The Rule of the Law Under the Gospel, Title page – Preface
Regula Vitae, THE RVLE OF THE LAW VNDERUNDER THE GOSPEL.
Containing A Discovery of the pestiferous sect of LIBERTINES, ANTINOMIANS, and sonnes of Belial, lately sprung up both to destroy the Law, and disturbe the faith of the Gospell: Wherein is manifestly proved, that God seeth sinne in iustified persons.
By THOMAS TAYLOR Dr. of Divinity, and Pastour of S. Mary Aldermanbury, London.
Numb. 12. 8.
Wherefore were ye not afraid to speake against my servant Moses?
Imprinted at London by W. I. for Robert Dawlman at the Brazen Serpent in Paules Churchyard: 1631.
The Preface to the godly Reader.
WHat Mr. Luther in his last Sermon at Wittenberg observed, and foretolde, we see in these our dayes fully performed and accomplished: hee had observed thirty severall sects, and sectaries, raised up by Satan in his time against that holy doctrine preached by himselfe; all which had hee not beene able by the Scriptures to have resisted, and refuted, he must have beene (as himselfe said) of thirty severall religions. Among them he mentioneth the Anabaptists, Antinomists, Libertines, Servitians, &c. of all whom he foretold, that though now they (saith hee) by the power of the word, and by the vigilancy of godly teachers lye close and still; yet will they be intent, and ready on all occasions to rise, and raise up their damnable errours to disturbe the peace of the Church, and the prosperity of the Gospel. And indeede accordingly have we observed the Church of God in all times since, lesse or more infested with these dangerous sectaries, I meane the Libertines, the professed enemies to the Law of God, and to the holy obedience of it. Against whom as St. Augustine in his time wrote two books against the Adversaries of the Law: Contra Legis adversarios.so Mr. Calvin dealt worthily in his time, in his booke intituled,Adversus furiosam sectam Libertinorum. Against the furious sect of the Libertines: and many other godly men since that time. Let not us be offended that the spawne and succession of those lewd libertine sectaries are now issued forth in troopes amongst us,Nemo miretur aut consternetur cum tam insolitos, & ab omni ratione alienos errores cernas: Calv. nor marvaile that the hatred of Gods most righteous Law prevaileth amongst a rude multitude, the sonnes of Belial; whom Mr. Calvin calleth a prodigious and belluine sect, furious and madded in their opinions, and fierce as unbroken coltes against whosoever would curbe them, and straiten the reines of their unbridled licentiousnesse. But rather let us observe, 1. Satans malice in sowing tares where good seede was sowne, and that in the Lords field. 2. Gods just permission of so many schismes as tares rising with the graine; and therein revenging the contempt and disobedience of his word, he hath sent strong delusions, that many should believe lies, 2 Thes: 2.who received not the truth in the love of it. 3. The levity, wantonnes, and instability of unsetled Gospellers, that are in every new fashion of opinion, with every new man that hath the tricke of molding novell conceits against received truthes; that if thirty new-minted fansies should rise up in their age, they were like enough to be of thirty religions, and of every last praise God, that the truth was never truly preached till now. 4. Let us excite our selves to the love of truth, to the hatred of errour, and to the fencing of our selves against seducers; importuning in serious invocation the God of truth, not to punish our wantonnesse in profession, with taking the word of truth utterly from us: and thus shall we temper poyson to a remedy,Quod hostis machinatur in perniciem, convertit Deus in adiutorium: Aug: Epist: ad Sextum 105. and turne that to an help which the enemy intends for our hurt. For the setling of mine owne people (some of them looking that way) I delivered lately some grounds, both to enforce the rule of the Law upon the regenerate, as also to refute the contrary errour of our new audacious Antinomists, and Libertines, and Famelists, who as the olde Manichees and Marcionists, abolish the whole Law, and that wholly.
