Catholic Theology Plain Pure Peaceable, Conference 11 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV. Whether the Goſpel be a Law of Chriſt?
Lib.
III. YOu bring in your doctrine of perſonal Righteouſneſs to Juſtification, by feigning Chriſt to have made a new Law; whereas the Goſpel is but a Doctrine, Hiſtory and Promiſe, and not a Law, and ſo no Rule of Righteouſneſs and Judgement; And this many Proteſtants have aſſerted.
P.
I have read ſome ſuch ſayings in ſome men: And ſome I think meant no more, but that Chriſt did only expound, and not add to the Law of Nature, called by them the Moral Law: And theſe I have excuſed for their unhappy kind of expreſſion. But for the reſt, that mean as the words ſound univerſally, they ſubvert Chriſtianity, and as the Arrians denyed Chriſts Godhead, ſo do they his Office and Government, and are ſomewhat worſe than the Quakers, who ſay, that the Spirit within us, is the Law and Rule of Chriſt; which is better than none: I pray anſwer me,
Queſt. 1. Is Chriſt the King and Ruler of the Church?
Lib.
Yes.
P.
Queſt. 2. Is not Legiſlation the firſt and principal part of Government?
Lib.
Yes.
P.
Queſt. 3. Do not they then that deny Chriſts Legiſlation, deny his Government?
Lib.
Yes.
P.
Queſt. 4. Is it not eſſential to Chriſt as Chriſt (the name ſignifying Relatively his Office) to be King?
Lib.
Yes.
P.
Queſt. 5. Do they not then by this deny Chriſt to be Chriſt?
Lib.
No: for they confeſs that he hath a Law, but not that he made any ſince his birth.
P.
We grant 1. That the Law of Nature now is His Law: 2. And that the firſt Edition of the Law of Grace to Adam after the fall, was his Law: 3. And Moſes Law was partly his. But you will not ſay that we are under this laſt, nor I hope that he hath no other than the two firſt.
Lib.
Why, what other can you prove?
P.
It is the Name or the Thing that you deny; (for you uſe to confound the caſes:) 1. Whether the name be fit, judge by theſe Texts.
Gal. 6. 2. Bear ye one anothers burdens, and ſo fulfil the Law of Chriſt.
James 1. 25. The perfect Law of Liberty.
Rom. 8. 2. The Law of the Spirit of life in Chriſt Jeſus, &c.
Rom. 3. 27. Boaſting is excluded? By what Law? Of Works? Nay, but by the Law of faith.
Mic. 4. 2. For the Law ſhall go out of Zion, &c.
So Iſa. 2. 3. & 8. 16, 20. & 42. 41. The Iſles ſhall wait for his Law.
1 Cor. 9. 21. We are under the Law to Chriſt.
Heb. 8. 10, 16. I will put my Laws into their minds—and hearts.
James 4. 12. There is one Law-giver, &c. Iſa. 33. 22.
2. For Name and Thing note the terms of Equivalence and Connotation:
1. All the Texts where Chriſt is called a King, and his Kingdom named, (why ſhould I needleſly recite them?)
2. All the Texts that mention his Commanding and Commandments, the ſame which we mean by a Law. Matth. 28. 20. Teaching them to obſerve all things whatever I have commanded you.
Acts 10. 42. & 13. 47. Acts 10. 33. 1 Cor. 7. 10. John 15. 14. If ye do whatſoever I command you. 17. Theſe things I command you.
So John 15. 12. & 14. 21, 31. 1 Tim. 1. 1. Titus 1. 3. 1 John. 3. 23. & 4. 6. John 13. 34. 1 John 5. 3. & 2. 4. & 3. 24. 1 Cor. 14. 37. Acts 1. 2. Acts 17. 30. Bleſſed are they that do his Commandments, &c. Rev. 22. 14.
3. All the Texts that mention his Covenant, (foreign being a Legal inſtitution.) Heb. 8. 6. He is the Mediator of a better Covenant, & 8. 13. & 8. 10. & 10. 16. & 12. 24. Gal. 4. 24.
4. All thoſe Texts that not only call him Lord of all, but ſay that All power in Heaven and Earth is given to him (therefore Legiſlative power) Matth. 28. 18. and all Judgement committed to him, John 5. 22. The Government is laid upon his ſhoulders, and of the increaſe of his Government there ſhall be no end, Iſa. 9. 6, 7.
