made These are Subtleties and true as to matter of outward action of Positive Law that cannot be intended by a man against himself or a Subject against his Prince in foro humano But nevertheless in plain truth and equity a man may be bound firmly to himself and a Prince to his Subjects by the Law of Nature and the action hold good in foro divino and God may require the obligation of his Creature and punish the neglect Because a Man by promising to take care of himself in tying up himself to any good is obliged to do it as he is the Servant of God and a Member of humane Society and be punishable by God and Men for not doing it As that Servant that shall disable himself from doing his Lords service or that Member of a Society that hath lamed himself or otherwise from doing his Country service is justly punishable by them both As was the Souldier that cut off his finger because he would serve no longer in War c. But to wave all niceties still this is evident and plain That in all Covenants to make them perfect there is required the Will of the Promisee and the Will of him to whom the Promise is made for where this is wanting and that this Party refuseth to accept of the thing promised though the other Party hath confirmed his Promise by an Oath yet the right of the thing so promised and sworn remains entirely with the Promiser because no man can be willing to obtrude his own Goods upon a Person that is unwilling to receive them it being alwaies a condition necessarily supposed That any man gives a thing no otherwise than if the Party for whom he intends it shall accept thereof Neither can any man be imagined so void of reason as simply to renounce his own Right and to leave those things pro derelictis at random for any body which he hath laid at the foot of the Refuser but they are his still as fully as ever The Third BOOK OF THE LAW OR Old Testament The CONTENTS Definition of Law TITLE I. Of the Nature of the Law A LAW is a publick Will Of the Nature of the Law universal and perpetual for all Persons to all Ages except necessity cause a change Definition of Law Laws and Ordinances of Men are often changed but Wills and Testaments of God or Man are never changed As a Testament is a private Will particular and temporal for one Person for his own time i. e. for the Executor so a Law is a publick Will for all Persons for all Ages As the Laws of England are the publick Will of the State for all Persons for all Ages for if the Will be not publick and perpetual it is a Testament and not a Law if not universal it is but a Decree if not perpetual it is but an Ordinance but God's Laws are publick universal and perpetual for all Men and all Ages God's Will is sometimes private concerning a single person as that Abraham should offer up his Son Isaac No Law God's Will is sometimes publick universal and perpetual concerning a whole Nation for all Ages as that of Circumcision for the Israelites God's Will is sometimes publick universal and perpetual concerning all Nations as the Law of Nature to all Mankind From this general and perpetual Law of Nature to all Mankind flow those particular Laws to some Nations but to all in those Nations intended to be perpetual but as emergencies may fall out changeable but still those Laws that succeed must be as the former agreeable to the universal Law of Nature to all Mankind which is the common fountain The Law of Moses was for the Moral part a draught of the lowest Laws of Nature which were in great part obliterated and forgotten by constant habits and examples of sin And for the Ceremonial and Judicial part sitted for that Nation at that place and time for signification of higher Rites and Rules of Perfection that were to come The Law of Christ is the perfection of the Law of Nature never revealed so fully before being the compleat and last Will of God for all to walk by for ever This new and royal Law of Christ did refine the Moral abolish the Ceremonial and Judicial Law of Moses for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof The Moral part was weak because it consisted of the meanest and lowest Laws of all and had no Spirit to give strength against the committing of sin but only to declare it and punish it without mercy And as for the Ceremonial part it was unprofitable because no part of Natures Law and only for the state of the Jews minority and was of its own nature to vanish as a shadow when Christ the great Law-giver came who was the substance of them all It is therefore called a New Commandment because it gave forth more spiritual and Coelestial Precepts and was established upon better Promises and endeared by new instances of infinite Love and gave more excellent graces and assistances by the gift of the Holy Ghost not abolishing the old matter of the Law of Nature by Moses but superadding thereunto and spiritualizing the same to the highest systeme of regularity and conformity with Christ The CONTENTS Letter Spirit Promises Precepts Judgments Works Contract Revelation of eternal life reserved Temporals prepare for Eternals Outward Obedience Sufficient means under Law Love of God Love of Neighbour Life Christ expounded the Law TITLE II. Of Moses Law AS therefore concerning the Law of Moses Of Moses Law the Subject now in hand That Law strictly taken is the whole body of Orders and Rules for life given to the Children of Israel containing 1. Promises of Blessings peculiar to that Nation 2. Precepts of Duties 1. Moral in nature as the Decalogue 2. Ceremonial in Gods pleasure 3. Judicial for their Polity or Government 4. Judgments and Punishments to the Transgressours The Law of Moses is taken at large for the Pentateuch and for all the Moral Historical and Prophetical Books of the Old Testament The Law of Moses was established by the death of Beasts because there must be blood in the case for all such Sanctions of Covenants and Testaments compare Exod. 24.5 6 7 8. with Hebrews 9.18 19 20. 