God-Man, Exposition · Verse 17
Verſ. 17. For the Law was given by Moſes, but Grace and Truth came by Jeſus Chriſt.
18. No man hath ſeen God at any time. The onelyonly begotten Son, which is in the boſome of the Father, he hath declared him.
In this 17th. Verſe are contained two Aſſertions.
Firſt, That the Law was given by Moſes.
Secondly, That Grace and Truth came by Jeſus Chriſt.
Of theſe, I ſhall not here ſpeak any thing; nor of the oppoſition which is here made by ſome, between theſe two. Whereas Chriſt and Moſes, the Goſpel and the Law, are here oppoſed by way of Compariſon; the one, as more excellent than the other: Diverſe miſtake them, as oppoſed by way of Controverſie, as the one excluding the other; and ſo gather from hence, That under the Goſpel we have nothing to do with the Law. That, The grace and truth that came by Jeſus Chriſt, doth quite deſtroy and aboliſh the Law, that came by Moſes.
We might here diſtinguiſh of a four-fold eſtate of Man.
A ſtate of Innocency.
A ſtate of Corruption.
A ſtate of Preparation.
A ſtate of Grace.
And alſo of the ſeverall uſes of the Morall Law.
Firſt, To juſtifie.
Secondly, To diſcover ſin and guilt.
Thirdly, To prouoke to ſin.
Fourthly, To condemn for ſin.
Eifthly, To lead to Chriſt.1. The Law of uſe to have juſtified Adam 2. To provoke, and condemn, in the ſtate of Corruption. 3. To lead
Sixthly, To direct in the waies of holineſs.
Firſt, The Law was of uſe to have juſtified Adam in the ſtate of Innocency; but could never juſtifie any man ſince.
Secondly, The Law is ſtill of uſe to provoke, and to condemn, in the ſtate of Corruption.
Thirdly, In the ſtate of Preparation, the Law is ſtill of uſe, as a School-maſter, to lead us to Chriſt.us to Chriſt in the ſtate of preparation. 4. Of little uſe to condemn, and of no force to provoke in the ſtate of grace. 5. Of uſe to correct in that ſtate, as a rule of life.
Fourthly, It is of ſmall uſe to Condemne, and of no force to provoke, in the ſtate of grace.
But yet, Fifthly, even in the ſtate of grace, it is of uſe to correct, and ſo, it is a rule of Life; All theſe I might diſcover to you, by diverſe arguments. But my intenſion is, to conſider ſuch places, as are objected to the contrary, and then to come to the Application, Gal. 3. 19. ſeems to imply, that the Law was to continue no longer, then till the coming of Chriſt; Wherefore then ſerveth the Law? It was added, becauſe of tranſgreſſion, till the ſeed ſhould come, to whom the promiſe was made. If by ſeed, we underſtand Object. Chriſt, as is likely; Then it doth riſe higher, the Law was added, becauſe of Tranſgreſſion, till the ſeed ſhould come: but then it was to continue no longer.
But the anſwer is not difficult. Firſt, If ye underſtand Anſw. the Ceremoniall Law, then that began to vaniſh; when Chriſt, (who was the ſubſtance) came, now that, even the Ceremoniall Law was added, becauſe of Tranſgreſſion, is proved in that. All of the rights of Ceremonies, was ſuch as implied guilt, and ſin; yea, it did not onelyonly imply our guilt, but our miſery. For the blood was to be poured out, to ſhew what we all deſerved; even to be made ſacrifices to the wrath of God, and fuell for the fire of Hell. But if ye will underſtand it of the Morall Law, for it taketh in both; Then thus you muſt diſtinguiſh between the matter, and ſubſtance of the Law, and the Miniſtry of Moſes.
