Goodwill Towards Men, Part 1 · Section 3
Sect. 3.
PROP. III. God having made Man a reasonable Creature, endued with his own Image (as was shewed before) not only capable of knowing, but of yielding Obedience to the Will and Law of his Maker, Moral Obedience immediately becomes due, from such a Creature to his Maker.
AN Obligation to obey our Creator, is a Natural resultancy from our Condition, as we are Creatures. He that gave being to us, hath undoubted Authority to give Laws to us. He that said what we should. Be, to him it certainly belongeth to say what we should Do.
While Man is Gods Creature, 'tis impossible that he should not owe all possible Subjection and Obedience unto God his Maker. Est ordo immutabilis, ut creaturae Deo obtemperent.He must first cease to be a Creature, or God cease to be his rightfull and supream Governour, before this Obligation to obey God can cease. Though Creatures may forfeit their beings, God can never forfeit, or pass away his Right in his creatures. It's impossible that God should leave the rational creature at liberty, to take his own swing, to live as without Law. It is impossible that God should resign up his right to any creature to rule (as in his stead) without being at all accountable to him; he cannot cease to govern the world: for thus he should deny himself, and give away his Glory to others.
Now what should we think of such Divinity as this? Mar. of Mod. Div. p. 154.That Believers are not concerned with, nor obliged by the Law of God, as delivered by God Creator, but only as delivered and confirmed by Christ, or God in Christ, our Redeemer; That they are no more to look, at the Moral Law as in the hands of God-Creator, or as in the hands of Moses; but only as in the hands of Christ, to receive the ten Commandments only, as they are the Law of Christ.
I cannot but look upon such Doctrine as very dangerous, tending to subvert the very foundation of true Piety and Religion. I take that to be very sound (Assemb. Confes. of Faith, c. 19. Sect. 5.) The Moral Law doth for ever bind all, as well justified persons, as others, to the obedience thereof; and that not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also of the Authority of God the Creator, who gave it.
Yet I grant, we are to receive the Law not only as delivered by the Creator, or as delivered by him immediately without a Redeemer; neither are we to receive it from Christ, the Redeemer only, as excluding the Authority of the Creator.
True it is, We are under no Law here, but what is the Law of Christ, as being (jure Redemptionis) the Universal King. (As Learned Mr. Baxter) The Law of Christ is, First, The Law of Nature-redeemed in his hand. Secondly, His peculiar super-added remedying Law. The former is now part of the precepts of Christ, and bindeth us to perfection, necessitate praecepti; though not medii, in regard of the pardoning promise. Yet this does not take away all Authority from God, as if the Law was quite taken out of the Creator's hand, when it was put into the hand of Christ. We read Joh. 5.22. The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. And yet in 1 Pet. 1.17. The Father judgeth without respect of persons, according to every mans work. Though he judgeth not executively, so as Christ does, who shall pronounce the Sentence in an audible manner; yet he judgeth Authoritatively, in, and with, and by Christ. The Father is not stripped of his right, and Authority of judging, by committing judgment to the Son. That is not the meaning of [The Father judgeth no man:] but that he judgeth not himself alone without the Son, but with, and by the Son; so though the Law be in the hand of the Redeemer, yet it is not thereby quite taken out of the Creators hand; It is not the Son only, that rules and governs by his Love; but the Father in, and by him. And let it be considered, whether the damned are not so under the Law of God-Creator, that all their hatred of God, and blasphemy against him, is sin? And when Christ shall have delivered up the Kingdom to the Father, whether the Saints in Heaven shall not be under the Law of God Creator? so that if they should not continue to obey perfectly, they should sin. And whether never till men come into the other world, they come under this Law of their Creator, or were they not under it before?
