be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life It is impossible that such a man should die for this reason He that receives the life of Christ through the spirit of Christ he receives a true being a divine nature and it is unpossible that one drop of the divine nature should perish 〈◊〉 very person that hath the divine nature he hath the spirit of Christ he hath Christ as he raises persons from the dead and as hee delivers them from the power of sin and as hee quickens them as himself is a quickning spirit And so much for answer of the second querie but 3. Queree What doth the Apostle meane heere by the law of sinne and death from which the spirit of life in Christ sets us free T Answ o which I answer His meaning is either one or both of these two things either 1. By the law of sin and death he must meane the power of sin or 2. By the law of sin and death he means that law which gives sinne a being and gives it power to destroy Now though the first of these may be heere included yet hee mainly intends the second in this place as I shall shew by and by but if he doe here any thing ayme at the first in this place it is as sin is a law and sin may be said to be a law under these two significations 1. As it hath a mighty power in 〈◊〉 or 2. As it hath a certaine kinde of confused rule 1. It hath a mighty power for so saies the Scripture the flesh lusteth against the spirit and where there is lust there is love and love is as strong as death either in good things or in evill and so sin hath its power but 2. It hath a kinde of uncertaine rule and method for there is a method in pleasure and lust and sinfull joy after a carnall manner and so sinne is a law but that which the Apostle here means is 2. The law which is the Law that occasions sinne which the law of the spirit freeth us from to this purpose observe but the 23. verse of the 7th Chapter which runs thus But I see another law in my membrs warring against the law of my minde and bringing me into captivity unto the law of sin Where we see the Apostle speakes of three lawes 1. The law of the spirit which he calls the law of his minde 2. The law of Concupiscence which he calls the law in his members which he saies brings him into Captivitie to the third law Which he calls the Law of sinne and is the law which occasions sinne For here is law against law bringing into Captivitie to law The law of sin in his members rebelling against the law of the spirit in his minde or his inward man for saies Paul I doe see another law in my members and this law in his members was the power of sin working through concupiscence and lust carrying him contrary to God rebelling saies he against the law of my minde meaning against the law of the spirit in his heart or the spirit in his heart as a law And so as he saies in another place The flesh lusteth against the Spirit leading me captive to the law of sinne Meaning by the law of sin here in the last place that law of which he speakes in the Text. The law of sinne and death which is the Law that occasions sinne and death or the Law of Commandments and this appears in the verse following the Text For the Apostle having said in the Text that the saints are free from the Law of sinne and death in the next verse hee shewes what that law is in these Words For what the law could not do in that it was weake through the flesh God sending his owne Sonne c. What was that which the law could not do that the Sonne of God did for us Answer 1. the Law could not make us holy 2. The Law could not free us from sinne 3. The law could not free us from condemnation But one the contrary it brought under guilt brought us under the curse Now what law did this The law of Comandments which saies the Apostle was weake through the flesh And it may bee said to bee weake through the flesh thus 1. In that wee are weake and through the fleshare not able to walk exactly to the law nor to come up to the Rule of it in our conversation And so are not able to obtain life by it Therefore God hath given us life in another way even through his Son or 2 In that the law as it is written upon tables of Stone though it be holy just and good hath no power as it is in the Letter to convay its selfe into us to inable us to walke according to the rule it prescribes unto us And this law is stiled the law of sinne and death in these three respect which the Scripture holds forth unto us 1. In that it discovers sinne 2. In that it is the strength of sinne 3. In that it brings men under the curse and so lyable to death 1. It discovers sinne For the Apostle tells us Rom. 7.7 I had not known sin but by the law For I had not knowne lust except the law had said Thou shalt not covet and he tells us further that where no law is there is no transgression The law is holy and therefore it discouers unto men their unholinesse And 2. As the law discovers sinne and makes sin to be exceeding sinfull so it is the strength of sin The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sin is the law 1 Cor. 15.56 where were the strength of sin were in not for the Law and 3 It brings men under the curse and under death For so saves the Apostle it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that is written in the Book of the Law to do them And so being under the curse the effect of the curse is death and therefore saies the Apostle if you walke after the flesh ye shall dye and it is the very title that 's giuen to the law as though there were nothing else in it The ministeration of condemnation and the ministeration of death 2. Cor. 3.7.9 In the 7 verse the Apostle cales it the ministeration of death ingraven in stones and in the 9. verse the ministeration of condemnation Thus you see how the lawis held forh in scripture to be the law of sinne and death now what this law being weake through the flesh could not doe God hath sent Iesus Christ to doe for us and in us and therefore he hath freed us from that law and given us another law even the law of the Spirit that the righteousnesse of the law might be fullfilled by the spirit in us as apears verse 4th And now being freed from this law sinne shall not have dominion over us for we are not vnder the law but under
