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Nom. Then sir, I pray you, proceed to speak of the law of Christ; and first, let us hear what the law of Christ is.

Evan. The law of Christ, in regard of substance and matter, is all one with the law of works, or covenant of works. Which matter is scattered through the whole Bible, and summed up in the decalogue, or ten commandments, commonly called the moral law, containing such things as are agreeably to the mind and will of God, that is, piety towards God, charity towards our neighbour, and sobriety towards ourselves. And therefore was it given of God to be a true and eternal rule of righteousness, for all men, of all nations, and at all times. So that evangelical grace directs a man to no other obedience than that whereof the law of the ten commandments is to be the rule. ¹

Nom. But yet, sir, I conceive, that though [as you say] the law of Christ, in regard of substance and matter, be all one with the law of works, yet their forms do differ.

Evan. True, indeed; for [as you have heard] the law of works speaks on this wise, "Do this and thou shalt live; and if thou do it not, then thou shalt die the death": but the law of Christ speaketh on this wise, (Eze 16:6), "And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, live."—(John 11:26), "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die." ² —(Eph 5:1,2), "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children: and walk in love, as Christ hath loved us." And "if ye love me, keep my commandments," (John 14:15). And "if they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments, then will I visit their transgressions with a rod, and their iniquity with stripes; nevertheless my loving- kindness will I not utterly take away from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail," (Psa 89:31-33). Thus, you see, that both these laws agree in saying, "Do this." But here is the difference; the one saith, "Do this and live"; and the other saith, "Live, and do this"; the one saith, Do this for life; the other saith, Do this from life: the one saith, "If thou do it not, I will chastise thee with the rod." ³ The one is to be delivered by God as he is Creator out of Christ, only to such as are out of Christ; the other is to be delivered by God, as he is a Redeemer in Christ, only to such as are in Christ. ⁴ Wherefore, neighbour Neophytus, seeing that you are now in Christ, beware that you receive not the ten commandments at the hands of God out of Christ, nor yet at the hands of Moses, but only at the hands of Christ; and so shall you be sure to receive them as the law of Christ. ⁵

Nom. But, sir, may not God out of Christ deliver the ten commandments, as the law of Christ?

Evan. O no! for God out of Christ stands in relation to man, according to the tenor of the law as it is the covenant of works; and, therefore, can speak to man upon no other terms than the terms of that covenant. ⁶

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[Back] [1] The author here teaches, that the matter of the law of works and of the law of Christ, is one, namely, the ten commandments, commonly called the moral law. And that this law of the ten commandments was given of God, and so of divine authority, to be a rule of righteousness for men to walk by; a true rule agreeable in all things to the divine nature and will; an eternal rule, indispensable, ever to continue, without interruption for any one moment; and that for all men, good, bad, saints and sinners, of all nations, Jews and Gentiles, and at all times, in all ages, from the moment of man's creation, before the fall, and after the fall; before the covenant of works, under the covenant of works, and under the covenant of grace, in its several periods. Thus he asserts this great truth, in terms used by orthodox divines, but with a greater variety of expression than is generally used upon this head, the which serves to inculcate it in the more. And speaking of the ten commandments, he declares in these words. "That neither hath Christ delivered believers any otherwise from them, than as they are the covenant of works. The scope of this part of the book, is to show that believers ought to receive them as the law of Christ, whom we believe to be with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, the eternal Jehovah, the Supreme, the most High God; and consequently as a law having a commanding power, and binding force, upon the believer, from the authority of God, and not as a simple passive rule, like a workman's rule, that hath no authority over him, to command and bind him to follow its direction. Nay, our author owns the ten commandments to be a law to believers, as well as others, again and again commanding, requiring, forbidding, reproving, condemning sin, to which believers must yield obedience, and fenced with a penalty, which transgressing believers are to fear, as being under the law to Christ." These things are so manifest, that it is quite beyond my reach to conceive how, from the author's doctrine on this head, and especially from the passage we are now upon, it can be inferred that he teaches, that the believer is not under the law as a rule of life; or can be affirmed that he does not acknowledge the law's commanding power, and binding force upon the believer, but makes it a simple passive rule to him; unless the meaning be, that the author teaches, "That the believer is not under the covenant of works as a rule of life"? or, "that the law, as it is the covenant of works, is not a rule of life to the believer; and that he does not acknowledge the commanding power, and binding force of the covenant of works upon the believer; nor that obedience is commanded him upon the pain of the curse, and bound upon him with the cords of the threatening of eternal death in hell." For, otherwise, it is evident that he teaches the law of the ten commandments to be a rule of life to a believer, and to have a commanding and binding power over him. Now, if these be errors, the author is undoubtedly guilty; and if his sentiments on these heads were proposed in those terms, as the thing itself doth require, no wrong would be done him therein. But that these are gospel-truths, appears from what is already said: and the contrary doctrines do all issue out of the womb of that dangerous position, "That the believer is not set free both from the commanding and condemning power of the covenant of works,"—of which before.

