Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
sin_n	good_a	law_n	transgression_n	4,529	5	10.4346	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93852	The royal law contended for, or, Some brief grounds serving to prove that the Ten Commandments are yet in full force, and shall so remain till heaven and earth pass away. Also the seventh day Sabbath, proved from the beginning, from the law, from the prophets, from Christ, from his apostles, to be a duty yet incumbent upon saints and sinners. / By a lover of peace with truth Edward Stennet.	Stennett, Edward, d. 1690?	1658 (1658)	Wing S5402B; ESTC R184622	38,860	48

the Law and in this sense every true believer doth fulfil the Law though his compleatness be in Christ for love is the fulfilling of the Law Rom. 13.10 so that the commanding power of the Law is such a just measure that every one that loves acts his part towards the fulfilling of it Lastly it further appears to be the Ten Commandments by the use Christ makes of what he had before asserted Whosoever therefore shall break one of the least of these Commendments and shall teach men so shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven vers 19. that is forasmuch as this Law must stand till Heaven and Earth pass and I came not to destroy it therefore beware of breaking of it for whosoever you are that break any any part of it and shall teach men so you shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven but whosoever shall do and teach them the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven To prevent further mistakes he repeateth the Law in many particulars and gives the sence shewing how far their righteousness should exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees vers 20. By all which it plainly appears that this Law which Christ came not to destroy is the Law of the Ten Commandments or the Laws that were comprehended in them 6. The Apostle confirmeth and establisheth this Law after the death of Christ as plainly appears Rom. 3. the drift of which Chap is to set Jews and Gentiles in a like condition by nature all breakers of the Law of God and so become guilty before him vers 19. and that therefore no flesh could be justified by the deeds of the Law the Law being for another purpose to convince of sin vers 20. or to bring sin to the knowledge he proves that Jews and Gentiles circumcised and uncircumcised are justified by and through faith and not by any Law of works vers 27 28 29 30. But lest the Gentiles should think because they could not be justified by the works of the Law that therefore they might look upon the Law as a thing done away or made void he puts this question to the uncircumcised Gentiles Do we then make void the Law through faith God forbid yea we establish the Law He puts this question out of question whether the Law be in force to believing Gentiles or no with a God forbid which shews the greatness of his zeal against such a perswasion it being the same answer which he gives to another gross question whether we should continue in sin that grace might abound and as if that were not enough he adds to it yea we establish the Law 7. This same Apostle doth prove that the Law was in force at the time of his conversion he saith he had not known sin but by the Law he had not known lust except the Law had said Thou shalt not covet Rom. 7.7 He was alive without the Law once but when the Commandment came sin revived and he dyed vers 9. that is not without the letter of it for that he had and did in a great measure conform to it but without powerful convictions for sin by the Law and in this sence when the Commandment came sin revived and he dies that before was alive in his own apprehension For without the Law sin was dead vers 8. and by the Law is the knowledge of sin and sin taking occasion by the Commandment deceived him and by it slew him Wherefore the Law is holy the Commandment is holy just and good vers 11.12 not that the holy and just Law was made death unto him God forbid but sin that it might appear sin by this good Law wrought death in him that by the Commandment sin might appear exceeding sinful vers 13. And if so then this Law did not dye with the body of Christ though we are dead to the Law by the body of Christ that we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldnesse of the letter and that we should be married to another even him who is raised from the dead we being dead to that spirit of bondage in whith we were held that we set our obedience to the Law no longer in the room of Christ as our head and husband Christ by his blood having purchased us from that power that the Law had over us by reason of sin So that our service is not to satisfie the Law as a woman serves to please her husband that we are dead to but we are not dead to serve in newness of spirit in obedience to Christ as our husband vers 4 5 6. In this sence the Apostle delights in the Law of God after the inward man vers 22. Though another Law in his members stood in great opposition to it vers 23. Mind this chap. well and it will appear so plain that he that runs may read that the Apostle intends no such thing as to take us from our obedience to the Law nor yet the abrogating of the Law But on the contrary 8. The same Apostle urges the Law in the very letter of it unto the Ephesians Chap. 6.1 2 3. Children saith he obey your Parents for this is right Honour thy father and thy mother which is the first Commandment with promise He proves his exhortation to be right from the Commandment and he takes notice of the order of the Commandments it is the first Commandment of that second Table and it hath a promise annexed to it he speaketh in the present tense he doth not say it was the first Commandment but it is the first with promise that thy dayes may be long on the earth he urges the promise to them for their encouragement and to prevent mistakes he shews the extent of it that it was not only to the Jews that they should live long in the land of Canaan but to the Gentiles also therefore the interpretation is large that thy dayes may be long on the earth 9. James gives a full confirmation to what I am treating of chap. 2.9 He convinces them of sin by this Law in having the faith of Jesus Christ with respect of persons as appears by vers 10.11 For whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guilty of all he shews what Law he means and how it is that he that offends in one point is guilty of all because He that saith do not commit adultery saith also do not kill now if thou commit no adultery yet if thou kill thou art become a transgressor of the Law And John saith Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the Law for sin is the transgressionof the Law chap. 3.4 and in the next verse he explains what Law he means and saith it was such transgression that Christ was manifest to take away now if this Law of God was done away by the death of Christ sin could not be a transgression of it so long after neither could any be convinced