One preacheth, that the whole Law since Christs death is wholly abrogated, and abolished. Another, that the whole Law was fulfilled by Christ 1600 yeares agoe, and we have nothing to doe with that. Another, that to teach obedience to the Law of God, is to teach popery, and to leade men into a dead faith. Another, that to doe any thing because God commands us, or to forbeare any thing because God forbids us, is a signe of a morall man, and of a dead and unsound Christian. And upon these hollow and deceitfull grounds doe these masters of errour bottome a number other ridiculous conceits, which yet they deliver as oracles, and anathematize whosoever shall not so receive them. As 1. That the Law being abolished to the justified, God can see no sinne in them; for hee can see no Law transgressed. 2. That the regenerate cannot sinne; for where is no Law, is no transgression: according to that Luciferian principle rife among them, Be in Christ, and sinne if thou canst. 3. That being in Christ, they are Christed with Christ, as pure as Christ, as perfect as Christ, as farre beyond the Law as Christ himselfe: the right brood and spawne of the olde Catharists and Puritans. 4. That the Law is not to bee taught in the Church, and they are legall Preachers that doe so, and preach not Christ. 5. They hence disclaime all obedience to the Law, and raile at the precepts and practise of sanctification, as good for nothing, but to carry men to hell; and cry out on the Ministers as Popish, and as having Monks in their bellies, who set men on working, and doing, and walking holily. 6. They renounce and reject all humility, confession and sorrow for sinne, they scorne fasting and prayer, as the seeking not of God, but of our selves. One saith, that neither our omissions, nor commissions should grieve us: and another, Neither doe my good deedes rejoyce mee, nor my bad deedes grieve mee. They deride and flout the exercise of repentance and mortification, and upbraid such as walke humbly before God. What say they? Will you repent all your dayes? and, You cannot sinne, but you must repent an whole fortnight after. Nay they are set upon so merry a pin, as they can thinke of their former sinnes with merriment. I am glad of my sinne (saith one) because it hath drawne me to Christ: and why doest thou not mourne that by those sinnes thou hast pierced Christ? 7. They reject the Saboth as Iewish wholly abrogated with all other commandements; as one of them professed, that were it not for offence of men, he would labour in his calling on that day as well as any other.
These with many other consequents of the same stampe, all tending to loose the conscience from all awe of God, from all care of duty, from all feare of sinne, and judgement to come, (though they walke in all licentiousnesse, and prodigious courses) are such as a right bred Christian cannot but tremble at; and were there but a few droppes of modest blood in their veines, the Masters of such lewd and libertine opinions could not but blush at: who cannot answer before God (without a sea of teares of tim…ly repentance) the mis…a…ling of simple men (and women especially) into such desperate wayes.
My intention being onelyonly to propound the grounds of naked truth, (which as a right line is the rule of it selfe, and of that which is crooked) and that to my owne, in my owne plaine and ordinary manner; it was farre from my thought to make my labour more publicke, till partly the scorne and insolency of these schismaticall spirits on the one hand, and partly the importunity of many godly both Ministers and private persons thrust mee into a second survey, and review of what I had delivered. They said they knew some drawne off their opinions by hearing the doctrine preached; and doubted not but if it were made more publicke, it would be much more usefull to the Church, especially seeing these seducers creepe into such corners of the Citty and Country, where are weakest meanes of resistance, whose strongest hopes and holdes lie in the ignorance and too credulous simplicity of their proselites. I made many objections to my self, some to them: I knew this argument soundly and judicially handled already by others; that it might more profitably and sufficiently be undertaken by some other better furnished with gifts and leisure: how little I could expect the satisfaction of others in an argument of this moment, who in the throng of businesse, and burden of many weekly exercises, could scarce gaine thoughts or time to satisfie my selfe: How unsafe to thrust into a publicke quarrell: how importune and lawles the adversaries, who holde not themselves countable to God, for any wrong they doe unto man. But yet persuaded to deny my selfe for the service of God and his Church, and that the seasonablenesse of the treatise might adde an advantage unto it, and that it might be some stay to the teachable untill a more elaborate, and compleate worke might by some other be prepared: I yeelded unto the publication of that little which I had done; animating my selfe with the same arguments that wise and prudent Generalls use to encourage and hearten their souldiers withall, when they are to joyne issue with the approaching enemy: and they be foure. 1. The goodnesse and justice of the cause, which is just, and honourable; for we take part with God, and fight his battell in the quarrell of his most righteous Law. 2. The victory is easie and certaine, unlesse God and his Law can be conquered: and who ever rose up against God and prospered? 3. The quality of the adversaries must adde courage unto us, Christians in name, but siding, and sorting with the damnable heretickes of ancient times: of whom I will not speake what they are worthy to heare, but what I may with judgement write, and whom the sequell discourse will shew to be of proud, furious, and audacious spirits. 4. The assurance of divine assistance: for are the adversaries such? certainly then is their strength gone: God's spirit is gone from them, for he teacheth the humble, and sendeth the proud empty away. They pretend the spirit, and outboast all men, that they are taught, and led, and moved by the spirit, and are past all motives and persuasions of man or meanes: but God's spirit is a soft, sober, calme and quiet spirit, both in Christ the head, and in all his members: and that furious, factious, railing and quarrelsome spirit of theirs,Deus ecce furentibus obstat. is that uncleane spirit of Satan, usually breathed into hetickes and enemies of the truth, and of the spirit of truth: by whose onelyonly assistance wee shall shape them (not as they say in scorne, a garment after our owne fashion) but such an answer out of the Scriptures, as shall not hide their nakednesse, but uncover their ignorance, emptinesse and folly, and vindicate the holy Law of God from their schismaticall cavills, and hereticall contempt. And why not? For doe we exclaime against the Papists for blotting out the second commandement, as sacrilegious persons? and against the Anabaptists for denying the fifth? and shall we be silent at these sectaries, whose blindnesse hath made them bolde to blot out all the ten at once? which although they were writen with God's owne finger, and that in tables of stone, yet these mad men presume their nailes so steeled, as that they can scratch them out all at once, and yet God see no sin in them. I shall speake unto them all along the Treatise; and now will onelyonly desire of them, or rather of God for them these two things: First, that my reproofe may be a medicine unto them; at least if it be conceived a wound, yet not of an enemy, but of one that out of love desireth to leave them a testimony of faithfulnesse: and the other is,Optimus portus poenitentiae mutatio consilii: Cic: Philip▪ that the Lord would worke in them a timely change both of opinion & practise; so as they may no longer turne the grace of God into wantonnesse and liberty, but get out of this snare of the Divel, wherein they are held to doe his will, … who in every thing opposeth, and resisteth the righteous will of God re…vealed.
