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end_n	good_a	law_n	moral_a	1,338	5	9.0849	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A13556	Regula vitæ the rule of the law vnder the Gospel. Containing a discovery of the pestiferous sect of libertines, antinomians, and sonnes of Belial, lately sprung up both to destroy the law, and disturbe the faith of the Gospell: wherein is manifestly proved, that God seeth sinne in iustified persons. By Thomas Taylor Dr. of Divinity, and pastour of S. Mary Aldermanbury, London.	Taylor, Thomas, 1576-1632.	1631 (1631)	STC 23851; ESTC S118279	80,247	284

some of the principall objections of the Libertines 1 OBIECT Is this our text Rom 6. 19. Ye are not under the Law but under grace Whence thus they reason To them that are not under the Law but under grace to those the Law doth not belong but it is to them abolished and void But beleevers are not under the Law c. Therefore Answ. 1. There is a twofold being under the Law First a being vnder the curse burden malediction condemnation and coaction of the Law thus no beleever is under it Secondly there is a being under the obedience rule counsell and direction of the Law and thus beleevers are under it much more than before as Christ himselfe also was For they are now by the free spirit of Christ framed to a free and voluntary obedience of it So saith August The Law made us guilty by cōmanding but not assisting but grace assisteth every beleever to be a keeper of the Law 2 This objection will be also fully satisfied by applying the former distinction of the Law Considering it 1. in the matter and substance of it And thus beleevers are still under it both for performance of all holy duties of it and forbearance of all the evills prohibited by it 2. in the manner of obedience and in the consequences and appendices of it and thus are they not vnder the rigor coaction or strict exaction of it and much lesse under the curse malediction or condemnation of it But this objection hath beene before abundantly satisfied in the 2. 3. Chapters And therefore I passe it now more breifly 2 OBIECT Gal. 3. 10. So many as are under the workes of the Law are under the curse Therefore Either the Law is utterly void to Christians or they are still under the curse of it Answ. The Apostle saith not that those to whom the Law appertaineth are under the curse but those that are under the workes of the Law 2. The workes of the Law are twofold Either workes of obedience done in humility by way of duty in testimony of thankfulnesse and of our conformity with Christ. Or 2. workes of the Law done in pride to seeke justification by the Law and the workes of it and so to promise to themselves eternall life by the observation of the law And those onely that are thus under the workes of the Law are under the curse and the meaning of the holy Apostle is no other whose scope in his whole discourse is to beate downe such as sought to set up justification by the workes of the Law and not by faith onely as appeares plainly in the next verse 11. for that no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God is evident for the just shall live by faith But though no beleever can in the second respect bee under the workes of the Law for justification but he must be under the curse of it yet it follows not that hee is not under the workes of the Law for obedience and yet not under the curse of it This place is indeed an hammer and hatchet against popery who by seeking iustification by the workes of the Law thrust themselves under the curse of God for if the curse attacheth him that seeketh righteousnesse before God by Moses Law how much more accursed are they that by observation of humane Laws and traditions by humane satisfactions and impositions seeke to demerrit God obtaine without Christ what onely Christ can procure The greater is their sinne and danger who after the knowledge and profession of the truth for some politick and worldly ends runne back into recusancy and popery which is the way of perdition apparently renouncing the blessing of justification by free grace and chuse the curse of the Law which shall runne into their bowells as water of such apostacy may be said as of Iudas it had beene good for them they had never beene borne OBIECT 3. To whom the Law is not given to those it belongs not at all But the Law is not given to the righteous 1 Tim. 1. 9. Therefore it belongs not to beleevers being justified Answ. 1. The scope and intention of the Apostle is not to abolish the Law who in the words immediately going before saith that the Law is good if it be used lawfully which words clearely import and imply that among beleevers there is a good vse of the Law which true use hee shewes in the fifth verse namely to be a guide and direction to the duties of love and charity which is now the effect of faith as the words plainly show for the end of the commandement is love out of a pure heart a good conscience and faith unfained Note that the Apostle maketh that love which is the end of the commandement a fruite and effect of faith and therefore a beleever is not loosed from the love and obedience of the Law by faith but tyed unto it 2. The sence of the Apostle is not that a righteous man can be under no lawes for Adam in innocencie was a most righteous man and yet was under the Law both in generall