The Morall Law, for the matter of it, is perpetuall; Morrall Law perpetuall to the end of the World.It was before Moſes, and will be after Moſes, even to the end of the World. But then, if you take the Law, as it implieth the Miniſtry of Moſes; In that reſpect, there was a ceaſing of the Law, when the ſeed came, becauſe all thoſe Moſaecall appendixes, to the Morall Law, they then began to vaniſh. As namely, to the ſecond Commandement, the whole Ceremoniall Law was an Appendix to that; The fourth Commandement, the ſeventh daies Sabbath, was a Type of Chriſt, reſting in the grave, the ſeventh day from the Creation. So as for the matter, it remains, though as for the Miniſtry of Moſes, there is an end of that. The great place is urged of thoſe out of the Romans, Rom. 7. 6. Now we are delivered from the Object. Law, that being dead, wherein we were held, that we ſhould ſerve in newneſſe of the ſpirit, and not in the oldneſſe of the letter. If we be delivered from the Law, then we have nothing to do with it, after we have received the Goſpell of Chriſt, that is the Objection.
Underſtand the Anſwer, read the beginning of the Chapter, and ye ſhall ſee in what ſenſe, he ſaith, We are delivered Anſw. from the Law, namely, from the Law, as an Husband, begetting ſin upon our ſouls; The Law had a provoking power, to ſtir up Concupiſcenſe in Men. Now, ſaith he, we are delivered from the Law in this ſenſe, becauſe we are under another Husband, namely under Chriſt. In which reſpect, it is ſaid in this Epiſtle, Chap. 6. 14. That we are not under the Law, but under grace; namely, not under the provoking power of the Law. That place may ſeem Object. to have ſome difficulty in it, Rom. 10. 4. Chriſt is the end of the Law for righteouſneſſe, to every on that believeth; If Chriſt be the end of the Law, Then the Law ended when Chriſt came. This is the Objection, but of this we muſt diſtinguiſh a threefold end.
Finis Abolitionis.
Finis Adimpletionis.
Finis Intentionis.
An end of Abolition. That which kills a man, a ſword, Anſw. or, poyſon, that is his end; becauſe, it kills him. Finis interficiens.three-fold.
Secondly, An end of Impletion, As, the end of the Law is charity. What is that? Love is the fulfilling of the Law.
Thirdly, Finis Intentionis, That is the ſcope of a thing, that is, at which it aims; now Chriſt is the end of the Law, What is that? not the aboliſhing end. For he himſelfe tells you, He came not to deſtroy the Law, but to fulfill it; He is an end in theſe two latter ſenſes, not in the firſt. He is the ſcope of the Law, and the fulfilling of the Law, and in both theſe ſenſes; The end of the Law for righteouſneſſe, to every one that believeth.
Firſt, He is the ſcope of the Law. The Ceremoniall Chriſt the ſcope of the Law.law, that aimed at Chriſt; and the Morall law aimes at Chriſt too; becauſe it driveth men out of themſelves, to ſeek for a Saviour, 2 Cor. 3. 13. ſpeaking of the vail that was upon Moſes his face. Not as Moſes, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Iſrael could not ſtedfaſtly look to the end of that which was aboliſhed. What was the end of the Law? Saith he, the Iſraelites were not able to underſtand Chriſt, at whom the whole law aimed; there was a vail upon their face, ſo as in the Leviticall Rites, and Ceremoniall precepts, they could not ſee Chriſt: they could not look to the end of all thoſe Leviticall Rites, which are now aboliſhed. And this vail, when they come to be Converted, ſhall be taken away. Thus, He is the end, that is, the ſcope of the Law.
Secondly, He is the end; that is, the fulfiller of the Chriſt the fulfiller of the Law.Law. Look what righteouſneſſe the law required, that Chriſt fulfilled, and ſo ſatisfied the law to the utmoſt, both in the precepts, and curſe of it.
Well, Is it ſo, may ſome ſay? If Chriſt hath thus fulfilled Object. the law, there is ſo much the leſſe need, why we ſhould obſerve it, becauſe our ſurety hath done it already for us.