But to you that are desirous to walke in the olde and good way, and are not yet infected with this spreading gangrene of licentiousnesse, I shall be bolde to give some advise for prevention. As 1. To looke carefully to your precious soules, which Satan many wayes beleaguereth: let not pretences of faith in Christ loose you from duty towards God; catch not at ease, or presposterous and overtimely comforts, wherein the impostour hath you at advantage. 2. Looke well to your estates, and outward meanes, lest these impostours make a prey, and advantage on you, as they have done on some already, who have confessed that these pedlars have basely inveagled from them even to the very cushions of their windowes: for the Apostle observed not in vain, that through covetousnesse they make merchandise of unwary soules. 3. Suspect such men as come with a strange language, and unwonted phrases and manner of speaking:Etiam loquendum cum Ecclesia recte sentiente: Cyprian: for errour is a fruitfull mother, yet is she ashamed of her brood, and is willing to cover and apparell them with philosophicall and metaphysicall phrases; and so these men are willing we should seek out the brats of their owne braine,Sublime et tumidum dicendi genus; pere grino quodam idiomate loquuntur, ut qui ipsos audiunt prima facie stupefiant. Calv: advers: Libert: c: 2. in the bushes and thickets of intricate discourses, and in the meanders and laborinths of uncouth language, wherein they desire to be admired, rather than understood: not unlike their predecessours in Calvins time, of whom hee saith, that they were like Gipsees, that had gotten a cheating, and canting language proper to themselves;Quemadmodum circulatores, alii que errones, &c peculiari sermonis genere utuntur… Vide cap: 7 eiusdem libri. and this is one of the first principles of their cousening trade. Surely the Ministery of Christ, and his Apostles, and of all godly teachers, is to cast off all cloakes of shame, and to walke not in craftinesse, neither to handle the word of God deceitfully; but in declaration of the truth, to approve themselves to every mans conscience in the sight of God. 2 Cor: 4. 2These cleane contrary studie how to involve things in darknesse,Non est humano aut seculi sensu in Dei rebus loquendū. Hilar. lib. 8 de Trinit. and to obscure and extinguish (if they could) the light, and devise to speake as in the riddles and oracles of old, in ambiguous, and new-minted phrases of their owne; as if the phrase and expressions of the Scriptures were onelyonly to be rejected in opening of the mysteries of Scriptures.Sequamur loquendi regulam quam tradit Scriptura, neque extra illos fines evagemur. But leaving these bolde impostours to set the holy Ghost to schoole to teach him to speake, wee acknowledge wee have not onelyonly a rule of doctrine prescribed us in the Scriptures, but also a rule of speaking, unto which we must frame our selves; and utter wholesome doctrine,Calv. cap: 7. in wholesome words, and words of understanding: and all other lofty, arrogant, and subtle manner of speaking, so as that which is uttered cannot be well understood, the Apostle rejects it as an idle beating of the ayre. 1 Cor: 14. 94. Nourish the grace of humility, for God teacheth the humble: beware of curiosity and affectation of novelties; be wise to sobriety, and thinke it an high wisedome to be established in ancient and received truthes. The ficklenesse of hearers, and unsetlednesse in the grounds of holy truth, together with the wantonnesse of opinions, have opened a wide doore to impostours: and while for want of judgement men are ready with Salomons foole to beleeve every thing, all the labour and diligence of able and godly Ministers is too weake, to keepe multitudes from running after the Ministers of Satan, furnished with all arts to deceive, and to cheate them of the truth which is according to godlinesse. Against whom while I endeavour to establish others, I may seeme to forget my selfe, and that I must incurre many censures and contempts from this lawlesse generation of men; but my labour is with the Lord, and my reward is my conscience of well-doing: I shall contemne their contempt, love their persons, hate their errours, and studie while I am, to be as serviceable to the Church, and the faith once given to the Saints, as I can.