Miscellanies Christian and Judaical, Chapter 60
CAP. LX. Of the effects of the Law.
THe letter of the Law is death▪ but the spirit giueth life. The Iewes stand vponupon the letter, and thinke to gaine life by the works of it, but them the Apostle frequently confuteth. And I take the aime of Christs Parable, Mat. 20. about the penny to extend to no lesse.Vide Hillar. & Hieron. in loc. Some came into the vineyard at the Dawning of the Day or the Age before the flood, and some at the third houre, or in the time before the Law, and some at the sixth and ninth houre, or vnderunder the heat and burden of the Iewish Law, and some at the last, vnderunder the Gospell: Those vnderunder the Law plead for merit, we hauehave borne the heat and burden of the day: that is, costly sacrifices, sore ceremonies, &c. To whom the Master answers that his penny is his owne, and if he giuegive it, it is not for their merit, but his good will. S. Paul calls the law a Schoole-master, and so it is indeed: and such a Schoolemaster as that, that Liuy and Florus speake of in Italy, who brought forth his children that were trusted with him, to Hannibal, who if he had not beene more mercyfull then otherwise, they had all perished. So they that rely vponupon the works of the Law, are in fine constrained by the Law to come to Christ, who more mercifull then the Law, does deliuers them. And if you well weigh it, you shall find that as the whole Law, so eueryevery part from one to another, brings vsus to Christ. The Morall Law shewes vsus what wee should do, and with the same sight we find that we cannot do it: This makes vsus to seeke to the Ceremoniall for some sacrifice or ceremonie to answer for our not doing it: There wee see that burning a dead beast is but poore satisfaction for the sinnes of men liuing, and that outward purifyings of mens selues can auaile but little to the cleansing of a soiled soule: this then deliuers vsus to the Iudiciall Law, and by it we see what we deserue, and thus in fine wee are constrained to seeke to Christ *It was Iesus or Iosuah, and not Moses or the Law that brought Israel into the land of Canaan.Iesus, for there is no other name whereby wee must be saued. The Parable that our Sauiour propounds in the tenth of Luke, I thinke tends something to this purpose. A man (saith he) went from Ierusalem to Iericho and fell among theeues, and they robbed him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed leauing him halfe dead. A certaine Priest came that way, and when he saw him, he turned aside. A Leuite came that way, and when hee saw him, he passed by on the other side. But a good Samaritan came, (as the text imports) and pittied him, and salued him, and lodged him, and paid for him. Such a one is man fallen among Satan, Sinne, and Death, and by them stopt, stript, and striped. Satan dismounts him off his Innocency that should sustaine him: Sinne strips him of all Righteousnesse that should array him: Death strikes him with guiltinesse and wounds him. Here is a man in a wofull case, and none to aide him. By comes a Priest, that is, first come the sacrifices of the legall Priesthood, and they may passe by him, by they do not, nor they cannot helpe him. By comes a Leuite, that is, the Ceremonies of the Leuiticall Law, and they may passe by him, but they doe not, they cannot helpe him. Or by comes a Priest, that is, the Angells may see him thus, but they let him lie, for they cannot helpe him. By comes a Leuite, that is, men and the world may see him thus, but they let him alone for euer, for they cannot succour him. But by comes a good Samaritan, that is, our Sauiour himselfe, who is called a Samaritan, and is said to hauehave a Deuill, and hee pities him, salues him, lodges him, and paies for him. Hee pities him in very bowells, therefore hee saies, as I liue I would not the death of a sinner. Hee salues him with his owne blood, therefore tis said, By his stripes wee are healed. Hee lodges him in his owne Church, therefore the Church saith, He brought me in the winecellar, and louelove was his banner ouer me. And he paies for him what he deserued, therefore he saith, I hauehave trod the winepresse alone.
It is said in the Booke of Kings that when the Shunamites dead child was to bee raised, Elisha first sent his staffe to bee laid vponupon him, but that did no good: but when Elisha came himselfe, and lay vponupon him, with his mouth to the Childes mouth, his eyes to his eyes, and his hands to his hands, then the child recouered. So when man was dead in trespasses, and sinne as it is, Eph. 2. God layes his *Psal 23.staffe or Rod of the Law vponupon him, but what good did this toward his recouery? Euen make him to long the more for Elisha or Christ, who when he came, and laid his mouth to mans mouth, and kissed humanity in his incarnation, and laid his eyes to his eyes, and his hands to his hands, and suffered for mans actions at his passion, then is man recured. God in the booke of Isay when hee is to send a Prophet to Israel, saies thus: Mieshlah: whom shall I send, or who will go for vsus? Isa. 6▪ 8. VponUpon which words the Iew Kimchi paraphrases thus: Shalahti eth Micah, wehem maccim otho, Shalahti eth Amos, wehem korin otho *Amos in Heb. signifies one that is heauie tongued which Kimchi calls Peselusa from the greek foreign Blaesus.Pesilusa, I hauehave sent Micah, and him they smote, I hauehave sent Amos, and him they called a stammerer. Whom shall I send or who will goe for vsus? Then saies Esay, Behold I am here, send me. Imagine that (vponupon the fall of man) you saw God about to send the great Prophet not to Israel alone, but to all the world, nor onelyonly to teach, but also to redeeme. Suppose you heard him thus questioning, whom shall I send to restore fallen man? and who will goe for vsus? Should I send Angells? they are creatures, and consequently finite, and so cannot answer mine infinite Iustice. Should I send man himselfe? Alas, though hee once had power not to hauehave fallen, yet now hath he no power to raise himselfe againe. Should I send beasts to sacrifice themselues for him? Alas can the burning of dead beasts satisfie for the sinnes of all men aliue? Whom shall I send, or who will go for vsus? Our Sauiour is ready to answer with Isay, Behold I am here, send mee. Here am I that am able to do it; send me, for I am willing. I am able, for I am God; I am willing, for I will become a man. I am God, and so can fulfill the Law which man hath broke. I will become man, that so I may suffer death which man hath deserued. Behold I am here, send mee. Then as one of our country Martyrs at his death, so may all wee sing all our liues: None but Christ, none but Christ: None but Christ to cure the wounded trauailor, None but Christ to raise the dead, Shunamite, None but Christ to restore decaid mankind, None but Christ that would, None but Christ that could. No Angell, no man, no creature, no sacrifice; no ceremonie, that would and could do this for vsus, which wee could not doe for our selues, and say for vsus I hauehave troad the winepresse alone.
When the Ceremoniall and Iudiciall Law hauehave thus brought vsus to Christ, wee may shake hands with them and farewell, but for the Morall, as it helpes to bring vsus thither, so must it helpe to keepe vsus there. For Christ came not to disanull this Law. but to fulfill it. He does not acquit vsus from this, but furthers vsus to the keeping of it. What else is the Gospell, but this in milder tearmes of Faith and Repentance: which is, since wee cannot keepe this Law, yet to striue to keepe it as we can, and to repent vsus for that wee hauehave not kept it, and to relye vponupon his merits that hath kept it for vsus. Thus as louelove to God and to our neighbours was the summe of the old, so true faith and vnfained repentance is the totall of the new. This was the tenour of Christs first words after his baptisme, Marke 1.15. and of his last words before his ascension, Marke 16.16.