5. De re, how can that man be a Chriſtian, that denyeth that Chriſt hath made us any Law, and ſo denyeth his Kingdom and our obedience?
I argue from the definition: That which hath the eſſential parts of a Law is a Law: But Chriſt hath made that which hath the eſſential parts of a Law: Therefore he hath made a Law.
The Major is paſt diſpute; The Minor I prove: That which hath a Precept making Duty, and a Promiſe and Threatning, inſtituting the Retribution by Rewards and Puniſhments, as an Inſtrument of Government, hath all the Eſſentials of a Law: But ſuch is made by Chriſt: Ergo—
The Minor (which only needs proof) I prove by parts and inſtances. 1. There is a Command to believe in God as our Reconciled Father by Chriſt: 2. To believe in Chriſt as Incarnate, and the Mediator, conceived by the Holy Ghoſt, born of the Virgin Mary, fulfilling all righteouſneſs, dying, buried, for us, juſtifying us by his blood, riſing, aſcending, glorified, interceding, that will raiſe the dead, and judge the world, &c. We are commanded to believe all the Goſpel: And to give up our ſelves to Chriſt in the Covenant of Baptiſm, to truſt in him, to pray in his name, &c. We are commanded to believe in the Holy Ghoſt as the Spirit of Chriſt, and to live in Communion with the Chriſtian Church, to obſerve the Lords day (the firſt of the Week,) to preach and hear the Goſpel, to receive the Lords Supper, to imitate Chriſt, to receive his Apoſtles and Miniſters, to relieve his members as ſuch, to take Moſes Law as abrogated or ceaſed; And do you that are ſo ſtrict in condemning all humane impoſitions as bold additions, believe that Chriſt himſelf hath made no Laws for Ordination, Sacraments, Preaching, Worſhip? and why fear you adding then? can one add to Nothing? And what a lawleſs ſort of perſons are you, if you will neither have Chriſt nor Man to make Laws for you?
2. And as to Promiſes and Threats or Penalties (of a far ſorer puniſhment, Heb. 10.) I am aſhamed to ſtand to prove them to you. [He that believeth ſhall be ſaved, and he that believeth not ſhall be damned] is ſure a Law. How ſhall we eſcape, if we neglect ſo great ſalvation? See that ye reject not him that ſpeaketh—Heb. 4. & 10. Theſe mine enemies that would not that I ſhould reign over them, bring them hither and ſlay them before me, Luke 19. 27. with abundance ſuch.
Pardon here that my indignation ſuffereth me not to be longer or colder, but ſhortly to tell you further, that to deny Chriſts Law is, 1. To deny him to be a King, and to be Chriſt, 2. To deny his Kingdom, 3. And his Government, 4. And his Goſpel, 5. And his Officers power, both Kings and Paſtors, 6. And your own ſubjection, 7. And all duty and obedience to him, 8. And the being of all ſin as againſt his Laws. 9. And all Judgement according to his Laws, 10. And all reward for keeping his Laws, 11. And all puniſhment for breaking them, 12. And all duty to preach, learn or meditate on them, 13. And all blame on ſuch as ſilence ſuch preaching, 14. And indeed the very being of all Law and Government in the world: For ſince the Promiſe Gen. 3. (or at leaſt now) there is no Law of God in the world, but what is the Redeemers Law: Even the Law of Nature now is in his hand, and is the Law of the Redeemer to lapſed Nature. And all the world had a new Law of Grace made to Adam in the firſt Edition; and the Church hath it now in the ſecond Edition. And now what part of Chriſtianity do you not deſtroy?
Chooſe you now whether you will come off by confeſſing that you erred and differed from us but in a word not underſtood, or whether you will allow us to take you for downright Hereticks? And bethink you whether thoſe raſh and ſelf-conceited Divines that have reviled Papiſts and Arminians for ſaying that Chriſts Goſpel was a Law, or that he made a new Law, have done good ſervice to the Chriſtian or the Proteſtant Cauſe▪ or have rather done much to harden the Rapiſts into a more confident conceit that Proteſtants are Hereticks?