John 1.1 Rom. 2.14 But it has received a newer and later Edition under Moses and yet a Newer under the Gospel by Christ and his Apostles and a Newer still when the Spirit writes a Clear and Regular Copy thereof from the Law upon the Hearts of Men which is called The engrafted Word 1 John 2.7 8. You may find the same Law called New and Old and it 's usual in Scripture to call that that is renewed New 2. The Gospel brings the Law under a New Authority The Reverend Mr. Baxter says well That ever since the Fall the very Law of Nature has been in the hand of Christ Psal 75.3 The Earth and all the Inhabitants thereof are dissolved I bear up the Pillars of it Selah All things had turned into a meer Chaos if he had not stept in to preserve an Order upon a New Bottom and there is no Order without a Law or Rule Ver. 31. of the Context it is said Faith that is the Gospel doth Establish the Law Christ could not be King or Governour of the World without a Law and his Law must reach as far as his Government is extended He could not Judge the World but by a Law Psal 93. 97. The Earth's Commanded to Rejoyce and the multitude of Isles to be Glad because such a Lord Reigns and from the 7th of the Acts 31 to 39. we may see 't was Christ that Delivered the Law upon Mount Sinai for he is said to be the God of Abraham and yet to be an Angel and more fully and particularly Mat. 5.17 he Delivers the same Law Mat. 28. Gospel-Ordinances are solely founded upon his Authority 1 Cor. 5. Church-Censures to be administred in his Name 3. The Gospel gives to the Law a New-Spring or Principles of Obedience Adam received Ability from God to obey but the Ability was due and it is now forfeited and lost We are created in Christ Jesus unto good Works The End of the Commandment is Charity out of a Pure Heart and of a good Conscience and Faith unfeigned Rom. 8.3 The Law of the Spirit of Life It is this Living Sprit that enables us to fulfill the Law I might add to this the Newness of Security it being by Promise Jer. 32.40 I will put my Fear into their Hearts that they shall not depart from me And the Newness of the Order the Promises stand here first and then the Precepts God puts his Law in our Hearts before we Obey 4. The Gospel gives to the Law New Ends This is a Common End with the former that it directs our Duty and acquaints us with the Nature of God but it doth not now stand as that which we are to be justified or Condemned by There is a Righteousness of Faith that now comes in Room of that Righteousness of the Law so as it hath lost that Old End it has gained some New Ones 1. To teach us the knowledge of Sin 2. What Christ has done for us And 3. What Need we have of him 4. What we have Received from him And 5. Fits and Prepares us to be Fellow-Companions of his and though it's Obedience doth not give Right to Heaven it serves for a certain Mark of the Right to Heaven Rev. 22.14 Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have Right to the Tree of Life The Text says not that doing gives a Right but that all have a Right who do 5. The Law receives from the Gospel New Motives Ends and Motives differ as Future and Past Creation Provision and Providence were the Motives of our First Duty but now Christs Redeeming us and the Spirits Callng us are Great Motives to obey the Law We see Dilivery from the Bondage of Egypt was a Motive to the Isralites 6. There is a New Manner of Acceptance Acceptance was formerly Bottomed upon the Exact Conformity of our Rightousness to the Law but Now Faith is the Reason of Acceptance Without Faith 't is impossible to please God What soever is not of Faith is Sin All is to be done and accepted in the Name of Christ Works before were Accepted for their being a Fulfilling of a Law now they are for Christs Fulfilling the Law for us the Imperfection or Sinfulness of the Action is Pardoned on his Accompt 7. The Gospel Renders a New Measure of Law Obedience Acceptable not that the Law is Altered in its Perfection for Perfection in Faith is still required and Perfection in Patience Let Patience have its Perfect Work but the Work is made up between the Spirit and the Son the Defects in Measure Manner or Circumstances are Forgiven if it be the Sprits Work I may add here Repentance because Perpetuity was one of the Measures of former Obedience and Repentance Comprehends the whole Duty of the Law but it only Implies an Interruption that our Obedience has been for a considerable Time stopt it is to be wise after Folly and to be Obedient after Rebellion The Chief Circumstance it differs in from former Obedience is a leavihg off to do Ill so Repentance must be Obendience to the same Law was Broken 8. The Gospel adds many New Objects to the Duties of the Law By the Law we were to have no Gods for our God but one Now we are also to have No Mediator but one There is but one God and one Mediator between God and Men so that Commandment Thou shalt