2 Cor. 3.14 The Law because of the Precepts and Judgments thereof is called a Covenant of God for the observation of those Precepts and Judgments For unto Gods will to command was joyned the Peoples will to obey All that the Lord hath spoken we will observe and do Exod. 19. Exod. 24. Which agreement of Wills made up a Covenant This Law was Gods old and first Testament ordained to stand in force till the time of Reformation by the Gospel the second and everlasting Testament In this Law there is a Letter and a Spirit Ro. 2.29 the one is oldness and the other newness Ro. 7.6 the one is killing the other giving life 2 Cor. 3.6 I. The Letter
must suppose remission and grace a favourable and gracious acceptation which because it is voluntary and arbitrary in God less than his due and more than our merit no natural reason can teach us to appease God with Sacrifices It is indeed agreeable unto reason that blood should be poured forth when the life is to be paid because the blood is the life But that one life should redeem another that the blood of a Beast should be taken in exchange for the life of a man That no reason naturally can teach us Lev. 27.29 The life of the flesh is in the Blood and I have given it to you upon the Altar to make an atonement for poor souls for it is the Blood that maketh an atonement for the Soul according to which are those words of St. Paul Without shedding of blood there is no remission meaning that in the Law all expiation of sins was by Sacrifices to which Christ by the sacrifice of himself put a period But all this was by Gods appointment but no part of a Law of Nature 1. Because God confined it amongst the Jews to the family of Aaron and that only in the land of their own Inheritance the Land of promise which could no more be done in a natural Religion than the Sun can be confin'd to a Village Chappel 2. Because God did express oftentimes that he took no delight in the sacrifices of Beasts Psal 40 Ps 50 Ps 51. Is 1. Jer. 7. Hos 6. Mich. 6. 3. Because he tells us in opposition to Sacrifices and external Rites what that is which is the natural and essential Religion in which he does delight The sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving a broken and a contrite heart that we should walk in the way which he hath appointed that we should do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with our God He desires Mercy and not Sacrifice and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings 4. Because Gabriel the Arch-angel foretold that the Messias should make the daily sacrifice to cease 5. Because for above 1600 years God hath suffered that Nation to whom he gave the Law of Sacrifices to be without Temple or Priest or Altar and therefore without Sacrifice But then if we enquire why God gave the Law of Sacrifices and was so long pleased with it the Reasons are evident and confess 't 1. Sacrifices were types of that great oblation which was made upon the Altar of the Cross 2. It was an Expiation which was next in kind to the real forfeiture of our own lives it was blood for blood a life for a life a less for a greater it was that which might make us confess Gods severity against sin though not feel it It was enough to make us hate the sin but not to sink under it It was sufficient for a sine but so as to preserve the state It was a Manuduction to a great Sacrifice but suppletory of the great loss and forfeiture It was enough to glorifie God and by it to save our selves It was insufficient in it self but accepted in the great Sacrifice It was enough in shadow when the substance was so certainly to succeed 3. It was given the Jews 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Author of the Apostolical Constitutions affirms L. 6. c. 18. That being loaden with expence of sacrifices to one God they might not be greedy upon the same terms to run after many And therefore the same Author affirms Before their golden Calf and other Idolatries Sacrifices were not commanded to the Jews but perswaded only recommended and left unto their liberty By which we are at last brought to this Truth That it was taught by God to Adam and by him taught to his posterity that they should in their several manners worship God by giving to him something of all that he had given us And therefore something of our time and something of our goods And as that was to be spent in praises and celebration of his name so these were to