A Vindication of the Moral Law and the Covenants, Moral treatise · Lecture
An additionall LECTVRE.
GAL. 3. 19.
And it was ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediator.
THe ſervice and Miniſtery of the Angels about the promulgation of the Law, will much make to the honour of the Law; for we never read of Laws enacted by ſo ſacred and Auguſt a Senate as the Moral Law was, where Jeſus Chriſt accompanied with thouſands of Angels, gave theſe precepts to the people of Iſrael: We read of three ſolemn ſervices of the Angels; the firſt was, their ſinging at the Creation of the world, Job 38. 7. for by the morning ſtars, are meant the Angels: The ſecond was at Chriſts birth, when they cried, Glory be to God, &c. and the third may be this in the promulgation of the Law. For the unfolding of the words, know that the Apoſtle in the former part of the chapter, brings many arguments to prove, that we are not juſtified by the Law, and that the promiſe and eternall life could not come by it Now leſt this diſcourſe ſhould ſeem derogatory to the Law, he doth here, as in other places upon the like occaſion, make an objection: To what uſe then is the Law and v. 21. Is that Law againſt the promiſes? Which he anſwers with great indignation, God forbid; and to the former objection, he anſwereth in my Text, ſhowing the end of the Law, that is, not the end of the Law abſolutely in it ſelf, but of the delivery at that time; it was added becauſe of tranſgreſſions, to convince the proud and hypocriticall Iews of their wickedneſs, and thereby to ſeal that righteouſneſs of Chriſt. He doth not here take all the manifold uſes of the Law, but that which was accomodate to his preſent ſcope. This uſe he doth illuſtrate from the circumſtance of duration; It was to be till the coming of Chriſt, whereby you ſee, that the Apoſtle meaneth not the Morall Law, as a rule of life (for that is eternall as is to be ſhewed) but the Regiment, or Moſaicall Adminiſtrations in the Ceremoniall part thereof: and there is nothing more ordinary with Paul, then to take the Law Synecdochically, for one part of the Law; which rule if obſerved, would Antidote againſt Antinomianiſme: In the next place he commends this Law by a ſeaſonable, and fit digreſſion from a two-fold Miniſterial cauſe, one proxime and immediate, the Angels; the other remote, by the hand of a Mediator: ſome indeed think this is added for the debaſement of the Law, and to difference it from the Goſpel, becauſe the Law was given by Angels, but the Goſpel immediatly by Chriſt: but I rather take it for a commendation, leſt he ſhould have been thought to have condemned it, for you know his adverſaries charged this upon him, Act. 21. 21. That he ſpake againſt the Law: Now though the Apoſtle doth extoll the Goſpel infinitely above the Law, yet he always gives the Law, thoſe titles of commendation which are due to it; now in what ſenſe the Law is ſaid to be ordained by Angels, is hard to ſay. That you may the better underſtand this place, compare with it, Act. 7. v. 53. Who have received the Law by the diſpoſition of Angels Heb. 2. 2. If the word ſpoken by Angels was ſtedfaſt, &c. Deut. 33. 2. The Lord came from Sinai with ten thouſands of Saints, from his right hand went a fiery law for them: though this ſeemeth to refer to the people of Iſrael, rather then the Angels: But the Septuagint interpret it of Angels: In the Greek we have foreign which is as much as command, ſanction, and ordaining, as Rom. 13. 2. The ordinance of God; ſo then the ſence of the places put together amounts to thus much, That Ieſus Chriſt, Act 7. 38. Who is the Angel that ſpake to Moſes in the mount, and the ſame which appeared to him in the buſh, ver. 35 being accompanied with thouſands of Angels, did from the midſt of them, give Moſes this law, and Jeſus Chriſt is here called the Angel, becauſe of his outward apparition like one. The Sanctuary did expreſs this giving of the Law; for their God ſate between the Cherubims, and from the midſt of them uttered his Oracles, for Moſes was commanded to build the Tabernacie, according to the pattern as he ſaw in the Mount, and that is the meaning of the Pſal. 68. 8. The chariots of God are twenty thouſand Angels, the Lord is in the mi…st of them, Sina… is in …he holy place: So a learned man, Deiu, interpreteth it; that is, God doth in the Sanctuary from the Cherubims, deliver his Oracles, as he did the Law on Mount Sinai from between Angels, and thus you have this fully explained. In the next place, you have the remote cauſe, by the hand of a Mediator. Some underſtand this of Moſes, that he was the Mediator in giving the Law between God and the Iews, and ſo that Text, Deut. 5. 5. where Moſes is ſaid to ſtand between the Lord and them, may ſeem to confirm this interpretation; and Moſes indeed may be ſaid to be a Mediator typically, as the ſacrifices were types of Chriſts blood, and as he is called, Act. 7. 35. foreign a Redeemer, though Beza, and our Engliſh Bible renders it a deliverer.