the good and benefit of man that man might rest from his own labours and be refreshed as the Lord was Exod. 31.17 and thus you see how clearly our Lord hath given the sense of this Law it is lawful to do well upon the Sabbath day to visite the sick and to heal them and to do works of mercy to our own and others bodies the Sabbath being made for man 5. Jesus Christ declares himself to be Lord even of the Sabbath day Matth. 12.8 and he takes his title thus the Sabbath saith he was made for man and not man for the Sabbath therefore the son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day Mark 2.27 and here seems to be two things from whence Christ takes this title First the Sabbath was made for man that is as before was said Christ being Lord of the Sabbath doth no more make it void then his being Lord of the Supper and Lord of the Harvest doth make the Supper and the Harvest void for Adam and so for all men being made for him before his fall now Christ being the son of man the chief man or second Adam the man of Gods right hand the heir of all things is of right Lord even of the Sabbath 2. The Sabbath was made for man that is for the good of man and in mercy to man as is said before therefore Christ being the Author of all good the giver of all mercy he is Lord of it and therefore Christ doth not slight the Sabbath as some do imagine by saying he is Lord of it as though he were not to keep it or that his intent were to change it that were to strip himself of his title or else to entitule himself Lord of that which was not but in that it is said Christ is Lord of the Sabbath it proves the Sabbath to be in force as Christ proves the resurrection Mark 12.26 27. I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac the God of Jacob he is not the God of the dead but of the living so Christ is Lord of the Sabbath day he is not Lord of dead Types and shadows or of that which is not in being but he is Lord of the lively Oracles of which I conceive the Sabbath is one Act. 7.38 Obj. But did not Christ break the Sabbath and teach men so to do in bidding the impotent man take up his bed and walk it being unlawful to carry a burthen upon the Sabbath day Answ The Scribes and Pharisees said so indeed and that his bed was a burthen but they were very unfit Judges they being ignorant of the right observing of the Sabbath and sought likewise to take advantage against Christ in his words and actions their saying the mans bed was a burthen and that it was unlawful for him to carry it doth prove no more that so it was then their saying that the disciples brake the Sabbath in plucking the ears of Corn and Christ in healing the diseased but was not this a work of mercy the man having lien lame so long in the porch now being cured Was it not meet that he should be released from the place and take his bed with him to lye upon at night for it s likely he had no other And who can say that his bed was a burthen for in some Countries that which they call their bed is no heavier then a good Cloak or Coat but consider what grosse wickednesse naturally flows from this opinion The objecters themselves and all must acknowledge that the whole Law was in force till the death of Christ the very shadows till he nailed them to his Cross then the fourth Commandment doubtlesse was in full force now to say that Christ brake it and taught men so is to say Christ sinned and taught men to sin for sin is the transgression of the Law and this roots up redemption by Christ for if Christ was a sinner he could not be a Saviour he had not been a meet-offering for the sins of others if he had been a sinner himself but he was offered up a Lamb without spot Heb. 7.26 1 Pet. 1.19 and was made sin for us that knew no sin 2 Cor. 5.2 And therefore this objection is so gross that every sincere heart that sees the tendency of it will not touch it and indeed I had not mentioned it here but that many through weakness have taken it up as a sufficient ground to prove the making void the Sabbath for want of looking into the bottom of it 6 Another ground to prove the Sabbath yet to be in force may be taken from the words of Christ to his disciples Matt. 24.20 But pray ye that your flight be not in winter nor on the Sabbath day which is part of the answer Christ gave them when they came privately to him to ask him when the destruction of the Temple should be the signes of his coming and the end of the world It is generally conceived that this part of Christs answer relates to the destruction of Jerusalem and indeed that is the shortest time that can be thought it relates unto as doth appear by the question which was asked him but suppose it so doth it not plainly appear from hence that the Sabbath was to remain in full force after the death of Christ The destruction of Jerusalem being about 40. years after the death of Christ and yet he commands his disciples to pray that their flight be not in the winter neither on the Sabbath day now can we think that Christ would lay such a foundation for superstition as though the Sabbath was to be at the ruin of Jerusalem when it was to cease at his death or can we think-that Christ would teach his disciples to pray false or to pray that their flight should not be on the Sabbath when indeed there was to be no Sabbath this is gross to imagine but as sure as winter was to remain winter so the Sabbath was to remain the Sabbath and if their flight had been upon it it would have been the more tedious it being a day of rest and refreshment to them wherein they used to rejoyce and praise the Lord as it appears by that Psalm or song for the Sabbath day Psalm 92. But although this Scripture looks to the destruction of Jerusalem yet I conceive it looks further even to that distress that Jerusalem shall be in at the second coming of Christ and that for these reasons First those things that Christ spake of were accomplished in a measure in the Apostles dayes and yet they are not compleatly fulfilled for instance Christ told his disciples that they should be delivered up to be killed and they should be hated of all Nations for his name sake this was in the Apostles dayes and hath been since and false Prophets did arise then and so they have since then vers 4.11 So that those things which Christ spake lookt to several times and therefore I conceive he saith