under the whole Morall Law and in speciall under the Law concerning the forbidden tree and this Law was given to the most righteous man in the world Innocency and righteousnesse in perfection exempts no creature from the Law of his Creatour But the Apostles meaning is that the Law is not given against a righteous man that frameth his course according to the Law it dealeth not with him as an enemy that assenteth unto it that is delighteth in it in the inner man that is ruled and ordered by it it can pronounce no sentence of damnation against him it neither can justifie him who is already justified by faith nor yet can condemne him And that this is the true meaning of the Apostle appeareth by 2 arguments in the text 1. In the originall word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which implieth an action or plea of God against a man and that the Law is not Gods action or plea against a righteous man to bring him under judgement or subdue him under the sentence of it for Christ hath freed such a one from the curse by his merit and obedience as also by his spirit made him a lover of the Law And this is the same in sence with that of the Apostle Gal 5. 23. Against such namely as expresse those recited fruites of the spirit there is no Law for the Law is so farre from condemning such as it is a witnesse rather of their conformity to it selfe and consequently of their love and obedience unto God and of their similitude with Iesus Christ. 2 Argument in the text is in that the lawlesse and disobedient are said to be wrapped up in the full damnatory power of the Law against all whom it is Gods plea and action yea the bill of inditement to their condemnation 3. Neither is the Law given to the just to

wring obedience from them by terrours or threatnings or expectation either of threatnings or rewards the just are not under the Law in this servile manner of obedience as are the lawlesse and disobedient for by a free spirit of grace they doe the works of the Law so farre as they are regenerate and the Law to them is not a compelling commander but a sweet and faithfull counsellour and rule of life But although the Law be not given to the just to fasten any crime or curse upon them nor to exact personall and perfect obedience for righteousnesse before God nor to force compell or rigorously exact obedience from them will it follow that it is no way else given unto them or not as a rule of direction for obedience and a line and square of good works and christian life And these answers will fully satisfie all those other places of like sound and sence as Gal. 5. 18. If yee be led by the spirit yee are not under the Law Rom. 7. 6. Now ye are delivered from the Law being dead unto it that is yee are freed from the Law as it is the strength of sinne as it irritateth and provoketh to sinne as it did while wee were in the state of nature as it wrapps the transgressor in the curse and as it forceth it selfe by terror and constraint for now the beleever serveth in newnesse of spirit not in the oldnesse of the letter that is freely from a renewed spirit obeyeth the Law as the rule of holy life OBIECT 4. Gal 5. 1. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free and be not intangled againe with the yoake of bondage that is say they the Law Gal. 3. 13. Christ hath freed us from the curse of the Law Answ. It is not said that Christ hath freed us from the obedience or command of the Law but from the curse of it which we question not 2. Christian liberty is not a freedome from the obedience of it but rather from the disobedience of it Rom. 6. 18. Being free from sinne ye are made the servants of righteousnesse We are called to liberty but we must not use our liberty as an occasion to the flesh but to frame to the commandement By love to serve one another Gal 5. 13. Where the Apostle plainely proveth that Christian liberty looseth us not from the observation of the Law but straitly enioyneth it for the whole Law is fulfilled in one wo●d which is love v. 14. 3. ●s they 〈◊〉 the same stone so i● must returne upon themselves we must therefore againe tell them what are those parts of ●●ristian liberty which the Apostle aymeth at and if they thinke that the Apostle best knew his owne meaning they shal take them from himselfe The first of them is freedome from the burden of legall ceremonies sacrifices circumcision and beggarly rudiments which were heavy yoakes which being abolished by Christ Christians must never entangle themselves with them any more and that the Apostle directly speaketh of these in the place alledged see v. 2 3. If yee be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing therefore stand fast in your liberty The 2 branch of our liberty is from the curse of the Law in that Christ was made a curse for us with which most ponderous and pressing yoke we must never entangle our selves any more by seeking justification by the workes of the Law and to settle us firme in this our liberty is our Apostles ayme and argument Gal. 3. 10. 13. The third branch of our liberty is freedome from perfect impletion and personall performance of the whole Law for justification for thus we are no more debters to the Law Gal. 5. 