Confession of the Christian Religion, Confession · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Of the law.
I. The law of Moſes came betweene the promiſe of redemption by Chriſt, and the accompliſhment thereof, and to what ende.
BVt betweene the promiſe of redemption by Chriſt; made firſt vntounto Adam, & after more manifeſtly declared, aſwell to others, as moſt eſpecially to Abraham, ſealed with the ſacrament of circumciſion, and confirmed as it were by the death of Iſaac his firſt begotten, offered for a ſacrifice, and eſtabliſhed by an euerlaſting couenant: & betweene the accompliſhment of the fame promiſe, the lawe was giuen which Moſes deliuered: the people which came of Abrahams ſeed beeing gathered together and wonderfully encreaſed, (of whome alſo Chriſt ſhould be borne) and beeing alſo deliuered out of the bondage of Egypt by a wonderfull meanes, that God might hauehave a church knowne and viſible, and ſeparate from other nations, and gathered together in one certaine place: in which church, that promiſe concerning Chriſt made vntounto the fathers might be kept ſafe, and an acceptable ſeruice of God maintained, euen vntounto the comming of the true promiſed redeemer: The law, I ſay deliuered by Moſes from God vntounto his church, came betweene, containing three kindes of commandements: Morall, by which the life and pietie of euerie one ſhould bee directed: Ceremoniall, with the forme whereof the church ſhould bee gouerned in her outward ſeruice and religion: and iudicial, pertaining to the gouernement of the whole common wealth in matters politick and oeconomicall: that by theſe meanes the people of God, of whome Chriſt was to come, might both bee reſtrained from the prophane manners & idolatries of wicked nations, & might be kept within their duetie and obedience to Gods will, and finallie might be vpholden in the faith and hope of the promiſe to bee performed concerning the true redemption by Chriſt: and ſo might bee prepared more and more for the receiuing of Chriſt: and ſo in that people God might be glorified.
II. VVhatſoeuer was neceſſarie to be done, for ſaluation, is contained in the law of God.
To let paſſe then the two latter parts of the lawe, which doe not appertaine to vsus, and to ſpeake onelyonly of the former: wee beleeue, that in that law, as it is declared in the bookes of Moſes, the Prophets and Apoſtles, 2. Tim. 3.16al things which are neceſſary to ſaluation are ſo perfectly ſet downe, and Gods will, Deut. 2.4. & 5.22. & 12.32which he will hauehave vsus to do in his word, ſo reuealed, as nothing can be added or taken from it.
III. The law of the Decaloge or ten commandements, is a declaration of the law of nature, and a picture of the image of God.
We alſo beleeue that this law, is a declaration of the lawe of nature, which was written in the heartes of the firſt men perfectly, of others imperfectly, and but in part: and therefore by this law is condemned, whatſoeuer is not agreeable to that image of God, whereunto man was created; and is commaunded, whatſoeuer is agreeable to the ſame. For God would ſhew by that law, what man was in his firſt eſtate, and what hee was made in the ſecond eſtate, and what manner one he ought to be: and further what he ſhould afterwards be in the third eſtate in parte, and vvhat perfectly in the fourth, by Chriſt: ſo that the lavve is nothing elſe, but a true and liuely picture of the image of God, to vvhichwhich man vvas created: vvhereby vvee are inſtructed, vvhat vvee vvere, vvhat vvee are, vvhat vve ought to bee, and in deede vvhat vvee ſhall be, if vve truſt in Chriſt.
IV. The ſumme of the law to bee reſtrained to the louelove of God and our neighbour.
Novv vve beleeue and confeſſe, that Chriſt did teach, Mat. 22.37that the ſumme or ſubſtance of the vvhole lavv is cōtained in theſe two precepts: Thou ſhalt louelove the Lord thy God with all thy heart, withall thy minde, withall thy ſoule, and vvithall thy ſtrength: & thou ſhalt louelove thy neighbour as thy ſelf: the firſt of theſe is the ſumme of the firſt table, the other, the ſumme of the ſecond table.
V. If God alone bee to be loued with the whole heart, he alone is to be worſhipped.
And if the ſumme of the firſt table, which containeth the whole worſhip due vntounto God, doe conſiſt in the perfect louelove of God alone: from hence, beſides other expreſſe commandements of God, declaring this commandement, we gather and we beleeue that God alone is to bee adored, inuocated and ſerued with a religious worſhipp, and that wee muſt ſweare onelie by his name, becauſe theſe bee all contained within that commaundement of louing God with all our heart: to let paſſe, that the image of God, whereof this lawe is a type, did teach Adam the ſame thing.
VI. That our verie concupiſcence and corruption of nature is a ſinne.
But if by Gods law be condemned, whatſoeuer offence is repugnant to that firſt image of God, that is, to iuſtice, holineſſe, and righteouſnes, wherein man was created: we hold that in man not onelyonly his actions committed with cōſent of his will againſt the law of god, but euen the motions alſo of luſt, yea the concupiſcence it ſelfe, and the whole corruption of his nature, is ſinne, Rom. 7, 7and by the lawe of God condemned: becauſe it is repugnant to that vprightnes and iuſtice wherein man was creted, and wherein he ought, and might hauehave kept himſelfe, if he would.
