to shew how it is impossible to finde perfect righteousnes to be justified and saved but only in Christ There the promises were set forth and sealed darkly in types and figures but now these figures and ceremonies are ceased and Christ the substance of them is set forth naked in his owne colours before our eyes Thirdly the Covenant given by Moses may be said to vanish and be abolished in respect of the light and glory of it For the light and glory of it which it then had is swallowed up of the great light of the Gospell The glory of it was but like a dimme light or candle but the glory of the Gospell is like the light of the Sunne at noone day so that before it the light of the Law is put out and appeares no more then the light of a Candle in the bright Sun-shine Now the Apostle tels us that When that which is perfect is come then that which is in part is abolished And in our common speech we say that the brightnes of the Sun destroyeth and putteth out the light of a Candle that it is as good as nothing and so wee may in the same sense say that the Covenant of the Law is abolished in respect of the light and glory of it For the glory of it which was but in part is swallowed up by the great light of the glorious Gospell But the Covenant of the Gospell abideth in all respects firme and sure for ever and we must never expect a plainer renewing of it to the end of the world And thus I have out of the holy Scriptures and especially from the words of the Apostle discovered plainely the agreement and difference betweene the mixt Covenant which God made with Israel by Moses and the pure and simple Covenant of Grace made with all Nations in the Gospell and published by Christ and his holy Apostles and Evangelists CHAP. XVII THe consideration whereof discovers to us the singular providence of God in ordering the world and his wonderfull wisedome goodnesse and mercy in preparing and giving meanes of grace and salvation fitted for the people of every Age according to their severall dispositions and the necessity of every Age and generation In the first ages next unto the state of Innocency when men lived divers hundreds of yeeres and had the helpes of long observation and great experience besides the instructions and historicall relations of long-lived Progenitors who as eye and eare-witnesses could from Adam Methushelah and Noah rehearse Gods great workes from the Creation and teach them the knowledge of God then the Lord dealt more sparingly and afforded but small and rare meanes even a few visions revelations and generall and obscure promises to turne men from their owne wayes and draw them to seeke salvation in him But when mens ages and lives were shortned by the increase of corruption and by mens multiplying of iniquity and growing more hard stubborne and rebellious The Lord to the former promises made to the Fathers added a fiery Law which he gave from mount Sinai in thunder and lightening and with a terrible voyce to the stubborne and stiffenecked Israelites whereby to breake and tame them and to make them sigh and long for the promised Redeemer when they were pressed with the bondage of the Law and with the intolerable burden of Rites and Ceremonies And when after many ages they were growne so desperately rebellious that they scorned Gods Messengers rejected his Lawes and Commandements misused and persecuted his extraordinary Prophets who wrought wonders in their sight and slew his servants which he sent unto them Then at last hee sent his sonne in whom hee fulfilled all the promises made to the Fathers who also fulfilled the Law both Morall and Ceremoniall and made reconciliation for sinne and iniquity and brought in eternall righteousnesse and hath made with all the world the New Covenant of the eternall Gospell of peace by which we receive the promise of the Spirit who workes in us all grace to the mortifying of the Old man subduing the rebellious flesh casting downe of the strong holds of sinne and Satan and bringing all thoughts in captivity to the obedience of Christ Thus as the world hath had more need of stronger helpes and powerfull meanes God in his wise providence hath increased and supplied them in severall Ages and as sinne hath more abounded and stubburnnesse and hardnesse increased so God hath more shewed his goodnesse magnified his mercy and enlarged his bounty by giving more powerfull meanes by renuing and explaining the Covenant of life and salvation and making his Grace more to abound towards the sonnes of men And therefore let us hereby be stirred up to take notice of Gods speciall providence how he respecteth the sonnes of sinfull men and is mindfull of them to visite them and take care for them in all Ages Let us admire his wisedome extoll his goodnesse and mercy and labour to bring forth abundance of fruit according to the culture and tillage and the powerfull meanes of Grace which God hath bestowed upon us under the Gospell Let us be ashamed and confounded in our selves for our barrennesse after so