3. Nor must ever returne to that bondage to seeke righteousnes and justification by the Law in whole or in part For Christ is become of none effect unto you whosoever of you will be justified by the Law yee are fallen from grace verse 4. The 4. branch of our purchased liberty by Christ is a freedome from the threats and terrors of the Law compelling and forcing obedience and now not feare but love must chiefly const●aine us to duty not compulsion or carnall respects must ca●● u● as slaues to the commandement but now discerning the holinesse excellency and righteousnesse of the Law the heart is moved freely to runne the ways of God Gal. 5. 25. If wee live in the spirit we must walke in the spirit OBIECT 5. The Law of Moses was given onely to the Iewes and was to endure but vnto Christ Luke 16. 16. The Law and the Prophets were till Iohn And Christ is the end of the Law to every beleever Rom. 10. 24. Answ. 1. The Law for writing and some Circumstances was given to the Iewes by the hand of Moses but in respect of the substance and matter obedience belongs unto all men of all ages and nations Because 1. It must stoppe every mouth both of Iew and Gentile Rom 3. 19. 2. It must judge every man according to his work both Iew and Gentile 2. It seemes the Prophets are abolished as well as the Law But I hope they will not say that all the doctrine of the Prophets is abolished It is true that the whole Propheticall doctrine which did signifie or prophecy or promise good things to come when Christ was actually come received accomplishment but not abolishment which is Tertullians distinction But much other positive doctrine of the Prophets is as usefull and proper to us for whom it is by speciall divine providence reserved as it was to the ages to which it was first directed And even so the Law which in respect of shadowes was to continue till Iohn in the substance of it is a permanent and everlasting doctrine directory and deriveable to all the ages of the world 3. Christ is the end of the Law but as Augustine wittily distinguisheth the perfecti●g end not the destroying end For 1. He was the end or scope unto whom the Law especially the paedagogie of Moses was directed 2. Hee was the end also of the Morall Law because hee fully and perfectly obeyed the law and so the Law in him attained his proper end as it had not else done among all the sonnes of men 3. He is the end of the Law on whom all the male diction of the ●aw fell fully and perfectly and had on him full accomplishment 4. He is the end of the Law in whom all the blessings and promises of the Law attaine their end for they are all in Christ yea and amen all of them in him for his obedience are exhibited compleat 5. He is the end of the Law to every beleever for righteousnesse in that he doth bestow and impute unto us that full righteousnesse which the Law requireth of us and in that by the donation of his spirit hee kindleth in beleevers a new obedience framed unto the Law so as they begin a

laying hold on Christ by faith hath no Law but all the Law to him is abolished with all his terrours and torments And page seque We say that the Morall Law or the Law of ten commandements hath no power to accuse and terrifie the conscience in which Iesus Christ reigneth by grace for hee hath abolished the power thereof Answ. And we say so too and holde it our happinesse to beleeve this sweet Gospel But Luther speakes here and every where else of certaine uses of the Law either for justification righteousnesse and salvation or else for terrour accusation and condemnation and thus wee have proved long since and at large that it is abolished to the beleever 2. We say that to abolish the power of the Law is not to abolish the Law and to abolish the power of accusing and terrifying is not to abolish all the power of it And all their shreddings and cuttings and poore allegations out of Mr. Luthers workes doe onely prove the magnifying the Article of Christian righteousnes against the righteousnesse of the Law and workes wherein Luther was for the singular good of the Church most vehement but none of them doe so much as glance at the abolishing of the Law as a doctrine or rule of life which Mr. Luther not in a few places acknowledgeth to binde all men from the beginning of the world to the end of it But whereas no man better knew Mr. Luthers judgement than his owne schollers and followers it will not be amisse to heare them expressing their Masters minde in this argument and delivering unto us what they received from him from whom to depart in any thing they held almost piacular Chemnitius a most learned and moderate Lutheran in his common place de lege cap. 10. and 11. directly refuteth these Antinomists and sheweth that the regenerate are not under the Law in respect of justification accusation condemnation or coaction but yet affirmeth a threefold use of it in the regenerate 1. as a doctrine to direct in duties 2. as a glasse to see the defects of them 3. as a correcter and restrainer of remanent corruption In all treading in the very steppes of of Luther as we have declared Fredericus Baldwinus a learned professour in Wittenberg Passionis typicae lib 2. typ 6. hath these words Christ our Saviour by his most holy merit hath hid and covered alluding to the propitiatory the tables of the Law not that we owe no further obedience unto it but that it may not strike with maledictiō those that are in Christ for the Law is abrogated by Christ not in respect of obedience but in respect of