But many interpreters underſtand it of Chriſt, that he was the Mediator in the Law, and indeed the words following ſeem to approve of this; for ſaith the Apoſtle, a Mediator is not a Mediator of one, that is, of thoſe that are one in conſent, and accord, but of thoſe that diſſent; now Moſes could not be truly and really a Mediator between God, and the people of Iſrael, when God was angry with them for their ſins. Beſides, the Law, as is to be ſhewed, is a Covenant of grace, and Chriſt onelyonly can be the Mediator in ſuch a Covenant by way of Office, becauſe he only is Medius in his nature. Beza indeed brings Arguments againſt this interpretation, but they ſeem not ſtrong enough to remove this ſenſe given, neither doth this phraſe, by the hand (which is an Hebraiſme) denote alwaies miniſtery and inferiority, but ſometimes power and ſtrength, but more of this in the explication of the doctrine.
Obſer. It was a great honour put upon the Law, in that it was delivered by Chriſt, accompanied with thouſands of Angels: There was never any such glorious Senate, or Parliament, as this Aſſembly was, wherein the Law w… enacted, Ieſus Chriſt himſelf being the Speaker: and by how much the m… glory God put upon it, the greater is the ſin of thoſe Doctrines, which do d… rogate from it. Indeed though Chriſt gave the Law, yet the Apoſtle make the preheminency of the Goſpel far above it, becauſe Chriſt gave the Law onelyonly in the form of an Angel, but he gave the goſpel when made man, whereby was manifeſted the glory not of Angels, but of the onelyonly begotten Son of God. how carefull then ſhould men be, leſt they offend, or tranſgreſs that Law, which hath ſuch ſacred authority. It is a wonder to ſee how men are afraid to break mans Law, which yet cannot damn, but tremble not at all, in the offending of that Law-giver, who is only able to ſave, or deſtroy. For the opening of this conſider: Firſt, that Ieſus Chriſt is the Angel that gave this Law, as the chief captain of all thoſe Angels that did accompany him: For Act. 7. 35. It is the ſame that appeared to Moſes in the buſh, God the Father hath committed the whole Government and guidance of the redemption of that people of Iſrael into the hands of Chriſt: Hence Iſa. 6. 3. 9. he is called the Angel of the Covenant, becauſe he made that Covenant of the Law, with his people on mount Sinai: This is the Angel, that Exod. 33. 2. God ſaid he would ſend before them to drive out the Nations of the land, and v 14. there he is called the face of God, or his preſence which ſhould go before them, and you have a notable place, Exod. 23. 20. I will ſend an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place, which I have prepared: beware of him, provoke him not, for he will not pardon your tranſgreſſions, for my name is in him: by this it is clear, that it was Ieſus Chriſt who was ſubſervient to the Father, in this whole work of Redemption out of Aegypt. Grotius in the explication of the Decalogue judgeth it a grievous errour, to hold that the ſecond perſon in the Trinity was the Angel who gave this Law, and indeed all the Socinians deny this, becauſe they ſay, Chriſt had no ſubſiſtency before his Incarnation: ſome Papiſts alſo think it to be a created Angel; but he muſt needs be God, becauſe this Angel beginneth thus in the promulgation of the Law, I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Aegypt. Neither wil that ſerve for an anſwer, which Grotius ſaith, that the Angel cals himſelf the God that brought them out of Aegypt, becauſe he is an Embaſſador, and ſpeaks in the name of the Lord: for were not the Prophets Gods Embaſſadors, yet their language was, Thus ſaith the Lord, they never appropriated the name of Iehovah to themſelves, whereas this Angel is called Iehovah, and 1 Cor. 10. 9. The Iews are ſaid to tempt Chriſt, becauſe he was the Angel that did deliver them by Moſes.