to be remembred Now take away the offence and the law hath nothing to do with you take away the breaches and you are free from all the Curses of the Law Therefore the Apostle tels us that in Christ sin was condemned in the flesh Christ did thus condemne sin as he tooke away the power of sin and as he took away sinne it selfe so that it could have no voice against us Now the offence being taken away of what force is the law As suppose a man should live in a Kingdom wherein there should be a law made that whosoever should doe such a particular thing let it be what it will should snffer such a heavie punishmnnt onely the law maker hath power over the law to pardon such particular persons as he pleases Which if he doe the law hath no voyce at all against them They are free from the law The law hath nothing to doe with them though all others are under the power of it yet they are not under the power of it for the law maker having pardoned these perticuler persons the law hath no voice at all against them and though the law be powerfull against others yet it cannot against them they then are free from the law the law may bee a law to others to condemn them but not to these their offence being pardoned So the Lord Jesus Christ taking away the offence takes away condemning power of the law from us and so we are not under the law but under grace the law being taken away by Christ for in that Christ upon the Crosse adjudged all the breaches and trespasses of us committed by us contrary unto the law to death and destruction we are free from that Law God sending his owne Sonne in the flesh condemned sinne in the flesh How did the Lord Jesus Condemne sin in the flesh Thus The Lord Jesus Christ coming in our nature and taking our sinne upon him he condemned sin and suffered for it in the flesh and so tooke away the voice of sin and the power of sinne so that sinne is as a condemned man judged to death to be destroyed And if sinne be taken away I pray what is become of the law the strength of sinne The Apostle tells us that is in the same manner that sinne is taken away too Rom. 7.4 we are dead to the law by the body of Christ that we should be married unto another even to him who is raised from the dead c. So then we are dead to the Law For thus They that live unto the law have either life from it or death from it 1. Life from it but that we have not for there is no life from it but in the fulfilling of it but Christ is our life and we are justified freely by grace for by the works of the law shall no man living be iustified Or in the next Place they that live to the law have death from it for the breach of it but we are free from the condemnation of it also and shall not be destroyed by the Law so that we do not live unto the law but are dead unto the law And if you shall ask how The Apostle answers by the body of Christ How is that Thus. The Lord Jesus Christ taking our nature upon him in that body ascending upon the Crosse hee there blotted out the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us that was contrary to us that stood cursing of us he took it out of the way nayling it to his Crosse And this is a precious misterie which affords the Saints abundant consolation Again in that the Apostle saies in the aforementioned place that we are dead to the law by the body of Christ it is saies he that we should live unto another as if he had said we are not now to live any longer to the law but Christ hath therefore freed us from living to the Law that we should live unto himself live as by him and through him so to him as our first Husband being dead we are no longer to live to him but being married to another We are to live unto him and therefore saies the Apostle we are dead to the law our first husbnd to what end that we might be maried to another even to him who is raised from the dead And this is the further illustrated in the next verse for saies the Apostle Now being delivered from the law that being dead wherein we were held It is that we should serve in the newnesse of the spirit and not in the oldnesse of the latter So now here we see cleerly Christ having adjudged all our sins to death upon the Crosse in his owne body hath also by the same way freed us from the Law But 3. 3. As Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse Rom. 10.4 And lastly wee are free from the law by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ as Christ is the end of the law for Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse unto every one that beleeveth He is the end of the law for righteousnesse Righteousnesse could not be by the law therefore the Lord Jesus became the end of the law to bring righteousnesse to us No man can performe the law or walke equivolent to it and therefore Christ must be the end of the Law to bring in everlasting righteousnesse that is such a glorious righteousnesse that is such a glorious righnesse as abides for ever The whole law is summed up in Christ whatever beauty or glory or excellencie appeares in the law It gives it all up â—o Christ As when many small sums are gathered up into into one sum they looze their number and names in it So the law and the beauties of it being as Severall small sums gathered up into Christ they looze their name in him and he is their perfection When the Gentiles do bring in their glory into the New Jerusalem they shall looze their glory in the New Jerusalem and New Jerusalem shall be their glory so is it with the Law Christ is the glory of it and as the beams of the Sun end and are summed up in the Sunne so the law is a beame of God and Shadowes out something of Christ and of God But when Christ came and took our nature upon him it was summed up in him and ends in him and in him it appers gloriously So Christ frees us from the law as he sums up the law wholly in himselfe If there be any beauty in the law it is beautifull as it is in Christ The truth is Christ is the substance of it all and so a beleever sees all the beauty and glory of the law as it is in Christ for him he having fulfilled all righteousnesse and so for righteousnesse he is become the end of it to every beleever and he is not to have his righteousnesse in the Law but in Chriist And thus now wee see in these three particulars how