malediction Many more were easily induced to speake the same thing but I content my selfe with these from whom none of the rest dissent and conclude that if Mr. Luthers schollers understood their Masters doctrine better than these Libertines then they sew but a fig leafe to cover their nakednesse by stretching any of Mr. Luthers phrases to the proving of their profane opinion And as Mr. Luther hath abundantly cleared unto us this truth so have we the consent of all godly learned Protestant Writers both ancient and moderne whom I might induce as a cloud of witnesses not like that cloud which Elias his servant did see as bigge as a mans hand but like the same cloud when it covered the whole heavens My spare time is not so much nor perhaps the Readers neither in so cleare a case were it so needfull to make this volume swell with such numberlesse testimonies of orthodox Divines as professedly refute this profane and lawles and as brainles a fancy I will onely therefore shew these delinquents against the Law to be cast by the verdict of an whole Iurie of godly Divines And because they shall not deny but they have faire triall and proceeding we have empannelled twelve men the most of which they acknowledge their friends and well-willers even as they challenge Mr. Luther the foreman to be wholly theirs and one man shall not speake for all as in ordinary trialls but as it is in great and extraordinary trialls every one shall deliver his owne sentence The first of them is Mr. Calvin who in the second booke of his Institutions cap. 7. sec. 12. having spoken of two uses of the Morall Law addeth a third which especially concerneth the faithfull namely that therby they must daily more certainly know what is the will of God to which they aspire as also by the frequent meditation of it they should be excited to the obedience of it and strengthened in that obedience and restrained from the offences of it In the 13 section he answers the Libertines objection But because the Law containes the ministration of death therefore Christians must reject the Law Farre be from us saith he such a profane opinion for Moses excellently sheweth that the Law which can beget nothing but death among sinners hath among the Saints a better and more excellent use and what that is hee sheweth namely to be one perpetuall and inflexible rule of life In the 14. section he answereth at large that objection that the Law is abrogated to the faithfull speaking still of the Morall Law namely not that it doth not still command what is right as it did before but that it is not that to them as it was before in terrifiyng their consciences confounding condemning and destroying them In which sense saith he Paul manifestly sheweth that it is abrogated not in respect of institution of life but of the former vigorous obligation of conscience sect 15. Thus have I abridged M. Calvine his larger Tractat upon this Argument wherein wee see him wholly consenting to the doctrine we have propounded through our whole discourse Adde only her unto that in the 3 booke cap. 19. sect 2 Christian libertie consisteth first in this That the consciences of the faithfull in the confidence of their justification before God must lift themselves above the Law forget the whole righteousnes of the Law Yet saith he no man must hence collect that the Law is needlesse For it doth not therefore cease to teach to exhort and incite to good though before Gods tribunall it hath no place in their consciences The Law therefore by Mr. Calvins de e●mination abideth by Christ a● inviolable doctrine the which by teaching us by admonishing by rebuking and by correcting doth secure prepare us to every good worke The second is Reverend Beza in his defence against Castillion on Rom. 7. 6. farre be it from me saith he that I should assent to you who say the Law is dead to them to whom it is cheifly alive that is those that are most obedient unto it meaning beleevers For a King doth not more manifestly regine over any thē those which freely and willingly obey his Lawes See also his judgement constant to himselfe in his

of pride is vainly to be puft up by a fleshly minde not holding the head for pride resteth not in those low and humble principles of Christ but not enduring Gods yoakes nor the suit and service of Christianity raiseth vaine reasonings against obedience and plotteth new devises for more scope and elbow-roome than the Gospell alloweth them that must walke in the strait and narrow way to eternall life And this righteous judgement of God hath overtaken this sect of men with whom wee deale of whom the Apostle affirmeth that while they promise liberty themselves are the servants of corruption I know that many that as yet know not the depth of Satan in this errour nor are dived into the mysterie and mischiefe of these opinions doe conceive more slightly of their tenents and more charitably of their persons than there is cause and some may thinke it were fitter they should fall of themselves than be thrust downe by the hand and strength of others and that the labour might have beene better bestowed against more dangerous persons and fundamentall errours much more prejudiciall to the truth of the Gospell But I wish such to consider whether any errour can be more pernicious than that which rejecteth all rules of holy and strict walking with God What will