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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33349	Three practical essays ... containing instructions for a holy life, with earnest exhortations, especially to young persons, drawn from the consideration of the severity of the discipline of the primitive church / by Samuel Clark ...; Whole duty of a Christian	Clarke, Samuel, 1599-1682.	1699 (1699)	Wing C4561; ESTC R11363	120,109	256

come to whom the Promise was made v. 19. And v. 23. Before Faith came we were kept under the Law shut up unto the Faith which should afterward be revealed Wherefore the Law was our School-master to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by Faith But after that Faith is come we are no longer under a School-master 11. The Third Argument which the Apostle makes use of to prove that those who were converted to the Christian Religion were not bound any longer to observe the Jewish is this The Religion of Abraham was such a Religion as was acceptable to God and available to Justification But now the Religion of Abraham was the same with the Christian Religion consisting only of Faith and Obedience without the works of the Jewish Law For the Scripture saith expresly that the Gospel was Preached before unto Abraham and that his Faith was reckoned unto him for Righteousness when he was not in Circumcision but in Uncircumcision It follows therefore that the Faith and Obedience of the Christian Religion shall be imputed unto us for Righteousness without the works of the Jewish Law This Argument the Apostle largely and strongly insists upon in the whole 4th Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans and in the 3d to the Galatians as you may there read at large 12. The fourth and last Argument by which the Apostle proves that the Christian Religion is sufficient to Salvation without retaining the Jewish is this The Posterity of Abraham were the Elect and the peculiar People of God But by the Posterity of Abraham is not meant strictly those who descend from Abraham according to the flesh but the Children of the Promise that is as many as are of the Faith of Abraham shall be counted for the Seed The true Religion therefore and Service of God is not confined to the Jewish Nation who are the Posterity of Abraham according to the flesh but the Gentiles also which believe have attained to Righteousness even the Righteousness which is of Faith that is those of all Nations as well Gentiles as Jews who embrace the Christian Religion which is the same with the Religion of Abraham shall be justified with faithful Abraham And this Argument the Apostle insists upon in the 9th 10th and 11th Chapters of the Epistle to the Romans and in the 4th to the Galatians 13. This is the Sum of the Arguments which the Apostle makes use of in these two Epistles to prove against the Judaizing Christians that there was no necessity of retaining the Jewish Religion together with the Christian. And from the largeness clearness and strength of these Arguments 't is evident that the determination of this Question is indeed the principal scope and design of the Apostle in these Epistles For nothing can be more absurd than to suppose that the Apostle should most strongly and largely demonstrate a thing which was not really the design of his discourse or that on the other hand he should make a thing the professed Subject of his discourse and yet prove it by such intricate and obscure Arguments as the wisest and cunningest of Men should never be able to reconcile either with the rest of the Scripture or with themselves 14. We must not therefore so understand any passages in these Epistles as if the Apostle designed to magnifie one Christian Virtue in opposition to all or any of the rest but only that he would set forth the Perfection of the Virtues of the Christian Religion without the Ceremonies of the Jewish Thus when he tells us that we are justified by Faith without Works we must not interpret it of the Faith of the Christian Religion in opposition to the Works of the Christian Religion but of the Faith of the Christian Religion in opposition to the Works of the Jewish For so the Apostle himself most expresly explains it Gal. 5. 6 In Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love that is it matters not whether a Man observes the Works of the Jewish Religion or no if he maintains but the Faith and the Obedience of the Christian. But as to the Works of the Christian Religion the same Apostle every where urgeth their necessity and particularly the five last Chapters of the Epistle to the Romans are a most earnest exhortation to be fruitful therein 15. From which it follows most evidently that there is no contradiction between St. Paul and St. James when the one says that a Man is justified by Faith without Works and the other saith that Faith without Works cannot justifie For the one speaking professedly of the Works of the Jewish Religion and the other of the Works of the Christian 't is plain that the Faith of the Christian Religion may avail to justifie a Man without the Works of the Jewish Religion which is the Assertion of St. Paul tho' it cannot do so without the Works of the Christian Religion which is the Assertion of St. James The Faith of Abraham saith St. Paul was accounted to him for Righteousness that is his Faith was accepted without Circumcision and without observing the external Rites of the Law But it was by Works saith St. James that Abraham our Father was justified that is it was by real Obedience to the moral and eternal Law of God such as is now required by the Christian Religion that his Faith was made available to Justification So that there is no other difference between these two great Apostles than as if a Man should say That believing the Christian Religion is sufficient to Salvation without obeying the Jewish Religion but that it cannot be so without obeying the Christian. 16. From all which 't is plain that the Doctrine of St. Paul concerning Faith and Works delivered in his Epistles to the Romans and Galatians is so far from contradicting what I have laid down in the foregoing Chapter concerning the True Notion of Religion in general namely that the Essence and End of all true Religion is Obedience to the Moral and Eternal Law of God that on the contrary nothing does more clearly and more strongly confirm it CHAP. V. Of the Duties of Religion in particular 1. THirdly Endeavour to gain a clear and distinct Knowledge of the particular Duties of Religion 'T is not sufficient to understand in general wherein True Religion consists and to have right Notions concerning its Obligations in general but we must also consider the Particulars of our Duty and view them distinctly under some proper Heads Many there are who have right and true Notions concerning the Nature of Religion in general who understand well enough and are convinced that the only thing that can be accepted in the sight of God is Holiness of Life and Universal Obedience to all his Commands who yet contenting themselves with this slight general and superficial Knowledge and never giving themselves time to meditate seriously on the several particular Branches of their