be given in consumptive offerings but the manner and measure was left to choice and taught by superadded reasons and positive Laws c. Idem ib. l. 2. c. 2. p. 321. I know it is said very commonly and the Casuists do commonly use that method That the explication of the Decalogue is the sum of all their moral Theology but how insufficiently the foregoing Instances do sufficiently demonstrate I remember that Tertullian I suppose to try his wits finds all the Decalogue in the Commandment which God gave to Adam to abstain from the forbidden fruit In hâc enim lege Adae datâ omnia praecepta recondita recognoscimus L. adv Jud. quae posteà repullulaverunt data per Mosem And just so may all the Laws of Nature and of Christ be found in the Decalogue Decalogue as the Decalogue can be found in the Precept given to Adam But then also they might be found in the first Commandment of the Decalogue and then what need had their been of Ten It is therefore more than probable that this was intended as a digest of all those Moral Laws in which God would expect and exact their obedience leaving the perfection and consummation of all unto the time of the Gospel God intending by several portions of the eternal or natural Law to bring the world to that perfection from whence Mankind by sin did fall and by Christ to enlarge this Natural Law to a similitude and conformity to God himself as far as our Infirmities can bear Id. ib. l. 2. c. 3. p. 521. That which is true to day will be true to morrow and that which is in its own nature good or necessary is good or necessary every day and therefore there is no essential duty of the Religion but is to be the work of every day To confess Gods glory to be his subject to love God to be ready to do him service to live according to nature and to the Gospel to be chast to be temperate to be just these are the employments of all the periods of a Christians life For the moral law of Religion is nothing but the moral law of Nature Those who in the Primitive Church put off their Baptism to the time of their death knew that Baptism was a profession of holiness and an undertaking to keep the Faith and live according to the Commandments of Jesus Christ and that as soon as ever they were baptized that is as soon as ever they had made profession to be Christs Disciples they were bound to keep all the laws of Christ and therefore that they deferred their Baptism was so egregious a prevarication of their duty that as in all reason it might ruine their hopes so it proclaimed their folly to all the world For as soon as ever they were convinced in their understanding they were obliged in their Consciences And although Baptism does publish the Profession Baptism and is like the forms and solemnities of law yet
a man is bound to live the life of a Christian as soon as ever he believes the doctrines and commandments of Christianity for indeed he is obliged as soon as he can use reason or hear reason The first things a man can learn are some parts of Christianity Not to hurt any one to do all that he can understand to be good that is as soon as ever he begins to live like a rational Creature so soon he begins to live like as Christ commanded And since Baptism as to this relation and intention of it is nothing else but the publication of our undertaking to do that which in our very nature and by the first and universal laws of God to Mankind we are obliged To refuse to be baptized or to defer it is nothing but a refusing or deferring to own our natural obligation a denying or not accepting the duty of living according to the law of Nature Which deferring as it must needs be the Argument of an evil man and an indication of unwillingness to live worthily so it can serve really no prudent ends to which it can fallaciously pretend Natural Law For Christianity being in its moral part nothing but the perfection of the natural Law binds no more upon us than God does by the very reason of our Nature By the Natural law we are bound to live in holiness and righteousness all the daies of our life and so we are by the Christian law as appears in the Song of Zachary and in very many other places And therefore although when some of our time is elapsed and lost in carelesness and folly the goodness of God will admit us to second counsels and the Death of Christ and his Intercession will make them acceptable yet Christianity obliges us to obedience as soon as the law of Nature does and we must profess to live according to Christianity as soon as we can live by the measures of the Natural law and that is even in the very infancy of our Reason And therefore Baptism is not to be deferred longer it may be sooner because some little images of choice and reason which must be conducted by the measures of Nature appear even in infancy but it must not be deferred longer there is no excuse for that because there can be no reason for so doing unless where there is a necessity and it can be no otherwise c. Idem Great Exemplar p. 275. The Blessed Master began his office with a Sermon of Repentance as his predecessor John the Baptist did in his ministration to tell the world that the New Covenant which was to be established by