many plentifull showers powred downe upon us and acknowledge and confesse that we had long agone beene over-growne with all wickednesse and swallowed up of our sinnes and iniquities if the Lord had not by the strong hand of his glorious Gospell and his mighty and powerfull Spirit shed forth plentifully through Iesus Christ in these last dayes stopt the current of our sinfull corruption and staid us from running headlong into destruction As for them who in this great light of the Gospell multiply their workes of darknesse and make their sinnes and transgressions ascend up in great multitudes like thicke cloudes towards heaven and doe hate and persecute the truth which shineth unto them and love the darknesse of errours more then the light of sound doctrine Let them know that their rebellion against the light deserves the reward of the mist and blacknesse of darknesse for ever Let them feare and justly suspect that they are the ground which the Apostle speakes of Hebr. 6. 8. which when it hath drunken in the raine which oft commeth upon it doth bring forth no good fruit but thornes briers and poysonfull stinking weedes and therefore is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned And just it is with God that hee should send such persons strong delusions that they should beleeve the lies of the man of sinne and dote after errours and heresies that they all may be damned who have not received the love of the truth that they might be saved but have taken pleasure in unrighteousnesse as the Apostle hath foretold 2 Thess. 2. 11 12. CHAP. XVIII Of the Law and the Gospell and the agreement and difference betweene them NOw the last thing onely remaines to wit the description of the Law and the Gospell and their agreement
of the Covenant which they principally signifie and what speciall things are therein required I will therefore first insist upon it a little Secondly I will shew the severall sorts of Covenants which the words signifie and will briefly describe all the Covenants betweene God and Men Thirdly out of the severall descriptions I will gather the agreement and difference betweene the Old and the New Covenant And lastly I will make some use and application of these considerations to our selves First the derivation of the words of it if it be rightly considered may give us great light The Hebrew word Berith is of some derived from {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Barar to purifie and to purge out Drosse Chaffe and all uncleannesse and to choose out and separate the pure from the impure the gold and silver from the drosse and the pure Wheate from the Chaffe The reasons of this derivation are two One because God in making the Covenant of naturall life did choose out man especially with whom he would make the Covenant And in the Covenant of Grace he doth chuse out the multitude of the Elect even his Church and faithfull people whom he did separate by Predestination and Election from all eternity to be an holy people to himselfe in Christ The other reason is because in a true and lawfull Covenant both parties must be of pure hearts free from all deceit and Sophistry and must deale faithfully and meane plainely and sincerely in every point and article Others derive the word Berith of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Bera which signifieth both to Elect or choose and also to divide or cut asunder The reasons wch they give are two The first because Covenants are not made but betweene choise persons chosen out one by another and about choise matters and upon choise conditions chosen out and agreed upon by both parties The second because God made the first Covenant of Grace and sealed it by sacrifices of Beasts slain divided and cut asunder and the choise fat and other parts offered upon the Altar and in making of great and solemne Covenants men in Old time were wont to kill and cut asunder sacrificed Beasts and to passe betweene the parts divided for a solemne testimony Gen. 15. 17. and Ier. 34. 18 Others derive the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifieth to eate and refresh ones selfe with meate whereof there is some reason to wit Because the Old Covenant of God made with Man in the Creation was a Covenant wherein the Condition or Law was about eating That Man should eate of all Trees and Fruits except of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill And in the solemne making and scaling of the Covenant of Grace in Christ the blessed Seed the publique Ceremony was slaying and sacrificing of Beasts and eating some part of them after the fat and choise parts were offered up and burnt on the Altar For God by vertue of that Covenant gave Man leave to eat the flesh of Beasts which hee might not doe in the state of innocency being limited to Fruits of Trees and Hearbes bearing Seed for his meate Gen. 1. 29. So also in solemne Covenants betweene men the parties were wont to eate together as appeares Gen. 31. 