Aphorisms of Christian Religion, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. Of the law of God.
I. APHORISME.
THe law of God is a aPſal. 1.2.doctrine ſent frō bExo. 20 1.2God by cExod. 19. Iohn. 1.17. Gal. 3.19.Moſes to the people of dDeut. 6.6. Pſ. 147. v. laſt Deut. 4 6.7.8Iſraell, whereby he teſtified ePſal. 19.8. Pſ. 78.3. & 56and taught in what manner he would be worſhipped of them.
II.
Of Gods lawes ſome aRom 9.4.are bExod. 20.morall, ſome cLeuit.ceremoniall, and ſome are dExo. 21.22iudiciall.
III.
The iudicials, are lawes of the aExod. 2.22 23.right of contractes, and of penalties for offenders, giuen for the preſeruation of publique peace and iuſtice among men, and for the puniſhment of the contempt of the lawes of God.
IIII.
The ceremonials, are aLeuit. 1.2.3.4 6.7.5.lawes concerning the ceremonies which God appointed for his externall worſhip, and for the inſtructiō of that people, cōcerning their …uerlaſting ſaluation by Chriſt which was to come.
V.
The morals, are lawes aExod. 20.1 Deut. 5.6.concerning the maners and duties of eueryevery man towards God and towardes his neighbour.
VI.
The morall lawes aIbid.are diſperſed in all the bookes of Moſes, but in the Decalogue they are ſummarily collected.
VII.
The Decalogue is diuided into two aExo. 24.12 and 31.18. & 32.16. & 34.1Tables: of the which two, the firſt containeth foure preceptes, concerning our duties to God, or concerning the bMat. 22.37 Deut. 6.5.louelove of God: the ſecond. Table conteineth ſixe preceptes, concerning our duties to our neighbour, or how cIbid. 39. Leuit. 19.18.to louelove our neighbour.
VIII.
Theſe precepts for the moſt part hauehave their *A trope or figure when part is vnderſtood by the whole, or the whole by the part.Synecdoche: for in the prohibition of ſinnes, he commaundeth the contrarie vertues, and contrarily in commaunding the vertues he doth prohibit the contrary ſinnes: and by one ſpeciall he vnderſtandeth all of that kinde, or the generall, and with the externall actions, the internall thoughtes and luſtes muſt be vnderſtood.
IX.
Furthermore to attaine the right ſenſe & meaning of the Decalogue, theſe rules alſo muſt be obſerued. The meaning of eueryevery precept muſt be taken, of the end and ſcope for the which that law was giuen, to wit, the next end: as for exāple. The end of the fift precept is the preſeruation of ciuill order, & ſocietie: therfore there are commanded duties of ſuperiours to inferiours, and of inferiours to ſuperiours, for that without this no ciuill order can be kept. Againe for diuerſe reſpectes, the ſame action may be commended in diuerſe lawes: for the endes cauſe actions to differ: as, protection, as it is the dutie of parentes towards children, or of Magiſtrates to ſubiects, it is cōmanded in the fift law: but as it is an office of Chriſtian fortitude in the preſeruation of life, it is contained in the ſixt law. So falſe witneſſe, in that it hurteth the good name of the neighbour, it belōgeth to the ninth Commandement; but ſo farre as it tendeth to hurt his life, it doth appertaine …o the ſixth precept.
Againe: The correlatiues are commaun…ed with their relatiues: for that the one can …ot ſtand without the other: where there…ore it is commaunded in the fift precept …hat ſome obey, it is commāded alſo that …me doe gouerne: and where the gouer…ours are commāded to be honored, they …e commāded alſo ſo to liue, as that they … worthy of honor. So in the fourth pre…pt, where mē are commanded to learne …e word of God, ſome alſo are comman…ed to teach the ſame. Againe: The ſecond …able muſt giuegive place to the firſt: for we muſt …ue the neighbour for the Lordes cauſe, that … for that the Lord commandeth, and to his …orie. Therefore parents and all ſuperi…rs muſt be honoured as is commanded … the ſeuēth precept of the ſecond Table: …at (as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh) aEpheſ. 6.…in the Lord, …at is, in the feare of the Lord, ſo as the …ord be not offended, when they be ho…red.