VII. Although the law cannot bee obſerued: yet it was not giuen in vaine nor vnprofitablie.
And although the law of God be ſo perfect, Rom. 7.101 & 8.3that it neuer could or can be obſerued of anie man, either all, or alwaies, or in ſuch meaſure as it ought: yet we beleeue that it was not giuen in vaine, nor vnprofitablie, ſith God doth not anie thing in vaine, but all things with his exceeding high wiſedome, to his owne glorie, and to our profit and ſaluation.
VIII. A threefold profit by the law of God.
Firſt by the perfect declaration of the will of God by this law, men might and may better vnderſtand, what was pleaſing vntounto god: what was good, and what ill, what was to bee done, and what to be auoided: then by the onelyonly reliques of the law of nature remaining in mans minde: and therefore all cloake of ignorance being cleane taken awaye, the Iewes were made more inexcuſable then other nations, if they kept not the law: which thing falls out greatlie to the glorie of God: ſith men do therby vnderſtand, that his iudgements towards vsus are verie iuſt. Furthermore, by the curſes which are added againſt the tranſgreſſors, and the bleſſings for the obſeruers, men were reſtrained by feare of thoſe as it were with a bridle, from committing ſinne, and by hope of theſe as it were with a ſpurre, were ſtirred vp to keep the law, if not wholly and perfectlie, yet in part, and for the externall obſeruances: and ſo might bee the better held within their dueties: which how profitable it is not onelyonly to a whole common wealth, but to euerie particular man, ſo bearing himſelfe, none can be ignorant. Laſt of all, by that, that men ſaw by dailie experience, how they continually ſinned againſt this ſo perfect a law; and perceiued, that they were not able to obſerue it, as it ought to be, and ſo that they were dailie more and more in daunger of Gods wrath, & guiltie of eternall death: It came to paſſe that diſtruſting themſelues, & their owne ſtrēgth, they grew to hauehave a greater and earneſter deſire of the promiſed Sauiour and redeemer. And therfore how much the more they knew their ſinnes by the law, and their weakenes, & more ſenſiblie felt the wrath of God, ſo much the more greedilie did they hunger and thirſt after righteouſneſſe, and were diſpoſed and prepared to take holde on Chriſt by faith: ſo that verie true were both thoſe ſayings of the Apoſtle: by the lawe is the knowledge of ſinne, Rom. 2.20 Gal. 3.24and the law was a ſchoolemaiſter vntounto Chriſt.
IX. The lavv hath ſtill the ſame vſe, yea euen in men regenerate.
And we beleeue, that theſe vſes of the law are perpetuall, as long as wee remaine in this world: not onelyonly in men not regenerate, as it ſaid, but alſo in the verie regenerate. For ſith our mindes are ſtill blinded with much darkneſſe, and our memorie ſo ſlipperie, that wee can neither perfectlie vnderſtand the thinges that are of god, nor keep in minde that which we hauehave vnderſtood: we hauehave euermore need of this glaſſe of the diuine lawe, wherein wee may dailie behold, and ſtill more certainelie vnderſtād, what god will hauehave vsus to do. Moreouer, ſith our heart is not yet perfectly cleanſed from all corruption, that it can bee fullie ſetled vppon doing the will of God, but that the fleſh ſtill wraſtleth againſt the ſpirite, Gal. 5.17therefore the law is moſt neceſſarie, which may terrifie vsus with the threatninges, and hold vsus in from offending: and with the promiſes may ſtirre vsus forward to obedience and to the working of righteouſneſſe. Laſtlie ſith there is none ſo holie which ſinneth not manie waies, 1. Ioh. 1.8& which hath not ſinne dwelling in him, whereby wee bee made weake vntounto goodneſſe, and prone to ill: Therefore the lawe is proffitable vntounto vsus, by which our ſinnes and infirmities being made knowne to vsus, wee may dailie more and more acknowledge how impoſſible it is that we by our owne works, ſhould at anie time bee iuſtified or ſaued: and therefore ſhould bee filled with the greater deſire, hunger, and thirſt of the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt, and embrace him by faith: And thus the law, when it can neuer iuſtifie vsus, yet it may alwaies drawe vsus neerer vntounto Chriſt who iuſtifieth, more and more to be iuſtified.
X. The morall lawe, touching the ſubſtance, vvas not to be diſanulled by Chriſt.
For we knovve and beleeue that the lawe, touching the ſubſtance, and thoſe wholeſome vſes, of which we ſpeake, was not to be aboliſhed by Chriſt, and ſo not aboliſhed at all: but onelie touching the curſe and condemnation: becauſe there is no condemnation to them that are in Chriſt Ieſus, Rom. 8.1which walke not after the fleſh, but after the ſpirite. But yet the law was proffitable euen in the condemnation, and alwaies is, to them which are not yet in Chriſt: in as much as it driueth them to Chriſt, that they may auoide condemnation.
XI. Errors.
Therefore wee condemne thoſe which reiect the law out of the church, as vnprofitable, and not pertaining to chriſtians; and againe, thoſe which teach that a man may either wholie, or in part, bee iuſtified by the lawe: fith it was rather giuen, Io. 1.29to ſhutt vp all men vnderunder ſinne, and to leade them to Chriſt, who alone taketh away the ſinnes of the world. And this is brieflie our confeſſion of the law, deliuered from god by Moſes, and declared by the Prophets, vvhichwhich prepareth, diſpoſeth, and bringeth men vntounto Chriſt: Rom. 10.4and therefore Chriſt is ende thereof as the Apoſtle writeth.