46. To these two other derivations may be added one that Berith may be derived of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifieth to create whereof there is good reason to wit because the first state of creation was confirmed by the Covenant which God made with Man and all creatures were to be upheld by means of observing of the Law and Condition of that Covenant And that Covenant being broken by Man the world made subject to ruine is upheld yea and as it were created anew by the Covenant of Grace in Christ The other derivation is of the Hebrew word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifieth fat because in the Covenant of Grace God promiseth to Man the fat of Heaven and of the Earth that is the most excellent blessings which Heaven and Earth can afford and Man offereth up to God the fat of his soul of all his goods that is the most precious things which he hath besides the sweet and most excellent and precious sacrifice which Christ offers up for him to God These are the divers derivations of the word Berith which I have observed out of the writings of the learned to which I have added these two last And because this word doth well agree with the sound and signification of all the words of which it is derived by severall learned men so that if wee should make choise of any one derivation we might seeme to reject and despise others which stand with as good reason I hold it the safest and surest way to account of this word as of a speciall word invented and given by the Spirit of God himself who sees and knowes all circumstances of every thing at once and that it is purposely framed out of all the words before named and includes in it the sum of them all being as it were the quintessence of them all distilled together into one perfect sense And howsoever it may seeme strange to some at the first blush that one word should be derived of many and receive a mixt signification from them all yet if they better consider it they shall see good reason for it and shall finde that it is no rare thing in holy Scripture for one word to signifie in one place divers things and one word to be derived of many and to borrow the severall significations of them all The proper name of the Prophet Samuel is derived of foure Hebrew words the first Shaal which signifies to Aske the second Hu which signifies Him the third Min which signifies Of the fourth El which signifies God And it is said 1 Sam. 1. 20. that his Mother called him Shemuel that is one asked of God because shee said I asked him of the Lord So the Prophet Isaiah called his sonne by Gods appointment Sheariashub wch is derived of severall words which signifie A remnant shall returne And the Prophet Ieremy by inspiration of Gods Spirit told Pashur the persecuting Priest that his name should be Magormissabib terrour round about or on every side because the Lord would make him a terrour to himselfe Ier. 20. 3. Now if one name may by the testimony of Gods Spirt be derived of divers words and borrow a mixt sense from them all as the word Samuel which is derived or compounded of foure words and doth hold the signification of them all though it includes but one letter of some of them much more may wee thinke that the word Berith is derived of all the words before named and includes in it the sense and signification of them all as well as it includes a syllable at least of every one of
and difference This may quickly be dispatched in few words for their agreement and difference may easily bee discerned by those things which have beene already delivered the onely thing which is now necessarily to be touched is the meaning of the words and the divers significations of them These being made plaine it will appeare that all the agreements and differences between them have been before fully laid open and expounded First for the Law it is in the Originall Hebrew Scriptures called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Torah a word derived of {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Horah which signifieth to teach to instruct to admonish and also to shoot forth Arrowes and Darts and so if wee consider it according to the true notation of the name by Law in Scripture may be understood any Doctrine Word or Writing which doth teach instruct and admonish men how they ought to live and how to walke before God or among men and any Precept which as a Dart or Arrow is fastened in our hearts by our Teachers But in the New Testament the Law is called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} and is derived of the verb {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifies to distribute because the Law injoyneth to distribute and give to God and men their due and the revelation of the Word and Law is Gods distribution or dividing of his promises and his will amongst men So then the word Law considered according to the naturall sense of it in the Originall Scriptures of the Old and New Testament may signifie any Doctrine Instruction Law Ordinance Custome and Statute humane or Divine which