The Rule of the Law Under the Gospel, Chapter 12
CHAP. 12.
Containing the conclnsion, and a short direction how the people of God should carry themselves towards the Law of God.
THese premises being all duely considered, it remaineth that such as desire to learne Christ aright, should take his directions how to demeane themselves towards his Law, which is so holy, just, and good. To which purpose it shall not be amisse to lay these grounds in our consciences, and order our selves by them.
First, That in the Liberty from the Law, consists the chiefe stay and comfort of a Christian; because being now freed from the guilt of sinne, from the curse of sinne, and from exaction of an inherent and personall righteousnesse to justification: hee may now without respect of his owne obedience, and without regard of any righteousnesse of his owne, relie upon the mercies of God, and merits of Christ, and challenge his righteousnesse before God, with the the Apostle, Phil: 3 9.
Secondly, That upon this liberty of justification, (wherein is no respect at all of our personall obedience) issueth another liberty of sanctification; which is a freedome from the bondage and staine of sinne, not wholly and at once, (as is our justification) but in part and degrees: and here although the obedience of the Law be quite shut out of our justification, yet it is required unto sanctification, and we necessarily bound unto it; but not to bee thereby justified, seeing wee must necessarily be justified before we can be obedient.
Thirdly, that the Law is an eternall doctrine, Psal. 119. 89.and abides for ever; yea David saith, it endures for ever in heaven: that is, not onelyonly his decree appeares stable by the government, and perpetuall Law which hee hath set in the heavens, and cannot be broken: but as Saint Basil expoundeth it, it abideth inviolably observed by heavenly inhabitants, even the holy Angels themselves: so as though it may be contradicted, controverted, and resisted by Libertines on earth; yet it is not abrogable for ever, but abideth stable in heauen. Doe the Angels in heaven observe it as a rule of holinesse, and doe not the Saints in heaven? doe they live by divers charters? And if the Saints in heaven, who have attained full perfection, and perfect sanctification, are bound to the Law, are the Saints in earth so perfect, as they are loose from it? Hath not Christ done as much for them as for these?
Fourthly, That the Law of God is the rule of godly life:Psal. 119. 24 in which regard holy David calleth it a counseller, and a directer unto good duties: and therefore wee must acknowledge the necessity of this part of the word. The Sunne is not more necessary for the day, nor the Moone to governe the night,Psal, 119, 105. nor a lanterne or candle for a darke house; than this part of the word, so long as wee are in the night of the world: for without this light we grope in the darke, nothing can be seene, no action can be well done, nothing wanting can be found, no crooked thing can be straightened, no streight thing tried; nay all our way in which this light of God shineth not, is darknesse, and tendeth to utter darknesse. The pillar of the cloud and of fire, was not more necessary to Israel in the wildernesse, for their station or motion towards Canaan, than is this shining pillar of Gods Law to guide us unto heaven: and as it was their happinesse that their pillar lasted them till they entred Canaan; and it had not beene for their ease to have rejected it in their way: so ought we to esteeme our selves happy in the fruition of this holy doctrine, and direction; and on the contrary these Libertines to be unhappy men, who being in as darke, as heavie and dangerous a way, and wildernesse, put out their light, and breake to peeces, and cast away their lanthorne.
Fifthly, Being the rule of godly life, we must square all our duties thereby; even as a workman applieth his rule to every part of his worke, and declines not to the right hand or to the left: and holy wisdome requireth no lesse, but that, that should be the square of all, which must bee the judge of all things done in the flesh be it good or evill. And hence is it that the LORD writeth his Law by his spirit in the spirits of the elect, and imprinteth it in the fleshly tables of their hearts, that all their motions, actions, and affections should be conformable unto it. But how doe these lawlesse men, affirming the Law to be wholly abolished, denie it to bee written in their owne hearts? and consequently that they want the spirit, promised to be sent into the hearts of the elect for this purpose: And that either themselves are none of the elect, or that the spirit is wanting in his office, which were an high blasphemy.
Sixthly, That as the Law is a reveiler of duty, so it is a reveiler of sinne too: and discovers the sinfull defects of our best obedience. And because by the Law is the knowledge of sin, therefore by the obedience and works of the Law can no flesh be justified. That same Law that discovereth and condemneth a traytor, cannot acquit him: and it were madnes for him to expect life, from that Law which hath sentenced him with death. Shall franticke Papists ever finde life and righteousnesse by the works of that Law which condemns that very fact? And are not they next to fr…nzy, that after all this so open disclaiming it; would fasten upon us, that because wee teach the Law, wee therefore teach justification by the Law. Nay, we are so farre from consenting to any such poysoned assertion. That when the Gospell promiseth salvation and eternall life, to repentance and good works, wee deny them promised to these, as performances of the Law, but only as they are fruits of lively faith, by which the promises of eternal life are apprehended.
Seventhly, that the Law being a constant reveiler of sinne, wee must by the Law be still drawne neerer unto Christ: not onelyonly by the Law to see our sinne, and in our sinne our need of Christ: but we must see the Law fulfilled for us in Christ: else can we never looke comfortably towards the Law. And because it revelleth sinne: not onelyonly before we come to Christ, to bring us first unto him, but it reverses sinne when we are come to Christ: wee must by it be brought to Christ still. And it is false that they say, that the Law is indeede a scoolemaster to bring us once unto Christ, but then wee have done with it, and it with us; for it must ever bring us to Christ▪ so long as by sinne wee estrange our selves from him, or him from us. That place in Galat. 3. 24, 25. nothing contrarieth our doctrine:Non amplius sub paedagogo, quoad …ustificationem, damnationem, coactionem, significatinem; sed quoad doctrinam, obedientiam. Par. in locum. After faith came we were no longer under a schoolmaster: that is, such a schoolemaster as it was. The place is notably opened by learned Pareus, to whom for brevity sake I remit the Reader.
Eighthly, Wee must conceiue the Law in the substance of it, the image of God written in the heart of Adam in innocency, and by the finger of the same spirit written in the hearts of all the elect: and consequently must feare & tremble to sin against this Law, which floweth from the righteous nature of God, and the impugning of which is the violating of his owne image, and nature, so farre as wee can reach it. A man may breake the Princes Law, and not violate his Person▪ but not Gods: for God and his image in his Law, are so straitly united, as one cannot wrong the one, and not the other.
Ninthly, Wee must frame our selves to love this righteous Law, for this image of God ingraven upon it: yea and the more that wicked men hate and resist it, the more that sonnes of Belial rise up against it; wee must love it the more, obey it so much the more, maintain and defend the power and honour of it, with so much the more zeale and earn estnesse, so did holy David, Ps. 119. 126. Wicked men have destroyed the Law, therefore I love it above fine gold; where the Prophet concludeth them enemies to God, that are enemies to the Law. And 2. that then is the time to pleade for God and his Law, when wicked men most oppose and oppresse it. Now then is the time when the godly must awaken themselves not onelyonly to observe, but also to preserve it.
FINIS.
End of the text · Thomas Taylor, The Rule of the Law Under the Gospel (1631)