It is diſputed, whether, when any Angel appeared who was alſo God, that it was alſo the Son of God; ſo that in the Old Teſtament, the Father, and the Holy ghoſt never appeared, but the Son only; Auſtin thought it a queſtion worth the deciding, when he ſpent a great part of his ſecond book of the Trinity in handling of it. Many of the ancient Fathers thought that it was the Son onelyonly that appeared, ſo that all the apparitions which were to Adam, to Abraham, to Moſes; the God that ſpake then, they underſtand to be the Son, and this was done they ſay, as a preludium to his Incarnation: But ſome of thoſe Ancients give a dangerous, and falſe reaſon, which was, becauſe they held, the Father only was inviſible, and ſo apply unto the Father only that text, No man hath ſeen God at any time, ſo that they thought the Son might be ſeen, but not the Father, which paſſages, the Arrians did greedily catch at afterwards.
But this is certain, the ſecond Perſon is no more viſible, or mutable then the firſt; only it may be doubted, whether all thoſe adminiſtrations and apparitions which were by God in the Old Teſtament, were not by the ſecond Perſon: indeed, in the New Teſtament, that voice from heaven, This is my welbelou Son, muſt needs be from the Father immediatly: It hath been very hard to know when the Angel that appeared hath been a created one, or increated, the Son of God. Toſtatus gives this rule, when the things communicated in Scripture, as done by an Angel, are of ſmall conſequence or belonging to one man, or a few men, then it is a created Angel; but if they be matters of great concernment, or belonging to many people, then it is by an increated Angel; he enumerates many examples, which are not to my purpoſe, neither may we be curious in determining of the former queſtion. Let the uſe of this be to take heed, how we cry down this Law, which God hath ſo honoured, either by Doctrines, or Practiſes. We may live down the Law, and we may preach down the Law, both which are a reproach to it; and the Law is of ſuch a perpetuall, immutable obligation, that the very being of a ſin is in this, that it is foreign a tranſgreſſion of the Law, ſo that if there be no obligatory power of the Law, there can be no ſin. If the Heathen thought politicall Laws, were the wals of a City, and it were no advantage to have fortified wals, and proſtrated laws; how much more is this true of Gods Commandments: Thoſe three things which are required in a Law giver, authority, wiſdom, and holineſs, were tranſcendently in God, therefore every ſin hath diſobedience in it, becauſe it is againſt authority; folly in it, becauſe it's againſt wiſdom; and injuſtice in it, becauſe againſt righteouſneſs.
In the next place, it's worth the obſerving how Paul in this place, and ſo in his other Epiſtles is ſtill carefull ſo to bound the doctrine of the Law and the Gospel, ſo as neither may incroach upon each other, from whence floweth this Doctrine.
That the Law ought ſo to be preached, as that it ſhould not obſcure the Goſpel, and the Goſpel ſo commended, as that there may be no deſtruction to the Law.
This was Pauls method in all his Epiſtles, which he diligently obſerved: Indeed, it hath been very hard ſo to give both their due, that either the preacher, or the hearer, hath not thereby been inclined to make one prejudiciall to the other: Not but that the Gospel is to be preferred, and that in divers reſpects, but when it is ſo extolled that the Law is made uſeleſs, and unprofitable, this is to go beyond lawfull limits; and how difficult it hath been to hit the mark here, appeareth in that the Iews, Papiſts, Arminians, Socinians, and generally all Heretiques have advanced the Law, to the eclipſing of the Goſpel, and there have been few who have extolled the Gospel to the prejudice of the Law.
To proceed therefore regularly, we will ſhew when the Law is preached prejudicially to the Goſpel, and when the Goſpel to the Law.
In the firſt place, the Law is then ſtretched too far, when the works of it are preſſed to juſtification, whether theſe works be the fruits of grace, or antecedaneous to grace, it is not much difference to this point; and this is that dangerous doctrine of the Law, which the Apoſtle in his Epiſtle, doth ſo vehemently withſtand, and for which, he is not afraid to charge the teachers thereof, with apoſtacy from Chriſt, and ſuch who make Chriſt, and all his ſufferings in vain. And this is indeed to be a legall Preacher, inſomuch that it is an high calumny to charge Proteſtant Preachers, with the odious accuſation of legall preachers; for he is not a legall preacher in the Scripture ſence, which preſſeth the duty and works of the Law but that urgeth them for juſtification, and that righteouſneſs which we muſt rely upon before the Tribunall of God: and thou mayſt juſtly fear it is thy unſanctified & corrupt heart, which makes thee averſs from the Law in the former ſence.
