A Rejoinder to Daniel Williams, Part 3
I come to ſhew what a Law is, and what Goſpel is.
What a Law is.
The word Lex is with ſome a Ligando, becauſe it binds to Duty and Obedience; with others it is a a Legendo, *Quod omnibus ad legendum exponitur publice in ſoro quod dicebatur promulgatio legis. Iſidor. foreign Ariſtot.becauſe among the Romans, when a Law was made, it was expoſed publickly, that all might read or know it; and this was called the promulgation of the Law, foreign, a tribuendo aut diſtribuendo, becauſe it gives every one its due, by commanding and forbidding, upon a Penalty expreſt or underſtood. Hence it is not only regula juſti & injuſti, (which deſcribes but the preceptive part) but its regula ſancita whereby Juſtice doth proceed in a way of diſtribution to juſtify or condemn, and thereby ſuum cuiquet ribuere, to give every one his due, if Wages of Sin be due, to pay it; this is the primary and ſtrict ſenſe of foreign: in a larger ſenſe it's take for Doctrin, a Cuſtom or Uſage, foreign comes of foreign, Inſtituit, docuit, monuit, &c. and is often uſed for Doctrin or Inſtitution in the Proverbs and Pſalms; ſometimes for the Law of God ſtrictly taken, ſometimes for the Law of Moſes, and ſometimes for a particular Law or Precept, as Exod. 12.49. Sometimes for the Doctrin of the revealed mind of God in his word, Pſal. 1.19. and 119. And ſometimes for a Manner and Cuſtom, as 2 Sam. 7.19. In which Significations its by the Hebrew dirived from foreign. They have alſo divers other words for particular Statutes, Precepts, Commandments; in treating of which, I ſhall not detain the Reader.
2. A Law in general is an explicit Injunction of Obedience by a rightful Power, with a Penalty annexed. Duty may be owing where its not by any poſitive Law preſcribed on Penalty. There are theſe things neceſſary to a Law. 1. That there be a legiſlative Power lodged ſomewhere: That it be Sovereign, whereby the firſt Reaſon of the Law is the good Will and Pleaſure of the Law-giver. 2. That this Sovereign Power be rightfully exerted, or elſe the Law is but an Uſurpation. 3. That the Subject under this Law be capable of performing it, or elſe the Law is tyrannical. 4. If a Promiſe of Reward to Obedience be expreſt or implyed, it becomes a Law-Covenant: But concerning the Nature of that more may be ſaid elſwhere.
3. In a Law there is but two Parts, the preceptive part and ſanction; which is binding the Subject to Duty, upon the Authority of the Law-giver, and on pain of Curſe denounced for the Tranſgreſſions thereof. You oft reflect on me for being ignorant of what Sanction is; I muſt tell you, I underſtood Sancire before you began to ſtudy, at five Years old, as you ſay you did; and if any one ſpeak of Life and Death diſtinct from the Precept, its you, when you talk of continu ng the Duty and removing the Sanction to another Law; for the removing the Sanction from a Law, is the taking away all the binding Nature of it; and theſe things are inſeparable from a Law with Sanction. 1. Every ſuch Law requires perfect Obedience to the conditional Precepts of whatever kind they be; if the Law require of me a ſmall Matter or a great, it abates not one jot or tittle of what it requires, and my performing that is perfect obedience to the ſaid Law. If the King's Law require one ſhilling Poll-Tax of me, eleven pence three Farthings half farthing will not pay my due, nor be accepted. Hence, 2. whereas the Law requires the full Duty without the leaſt Abatement, ſo if I make the leaſt Default of what it requires, I fall under the Curſe of it; and he that is thus by the leaſt Default, whatever his compliance or obedience is beſides, is under a Curſe unavoidably, the whole Penalty falls upon him. Thus much for a Law in general, whether Divine or Human, none allows an imperfect Performance of Conditions required in the ſaid Law, but condemns it.
4. The Law of God is a ſtrict Injunction to Man of Obedience to all his revealed Mind, and Will, upon pain of Death. The Original Record of this Law was in Man's Heart, concreated with him; Adam had by Nature the things contained in the Law,Lex Adamo data fuit naturalis vel p…ſitiva, illa in imagine D…i involvebatur & in corde ſcripta, Rom. 2.14, 15. Lex poſitiva conſiſtebat i… prohibitione arboris ſcientiae boni & mali, Gen. 2.17. L…i. a few dark Remains whereof continue in fallen Man in his ſinful Condition: This not only comprehended thoſe Precepts which the Jews call the Law of Nature, which are Eadem apud omnes homines in omni tempore & omni loco. Which are the ſame among all Men, and in every Place: But it requires exact Obedience to any particular, or more peculiar Precepts that God afterward ſhould require Obedience by, of any one Perſon, or ſort of People, even God's extraordinary Commands ſuch as to Abraham of offering up his Son. Again, it doth not bind only to the external Acts of Obedience but to the internall, and the Principle from whence it flows, Mat. 5.21, 27. c. 22.37, 38, 39. This Principle and internal heart Conformity Man had at the firſt; All Preſcription of Duty belongs to the Law, as Voet. diſput. tom. 4. 24. And this we muſt hold, if with all the Reformed we will maintain the Law's Perfection, as containing in its compaſs all Vertues and Duties of Holineſs. Witſ. 197. de foed. Hence whatever is a Tranſgreſſion of ours in a Defect of Obedience to any of God's Precepts, that were or ſhould be given, the very leaſt, though but in a defect of Faith or Love to God in the Heart, is condemned by God's Law: Will any Man ſay that God hath commanded Faith and Repentance at any Time to Man, and that was not implyed in the Law at firſt given to Man, doth not that Law condemn every Diſobedience, Impenitency and Unbelief▪ and if it condemns the Sins it commands the Duties. The Law of Creation condemned all Sin, which could not be but by the Fall, and hence commanded all contrary Duty, and therefore Repentance in caſe of Sin.
