Selected quad for the lemma: work_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
work_n	covenant_n	law_n	moral_a	4,802	5	10.4234	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30985	Several miscellaneous and weighty cases of conscience learnedly and judiciously resolved / by the Right Reverend Father in God, Dr. Thomas Barlow ...	Barlow, Thomas, 1607-1691.	1692 (1692)	Wing B843; ESTC R21506	129,842	472

which the Lord thy God GIVETH THEE Canaan is the Land promised and given to the Jews only not to the Gentiles nor ever intended for them it being indeed impossible that all Jews and Gentiles should live in that little Land But to pass by the promises which do not so properly belong to our present business I say 2. That it is as certain that all the Mosaical Laws de Poenis are not natural but Positive and Judicial Laws which never bound any save the Jews or those who became Proselytes and voluntarily submitted to them to whom only they were given That this may further and more distinctly appear it is to be confidered as certain and consessed I. That the Law of Nature as all just Laws do binds all men 1. Ad Obedientiam to a willing and perfect Obedience And 2. upon supposition of sin ad Poenam But the Punishment to which the Law of Nature binds is Death and that Eternal Death For as in Adam by reason of sin all die so they had died eternally had not God most graciously sent his Son to redeem them from that death Every sin how small soever by the Covenant of Works of which the Moral Law was the condition on mans part to be perform'd was a capital crime and Death the Wages or punishment by that law due to it But those many various laws de Poenis which occur in the Mosaical law which he gave to the Jews are not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non leges nobiscum nataE in cord naturalitere inscriptae not Natural laws writ in our hearts and born with us But they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ‑ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 leges à Deo datae positive Laws which neither do nor ever did bind any but the Jews As may appear 2. Because they were given only to the Jews and that after they came out of Egypt which was after the Fall of Adam above 2450 years But those Mosaical Laws de Poenis of which we speak were never given nor publish'd to the Gentiles But had those Laws de Poenis been Natural Laws as the Precepts in the Decalogue are they would have bound all mankind from the Creation to this day and that indispensably and then all Christians should be bound to obey and practise those Penal laws and punish all Malefactors with such punishments only as in those laws are appointed which is evidently untrue as may appear 3. By the judgment and consent of the Christian World for no Christian Church or State did ever think themselves bound to observe those Mosaical Poenal Laws and to punish transgressors of the Divine Law with those punishments which are prescribed by Moses For instance That the stealing of a Sheep should be punish'd with restitutio in quadruplum with restoring four sheep for one if the thief had sold or kill'd the sheep he stole but if the sheep was found in his hand who stole it he was only to restore two sheep for one That the stealer of an Ox should restore five Oxen. That he who curseth or who smiteth his father or mother or will not obey them should be punished with death and stoned with stones That to do any of our own work so much only as to gather a few sticks on the Sabbath day should be capital and the offender in any one of these things surely put to death although these and such other Laws de Poenis were Divine given to the Jews by Moses and obliged them yet no Christian Church or State did ever think themselves obliged to the observation and practice of them And they had good ground in the Gospels to think so For 4. Our Blessed Saviour in his Sermon on the Mount explains and confirms all the Moral Laws de Officiis yet those severe Mosaical Laws de Poenis he did not confirm But expresly declares that legal severity to be inconsistent with the Charity of the Gospel For though by the Mosaical law a Jew might justly require and the Judge give an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth yet our Blessed Saviour expresly declares against such legal severity You have heard saith he it has been said in the Law of Moses an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth But I say unto you Resist not evil c He does not allow that severity in poenis in the Gospel which Moses allow'd the Jews under the Law and therefore we may be sure that it was not any Moral or Natural Law which required those punishments appointed for several sins in the Law of Moses for then they had been unalterable nor would our Blessed Saviour have contradicted them but it was the positive law of Moses which required them of the Jews to whom only these Laws were given and obligatory And here for further evidence of this truth it is to be considered 1. That in that Mosaical Law which is ignorantly or maliciously urged to prove that our Gracious Soveraign cannot pardon murder the strictest binding words are these The Murderer SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH Therefore say they he cannot be pardon'd They who reason thus did not well consider the consequence of such arguing from the Penal Laws in Moses For if this argument be good Moses says The Murderer shall surely be put to death Ergo He cannot be pardon'd Then this grounded on the same law of Moses will be every way as good and concluding The same Moses says Whosoever doth ANY work on the Sabbath-day he shall SURELY be put to death Ergo He cannot be pardon'd If such Logick were good it would conclude all men to be unpardonably guilty of death seeing I believe there is no man who on some Lords-day has not done some work and therefore by such Logick as this must be unpardonably guilty of death But enough of this for indeed such arguments do not deserve any serious answer or confufutation Sure I am that never any Christian Church or State did or had any reason to believe That the severe Jewish Law for the observation of the Sabbath did oblige Christians and therefore there neither is nor can be any more reason why their severe Law against Murder should be now obligatory to Gentiles or Christians to whom it was never given 2. When the Law says The Murderer shall SURELY die our best Commentators out of the Rabbins say that this is spoken to the Judges before whom such Causes regularly came Now those Judges in the Jewish Commonwealth were appointed by the Supreme Power and by his Authority judged and determined Causes under him Admit then that the Judges who were Magistrates Subordinate to the Supreme Power were to take no satisfaction for the life of a Murderer but were by that Law oblig'd to condemn and execute him yet it does not hence follow that the Supreme Power who made them Judges might