doth teach direct command or binde men to any duty which they owe to God or any of his creatures And indeed thus far the signification of it doth extend For in Scripture it signifies sometimes the speciall Lawes of Heathen Nations as of the Medes Persians and the statutes and customes of men according to which they live among themselves and their doctrines and instructions but I omit the humane significations of it as not necessary for our present purpose and I come to the divine which are divers in Scripture 1 First this word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Torah signifies in a most large sense any godly or profitable Counsell Doctrine Instruction or Precept which Parents give to their children or one man to another either by word or writing which is not contrary but according to the will of God and the rule of godlinesse and serves to direct a man how to live or how to walke either in his generall or particular calling Thus the word is often used in the Booke of the Proverbes as Chap. 3. 1 and 4. 2. and 7. 2. In which places the wise man exhorts his sonne to keepe his Law that is all his Precepts Counsels and Doctrines and not to forget or forsake them 2 Sometimes it signifies in a large sense the whole Doctrine of the Word of God which he hath at any time revealed or doth reveale in the whole Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament and so it includes the Law of Moses the writings of the Prophets and all the Evangelicall promises made unto us in Christ from the beginning thus it is used Psal. 1. 2. in these words But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and Psal. 19. 7. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soule that is Gods Word for the Law alone without the Gospell cannot convert soules and Psal. 1 19. in divers places where the Law is said to quicken and to be the godly mans delight and to comfort him in trouble 3 Sometimes this word signifies onely the Scriptures of the Old Testament as Iohn 15. 25. where our Saviour citing a speech out of the 35 Psalme 19 verse saith it is written in the Law that is the Old Testament And the Apostle 1 Cor. 14. 21. repeating the words of Isaiah Chap. 28. 11. saith it is written in the Law 4 Sometimes it signifies the whole Doctrine of the five Bookes of Moses as Iosh. 1. 7 8. Let not the Booke of the Law depart out of thy mouth and Luke 24. 44. where our Saviour distinguisheth the Law that is the writings of Moses from the Psalmes and the Prophets Also Mat 12. 5. Ioh. 7. 23. and Ioh. 8. 17. things written in the Booke of Genesis as well as things written in the other 4. books are said to be writtē in the law 5 Sometimes the word Law signifies in a more strict sense The Doctrine of the Law as it is different frō the doctrine of Grace and is opposed to the plaine Doctrine of the Gospel that is the whole summe of Precepts Morall Ceremoniall and Iudiciall set downe in the Writings of Moses thus the word is used by the Apostle in the Epistles to the Romanes and Galatians where hee opposeth the Law and Doctrine of Workes to the Gospell and Doctrine of Faith 6 Sometimes by law in a most strict sense is meant either the morall Law conteined in the ten Commandements as Exod. 24. 12. or any of the Ceremoniall Lawes as the Law of the burnt-offering Levit. 6. 9. the Law of Sacrifice vers. 14. the Law of the sinne-offering vers. 24. or the Iudiciall Law and any precept therof as Exod. 18. 16. Deut. 17. 11. 7 Sometimes the word Law signifies the Doctrine of the Gospell which as a new Law commands us to repent of all our sins and to beleeve in Iesus Christ Thus the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} is used Isa. 2. 3. where the Prophet saith That in the last dayes the Law shall go forth out of Zion and the Word of the Lord from Ierusalem meaning the publishing of the Gospell from thence into all Nations of the world and the Gospell as it injoyneth us to beleeve is called the Law of Faith Rom. 3. 27. 8 Sometimes the word Law signifies the power authority and dominion either of the flesh and the Old man of sin dwelling in our members or of the Spirit and the New man ruling in the mind where the Apostle saith I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind that is I see the power of sinfull corruption and of the Old man striving against the Spirit or part renued and Rom. 8. 2. For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Iesus hath freed me from the law of sin and death These are the divers significations of the word Law which is called Torah in the Old and {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in the New Testament The word Gospel is in the Hebrew text in the old Testament called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Bessorah and in the new Testament {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} they both signifie good news glad tidings and a joyfull message the one is derived of the Hebrew verb {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}