of sin by it because it was not but the Apostle saith whosoever commits sin transgresseth the Law which shews it was in force then and not only so but that likewise it should so remain 10. Let it be considered whether that this opinion that the Law is done away doth not clash with redemption it self The Apostle states all men under the Law and by breaking of it they came under the curse Gal. 3.10 And Christ was made under the curse to redeem his people from under the curse of the Law vers 13. that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles through faith vers 14. Now if we were not under the commanding power we could not be under the curse for that follows disobedience and if so then Christ was not made a curse for us neither can the blessing of Abraham come upon the Gentiles upon that account if the Jews were only under the Law and under the curse of it Christ dying to redeem them from the curse could not bring the blessing of Abraham upon the Gentiles And again the Apostle saith that Christ was made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of sons Gal. 4.4 5. Now if we were not under the Law we could not be redeemed by Christs being under the Law nor receive the adoption of sons thereby but it is manifest that every one is under the commanding power of the Law and by nature under the curse and Christ hath only redeemed his people from the curse but that they are redeemed from their obedience to the Law of God I find no Scripture that saith so but on the contrary 11. God complaineth of the blindness of his servants and of the deafness of his messengers that he sent Isay 42.19 20. and their blindness and deafness appears in this that they did not hear nor understand Gods design in the gift of his Son that it was not to destroy his Law or to slight it but to magnifie it and make it honorable verse 2. Before it was in Tables of stone but now in the fleshly Tables of the heart service was done from a spirit of bondage but now from a spirit of adoption and in this sense I conceive the Law is said to be magnified and made honorable and upon this account that God is well pleased for his righteousness sake that is I conceive for his sons sake 12. This opinion that the whole Law is abolished doth pull up true Magistracy by the roots the office of rulers being for the punishment of evil doers and for the praise of them that do well But if the statute and judgements be not in force there is no corporal punishment to be inflicted upon any though theeves murderers or the like and so there is no room for the Magisterial power at all but men are left in this respect as the beasts of the field to shift one among another as well as they can But the Apostle saith The Law is made for the Lawless and disobedient for ungodly and for sinners for unholy and prophane for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers for man-flayers 1 Tim. 1.9 10. Now this is the Law of penalties that 's manifest in that it is said it was not made for a righteous man but the Ten Commandments were for the righteous for the Psalmist saith Oh how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day Psalm 119.97 Make me to go in the path of thy Commandments for therein do I delight vers 35. And how shall we have Governers as at the first and Counsellers as at the beginning Isay 1.26 if they have no Law to govern by If any say we shall have Laws from Christ and shall not need those Laws that were for the Common-wealth of Israel to that I answer I know no word of God that doth give us ground to believe for any other Laws or Scripture then what we have and suppose that God should revive his work in this nation and bring his enemies under and put opportunity into the hands of his Saints to chuse men fearing God and hating covetousnesse to rule the Nation while the Lambs army march on What could they do if the Scripture were not their Statute-book if they should turn Law-makers would not that be their sin there being no Warrant in the Scripture for it And would it not bring all into confusion again and make another Babel For the great question which is to be resolved in the latter dayes will be Who is our Statute-maker Which the Saints put out of question Isay 33.22 The Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Statute-maker the Lord is our King he will save us and not King Omri with his Statutes Mic. 6.16 And when the Saints come to own this truth in good earnest their opposits tacklings will be loosed they shall neither strengthen their mast nor spread their sailes vers 23. and Malachi tells us what Laws our King hath made which the Saints are to own when the day of the Lord burns as an oven all the proud and the Sun of righteonsness arises upon all that fear him when they shall tread down the wicked with so much ease that they shall be as ashes under the soles of their feet so that it shall be counted the Lords doings And in the day that the Lord shall do this Remember ye the Law of Moses my servant which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel with the Statutes and judgements Chap. 4.3 4. I shall now endeavour to answer some objections which are usually brought against this truth though several of them are partly answered in the grounds aforementioned I shall therefore say the less and begin to speak something to that Scripture in 2 Cor. 3. on which the objecters do chiefly build their perswasion and indeed at the first glance thereon without comparing of it with other Scriptures it hath more colour for such a purpose then all the Scriptures that ever I heard brought from which Scripture this is objected That the Ten Commandments were the ministration of death and of the letter and are done away Answer That they were the ministration of death and of the letter is granted for the Scripture saith so but the Scripture doth not say they are done away as will appear if we consider the drift of the Apostle he endeavoureth to shew the difference between the ministration of the spirit and of the letter vers 6. the one being a bare reading of the Law from which no life was communicated to those that heard it vers 14 15. and in vers 9. the Apostle calls it the ministration of condemnation that is it lays open sin and the curse for sin but it is the Gospel ministration which holds forth justification and strength against sin not that the Ten Commandments in themselves were death to any God forbid as the Apostle saith in Rom. 7.13 But sin when it is finished