the Mediation and office of the Holy Jesus was a Covenant of Grace and Favour not established upon Works but upon Promises and remission of right on Gods part and remission of sins on our part The Law was a Covenant of Works and whoever prevaricated any of its sanctions in a considerable degree he stood sentenced by it without any hopes of restitution supplied by the Law And therefore it was the Covenant of Works not because good works were then required more than now Law and Gospel or because they had more efficacy than now but because all our hopes did rely upon the perfection of Works and innocence without the suppletories of Grace pardon and repentance But the Gospel is therefore a Covenant of Grace not that works are excluded from our duty or from co-operating to heaven but because there is in it so much mercy that the imperfections of the works are made up by the grace of Jesus and the defects of innocence are supplied by the substitution of Repentance Abatements are made for the infirmities and miseries of humanity and if we do our endeavour now after the manner of men the faith of Jesus Christ that is conformity to his laws and submission to his doctrines entitles us to the grace he hath purchased for us that is our sins for his sake shall be pardoned So that the Law and the Gospel are not opposed barely upon the title of Faith and Works but as the Covenant of Faith and the Covenant of Works In the faith of a Christian works are the great Ingredient and the chief of the constitution but the Gospel is not a Covenant of works that is it is not an agreement upon the stock of Innocence without allowances of Repentance requiring obedience in rigour and strictest estimate But the Gospel requires the holiness of a Christian and yet after the manner of a man for alwaies provided that we do not allow to our selves a liberty but endeavour with all our strength and love with all our soul that which if it were upon our allowance would be required at our hands now that it is against our will and highly contested against is put upon the stock of Christ and allowed unto us by God in the accounts of pardon by the merits of Jesus by the Covenant of the Gospel v. Eundem ib. of Repentance p. 280 c. H. Grot. Matth. 5. Et haec quidem docendi ratio apud populum crassior limatior apud 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 obtinuisse videtur ad ea tempora quae Babylonium exilium sunt secuta Tum verò gravi periculo imminente nè populus solitus ea tantum audire quae in sensum caderent ablato splendore Judaici Imperii gemens sub externo Dominatu damni cruciatûs mortis denique metu solicitus deficeret à Judaismo Primus omnium Daniel de Resurrectione egit apertiùs confirmans Populum spe restitutionis in statum meliorem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Resurrectio ut loquitur scriptor ad Hebraeos Danielem secutus Ezekiel Et quos respiciens scriptor Paraeneseos ad Graecos inter opera Justini quae de Judicio post hanc vitam habet Plato ait de Prophetis hausta Hinc incipiunt Sapientes quos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vocant qui humanitùs non divinitùs eruditi Prophetis sed impart auctoritate successerunt Hi quoque necessarium judicarent ex Dan populum adversus tentamenta praemunire Quod fieri satis non poterat nisi palam Dei Causa morientibus proposita spes vitae melioris Itaque ea tùm doctrina velut è latebris educta certis vocibus obsignata est Hinc illud Taciti de Judaeis Animas Praelio aut suppliciis peremptorum aeternas putant Hinc moriendi contemptus Quibus addendi loci illustres duo ex historiâ Maccabaica l. 2. c. 7. quorum prior sic habet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alter verò ita 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. H. Grot. in Rom. c. 3. p. 213. Apostolus hinc infert legem Mosis in quâ Judaei plus aequo fiduciae collocabant ut vidimus suprà 11. 17. per se spectatam i. e. seorsim ab iis quae antè legem fuerant non eas habuisse vires ut homines ad veram ac Deo placentem Justitiam perduceret Quippe cum Abrahamus sine
kept by their Forefathers they only are really guilty for themselves and are a shame to their Predecessors who are no less honourable nor vertuous really nor quasily for their degenerating Progeny In like manner if the heirs to these Publick persons keep the Covenant which their Forefathers observed they are all alike rewardable and an honour to each other SECT IX Obligation free If I stipulate for my self and for my heirs I consent but they may choose whether they will consent or no and if they consent not as they should do they are not bound as they should be and if there be a penalty for not consenting they suffer it but sin not because they broke not the law of the Covenant but they sin in refusing what they ought to have chosen and justly suffer for their omission If I stipulate for my self and my heirs and they consent and break it when they have done they sin actually and suffer the just penalty for their commission But still they are not really bound to understand what I understand nor to consent to what I consent nor to do what I do by my obligation but for the reasonableness of the thing