have no other Gods before me says also Thou shalt have no other Mediator The Apostle Paul says There are many called Gods and called Lords but to us there is but One God and One Lord. We are to love our Brethren by the Law of Nature but Now we are to sympathize with them from that Change that is made in Nature by Sin Bear ye one anothers burdens and so fulfill the Law of Christ The Angels have now new Objects of their Duty since the Fall for they serve the Mediator they protect and defend his Church We were to trust in a Righteousness of our Own for Life by the first Law but the Righteousness of another is a New Object the Gospel brings in 9. There are many positive Precepts added to the Law by the Gospel The Law of Nature is so large as to comprehend all Duty under this Axiom That we are to do whatsoever God enjoyns or reveals but beside it has subdivided Axioms in particular to which all Kind of Duties are specifically reducible The Fourth Command doth now as well require the Observation of the First day of the Week as it did formerly of the Seventh for the Injunction and the Blessing are both annexed to the Sabbath not the seventh and the Jews themselves reduce all the Sacred Time to it The Second Command doth Now comprehend all positive Ordinances under the Gospel Baptism Lords Supper Ministry Church Order and all other external Worship they are as justly reducible to that Command as Circumcision Sacrifices and Legal Washings were Mr. Baxter says acutely That
Justification say The Guilt and Works here spoken of are only against the Ceremonial Law others against the Judicial and Civil Constitution of the Jews others the Moral only as abstractly consider'd from Evangelical in Strength or Duty But more of this on Verse 4. 4thly Not only Vniversally guilty but Numerously guilty Every Man is not only guilty of Sin but the account of his Sins are Innumerable For first the Actions of our Life are innumerable together with the words of our Tongues and Thoughts of our Mind and there is a sinfulness accompanying each of these We must give an account of every idle word Mat. 12.36 and all our Actions are to be set before us and how will then the Sinner be humbled when his aggravated Talents or Sins amount to ten thousands and no coming out till all be paid Mat. 18.24 34. how much more numerous must Farthing-Debts be And yet Mat. 5.26 there is no coming out till the uttermost farthing be paid 2. God as a Punisher or as a Pardoner he reckons the multitude of every Transgressors Sins great Gen. 6.5 The Deluge was sent on the Old World because every thought of the imagination of their Heart was only evil continually The Captivity was sent on the Jews Ezek. 16.25.51 because their Whoredoms were encreased and she had multiplyed her Abominations more than Samaria Nay Samaria had not committed half the Sins When God forgives Sins he forgives many Sins All manner of Sin and Iniquity shall be forgiven Luke 7.47 I say unto thee her Sins which are many shall be forgiven Rom. 5.16 The free gift is of many offences unto Justification James 5. and last He that Converts a Sinner hides a multitude of Sins 3. The Saints own account of their Sins or rather Vain Attempts to account of them Job 9.2 3. We cannot answer for one of ten thousand ten thousand was one of the least parcells he could put by their selves David Psal 19.12 Who can understand his errors Cleanse thou me from secret faults Psal 40.12 Innumerable evils have compassed me about mine Iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up Solomon Eccles 7.27 One would expect the best account of him of any body if he should lay out his Talent of Wisdom that Way which after he became a Penitent or one gathered into the Church as the Hebrew Phrase is he did for Verse 25. he says I applied my Heart to know the wickedness of folly even of Wickedness and Madness Ver. 27. he says This he had found counting one by one to find out the account which yet my Soul saith he seeketh but I find not That is he found the account of Sin was not to be found out but this he found Verse 29. that they were many they had sought out many inventions and that God was Author to none of them 4. The Similitudes they are compared with the Hains of our head Psal 40.12 the drops of a living Spring the Sand on the Sea-shore as the words of Manassehs Prayer hath it The very Tongue it self saith St. James is a World of Iniquity the Dimensions of Sin are high as Heaven Ezra 9.6 Deep as Hell Hos 9.9 Psal 130.1 It s Breadth and length are such as nothing but the Incomprehensible heighth depth length and breadth of the Love of Christ can cover 5. We may know the Number of our Sins by the Books of Accounts that the great Auditor of Accounts Christ Jesus will make use of at the great day There is the Book of Scripture that contains the Law and so teaches us Skill in this Holy Arithmetiek the second is the Book of Conscience which