2. The Law is uſed derogatory to the Gospel, when Chriſt is not indeed excluded from juſtification, but Chriſt and works are conjoyned together, and this is more ſugred poiſon then the former: Now this was the doctrine of thoſe falſe Apoſtles among the Galatians, they did not totally exclude him, but yet they did not make him all in all: but God doth not approve of ſuch unequall yoking. It is equall impiety to preach no Chriſt, or an half and imperfect Chriſt; and therefore as thoſe were curſed Doctrines which take away any of his natures, ſo alſo are thoſe which diminiſh of his ſufficiency. There is but one Mediator, and as God will not give his glory to another, ſo neither will Chriſt that of his Mediatorſhip to any other; ſo that, as God is jealous of his honour, when men give it to fools, no leſs is Chriſt, when men give it to the works they do. And this makes the way of juſtifying Faith ſo difficult, becauſe it is ſo inbred in mens hearts, to have ſomething of their own, and ſo unwilling are they to be beholding to Chriſt for all.
3. Then is the Law preached prejudicially to the Goſpel, when it is made of it ſelf inſtrumental to work grace. It cannot be denied, as is hereafter to be ſhewn, that the Law is uſed by God to begin and increaſe grace, but this cometh wholly by Chriſt. It is not of the Law it ſelf, that this ſpirituall vertue is communicated to men. Even as when the woman touched the hem of Chriſts garment, It was not efficacy from the hem, but from Chriſt that wrought ſo wonderfully in her. It is one thing to ſay grace is given with the preaching of the Law, and another thing by the Law; ſo that the Goſpel muſt be acknowledged the onelyonly fountain both of grace juſtifying, and ſanctifying, for as in natural things, if no Sun did ariſe, every creature would lie dead, as it were in its own inability to do any thing there would be no naturall life, or growth; ſo if the Son of righteouſneſs do not ariſe with healing, no Law, or Ordinance, could ever be beneficiall to us.
In the ſecond place, the Goſpel may be extolled to the ruin of the Law; and that firſt, when it is ſaid to bring a liberty not only from the damnatory power, but alſo the obligatory power of it: How well would it be if the Antinomiſts, in all their Books and Sermons, while they ſet up grace and the Gospel, would make to themſelves this objection with Paul, Do we then make void the Law? God forbid. Certainly if you take away the condemning power, and the commanding power of the Law, there will not ſo much remain of it, as did of Jezebels corps, when the dogs had gnawn it. Therefore ſtand faſt indeed in the liberty of the Goſpel, but ſtudy again, and again, whether that be Gospel-liberty, or prophane Licence that thou pleadeſt for: certainly, he that ſets up the Gospel in a ſcripture way, and not a fancy-way, will go no further then the bounds of the Scripture; do not uſe Gospel-grace as a cloak for thy more ſecure and looſe walking. I tell thee, there is a great danger in thoſe expreſſions, I have had enough of the Law; the time was, I dared not omit time of prayer: I was ſtrict on the Sabbath day, and in all family duties, but now I underſtand my liberty better. Oh, know this is a Gospel of thy own making, Free-grace of thy own minting. I deny not, but that the people of God may by the Devil be kept among the Tombs, as that Demoniack was in ſad thoughts, and ſlaviſh fears, which are oppoſite to the promiſe: I grant alſo, that a Miniſter may as unſeaſonably preſs the Law upon ſome humbled Chriſtians, as if the Samaritan had taken ſalt inſtead of oil, and poured it into the wounds of that man of Jericho. But for all this, the unskilfulneſs of the Phyſitian, may not derogate from the medicine; and as there is a time, when the Law may be unſeaſonably preached, ſo alſo there may be a time, when the promiſes ſhould not be preſt.
2. Then is the Gospel, or grace ſet up contrary to the Law, when Chriſtians are wholly taken off from humiliation for ſin, or from the threatnings that are in the Law. What a dangerous expreſſion is that of an Antinomian, that the Law hath no more to do with a believer, then the law of Spain, or France with an Engliſhman; There is nothing more ordinary, even in the New-Teſtament, then to awaken Believers with ſad, and ſevere threatenings. Take heed therefore, leſt that condition, which thou ſo bleſſeſt thy ſelf in, by Goſpel light, be not worſe, and more dangerous, then that wherein thou groanedſt under the Law. I ſpeak not this, as if the people of God ought not to ſeek for a ſpirit of adoption, and to ſtrive for an Evangelicall temper, which certainly is moſt heavenly, and holy; but to take heed of temptations, and being drunk with this ſweet wine. Let therefore from hence, both Miniſters and people make an harmonious accord of the Law and Goſpel in their practical obſervations. If on the Mount of transfiguration, Chriſt was in glory, and Moſes in glory, and yet both together without any oppoſition; ſo may the Law be a glorious Law, and the Goſpel a glorious Goſpel in thy uſe, and to thy apprehenſion.