This was the glorious designe of God to make persons righteous in Christ as Christ had gathered up all truth and righteousnesse in himself So he being our Head should fulfill righteousnesse and truth in us by the Spirit And that 's the second reason of the point But then 3. 3. That God might be all in all and the creature nothing at all The third reason why we are freed from the law through the Spirt is this that God might be all in all and the creature nothing at all God hath gathered up all into Christ that we might not be saved by fulfilling the law or by any other way that he alone might be all in all that the Creature may not have whereof to boast therefore he doth all freely by his grace and by the law shall no man living be justified for if righteousnesse were by the law then might men have whereof to glory but the great designe of God is his owne glory which he will not give to another and therefore hath he freed us from the Law and glorified the riches of his grace towards us that beleeve in that we through the spirit are freed from the law which brought us under the curse that wee should not bee under the oldnesse of the letter but be of the Circumcision which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Iesus and have no confidence in the flesh I should here come to the uses of all but there two or three queeries first to be answered The first is that which Saint Paul both makes and answers having Rom. 7.5 6. declared this truth here hold forth in the Text that we are dead unto the law and freed from the oldnesse of the letter that we migot serve in the newnesse of the Spirit this queree he makes to prevent it in others Is the Law sin then To which the Answer may be in the Apostles words God forbid I say God forbid that any man should so conceive that that which was given immediately from God is sin No saies the Apostle the law is Holy and the Commandment holy just and good It speakes nothing but holinesse and there is nothing but puritie in it I need stand no longer in this to confirme the truth of the puritie of the law it is so apparent But 2. Queerie 2 The next queerie will be that which the same Apostle in another * Gal. 3.19 place also makes and that is this Wherefore then serveth the law Answe Answ The Gospell holds forth this to be the use of the Law viz. To convince every man and woman of their miserable condition out of Christ and this it doth as will appear if you consider this That no man can come into the presence of God or be advanced to the beatifical vision but those that are pure those that are holy For as the Apostle tels us without holinesse no man shall see God so that no unclean thing shall stand in the presence of the most holy God for he is of purer eyes then to behold iniquitie and therefore he hath given forth this Law as a rule for all to walk by in generall it being a holy Law and hath declared that in it he sets before men life and death blessings and cursings but man having in him by nature the seed and root of all corruption hath therefore a will to do evill but none to do good and having first lost his first image can never keep this law for all have sinned and all come short by nature of the glory of God held forth in this Law and therefore being in this condition must at last needes sinke into the bottomlesse pit and the burning Lake where the Worme dyeth not and the fire is not quenched if there be not a Mediator stepping in betweene to bring in everlasting righteousnes in which sinners may stand compleat before God and to redeem them from this Law which because of sinne puts them into this deplorable condition So that now all do see may see or shall see their miserable condition by the Law not having a Saviour and that is now the use of the Law And so much in effect the Apostle holds forth 1 Tim. 1.9 10. Having spoken in the former verses of some that would be Teachers of the Law and turning from the Gospell he bids Timothy to change them to teach no other doctrine then the doctrine of the Gospell Now sayes he the end of the commandement is purity and love the Law holds forth puritie But some sayes he that would be Teachers of the Law know not what they say nor whereof they affirm It seems they either did as the Pharisees seek righteousnesse in the Law or went it may be a little further mixing law and Gospell preaching that men must be saved partly by the Law and partly by Christ or some such like doctrine But positively to say what it was I cannot nor is it much materiall to our purpose But sayes the Apostle though they know not what they do yet we know what we do and what the use and end of the Law is we know it is pure and holds forth purity to all and all that come short of the purity thereof are under the curse thereof being out of Christ and not pure in him and righteous in him knowing that the Law is good if a man use it lawfully that is if it be rightly applyed if we preach the Law and all the terrors thereof unto all that are out of Christ and are not righteous by him Knowing sayes he that the Law was not made for a righteous man but for the lawlesse and disobedient for ungodly and prophane c. the law is made for these and so it discovers their miserable condition unto them And so Paul sayes the Law discovered sin to him and he never knew sin before the Law discovered sinne him and made iâ— to be exceeding sinfull So that this is now the use of the Law it makes all the world to become guilety before God and declares to altheir miserable condition out of Christ And so much for answer of the second quaerie But then 3. Queere 3 Another quaerie will be this Was not then Law given for a Rule of Life unto the people of GOD when it was delivered upon Mount Sinai Answ Answ Yes the Law was given for a rule unto his people Israell who were then the peculiar people of God and this the Apostle cleerly holds forth Gal. 3.24 where he tels us plainly the Law was a Tutor or a Schoole-master untill CHRIST For the Law was our Schoolemaster untill Christ And so the word runs in the Originall and not as it is in our ordinary Translation The Law was our Schoolemaster to bring us to Christ For this is not the sense of it but is contradictorie to what the Apostle had before delivered in the 12. verse where he sayes The Law is not of Faith That is Justification by Faith in the Lord