is like our Diary Rom. 2.14 and has all Matter of Fact wrote in it By comparing these together every Man may get sight of a huge and terrible Number of Sins First for the Law it is exceeding broad but yet there is an opposite Law in our Members that is as broad as it for there is no Law but we have some way or other broken and that by a nigher Transgression than by that Rule the Apostle gives he that transgresses one is guilty of all This Law has a famous Division in Ten Commandments but the Jews subdivide them into 613 Ceremonial and Judicial Precepts and so may we in as many particular Moral ones As for Instance Thou shalt have no other Gods before me Comprehends our Faith in God and all his Promises and who can reckon the number of Promises Blessings Secondly Knowledge and Study of God and who can reckon the various parts of Divinity Thirdly Love of God and this should be as much repeated as his Mercies are to us that admit of no Intermission Fourthly Adoration and this admits as many parts as there are things unknown of the Incomprehensible God or as there are New Discoveries made of them Fifthly Obedience and this is as large as all particular Precepts Sixthly Farther if we shall take one of these particular Commands they admit of Variety of Kinds of Transgressions against them for Instance Adoration Atheism Idolatry Magick Superstition Blasphemy Hypocrisie are all Transgressions of that Duty and yet there is none of these Species of Sins but may be subdivided into multitude of Inferior Branches For Instance Idolatry Men have been as many ways guilty of it as there are Creatures the very Mouse has been Worshipped and Art has been put on the Rack for Invention of Kinds of Molten Carved Painted Idols or Images There has been variety of Idols for all the Ends or Uses Man wanted any good There has been Gods of Sneezing there has been as many Idols as there are things that Men set their Hearts too much upon Profits Pleasures Honours If we will next take the other Book of Conscience and search how often we commit Idolatry with what is our Idol which by our practice we perpetually pursue We talk on it we think on it we dream on it who can then reckon the multitude of his Transgressions If our Consciences be secure and we reckon our selves pretty Innocent from gross abominable Sins yet this Number might startle us there are multitudes Multitudes in the Valley of Decision We cannot but say Beelzebubs Sin was the greatest Sin in the World yet we dare not say 't was greater than the Sins of all the rest that Complied with him for they lost God a vast number of Creatures and threw Dirt on multitudes of his Glorious Images So thy many Sins have robbed God of many Duties Beside in the number of our Sins there is not only a bare encrease of Quantity but there is encrease of Intention with their Extension As Poyson or Physick five Grains at one time will work more than four Grains at two times So we find Mat. 18.22 Peter thought eight times was unpardonable and the Lord says Numbers 14.22 Because they had ten times rebelled they should none of them enter into the Land Lastly Constant Multiplication of
saying She had tried them which said they were Apostles and found them liars she was molested with them not corrupted From the Third of Philippians we find that Church was corrupted by 'em for he calls such Teachers Dogs evil Workers the Concision and from his own Experience tells 'em he was once such an one that trusted in the Flesh but now solely in Christ and his Righteousness It is against both these Parties that the Apostle here disputes but principally against these latter sort as we may see by the state of the Question Ver. 28. Justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law His Disputes with the former were of another Kind viz. To convince the Gentiles that Christ was the and the only Mediator against the Jews that Jesus was the Promised Messias But here the Question is If we be justified by Faith mixt with the Deeds of the Law or without it And therefore we may conclude That whatever Truth the unconverted Pharisees held these Converts much more held and that they did not plead these Works of the Law intentionally to exclude Christ or his Righteousness whom they had embraced Partly from the Scripture and partly from their own Writings I find this Account of their Doctrine of the Law 1. They were very zealous and laborious in all External Worship they kept the Sabbath to a height of Superstition and their Prayers were very long Matt. 23.14 2. In Justice between Man and Man they were so exact as to tythe Mint Annise and Cummin 3. And tho Christ in every thing blames them for Hypocrisie yet he owns their Charity and Alms but their Hypocrisie was more in Practice than Profession For 4. In Mat. 22.37 they owned Love to God and their Neighbour with all their Heart Soul and Mind to be the first and great Commandment Which includes