That the Law of God as Creator should not oblige all men, as they are his Creatures, is a wonderful strange Paradox to me. If Gods Commands, as they are his Commands, do not constitute and determine Man's duty, and lay a necessary tye upon man to Obedience, then God hath lost his Authority over man (this is plain) or man is advanced above the condition of a creature. But do not the holy Angels obey the Commands of God, as the Commands of their Creator (Psal. 103.20.) and shall we think man is exempted from Obedience in that respect? Has man a priviledge here above the Angels in Heaven? And what will be their duty to Eternity, to love, praise, serve, and worship God, and observe his pleasure, as being their Creator; can this be a sin, and weakness in believers; we read John 5.23. That all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father: But they that hold the Law of God binded them, not as it is Gods Law, but only as it is the Law of Christ, would seem to honour him, not as the Father, but above the Father. And of whom doth the Apostle James speak, Jam. 4.12. There is one Law-giver, who is able to save, and to destroy: Is it not the same with him, that said, Do not commit Adultery, that said, Do not kill, Jam. 2.11. The same with him that gave the Law in Mount Sinai, where if you understand Christ, as God, you necessarily include the Father. If you understand Christ, as Mediator, then you suppose the Law given in Mount Sinai, to be given from the hand of Christ, as Mediator.
Now grant this, that the Laws and Commands of God are immediately constitutive of mans duty, or Obligatory, even because, or as they are the Laws and Commands of God, (and grant this you must, or you quite overthrow the course of Nature, utterly confound the order of beings, make the creature independant, and sui juris, Lord of it self, you deny Gods Dominion and Authority, and thereby race the foundation of all Religion, and cannot glorifie him, as God, but rather deny him to be God.) But, I say, granting the commands of God, his Laws certainly binding to his creatures, even because they are his, and then (methinks) the dispute [whether the Law of God oblige, as given by Moses] may be waved, we should agree in this (sure) that the Law of God, howsoever, or by whomsoever, promulged, and declared, is binding to his creatures. And therefore if the Decalogue, or ten Commandments given to Moses, and by him immediately to the Jews, be declarative of the Commanding will of God, as a Copy and transcript of the Law of Nature, that standing Law of perpetual right, comprehending the duty which God requireth of man, as man; it is for us, and all the men in the world, to look into it, to observe it, as well as it was for the Jews. It is the Duty of all men, who are Gods creatures, and his subjects, to use all possible means of coming acquainted with the will of God their Soveraign Lord. And so far as the Writings of Moses and the Prophets, do reveal and declare the will of God concerning us, what he requires of us, and all men, as well as of the Iews; so far we are concerned with what they wrote, as well as the Iews.
And whatever the writer whom I have had here last to deal with, saith of the Law-binding believers, only in the hand of Christ; yet he clearly confutes and contradicts himself in several passages, cited with approbation out of many sound Divines. I shall take notice of two or three. Marrow p. 11.Perfect and perpetual Obedience was due from man unto God, though God hath made no promise to man (concurring with Dr. Reynolds) That Man being Gods Creature (N. B.) by the Law of Creation he owed all obedience and subjection to God his Creator, which is all that I plead for. Again, he citeth Dr. Bolton, That the Moral Law was given of God to be a true and eternal Rule of righteousness for all men of all Nations, and at all times. p. 153.Again he citeth the same Author, together with Mr. Perkins, saying, p. 155.The ten Commandments being the substance of the Law of Nature Engraven in the heart of man in innocency; and the express Idaea or representation of Gods own Image, even a beam of his own holiness, they were to have been a Rule of life (N. B.) both to Adam and his posterity, though they had never been the Covenant of works.
Now if by the Law of Creation man oweth all Obedience to God, and God hath given the Moral Law to be an Eternal rule of Righteousness, which should have been a rule to Adam and his posterity (as they were Gods Creatures) though there had never been a Covenant of works; what follows, but that the Moral Law is binding to believers, as they are Creatures, and this is the standing Law of their Creator, though it is also further binding to us, as confirmed by Christ, and in the hand of Christ.
