Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 36
EXERCITAT. XXXVI. Of the abrogation of the Ceremoniall Law.
THE Leviticall ceremonies are conſidered three wayes; firſt, with CHRIST; Secondly,The ceremonies conſidered three wayes. without Chriſt; and thirdly, againſt Chriſt; In the firſt eſtate they were weake Elements and could bring nothing to perfection, Heb. 10, 1. And therefore they were to be aboliſhed, and the Goſpel was to come in the place of them. Heb. 7.19. The Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the which we draw neare to God.
Firſt, Lex rogatur, the Law is given. Secondly, Subrogatur, when ſomethings are added to the firſt Law.Lex rogatur. ſubrogatur. obrogatur. derogatur. abrogatur. Thirdly, Obrogatur, when ſomething is changed in the firſt Law. Fourthly, derogatur when ſomething is taken from it. Fifty, Abrogatur, when it is altogether aboliſhed and taken away.
When the ceremoniall Law was given,The ceremonial law was was not changed in part, but altogether aboliſhed. there was nothing ſubrogate or put to it, neither was it obrogated, changed in part, neither was it derogated, any thing taken from it, but fully abrogated, and therfore the Apoſtle ſaith, foreign, Superinducta eſt ſpes melior, the new covenant was not brought in upon the old, that they might be both joyned in one, but the old was firſt abrogated, and the new brought in, in the place of it.
Againe, the Apoſtle ſaith,Gods chiefe delight was not in ſacrifices under the Law. A body haſt thou prepared for me, as if he would ſay thou haſt made choice of no ſacrifices, thou wouldſt not have them, for thou tookeſt no delight in them, thy delight was in the moſt excellent thing and not in the baſeſt, 1 Sam. 15.22. Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and in ſacrifices as in obeying? behold to obey is better then ſacrifice.
A threefold uſe of the ceremonies under the Law.Theſe ceremonies had three ſpeciall uſes when they were in force, firſt to helpe the Iewes infancy, but the Church under Chriſt comming to mans age, theſe ceremonies have no uſe now, many things become a child which are unſeemely in a man.
Secondly, theſe ceremonies ſerved for ſignification: when we have the fruit, there is no uſe of the bloſſome; ſo when Chriſt is come, there is no uſe of the ceremonies.
Thirdly, theſe ceremonies ſerved to make a partition wall betwixt the Iewes and the Gentiles, but this partition wall is now broken downe, and there is one ſheepheard and one ſheepfold, Ioh. 10.16. and therefore this uſe ceaſeth now.
Three errours concercerning Chriſt.Secondly, the ceremonies are conſidered without Chriſt, when the Apoſtles did beare with the weake Iewes for a while. And in this eſtate they were beggerly elements. Coloſſ. 2.20. Scotus obſerveth the periode of circumciſion, the firſt period was from the inſtitution of it untill the time that Chriſt was baptized; then it was Neceſſaria et utilis: the ſecond period was from the Baptiſme of Chriſt, untill the promulgation of the Goſpell, Goe teach all Nations, Baptizing them; Matth. 28.19. In this period it was Vtilis ſed non neceſſaria, Profitable but not neceſſary: the third period from the promulgation of the Goſpell untill the deſtruction of the Temple; it was Licita in this period, Sed non vtilis: The fourth period was from the deſtruction of the Temple, or rather from the Councell of the Apoſtles, even unto this time, then it was altogether Illicita.
In this eſtate when the ceremonies were Licita ſed non vtilis, they did beare with the weake Iewes at Ieruſalem, but not at Antioch, who would have added the ceremonies to the Goſpell. Paul circumciſed Timothy, Act. 16.3. bearing with the weake Iewes, but hee would no wayes beare with the malicious Iewes; therefore hee would not Circumciſe Titus, leſt hee ſhould ſtrengthen them in their obſtinacy, Galath. 2.3.
The ceremonies being dead, and Chriſt come; Queſt. how could Cornelius Prayers and almes bee acceptable to God, ſeeing he waited for Chriſt to come?
Anſw. There are three ſorts of error concerning Chriſt,Error temporis. condetionis. perſona. the firſt was error temporis, the ſecond was error conditionis, and the third was error perſonae.
Error temporis, was twofold, either of ſimple ignorance, or of affected ignorance; ſimple ignorance as that of Cornelius, and for this cauſe Peter was ſent to teach him that Chriſt was come, and therefore his error was pardonable: affected ignorance is that ignorance of the Iewes who will not know nor beleeve that Chriſt is come, although the truth bee evidently demonſtrated unto them.
Error conditionis, was that in the Apoſtles, who tooke Chriſts Kingdome to be a Worldly Kingdome at the firſt, Act. 1.6. When wilt thou reſtore the Kingdome to Iſrael? This error was a dangerous error, but yet was pardoned becauſe as yet the holy Ghoſt was not come downe upon them: the third was error perſonae, and this was when they tooke falſe chriſts for the true Chriſt, Matth. 24.24. And this error was alwayes damnable.
Queſt. Whether may theſe lawes which are mixtly ceremoniall, be kept now under the Goſpel or not?