a 5th That Sincerity was in great value with them as Sephar Ikkarim 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God has greatest respect to the Intention of the Heart as David says Create in me a clean Heart So the Lawyer Luk. 10.28 Sir thou hast answered right and St. Paul Act. 23.1 lived in all good Conscience 6. Their own Writings speak much of the Excellency and Vertue of Faith the Author of Nitzakon says He that believes not as he ought his Circumcision makes him not a Jew but he that believes as he ought he is a Jew And in Michlaz Jophi Abram said to be the Father of all Men that followed him in his Faith The Talmud says When Abram was Father of the Syrians only he was called Abram but when he shall be the Father of all the World he is called Abraham The former Nitzakon says Faith consists not in Circumcision but in the Heart And the Author of Sepher Ikkarim says Faith is the Cause of Blessedness and therefore of Life Eternal And again in the same 1 Lib. and 21 Chap. Abraham is praised for his Faith as the Scripture says Abraham believed God and 't was imputed to him for Righteousness And Mat. 23. they were accused by Christ for neglecting Judgment Mercy and Faith It was their practical Omission was reprehended not their Ignorance for these are called the weightier Matters of the Law Since they who did not own Christ speak so much of the Commendation of Faith in Gods Mercy for that was the Object of their Faith as we may see from Sepher Ikkarim on those words in Daniel 9.18 Not for our Righteousness but thy great Mercy The Mercies of the Blessed God are upon all his Creatures from pure Grace not Merit for which the Author further cites Job thus Whâ— hath given to me that it may be repayed Much more must we conceive â—hem to say of Faith and Faith in Christ who own Christ for their only propitiatory Sacrifice and Saviour and such were they against whom Paul disputes And tho the others believed not Jesus to be the Messias yet they believed the Messias to be the Redeemer from Death and Hell by the Merit of his Sufferings as may be seen at large in Raymundus Pugio Fidei Jos Voisin Theologia Judaica Porchet Galatinus Pseiferus and their own Midrashes on the Prophetical Texts of the Messias 7. They highly praise the Confâ—ssion of Sin their Writers on Isaiah 45.22 Vnto Me every Knee shall bow and every Tongue confess say That a four-â—old Confession is to be made to God A Confession with the Mouth a Conâ—ession in Works a Confession with the Heart and with all together and they call the 100 Psalm Mizmor Letodah a Psalm of Confession Bereshet Ketannah says They who overcome their Lusts and confess their Deeds are worthy of the Future Age but he that confesses not is Cursed as Cain who denyed and hid his Sin but Achan Josh 7.29 tho he was troubled in this World he was not in the other because he confessed his Sin From which they gathered a Necessity of particular Confession And in the Conclusion of Reschet Chocme All that dye let them Confess if they cannot let them say Let my Death be an Expiation of my Crimes They own we may see not only a Confession but joyn'd with Forsaking a Mortification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Original Lust that begins as they say in our first Formation 8. Repentance is a Duty of great Esteem Midrash Shirhâ—shirim 5. 2. Open to me my Sister my Love says thus Open to me one Crevice of Repentance and I will open the wide Gates of Glory to thee Psal 46.10 Be still and know that I am God that is Cease to do evil and let thy Repentance be but as the Twinkling of an Eye and thou shalt know me if Israel could but repent one day they would be immediately redeemed and the Son of David would come On Zach. 9.1 The Burden of the Word of the Lord in the Land of Hadrach It 's askt what 's Hadrach And answer'd It is the Messias who is to bring all the World to the Face of God by Repentance for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies who and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Way or to lead he leads by the Way of Repentance Others thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies sharp and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 tender for the Lord is bitter to the Impenitent but tender and Mercifull to the Penitent The Talmud on Psal 25.8 Therefore will he teach sinners in the way that is the way of Repentance for poena peccatoris est poenitentia about which there is a hard Expression of theirs on the 14th of Hosea That they say In two things the Mercy of God exceeds man One is He will be pleased with Words so not Man Another is when All have offended he is reconciled with the Repentance of One. So that all Christs Sufferings by them are called Repentance Lam. 3.43 v. The Midrash Tillim says The Gates of Prayer are sometimes shut but the Gates of Repentance never Repentance is like the Sea that any at any time may go in to wash