But this rule muſt be vnderſtood of the …orall law: for in theſe the ſecond Table …uſt giuegive place to the firſt, but not in the ceremoniall. If therfore the neceſſitie and life of our neighbour require an omiſſion of a ceremonie, we muſt rather bOſe. 6.6. Mat. 32.4. & chap. 15.3.4.5.6.omit a ceremonie then neglect the life of our brother. Therefore this rule alſo muſt be kept. The ceremoniall law muſt giuegive place to the morall.
X
God gaue his law, aPſal. 147.19.20. Deut. 4.6.7.8partly therby (as by a ſpeciall marke) to put differēce between his people and all other nations and people of the world: partly that he might be worſhipped by them as himſelf had bDeut. 4.1. &c. & chap. 12.32.preſcribed: and partly to prepare them vntounto cGal. 3.23.24. Heb. 9. & 10.the faith of Chriſt which was to come.
XI.
His preparation was both by inſtruction, and by charge.
XII.
Firſt, he taught them by ceremonies, which were as viſible Prophecies concerning Chriſt, aHe. 9. & 10.ſhadowing his ſacrifice, wherby he ſhould expiate the ſinnes of all the elect.
XIII.
He vrged and charged them, in aCol. 2.14. …om. 3.20.conuincing them of ſinne, both by the cere…onies, and by the law morall, but ſpeci…ly in that by bDeu. 27.26 Gal. 3.10.by threatning his curſe a…ainſt them, he cauſed them to ſeeke for …race in Chriſt.
XIIII.
Concerning the abrogatiō of the law, …hus it is; a law is ſaid to be abrogate, whē …t is repealed, made voide, or aboliſhed: ſo …hat the people to whom it was giuen, and whom it did binde, are no more bounde …hereby.
XV.
Therefore the morall law, may not be ſayd to be abrogate, becauſe it is a perpetuall rule of iuſtice cōmanding ſummarily the aMat. 22.40louelove of God and of the neighbour, which are mens duties for euer. Albeit it be grāted alſo as true, that the faithful are freed by Chriſt frō the bGal. 3.13.curſe, ſeueritie or, c1. Iohn. 5. 3 Rom. 6.14.extremitie of the law.
XVI.
But as for the ceremonial law, that it is aCol. 2.14. Ibid. 17. Epheſ. 14.15. Gal. 3.25.abrogate is euident by the ſcope and vſe thereof. For it was giuen to inſtruct that ignorant people as a bGal. 3.24ſchoolemaſter, concerning Chriſt to come, and to lead them vntounto him as by the hand, by ſhadowing & cHeb. 9.10. Col. 2.17.prefiguring Chriſtes Prieſthood many wayes. The dIohn. 1.17truth then being come, and we finding the liuely and eHeb. 10.1.expreſſe image of all things needful for ſaluatiō in Chriſt: it foloweth, that theſe legall ſhadowes & figures are aboliſhed, & that the law hath performed and ended that pedagogie.
XVII.
The queſtiō is harder cōcerning the abrogatiō of the Iudicial law. For it cā neither ſimply be ſayd to be yet in force, ſeeing the common wealth of the Iewes is aboliſhed: neither yet may we ſay that it is altogether abrogat, for that it containeth many lawes which hauehave a ſcope & vſe perpetuall. It ſeemeth then that this queſtiō may be thus anſwered. The Chriſtian Magiſtrat is not bound to the Iudiciall lawes of Moſes in reſpect of ſome ſpeciall circū ſtances which did concerne the people of Iſraell: notwithſtanding concerning the kindes of aLeuit. 24.1 Deut. 13.5. and 10.penalties which the Lord hath appointed for the reuerend eſtimation & obſeruation of the Decalogue, the Chriſtian Magiſtrats ſeeme to me aſſuredly, at this day to be no leſſe bound for the keeping of theſe lawes, then the Magiſtrates of the people of Iſraell were in elder ages.