The Doctrine of the Sabbath, Thesis 83 – Thesis 85
Thesis 83.
If sinne be the transgression of the law (which is a truth written by the Apostle with the beams of the Sunne, 1 Iohn 3.4.) then of necessity a Beleever is bound to attend the law as his rule, that so he may not sinne or transgresse that rule, Psalme 119.11. for whoever makes conscience of sinne, cannot but make conscience of observing the rule, that so he may not sinne, and consequently whoever make no conscience of observing the rule doe openly professe thereby that they make no conscience of committing any sinne, which is palpable and downe-right Atheisme and prophanesse; nay it is such prophanesse (by some mens principles) which Christ hath purchased for them by his bloud; for they make the death of Christ the foundation of this liberty and freedome from the law as their rule; the very thought of which abominable doctrine may smite a heart, who hath the least tendernesse, with horrour and trembling. Porquius therefore a great Libertine, and the Beelzebub of those flies in Calvins time, shuts his sore eyes against this definition of sinne,Calv. adv. Liber…. delivered by the Apostle, and makes this onelyonly to be a sinne, viz. to see, know, or feele sinne, and that the great sinne of man is to thinke that he doth sinne, and that this is to put off the old man, viz. Non cernendo amplius peccatum, i. by not seeing sinne. So that when the Apostle tels us that sinne is the trangression of the law, Porquius tels us, That sinne is the seeing and taking notice of any such transgression; surely if they that confesse sinne shall finde mercy, then they that will not so much as see sinne shall finde none at all: A Beleever indeed is to dye unto the Law, and to see no sinne in himselfe in point of imputation (for so he sees the truth, there being no condemnation to them in Christ Jesus) but thus to dye unto the law, so as to see no sinne inherent in himselfe, against the law, this is impious (for so to see no sinne and die unto the law is an untruth, if the Apostle may be believed, 1 Iohn 1.10.) Those that so annihilate a Christian, and make him nothing and God all, so that a Christian must neither scire, velle or sentire any thing of himselfe, but he must be melted into God, and dye to these (for then they say he is out of the flesh) and live in God, and God must bee himselfe, and such like language, which in truth is nothing else but the swelling leaven of the devout and proud Monks, laid up of late in that little peck of meale of Theologia Germanica, out of which some risen up of late have made their cakes, for the ordinary food of their deluded hearers: I say these men had need take heed how they stand upon this precipice, and that they deliver their judgements warlly, for although a Christian is to bee nothing by seeing and loathing himselfe for sinne, that so Christ may bee all in all to him; yet so to bee made nothing, as to see, know, thinke, feele, will, desire nothing in respect of ones selfe, doth inevitably lead to see no sinne in ones selfe, by seeing which the soule is most of all humbled, and so God and Jesus Christ is most of all exalted; and yet such a kind of annihilation the old Monks have pleaded for, and preached also (as I could shew abundantly from out of their own writings) insomuch that sometime they counsell men not to pray, because they must be so farre annihilated, as nihil velle; and sometimes they would feigne themselves unable to beare the burthen of the species of their own pitchers in their cels from one end of them unto another, because forsooth they were so farre annihilated (as neither to vel… so neither to scire or know any thing beside God, whom they pretended to be all unto them,Vid. Taule…i vit…. and themselves nothing, when God knowes these things were but braine bubbles, and themselves in these things as arrand hypocrites as the earth bore, and the most subtle underminers of the grace of Christ, and the salvation of mens soules.
Thesis 84.
A true Beleever, though he cannot keep the law perfectly, as his rule, yet he loves it dearely, he blames his owne heart when he cannot keep it, but doth not find fau…l with the law as too hard, but cries out with Paul, The law is holy and good, but I am carnall: hee loves this Coppy though hee can but scribble after it; when therefore the question is made, viz. Whether a Beleever be bound to the law as his rule? the meaning is not whether he hath power to keep it exactly as his rule, or by what meanes hee is to seek power to keep it; but the question is, whether it bee in its self a Beleevers rule; for to be a rule is one thing, but to be able to keep it, and by what meanes we should keep it, whether by our own strength or no, or by power from on high, is another.
Thesis 85.
If the Apowle had thought that all Beleevers were free from this directive power of the law, he would never have perswaded them to love, upon this ground, viz. because all the law is fulfilled in love, Gal. 5.13, 14. for they might then have c…st off this argument as weak and feeble, and have truely said (if this principle were true) what have wee to with the law?