This will have no great weight, if we conſider, that Anſw. Chriſt, and we, are to obſerve the Law to different ends. Indeed, there would be ſome ſtrength in the Reaſon, if we ſhould affirm, we are to obſerve the Law to the ſame end, that Chriſt obſerved it; We obſerve the Law, to teſtifie our thankfulneſſe to Chriſt, for the ſalvation we have by him. Chriſt obey'd the Law, to teſtifie obedience for us; Therefore, we are bound to obey ſo much the more, becauſe Chriſt obeyed it. Now Chriſt indured the puniſhment, due to our ſins; therefore, we that are in Chriſt, are not liable to puniſhment, properly ſo called, but yet to affliction, under another notion, as Chaſtiſements, though Chriſt hath indured the Curſe for us. And ſo in active obedience, we are to Imitate Chriſt, to do as He did.
I will name one place more, that is 1 Tim. 1. 9. Knowing Object. ing this, that the Law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawleſſe, and diſobedient, for the ungodly, and ſinners. Therefore a perſon juſtified, ſaith the Objector, hath nothing to do with the Law.
For the meaning of this place, take it clearly thus.
Firſt, Ye cannot underſtand this place abſolutely, as if, Anſw. whoſoever is righteous, had nothing to do with the Law; for, ye know, Adam, in his Innocency, had a Law given him. This therefore cannot be denyed: Look how far a man is righteous, he hath a principle within him, that even without a Law it will conſtrain him to obey: The love of Chriſt conſtraineth us, ſaith the Apoſtle. As far as a man 2 Cor. 5. 14.walks according to this principle, ſo far he doth not come within the compaſſe of the Law, as to the penalty of it. A Law, foreign, it doth not lye againſt a righteous man. That is the property of the word. As when it is ſaid, The ax is laid foreign, to the root of the tree, to cut it down. The Law is not laid to a righteous man, to condemn him. As we ſay in Suits at Law, A Suit lyeth againſt ſuch a man, in ſuch a Court; that is, foreign. Now, ſaith the Apoſtle, the Law, in this ſenſe, foreign, doth not lye againſt a righteous man. If ye will have the clear meaning of this, ſee Gal. 5. 23. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, meekneſs. Againſt ſuch there is no law. Make up the meaning betwixt theſe two, Gal. 5. 23. and 1 Tim. 1. 9. The Law is not made for a righteous man. That is, Made to direct him, not to condemn him.
Then, to have done with this, There is no ſuch great cauſe why the Miniſters of Chriſt ſhould be afraid of medling with the Law, in their Sermons: So long as we preach the Law with the ſame intent that God gave it, we may preach it without fear.
God gave the Law with a double ſubſerviency. Before our Converſion, the Law is ſubſervient to lead a man to Chriſt; and after our Converſion, the Law is ſubſervient to direct us in the way to Chriſt. God gave the Law for The Law given for Evangelical ends.Evangelicall ends, and men ſhould preach the Law for Evangelicall ends; not to ſet up a covenant of Works, but to drive them out of themſelves to Chriſt; and then, when they are in Chriſt, to help to guid them in the way of holineſs. To preach the Law as Chriſt himſelf preached it, Matth. 5. who ſpent a great part of that Sermon in the Mount, upon the Law.
And then for People, as well as for Preachers; they need not fear having reſpect to the Law. David ſaid, I ſhall not be aſhamed, when I have reſpect to all thy commandments. Some ſeem to be aſhamed, to have reſpect to any of the commandments of God. Certainly, Brethren, if ye will obey the Law out of Evangelicall principles, as it was given for Evangelicall ends, you need never to be afraid of obſerving it. They are the ſame precepts to a man converted, but they are obſerved out of new principles; yet the precepts continue the ſame. Heſt. 2. 10. it is ſaid, that ſhe had not yet ſhewed her kindred and people, as Mordechai had charged her, that ſhe ſhould not ſhew it. She was obedient to Mordechai, all the while ſhe had been under his government; and when ſhe was Queen, yet ſtill ſhe doth the commandment of Mordechai. When men are ingraffed into Jeſus Chriſt, they are ſtill bound to do the commandments of the Law, as before: then they were bound under the curſe of it, for fear; but now out of love. Here the grace of Chriſt will make them more obedient, becauſe it teacheth them to deny ungodlineſſe and worldly luſts. I have done with this. Now to the next Verſe, which runneth thus,