and the example of their Head who meant them honour and benefit which they were capable of but unthankfully refused And more could not be done for them that would do nothing for themselves But if they do understand what I understand and do consent to what I consent and do what I do if it be good they do well and shall be well rewarded but if they do not understand what I understand nor consent to what I consent nor do what I do if it be good they do ill and shall be ill rewarded My Goodness is an example and pattern for them to follow not so much an obligation of mine as of goodness it self and for the benefit that might redound to them thereby My Badness is an example and pattern for them to forsake not so much an obligation of mine as of Badness it self and for the loss that must redound to them thereby So an Heir or Successor is bound to follow the good example and Covenant of his Antecessor who kept his Covenant which he made for himself and for his Successors if they would for themselves but he is not obliged by that Personal covenanting in his own Name but by his own Personal Covenant which he may or may not make in his own Name If he make it he is bound if he make it not he is free For the Action of bare Covenanting is not cannot properly and truly be transient to Successors but immanent and lodged in themselves Unusquisque habet judicium voluntatem pro semetipso Every one hath a judgment and will for himself and no body else I may fare the better for another Man's Goodness but I am never the better for his Goodness I may fare the worse for another Man's Badness but I am never the worse for his Badness Another Man 's keeping of Covenants is none of mine and another Man'ss breaches of Covenants are none of mine If any Man will bind me by a penalty to covenant with him I may for the penalties sake yield for fear and the Covenant is my own Act but not Noble because not for love or if I will not yield I can but lose all the World cannot force me against my Will I may bind my Heir to do such a thing or else to forfeit his Estate he may do or not do this if he will If it be a good duty he is bound to it for Goodness sake and for the kindness of the Donor not for any obligation he could put upon his Will but for the obligation which his own Will puts upon him If he do it not he suffers the Will of the Testator to be done upon him and he must suffer it whether he will or no not naturally but morally and by Act of Law so ordering it Acts of Nature are common to all Acts of Law to none but those that have free and rational Wills who being under a Law are bound to obey but may refuse but must suffer After this Excursion to which I was transported I remember where I left and come to the second Reason why the Covenant of Grace was made with all Men. SECT X. 2. Because the Conditions of a Covenant must be certain Conditions of Covenants must be certainly known and certainly known which could not be if not made with all Men and published to all Men. If the Conditions be not known who shall know what to embrace and if they do embrace them then they are known to themselves and may be known to others that they are the true Parties and then they may lay true claim and challenge an Interest in the covenant and the benefits thereby Else if the Trumpet give an uncertain sound 1 Cor. 14.8 who shall prepare himself to the Battle Who can take hold of a Covenant that knows not that he may be one of the Parties because it is not offer'd unto him and he cannot take it if he would And who can be a Party unless he knows with whom and upon what conditions he is to be a Party SECT XI All Covenants are conditional 3. Because if there be no Condition there can be no Covenant for all Covenants are upon some Conditions 1. For something to be had 2. For something to be done Do ut des do ut facias stipulas stipulo If the things be done that are to be done then the things are had that are to be had But if the things be not done that are to be done then the things are not had that are to be had Why should we cheat poor Souls and tell them of Salvation to be had without holiness to be done and all for Christ's sake If so who should claim their due or of whom should they claim it or for what Absolute Decree 4. Because if there were an Absolute Decree from eternity for some only to be covenanted with in time then a Covenant made after such a Decree would prove as unsavoury and superfluous a thing as if I should covenant with You conditionally to do so or so for a thing which I have absolutely determined to give You without any condition long before Let us not put out our own eyes and others too take some pity 5. Because if there be no Covenant of Grace with all but only a Decree for some why are the Promises offer'd to all What shall poor wretches do that mean well and pray well and do well and after all this as Reprobates must be tumbled into Hell The Promises were made and preached to all and the most shall never have them though they were made believe God would have all Men to be saved and that Christ died for all Men yet God and Christ never intended any such thing Who can think or speak or hear such things and believe