Anſw. Where the ground of the law is ceremoniall, and the Iudiciall but an appendix of it, it no wayes may be kept. Example, this is a ceremoniall law, curſed is he that hangeth upon a tree, Whether Lawes mixtly ceremoniall doe bind.the ceremoniall part is, that he is accurſed that hangeth upon a tree, wee muſt not thinke that hee is accurſed now who hangeth upon a tree, therefore that law is quite aboliſhed; the Iudiciall part is this, that he ſhall not hang all night upon the tree, and this law bindes not Chriſtians now, becauſe it is an appendix of this ceremoniall Law; but where the ground of the Law is Iudiciall, and the ceremony but an appendix of it, then the Iudiciall law may be obſerved, at leaſt the equitie of it. Example, Cities of refuge were appointed as a Iudiciall Law, to ſave the mankiller from the revenger of the blood; there was a ceremony annexed to this Law, that they ſhould ſtay within the City of refuge untill the death of the Highprieſt, this was but an appendix of the judiciall Law, therefore the Law may ſtand, that Cities of refuge bee kept, or at leaſt the equity of it, that thoſe who caſually kill, be not ſlaine.
Queſt. What, if a Chriſtian now ſhould keepe any of the ceremonies commanded in the Law?
Anſw. There is a three fold uſe of the ceremonies, Materialis, formalis, & mixtus vſus, a materiall, a formall, and a mixed uſe.
A threefold uſe of the ceremoniall Law.Materialis, as if a man ſhould abſtaine from eating of ſwines fleſh onelyonly, becauſe it were unwholſome, he Iudaizeth not in this caſe; but if hee ſhould abſtaine from ſwines fleſh as a meat uncleane, and forbidden in the Law, then he ſhould formally keepe the ceremony, and truely Iudaize; the mixt uſe is this, when a Chriſtian borroweth Iewiſh ceremonies to any uſe in the Chriſtian Church.
Marke how the Apoſtles in their practiſe renounced the ceremonies of the Law; firſt the Apoſtles kept the Chriſtian Sabbath after Chriſts Reſurrection, and not the Iewiſh Sabbath, therefore they renounced the ceremonies; and the Apoſtle willeth the Corinthians to keepe the Paſſeover all the dayes of their life, in holineſſe, and reſtrained it not to ſome few dayes, as the Iewes Paſſeover was.
Object. But when the dayes of the Pentecoſt were fulfilled, Act. 2.1.2 Cor. 16. Here Paul reckoneth according to the Iewiſh Pentecoſt.
Anſw. When he ſpeaketh of their Pentecoſt here, and when he ſayes the dayes of their faſt were expired, Act. 27.9. (the Iewes at the day of expiation had a great faſt) Paul doth not Iudaize here, but onelyonly marketh theſe for a civill uſe, to know the time of the yeare which was moſt knowne to the Iewes, when Paul, Act. 17.19. calleth Areopagus Mars ſtreet, none will thinke that Paul worſhipped Mars here, but he uſeth onelyonly this name as a name of diſtinctiō to know this ſtreet frō other ſtreets; ſo when he ſayes that he ſayled in a ſhip that had the badge of Caſtor and Pollux, Act. 28.11. we muſt not thinke he worſhipped Caſtor and Pollux, but hee uſeth them onelyonly as names of diſtinction, to put a difference betwixt this ſhip and other ſhips;Paul uſed the names of the Iewes feaſts for diſtinction. ſo when Paul uſeth the name of the Pentecoſt, and the name of the faſt, Act. 2. and 27.9. he uſed them onelyonly as names for diſtinctions ſake, and not for any Iewiſh obſervation, and when Paul practiſed any of theſe ceremonies, he practiſed them not for the ceremonies themſelves, but for the weake Iewes ſake. Example, When he did ſhave his head in Cenchrea the Port towne in Corinth. Act. 18.18. this was not according to the Law altogether,Paul did not ſhave his head according to the law. for if he had done it according to the Law, he ſhould have gone to Ieruſalem and there have caſt the haire of his Nazarits vow under the Altar and burnt it; after the death of Chriſt, none of the Apoſtles ever went to the braſen Altar againe to ſacrifice, but onelyonly they practiſed ſome of the meaner ceremonies bearing with the weake Iewes.
Queſt. How could theſe ceremonies be hinderances from Chriſt, ſeeing, they were types of him to come?
Anſw. Chriſt ſaith, Ioh. 16.7. If I goe not away, the Comforter ſhall not come, Chriſts bodily preſence amongſt the Apoſtles hindered his ſpirituall preſence amongſt them; if the bodily preſence of Chriſt hindered the comming of the Spirit unto them, how much more did theſe ceremonies under the Law hinder the ſight of his Incarnation, and obſcure his glory amongſt them.
The ceremonies in the third eſtate are againſt Chriſt.In the third eſtate theſe ceremonies were againſt Chriſt, in this eſtate the Apoſtle calleth it, conciſion, and not circumciſion, Phil. 3.2. In the third eſtate the Iewes preferred the ſhadow to the body,The errour of the Iewes in preferring the Ceremonies to Chriſt. the bones to the marrow, and the letter to the ſpirit; they preferre the ſhadow to the body, the ceremonies to Chriſt, the bones to the marrow, becauſe they content themſelves onelyonly with the outward figures, and types, and ſeeke not for the thing ſignified, and ſo they have the killing letter, but not the quickning ſpirit: and therefore Saint Hierome compareth them well now to dogges who get onelyonly the bones to gnaw, but they get none of the marrow, or that hidden Manna, Ieſus Chriſt to their ſaluation.
Concluſion. The concluſion of this is, it was a great benefit to learning, when the obſcure Hieroglyphicks, in Egypt were changed into letters, and the darke and myſticall writings of Plato were changed by Ariſtotle, into a cleare and plaine forme of writing: It is a farre greater benefit, when the Lord hath changed theſe darke figures and ſhadowes, into the cleare light of the Goſpel.