it availe us to contend for or establish a faith which is dead severed from the life and fruites of holinesse or what greater enemies can we deale against than enemies of righteousnesse who are not onely fallen from the abnegation of the knowne and received truth but to the oppugnation of it a fearefull fruite indeede of their declining but men having once lost the way of truth know not where they shall lodge And it will not be amisse to looke into their modell of new Divinity and how cunningly they have molded the whole lumpe and kneaded it together that every peece and position of it may let themselves loose from all bands of duty and obedience For 1. They must not live in the presence of God nor hold him in their sight as a God seeing their sinnes or actions or displeased with the evill of them and why now should they forbeare any sinne 2. They must not acknowledge God a rewarder of his owne grace or any good duty to which he enableth and how then can they desire to doe good or be good 3. They must not see their sin a violation of the Law nor as it is an enmity against God nor as causing wrath to worke in them either humiliation for sinne past or detestation of sin present or feare of it for time to come 4. Neither Gods will nor their owne wills moves them not to forbeare any sinne not the former because they are free from all lawes not the latter because the will of man is turned against sin by vertue of inherent holinesse wrought by the spirit which they disclaime so as onely the light of their mind may condemne it and the unseemelinesse of it in a professour may restraine it else they are loose to any 5. They cannot be sick of evill motions nor detest evill thoughts nor watch against temptations nor care for the purging of their hearts for how can they sinne being born of God or if they could they are not to be countable for any sin nor can God take notice of thē Christs most innocent soul was vexed with the molestatiō of injected motions of evil though instantly rejected but these must not they are so holy 6. They must not live by any rules but by a wilde and spatious pretence of immediate and enthusiasticall direction Enemies are they to perswasion and exhortations for because Christs perfections are their perfection In vaine it is to perswade either for good thoughts into the minde or good inclinations into the will or good actions into the life They desire not their hearts nor wills nor actions to agree with Gods law for it is quite abolished And much lesse doe they turne the precepts of God into prayers as the Saints ever used to doe Oh with what violence must headstrong men be caryed unto unrighteousnesse when the word as a bridle must not hold them in nor check or controll sinne in the soule to lessen either the power or practise of it 7. They must not brooke any longer the difficulty of repentance nor endure the paines of mortification because they cannot deny ●hemselves nor must they ever remember sins past as the Saints have done with much ●●uite both 〈…〉 owne hum●liation Deut. 9. 6. ● and for their excitation to gratitude and thankfulnes to God for mercy as the Apostle 1 Tim 1. 12. 13. 8. That they may hold their sinnes more securely they free themselves from all feare of woe and judgement and from all the strokes of God or his word and so by themselves dote in a false peace For Gods hand cannot reach them for he cannot be displeased with their sinnes and much lesse temporally correct them and thus they refuse all crosses either as meanes of mortification or of profiting in holinesse Heb. 12. 7. Psal. 119 71. And they flye the stroke of Gods word in a faithfull and free ministery and cannot endure this legall preaching as men that must hold their sinnes but must not heare of them nor beare reproofe of their iniquity 9 To all these profane opinions they disclaime all precepts and practise of sanctification and all increase in holinesse They revile the Preachers that call and urge men by rules and motives to sanctification as calling men backe to the justification of the Law What a case now are these mē in how can they expect heaven that not only loose themselves from the holines of them that must be inhabitants there but hate it and resist it whereby they cast themselves from the turret of perfection farre below the state of nature For though every naturall man is destitute of personall holinesse and of the love of it yet every naturall man will not disclaim revile or contest against it 2 How can they justifie their calling and out-boast all men in the assurance of their calling Seeing there is no effectuall calling but unto holines 1 Thes. 4. 7. God hath not called us to uncl●anes but unto holines And if every beleever be a Saint by calling how can they be called that sever sanctification that is the love and practise of holines from effectuall calling They onely have received the grace of new creation that are created to good workes which God hath ordained to walke in Eph 2. 10. 3. How doe they frustrate the end of their adoptiō which they pretend for why are wee adopted to be sonnes but to bee made conformable to the image of Christ for can he be a sonne that beareth not the image of his father That onely was Cesars Coyne that carried Cesars superscription 4. May this loose conceit prevaile the maine office of Christs priesthood shall be in