The Manifold Wisdom of God, Treatise · Chapter 1
CHAP. I. A briefe Treatise concerning the agreement and difference betweene the Old and New Testament; the first Covenant betweene God and Man, in Innocency, which is the old Covenant of Works: and the New Covenant made with Mankinde, in Christ, which is called the Covenant of free Grace; also betweene the Law and the Gospell.
IT is an Ancient custome which hath beene for many Ages in use among the learned before the entrance into the large Exposition of the Gospell of Christ in the New Testament, to premise and lay downe by way of preparation, the nature, difference, and agreement between the Old and New Testament, the Covenant of Workes, and the Covenant of Grace, the Law and the Gospell, the Prophets and the Evangelists. And surely if wee doe rightly consider the end and use of this practise, and the profit and benefit which may arise from the knowledge of the nature of these beforehand, and of the true difference and agreement betweene them, we cannot but judge those learned men worthy of imitation; and that it will be profitable for us to walke in the same steps when like occasion is offered. For the knowledge of the true difference of the Old and New Testament, the Covenant of Workes, and the Covenant of Grace, the Law and the Gospel, will not only give us great light, for the right understanding of divers particular speeches used in the New Testament by the Evangelists and Apostles, but also may keepe us from many dangerous errours, and enable us to answer the Objections of the Adversaries which they make out of the words of the Apostles and Prophets, wrongfully wrested and misconstrued according to their owne foolish imaginations. As for example, sometimes the Apostles exhort us to observe the things which by Tradition have beene delivered unto us, and command to observe the good orders and Ordinances established in the Churches. Now a man not knowing the difference betweene the Old and New Testament, the Law and the Gospel, when hee heares such speeches, may imagine that in those words he is injoyned to observe the Traditions and Ordinances of Moses, and so may with the seduced Galatians fall into a great errour. So in some places of the Apostles we read, That they who are borne of God sin not, That they who sin are of the Devill, That they who sinne wilfully after that they have received the knowledge of the truth, can have no sacrifice for their sinne, And that he who beleeveth not is condemned already.
These things when a man heares or reades, who is igno rant of the difference betweene the Law and the Gospell; hee may imagine with our new up▪ start Heretiques, That every sinne which a man willingly commits, doth prove him to be a childe of the Devill, destitute of all grace: And that when men are once called and justified, they cannot willingly sinne any more. And many such errours he may runne into: but if he understandeth that sinne in those places signifieth sinne against the Evangelicall Law, the two Commandements of the Gospell, which commands us to beleeve and repent, and not every sinne against any Commandement of the Law▪ hee cannot bee deceived. For sinne against the Gospell, is when a man being before called to beleeve and professe the Gospell, and having received the Commandements thereof, which injoyne repentance of all sinne, and beleefe in this Iesus Christ whom the Gospell preacheth, doth afterwards rebell against these two Precepts, that is, falls into infidelity and impenitency, which is wilfull Apostacy. Now these sinnes none can commit who is borne of God, or hath any true saving grace in him; and if wee thus understand sinne, wee shall not be deceived. So likewise the Evangelists and Apostles do tell us, that if we doe such and such good workes we are righteous, if wee call on the Name of the Lord wee shall be saved; and our Saviour saith, that he will pronounce them the blessed of his Father, and will say to them, Come, inherit the Kingdome: for yee fedde mee when I was hungry, and visited mee in prison: In that yee did these things to my little ones. And againe, Many sins are forgiven her, for shee loved much. If wee know not the difference betweene the Law and the Gospell, we may by these speeches be moved to thinke that men are justified and saved by their workes, and may merit heaven by good deeds, as the Iewes and Papists doe beleeve. But if wee know, that by good deeds and righteous workes, the Evangelists and Apostles doe commonly meane not simple workes of obedience to the Law, but works done by a true saving and justifying faith, he cannot be deceived. For such workes have these two prerogatives above all others. First, in that they are fruits of a justifying faith, which can never faile, and doe proceed from the spirit of repentance, which makes us one with Christ, sonnes of God in him, and abides in us, as an immortall seed, they are infallible tokens of our justification, and do assure unto us the Crowne of glory which Christ hath purchased for us, and the kingdome of heaven which is the inheritance of sons. And therefore we may truely say, that he which doth such workes is righteous, and shall be saved, and injoy all blessednesse, not meaning that they make him righteous or merit Heaven; but that they are the evidences of his right to heaven. And the more they are, and the greater and more excellent, the more they testifie a mans union and communion with Christ by a lively faith, and give more assurance of a greater reward. Secondly, being the workes of a man that is justified by faith, and hath perfect communion of Christs righteousnesse, they have all their spots and staines cleansed and covered with the robe of Christs righteousnesse, and all their defects thereby supplyed to the full, and so they are perfect righteous workes, as well as the doer of them is a perfect righteous man, not in themselves, but by vertue of Christ his obedience, which is communicated and imputed to the worker of them, and in him to them also. They are righteous, and are so called, not actually or effectually, but passively; that is, not for making the doer of them righteous, but by the doers receiving of Christs righteousnesse by that faith whereof they are fruits; which righteousnesse doth supply all their defects, and makes them righteous, not by reason of a naturall change in themselves, or alteration of their nature, but by spirituall communion which they have of it, together with the doers of them. Thus if we understand these words in the Evangelicall sense, we cannot bee deceived, but may know the truth, and how to answer all gainesayers. I could bring many Instances of this nature, but these are sufficient to shew, that before wee can sufficiently expound & rightly understand the Gospell, it is meet that we should know, and be able to shew the nature, and also the agreement and difference betweene the Law and the Gospell, and betweene the Old and New Testament. Wherefore before I come to the particular expounding of the Gospell of Saint Iohn, which I have undertaken, I will follow the steps of the learned of former times, and will endevour to shew briefely the agreement and difference betweene the Old and New Testament, betweene the Old Covenant of Workes, and the New Covenant of Grace, and betweeen the Law & the Gospell in the first place. And in so doing I will labour to reform some things which they have done before me, and to handle this point a little more distinctly. For whereas the most part of them doe confusedly compare the Law and the Gospel together without distinction of the words: and while they labour to make the Gospell more glorious by all meanes, they doe put too great a difference betweene it and the Law, which hath beene a cause of much errour to many, and even of vilifying and contemning the Old Testament and the Law; My desire and purpose is, first to shew the severall acceptations and the true sense and meaning of the words; and then to declare the true agreement and difference, and to make those differences which are observed by others to agree together so far as truth will suffer, and to cut off all vaine and needlesse differences. This doing, I hope I shall reserve to each their due reverence and respect; God shall have his glory by both the Law and Gospell; Your hearts shall be enabled with love of both, and you better enabled to understand the true meaning of the Gospell, and to feele the power thereof in your soules.