withdrawing and separating himself from the Gentiles for fear of them which were of the circumcision Ch. 2. Ver. 12. All which and many other the like Passages do so evidently refer to that Controversie Whether the Jewish Religion was to be mixed with the Christian or no that I know not whether any one ever attempted to interpret them to any other Sense 4. And that those other Parts also of these Epistles which have by some been otherwise interpreted ought indeed to be understood wholly to relate to the same Controversie appears sufficiently from the Apostles way of arguing For according to any other Interpretation the Terms which the Apostle makes use of are improper and his reasoning is hard intricate and not concluding As is sufficiently evident from the difficulty that some Expositors have met with to vindicate St. Paul from thwarting the main Design of the Gospel from contradicting the express Words of some other of the Apostles and also from contradicting himself But if these whole Epistles be understood to refer to that Question Whether the Christian Religion be alone sufficient to Salvation or whether it be necessary to observe together with it the Ceremonies also of the Jewish Law the Terms which the Apostle uses are most apt and proper and his Reasoning is most easie strong and conclusive As will most evidently appear from a brief view of them both 5. The design then of the Apostle being on one hand to magnifie the Christian Religion by setting forth its sufficiency to Salvation and on the other hand to demonstrate the insufficiency and unnecessariness of the ceremonial observances of the Jewish Law the Terms which he all along makes use of to express the Christian and Jewish Religion by are such as may best serve to set forth the excellency of the one and diminish the opinion which Men had taken up of the necessity of the other Thus because the first and most fundamental Duty of the Christian Religion is believing in God and believing that most perfect Revelation of his Will which he has made to Mankind by our Saviour Jesus Christ whereas on the contrary the principal part of the Jewish Religion or at least of that Religion which the Judaizing Christians so earnestly contended for was an anxious observance of the burdensome Ceremonies of the Mosaick Law therefore the Apostle calls the Christian Religion Faith and the Jewish Religion the Law Thus in the Epistle to the Romans ch 3. ver 28. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law that is It clearly appears from what has been already said that Obedience to the Christian Religion is sufficient to justifie a Man without observing the Ceremonies of the Jewish And ver 31. Do we then make void the Law through Faith God forbid yea we establish the Law that is Do we then as some Men object by our preaching up the Christian Religion make void the Law of God or that Revelation of his Will which he made to the Jews No we are so far from that that by introducing Christianity we establish confirm and perfect the moral and immutable part of the Law much more effectually than the Jewish Ceremonies were able to do Thus likewise in the Epistle to the Galatians ch 3. ver 2. This only would I learn of you Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith Or as 't is expressed ver 5. He that ministreth to you the Spirit and worketh Miracles among you doth he it by the works of the Law or by the hearing of Faith that is I appeal unto your selves who contend so earnestly for the necessity of keeping up the Jewish Ceremonies was it by your observing the Rites of the Jewish Religion that ye received the Gifts of the Holy Ghost or by your being converted to the Christian So also ver 24. The Law was our School-master to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by Faith that is The Jewish Dispensation was appointed by God in condescention to the weakness of that People to fit them by degrees for the reception of the Christian And ch 2. ver 15. The Apostle having rebuked St. Peter openly for withdrawing himself from the Gentiles at Antioch adds We who are Jews by nature and not Sinners of the Gentiles knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the Faith of Christ and not by the Works of the Law that is If we our selves who were brought up in the Jewish Religion being convinced that that Religion was not able to justifie us in the sight of God have thought fit to forsake it and imbrace the Christian Religion in hopes to be justified thereby how much less reason have you to compel the Gentiles who were never brought up in the Jewish Religion to conform themselves to the Customs of the Jews after their Conversion to Christianity 6. Again because the Christian Religion teaches us to expect Salvation not from our own Merits but from the Grace of God that is according to the Terms of that new and gracious Covenant wherein God has promised to accept of Sincerity instead of perfect Obedience whereas on the contrary the Jews depended upon their exact performance of the Works of the Law therefore the Apostle calls the Christian Religion Grace and the Jewish Religion Works Thus in the Epistle to the Romans ch 11. ver 5. So then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of Grace that is tho' the Jewish Nation having rejected the gracious offer of the Gospel are thereupon rejected from being the People of God yet has God reserved to himself a Remnant from among them even those who have embraced the Christian Religion And if by Grace then is it no more of Works that is and if it be upon account of their having embraced the Christian Religion that they are reckoned the peculiar People of God then is not this Privilege any longer annexed to the Professors of the Jewish Religion otherwise Grace is no more Grace that is otherwise the Christian Religion is in vain and not what it pretends to be the Grace of God Thus also ch 6. ver 14. Sin shall not have the dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under Grace that is ye are not under the Jewish Religion but under the Christian. So likewise in the Epistle to the Galatians ch 5. ver 4. Christ is become of no effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the Law ye are fallen from Grace that is whosoever will needs retain the Jewish Religion he takes upon him to fulfil the whole Law forsaking the gracious Dispensation of the Christian Religion and therefore Christ shall be of no effect unto him 7. Again because the Duties of the Christian Religion are