Jus Gladii Nor is there any Law in the Gospel which so much as mentions much less prohibits the Civil Supreme Magistrate to pardon condemn'd Malefactors 2. For the Mosaical Laws Ceremonial and Judicial they were such as were given by God himself for the good Government of the Jewish Common-wealth Now concerning these Laws it is certain 1. That they were given only to the Jews as is confess'd and fully proved by the Schoolmen and Casuists 2. It is certain that no positive Law Divine or humane does or can bind any save those to whom it is given and sufficiently promulgated and made known A sufficient Promulgation is absolutely necessary to the Obligation of any positive Law 3. And hence it follows that those Mosaical Laws never bound the Gentiles before our blessed Saviour's time much less Christians since as will anon appear And therefore if that Law in Numb 35. 31. but now mention'd or any other Mosaical Law had absolutely forbid and made the pardoning of Murder unlawful to the Jews yet it will not hence follow that it should be by that Law unlawful for Gentiles or Christians to pardon it seeing it is manifest that those Mosaical Laws were never given to nor any way obliged them For the Transgression of any Law does necessarily presuppose its Obligation It being impossible I should transgress a Law which never bound me to Obedience 4. The obligation of the Ceremonial Laws ceased even to the Jews to whom they were given at the death of our Blessed Saviour They were Types and Shadows of his Death and our Redemption by him and when the Substance and thing typified by them was come the Shadows ceased Whence it is that Divines both Ancient and Modern truly say That at our Blessed Saviours Death the Jewish Ceremonial Law was Mortua as to its obligation it was abrogated and the observation of it not necessary tho for some time to gain the Jews even the Apostles did voluntarily observe it But when the Gospel was more fully published it became Mortifera and the observation of it inconsistent with the Gospel 5. For the Judicial Law of the Jews it is certain that the Obligation of it ceas'd at least at the destruction of Jerusalem when the Jewish Government and their Commonwealth was utterly destroy'd 6. And hence it evidently follows that all those Mosaical Laws Judicial and Ceremonial have been abrogated and null and have neither bound Jew or Gentile above this 1600 years last past and therefore it is impossible that any of them should now bind any Christian Supreme Power not to pardon any condemned malefactor And what is said of the Judicial and Ceremonial Laws given to the Jews by Moses that none of them ever did or could bind any Gentiles or Christians the same we say of the Moral Law as to punishing or pardoning Murderers that it never prohibited Supreme Princes to reprive or pardon any person condemned for Murder That this may appear it must be considered that there are two Editions of the Moral Law both writ by the Omnipotent and Gracious Author of it by God himself 1. In the heart of Adam where it was most intirely and perfectly writ His Understanding being clear and abundantly able to know and distinguish good from evil quid faciendum quid fugiendum and his will obsequious to follow those dictates of right Reason But by the fall of Adam this Writing and perfect Edition of the Moral Law was much blotted corrupted and defac'd both in Adam and all his Posterity For although the substance of that Law did after the fall continue writ in their nearts yet so defac'd by the Fall that ignorance having blinded the Under standing it was in many places not legible nor sin having corrupted the will practicable 2. The second Edition of the Moral Law in respect of the writing of it which remain'd in the hearts of men after the fall was multo auctior emendatior And this Edition of the Moral Law is that which God by Moses gave only to his own Church and People the Jews In which he gave them 1. A just and perfect Compendium of that whole Law in two Tables of Stone containing Ten Precepts 2. A full and more perfect explication of those Precepts and the particular duties required by them 3. An addition of many Gracious promises and blessings to those who sincerely observ'd those Laws and many threats and punishments for those who transgress'd any of those Laws This Edition of the Moral Law with the many promises and punishments annext was as I said given only to the Jews not to the Gentiles And this appears by that memorable passage in St. Paul wherein he tells the Romans in these words The Gentiles which HAVE NOT THE LAW do BY NATURE These HAVING NOT THE LAW are a law to themselves which shews the work of the Law WRITTEN IN THEIR HEARTS In which words we have the two Editions of the Moral Law afore mentioned expresly set down and that the Gentiles had only the first Edition and that the second and more perfect Edition was given only to the Jews For the Apostle says 1. That the Gentiles HAD NOT THE LAW to wit as it was Lex scripta in Lapide and given to the Jews with the Addition of many Promises and many several punishments annext to the transgressions of particular Precepts 2. That the Gentiles HAD THE LAW writ IN CORDE for so all men by nature had it And 't is the Moral Law he means for no positive Law of God or man is by nature writ in any mans heart Now what is said in the second and more perfect Edition of the Moral Law as it was given by Moses only to the Jews is either 1. De Officiis 2. Or de poenis promissis I. De Officiis quid faciendum aut fugiendum What good we are to do in obedience to the Affirmative Precepts As in that Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy Honour thy Father and Mother c. And what evil we are to avoid in obedience to the Negative Precepts such as these Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not commit Adultery c. In short the sum of all those Duties which the Moral Law requires of us is this That we love God with all our heart and our neighbour as our selves Now as to all these duties the obligation of the Moral Law is Universal Eternal and Indispensable It binds all men Jews and Gentiles and that indispensably 2. De promissis poenis concerning the Promises and punishments which are annext to the Moral Law as it was given to the Jews by Moses And here I. For the Promises it is certain that they were given only to the Jews For the Apostle expresly tells us That the Gentiles were aliens and strangers to the promises For instance the promise added to the fifth Commandment Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy days may be long in the land