works but see them hid in Christ This mystery was excellently shadowed wheÌ„ God commanded the Ark wherin were the Tables of the Covenant to bee covered with a Propitiatory upon which the Cherubs stretcht their wings Exod. 25.17 18 19 c. Heb. 9.4 5. Christ is that Proâ—itiatory Rom. 3.25 Let us not presume to uncover the Arke or to take out the Decalogue for it is happy that the Law is kept shut and inclosed from us but let us fasten our eyes upon the Mercy-seat see how sweetely the Cherubs sit and minde not what the Chest containes for to lift up the lid of that were like the opening of the boxe of the harmfull Pandora and would present horrour to the curious the unwise Iusticiary The last head propounded for explication was the means of application Christ is that Righteousnes how is he ours By Faith 〈◊〉 man is iustified not by the works of the Law but by faith in Iesus Christ so the Text. We will here consider 1. What Faith is 2. How Faith justifies 1. I intend not a dispute a word may give us what may suffice the present purpose It hath seat both in the intellect and in the will and we observe in it both Assent and Appresion This indeed is faith or if we looke upon it a little extended wee perceive the thrusting away of somwhat the accepting of somwhat the exclusion of workes of worth the acceptation of Christ The Apostle to the Hebrewes gives us this in a like phrase speaking of the Patriarchs faith These dyed in the faith not having received the promises but having seene them a farre off 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and were perswaded of them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and embraced them Hebr. 11.13 2. This faith justifies the Scripture is full Rom. 3.24 25.30 Rom. 10 10. Ephes 2.8 Concerning the manner take it negatively positively in these Theses 1. It iustifies not by bare profession then should all hypocrites be iustified but S. Iames disputes strongly in his second Chapter against them and against that Faith In that sense he laies down his cavilled and mistaken conclusion v. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By workes a man is iustified and not by faith onely His intent is but the same with Paul in that place alleaged and vindicated Gal. 5.6 2. Nor are we iustified by faith as by an action which hath worth and merit in it whereby
Ceremoniall as also the Iudiciall Law hath two parts one externall the other internall the body and the soule or the substance the accidents or the shell and the kernel The inward thing of the Ceremoniall is Faith and Piety of the Iudiciall is mutuall love and piety these are eternall The outward thing of both is only abrogate yet not all equally Some Ceremonies are so abrogated that they cannot be revoked againe without denying Christ Some and some politicke Lawes may bee received But wee shall best discerne by handling all severally 1. The Ceremoniall law is an ordinance containing precepts concerning externall worship given to the Israelitish Church whē it was yet an infant The use of it was 1. To keepe the people under hope 2. As a midwall to separate them from the Gentiles 3 That by the observing of this they might be kept from the Idolatry of their neighbours This Law is abrogate by Christs comming and by these degrees 1. In truth in regard of necessity of the observation 2. In fact by the Doctrine of the Apostles and by the destruction both of Hierusalem the City and of the Temple the more speciall place assigned for the worship 2. The Iudiciall Law is an Ordinance containing precepts concerning the form of government Some of the precepts being of generall some of particular Right The use of it was 1. That there might bee to all a certain rule of publike equity That in this sense Hierusalem might bee as a City well built compact together Psal 122 3. 2. That by their outward policy they might be differenced from other Nations 3. That the government of Christ might be typified unto them Concerning the Abrogation 1. So farre as this Law is typicall so farre it ceaseth 2. These Iudgements simply are neither forbidden nor prescribed unto any people 3. Such things as are of common generall right are still in force and must be obeyed for what is in substance morall is perpetuall wee may know the common naturall morall perpetuall Iudgements by two rules 1. If they directly fence and give the guard unto a morall command such are those Deut. 13.6 Exod. 21.12 Exod. 22.18 2. If they follow from the light of Nature and common right as that Deut. 22.5 and others of like nature 3 The Morall Law is scattered throughout the whole Bible and summ'd up in the Decalogue 'T is an Ordinance commanding those things which simply God accepts and will have done of all men at all times every where and forbidding the contrary This is that constant and immutable rule which is the image of the Divine will by which the creatures live and the summe of which is the love of God and the love of our neighbours To enquire into the abrogation of this we will see 1. The Substance of it 2. The Circumstances of it 3. The Vses of it 1. The Substance of the morall is Love which our Savior divides To God that is the first and great Commandement and to the neighbour that is the second like unto the first Mat 22.37 38 39 40. The Apostle gives it in another method and division Tit. 2.12 A godly a righteous and a sober life Thus the law is not abrogated for the Substance is eternall 2. The Circumstances were many 1. Of the giver Moses A man an Hebrew 2. Of the Subject recipient the Iewes a limited people 3. Of the place Sinai a bounded hill and within the Iewes pale 4. Of the time fifty daies after their departure from Aegypt a period that had beginning and the beginning long after man had his 5. Of the exhibition given in Tables and by the ministry of Angels 6. Of the Curse which was annext or hung as a Tablet to the Tables of stone These are abrogate for wee have nothing to doe with Moses nor is the substance of the Law lesse ours because wee are not Iewes We looke not to Sinai the hill of Bondage but to Sion the mountain of grace and wee take the Law as an eternall will written in our hearts by the Spirit of God from which we do not expect life not feare rigour 3. The uses of this Law vary as a mans estate vavaries 1 Before sinne entred the use was for life and Iustification that is now abrogate for else Righteousnesse should be by the law but that being weake through the flesh it is now of promise 2 Vnder the state of sin the use intended was 1. To argue of sinne 2. To convince of weakenesse 3. To compell to seeke grace to have recourse to Christ And in this is abrogate in respect of curse and condemnation 3 Vnder the State of grace it hath an use convenient to it to bee a perpetuall Rule of life 1 A Glasse wherein wee may better know Gods wil. The servant or the sonne that is willing must learne yet how to actuate his willing disposition Though we as sonnes are guided by the Spirit of God and in our love unto God are ready unto all our services yet we need the word to be a light unto our feet and a lanthorne to our paths Psal 119.105 2 Wee need exhortation too and our sluggish flesh wants a sweete Monitour that we may be forwarded in our slackings and wandrings I am a stranger in the earth hide not thy Commandments from me Ps 119 19. 3 There 's another benefit Nec hodie minus quam olim doctrina legis locum habet in Ecclesia All Scripture is profitable for reproofe and for correction 2 Tim. 3 16. Wee cast not away that holy and good Law but know our sinnes provoke our dulnesse rule our carriage by it I 'll adde no more here because I shall be occasioned to speake more unto the Question in the use that I en end to make of what hath beene positively laid the use shal be for Instruction for Confutation for Exhortation 1 An use of Instruction This former Doctrin hath given a foundation to clear unto us that mystery How the Promise of the Covenant the Law and the Gospel referre one to another how they agree how they differ The Law the Promise and the Gospell may bee considered as opposite or subordinate 1 As Opposites The condition of the Law as given unto Adam excludes the necessity of making a promise and proclaiming a Gospell And the necessity of making a promise and publishing the Gospell declares that man obeied not the Law given for Iustification might not be Simul ex gratiâ et debito at once both of grace and of debt It implyes contradiction 2. As Subordinates The Promise ought to goe before the Gospell and to be fulfilled by it It was not fit so great a good as the Gospell should be had undesired nor was such desire to be made frustrate It was sit that the Law should be given that the necessity of the promise of grace might appeare that being convicted we might flye unto our Refuge so the whole Law served the Gospell and the