And thus that distinction of a Threefold Law, viz. [The Law of Works, the Law of Faith, and the Law of Christ,] as he explains, and applyes it, may appear to be very weak and unprofitable; yea, unsafe; though he layes so great stress upon it, as to tell us, That so far forth as any man comes short of the true knowledge of this threefold Law, so far he comes short both of the true knowledge of God, and of himself.
But, 1. One would think, that the Law of Faith (to speak properly) should be the Law of Christ; yet he distinguishes between the Law of Faith, and the Law of Christ.
2. The Apostle distinguisheth betwixt the Law of Works and of Faith, Rom. 3.27. but never betwixt the Law of Faith, and the Law of Christ.
3. I think the common distinction of a Covenant of works, and of Grace; or as others express it, The old Original Law, and the new Remedying Law, much clearer, and to better purpose.
4. His opposing the Moral Law, as in the hand of God-Creator to the same Law as in the hand of Christ, and holding that believers are only bound by the Law, as delivered by Christ, is intollerable. It is granted, that we are not under the Law, only as delivered by the Creator, not under the Law of Nature, as meerly created, or as given at first to man in innocency, but he opposeth those as contraries, which ought to be conjoyned. As if we could not be bound by the Law, both as it is the Law of our Creator, and as it is the Law of our Redeemer; but are free from it in the former respect, if bound in the latter: This seems intollerable. For so it follows,
1. That Believers are not redeemed unto God by his blood (as Rev. 5.9.) but rather redeemed from him, not to owe that subjection to him, which they did before.
2. That through the redemption of Christ, they are advanced above the Condition of Creatures. For by the Law of Creation, as Creatures, they are bound to obey the Law of their Creator. But certainly Christians in being redeemed by Christ, do not cease to be creatures. I say you do not cease to be creatures, when you become Christians, nor does God lose the Right he had in you before, to require Obedience from you; but he hath now a further right in you. The old Obligation by your creation is not taken off, but still in force, when this new Obligation, by your Redemption is further added, and lay'd on you.
3. According to what this writer layes down, it is the priviledge of believers, not to have any after Sins pardoned, and remitted as to the guilt of everlasting punishment; but only as to the prevention, or removal of some temporal chastisements. They are under no Law, but the Law of Christ; and Christ's Law threatens no other penalty than Fatherly chastisement. Pag. 154. 199, 200.That [if need be] you shall be as sure of Temporal correction, as an Unbeliever of Eternal damnation. And to be corrected if need be, is not so much a penalty, as a mercy. I am sure, the contrary is sometimes threatned, as a sore Judgment. [Why should ye be smitten any more? I will not punish your daughters when they commit Whoredome. Ephraim is joyned to Idols, let him alone.] But however a believer must not conceit, p. 202.that till his Sin be pardoned, he is liable to be condemned for it. So the matter is brought to this Issue, that for the Sins which a man commits after he believes, he hath no need of pardon, nor can be (with understanding) pray for the pardon of his sins, not only in that more famous sence, that we use the word [pardon] in: But even in the lowest sence, wherein the word is ever used. He hath no need of pardon to free him from Condemnation, because no sin can make him liable to Condemnation. Again, he hath no need of pardon, to free him from Temporal chastisements; because it is not threatned, but when there is need for it; and when there is need for it, a sanctified cross hath more of mercy in it, than an unsanctified Comfort, where a person is not by any Law liable to any punishment, such a person (sure) has no need of pardon.
But I should think that believers as they are creatures, are bound to obey God in all things, and that Christ came not to take off the obligation to duty and obedience, but to take off the obligation to wrath and punishment. That their sins are properly sins, as against Gods Law, and deserve punishment, deserve hell in their own Nature, as well as the Sins of others. Only they have this relief by the new Covenaant, they shall not be condemned for them.
Thus much of the third Propoposition, viz. Man being a reasonable Creature, he oweth Moral Obedience to his Maker. Now it follows.