A Vindication of the Moral Law and the Covenants, License – To the reader
11o. Junii, 1646.
WE the Preſident and Fellowes of Sion Colledge London, earneſtly deſire Maſter Anthony Burgeſs to publiſh in print his elaborate and judicious Lectures upon the Law and the Covenants againſt the Antinomian Errours of theſe times, which at our entreaty hee hath preached, (and for which wee give him moſt hearty thanks) that ſo as well the Kingdome, as this City, may have the benefit of thoſe his learned labours.
Dated at Sion Colledge the 11th of June, 1646. at a generall meeting of the Miniſters of London there. Arthur Jackſon Preſident, in the name and by the appointment of the reſt.
VINDICIAE LEGIS: OR, A Vindication of the MORALL LAW AND THE COVENANTS, From the Errours of Papists, Arminians, Socinians, and more eſpecially, Antinomians.
In XXX. LECTURES, preached at Laurence-Jury, London.
The ſecond Edition corrected and augmented.
By Anthony Burgeſs, Preacher of Gods Word.
LONDON, Printed by James Young, for Thomas Underhill, at the Signe of the Bible in Wood-ſtreet. 1647.
TO THE Truly pious and worthily honoured Lady, the Lady RUTH SCUDAMORE.
Honoured Madam,
I Have obſerved your Ladiſhip carefull in two things: to improve the duty commanded in the Law, and to imbrace the promiſe tendered in the Goſpel; the former hath been a ſpurre to holineſſe, the latter a curb to unbeliefe. The conſideration of this (together with the remembrance of thoſe manifold favours which your Ladiſhip hath plentifully vouchſafed to me and mine) hath provoked me to dedicate this Treatiſe unto you, which although it hath much controverſall matter in it, yet it is not without many practicall Directions and Conſolations. It hath been Gods goodneſſe unto you, that although in theſe times of calamities your portion hath been one of the afflictions in Paul's Catalogue, without ſettled aboad; yet God hath leſt your minde fixed and immoveable in the truth, being enabled to foreignmagnifie Grace in the highest manner, out of the reall ſenſe of your neceſsity and unworthineſſe, yet to avoid Antinomianiſme: and on the other ſide, to be punctuall and exact in the duties of mortification and holineſſe; yet to take heed of Phariſaicall Popery. And indeed, this is the right ſenſe, when we are ſo diligent in working out our ſalvation with feare and trembling, as if there were no grace to justifie; and yet ſo resting and beleeving in the grace of Christ, as if no good thing had been done by us.
Madam, goe on with the aſsistance of God, and account the things of grace more excellent then the things of parts; and while others rejoyce in opinions, and new notions about faith and holineſſe, doe you delight in the things themſelves. The Lord keep his best wine for you in the later end of your age, and give you to ſee the fruit of your Prayers, a ſettled reformation in the Church, that ſo (when your time ſhall come) you may depart in peace, feeling much of the power and love of God living, and much more of them, dying.
Madam, this is the prayer of your Ladiſhips humble ſervant in the Lord, Anthony Burgeſs. Septemb. 21. 1646.
TO THE READER.
READER,
IF the Father ſaid true, that Books were foreign. Clem. Alex.the fruit of the mind, as children are of the body, naturall affection muſt compell me, (as ſhe did for Moſes) to provide ſome Ark for the ſafety of this Book, leſt it periſh: And I know no better way, then to give thee ſome account of the matter and method of it, if thou vouchſafe to peruſe it.
For the matter of it, it is chiefly improved to maintain the dignitie and uſe of the Morall Law againſt late errours about it, and thereupon I have been forced to conſult more with thoſe books that are filled with ſuch poyſon, then to peruſe thoſe Authors that have maintained the truth; and I found the looking upon their Heterodoxies a ſpeciall help to propagate and confirme the truth, as that Romane Painter curiouſly drew the picture of an Horſe, by conſtant looking upon an Aſſe, avoiding whatſoever he ſaw ridiculous or deformed in him. I acknowledge this work above my ſtrength, it being a ſubject not much handled by former writers, and ſo I could not be guilty of that fault, foreign: but I ſay, as Austin, Ego parvas vires habeo; ſed Dei Verbum magnas habet; I have ſmall ſtrength, but the Word and Truth of God hath great power. None is more unwilling then my ſelf to come in print; but, becauſe he that writeth good Books, doth retia ſalutis expandere, ſpread the nets of ſalvation to catch ſome men in; and the good works of ſuch will laſt as long as their Books live; I have hardened my ſelfe, and overcome mine owne temper, to publiſh to the world theſe conceptions of mine. I have not affected to appeare in this Book foreign, about words and phraſes, becauſe it's controverſall matter, and ſo fitter to be repreſented to the underſtanding in naked unaffected explications, then curiouſly adorned to pleaſe fancy: Yea, I have grudged at words, as being too long and cumberſome, deſiring (if poſſible) to conveigh my ſenſe in as briefe a manner as may be, leſt any that comes to look for fruit, ſhould finde the leaves too broad, and ſo cover it from ſight. And this endeavouring of brevity will make the matter ſeeme too obſcure and abrupt, till there be a familiar acquaintance with my way.
My method is after ſome generall diſcourſes about the uſefulneſſe of the Law, more particularly to handle it as given to Adam, and afterwards as promulgated by Moſes to the people of Iſrael; and herein I have taken in all the materiall queſtions that Papiſts, Arminians, Socinians, and more eſpecially, Antinomians have ſtarted up. In all this I have endeavoured to give the Law its due, and the Goſpel its due, remembring that of Luther, Qui ſoit inter Legem & Evangelium distinguere, gratias agat Deo, & ſciat ſe eſſe Theologum; He that knoweth how to diſtinguiſh between Law and Goſpel, let him give thanks to God, and know he is a Divine. It is the allegoricall interpretation of one Writer, that the great feaſting and muſick which was uſed at the reconciliation of the Father to his Prodigall ſon, did ſignifie the ſweet harmonie and agreement between Law and Goſpel. If this were ſo, then ſome doe repreſent the elder brother, that grudge and murmure at this excellent accord. If any adverſary ſhall aſſault this Book, I ſhall not be ſolicitous to anſwer it, becauſe I endeavoured ſo to ſtate the queſtion, that at the ſame time truth might be maintained, and falſhood demoliſhed; I am preparing for thy view another Diſcourſe about Juſtification, which precious Doctrine hath alſo been much ſowred by the leaven of Antinomian opinions.