5. This Law was twice ſolemnly promulgated, 1. To Adam in Paradice, in which Promulgation God did bring him upon the tryal of his Obedience in one particular Precept or Prohibition, as a part of his Revealed Mind and Will; and likewiſe declared the Penalty of the Breach of the whole Law in that ſin. 2. On Mount Sinai, which Law was but a recognizing and tranſcript of the ſaid Original Law, writ in Man's Heart, but ſo as to be expreſſive of the fallen ſtate of Man; in which Law, though but a brief Summary in ten Heads what was that moral Obedience God at firſt required of Man, yet therein its abundantly declared, That Man by a moral Obligation was bound to obſerve whatever God enjoyned as a Duty to Sinners in Faith and Repentance, and in all Matters of inſtituted Worſhip under the Old or New Teſtament, in the firſt Table, and moſt eſpecially in the firſt and ſecond Commandments: Though thoſe particular Commands as to the Moſaical Inſtitution were alterable, yet they being the revealed Mind and Will of God, for the time being, Men lay under a moral Obligation as the Principle and Foundation of that Obedience. So where-ever God commands and requires any Duty in the Goſpel, the Law primarily obligeth us to Obedience,De comminationibus ſi quae ſunt in foedere pratiae videamus, ſi accurate rem putare v…limus, &c Though the Goſpel ſeems to have Comminations in it, yet if we accurately conſider the Matter, the Covenant of Grace hath no peculiar Comminations; all Comminations or Threats belong to the Law; which Law, a… to all its Parts doth accommodate, and ſuits itſ…lf to the Covenant of Grace, Witſ. de foed. and will revenge all Diſobedience and Imperfection, if we are not ſecured from its Curſe in ſome way of perfect Satisfaction and Obedience; there needs no other Law with Sanction to try and execute a Tranſgreſſor by: This is the Law by which all the World becomes guilty before God; by which he governeth the World, condemns every Sin in the very regenerate, and every impenitent Unbeliever; and by this Law, and it only Chriſt will judge the World. Neither doth the greatneſs and Aggravation of any Sin, remove it to the tryal of another Law, as in refuſal of Goſpel Remedy, but leaves Men the more inexcuſable under a higher degree of puniſhment inflicted by the ſame Law: And whereas that Place, Rom. 2.16. is alledged to prove the Change of the Law-Sanction, and that it is not the Law of Nature but the Law of the Goſpel by which Chriſt will judge the World: The allegation is grounded on a manifeſt Miſtake, for mark what is ſaid, v. 16. In its next coherence it belongs to v. 12. (for v. 13, 14, 15. are ſhut in by a Parentheſis) and then the ſenſe is plainly thus, as many as have ſinned in the Law ſhall be judged by the Law, in the day when God ſhall judge the ſecrets of Men by Jeſus Chriſt, according to my Goſpel, foreign, i. e. according as I have preached, That Chriſt ſhall judge the World by the Law; for he ſaith two ſorts of Men ſhall be judged by the Law, ſuch as had never no Law, but what was written in their Hearts, and ſuch as had the written Law; and Chriſt ſhall judge them both, according to the Truth of the Goſpel which he had preached, Acts 17.31. and this is according to the account Mr. Beza gives of the Text.
6. Hence the Law of God is but one from firſt to laſt, indeed in this one Law there are many Precepts, ten in the Mount Sinai Law, and thoſe ten contain multitudes of Duties in other places of Scripture more particularly expreſſed: And upon this Foundation of Obedience is built all the Ceremonial Laws and Judicial, which had but a Temporary Sanction; and no more hath the inſtituted Goſpel worſhip, and are but Branches that fall off, but our Obedience to them for their time is Moral, becauſe they are the Command of God, and that Moral Duty to conform to the revealed Mind and Will of God, remains and will be our Glory in Heaven, though particular Circumſtances and Actions wherein this Obedience is now ordinarily expreſt, will ceaſe: Hence it was not needful that Chriſt ſhould exert his perfect Obedience in thoſe Circumſtances and Actions which do attend all the Varieties of States, Stations and Relations that we are in,foreign, The Law is the whole Rule of Obedience which God gave to the Church under the Old Teſtament. It was a perfect and complea… Rule of Obedience, which God required of his Church, the moral Law …he Foundation of the whole both Ceremonial and Judaical. By vertue of that Covenant made with Abraham it was accompanied with a Power and Efficacy enab…ing unto Obedience. The Law ln it ſelf as meerly preceptive and commanding, adminiſtred no Power and Ability unto thoſe that were under its Authority, no more do the meer Comm…nds of the Goſpel. Under the O. Teſtament, it enforced Obedience from the ſeverity of its ſan…tion. D.O. of Juſt. p. 4 13, 144. neither would it have been eſſential to Adam's perfection if he had ſtood, nor will it be to glorified Saints. To conclude the Law of God is perpetual, and its an eternal Truth, do and live, as that the Soul that Sins ſhall dye, Not one jot or Tittle of the Law ſhall paſs away till all be accompliſhed, Heaven and Earth ſhall paſs away firſt, Matt. 5.18. not that it is vacated when fulfilled, but eſtabliſhed: And our Saviour tells us, That he that will break one of the leaſt of theſe Commandments, and teach men ſo, ſhall be called the leaſt in the kingdom of Heaven; What muſt they then be called, who tell us, God hath vacated this Holy, Righteous and Good Law, and brought in another in the room of it that diſpenſeth with little Sins, and makes them not of a damning Nature.