[Back] [2] These texts are adduced to show, that they to whom the law of the ten commandments is given, as the law of Christ, are those who have already received life, even life that shall never end; and that of God's free gift, before they were capable of doing good works; who therefore need not to work for life, but from life. "The preface to the ten commandments teaches us, that because God is the LORD, and our GOD, and REDEEMER, therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments." (Luke 1:74), "That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear."—(1 Peter 1:15), "As he that hath called you is holy, so be ye holy; because it is written, Be ye holy for I am holy. Forasmuch as ye know, that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things—but with the precious blood of Christ." Short. Cat. with the Scriptures at large.

[Back] [3] Of this penalty of the law of Christ, the author treats afterwards.

[Back] [4] To direct the believer how to receive the law of the ten commandments with application to himself, he assigns this difference betwixt the law of works and the law of Christ. the one, namely, the law of works, is the law of the ten commandments, but supposed to be delivered by God as he is Creator out of Christ; and so standing in relation to man, only as Creator, not as Redeemer; the other, namely, the law of Christ, is the same law of the ten commandments, but supposed to be delivered by God, as he is not only Creator but Redeemer in Christ. And although the notion of Creator doth not imply that of Redeemer, yet the latter implies the former; as he is Redeemer, he is sovereign Lord Creator, else we are yet in our sins, for none of inferiour dignity could remove our offence or guilt; but the word of truth secures this foundation of believers' safety and comfort; (Isa 44:6,24), "Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, I am the First, and I am the Last, and besides me there is no God. Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things, that stretcheth forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself."—(54:5), "Thy Maker is thine Husband."

Now, the law of the ten commandments is given, the former way, only to unbelievers, or such as are out of Christ, the latter way to believers, or such as are in Christ. And to prove whether this be a vain distinction or not, one needs but to consult the conscience, when thoroughly awakened, whether it is all a case to it, to receive the law of the ten commandments in the thunders from Mount Sinai, or in the still small voice, out of the tabernacle, that is, from an absolute God, or from a God in Christ.

It is true, unbelievers are not under the law, as it is the law of Christ; and that is their misery, even as it is the misery of the slaves, that the commands of the master of the family, though the matter of them be the very same to them, and to the children, yet they are not fatherly commands to them, as they are to the children, but purely masterly. And they are not hereby freed from any duty, within the compass of the perfect law of the ten commandments; for these commands are the matter of the law of works, as well as of the law of Christ. Neither are they thereby exempted from Christ's authority and jurisdiction, since the law of works is his law, as he is with the Father and the Holy Ghost, the Sovereign Lord Creator: yea, and even as Mediator, he rules in the midst of his enemies, and over them, with a rod of iron.

[Back] [5] The receiving of the ten commandments at the hands of Christ, is here opposed, (1.) To the receiving of them at the hands of God out of Christ. (2.) To the receiving of them at the hands of Moses, namely, as our Lawgiver. The first is a receiving of them immediately from God, without a Mediator; and so receiving of them as the law of works. The second is a receiving of them from Christ, the true Mediator, yet immediately by the intervention of a typical one, and so is a receiving of them as a law of Moses, the typical Mediator, who delivered them from the ark or tabernacle. To this it is, and not to the delivering of them from Mount Sinai, that the author doth here look, as is evident from his own words. The former manner of receiving them is not agreeable to the state of real believers, since they never were, nor are given in that manner to believers in Christ, but only to unbelievers, whether under the Old or New Testament. The latter is not agreeable to the state of New Testament believers, since the true Mediator is come, and is sealed of the Father, as the great Prophet, to whom Moses must give place, (Matt 17:5, Acts 3:22). See Turret. loc. 11. q. 24, th. 15. However, the not receiving of Moses as the lawgiver of the Christian church, carries no prejudice to the honour of that faithful servant; nor to the receiving of his writings, as the word of God, they being of divine inspiration, yea, and the fundamental divine revelation.

[Back] [6] This plainly concludes, that to receive the law of the ten commandments from God, as Creator out of Christ, is to receive them as the law [or covenant] of works; unless men will fancy, that after God hath made two covenants, the one of works, the other of grace, he will yet deal with them neither in the way of the one, nor of the other.