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Evan. I know right well that Luther on the Galatians, p. 59, says, "The conscience hath nothing to do with the law or works"; and that Calvin, in his Instit. p. 403, says, "The conscience of the faithful, when the affiance of their justification before God is to be sought, must raise and advance themselves above the law, and forget the whole righteousness of the law, and lay aside all thinking upon works." Now, for the true understanding of these two worthy servants of Christ, two things are to be considered and concluded. First, That when they speak thus of the law, it is evident they mean only in the case of justification. Secondly, That when the conscience hath to do with the law in the case of justification, it hath to do with it only as it is the covenant of works; for as the law is the law of Christ, it neither justifies nor condemns. ¹ And so, if you understand it of the law, as it is the covenant of works, according to their meaning, then it is most true what they say; for why should a man let the law come into his conscience? That is, why should a man make any conscience of doing the law, to be justified thereby, considering it as a thing impossible? Nay, what need hath a man to make conscience of doing the law to be justified thereby, when he knows he is already justified another way? Nay, what need hath a man to make conscience of doing that law, which is dead to him, and he to it? Hath a woman any need to make conscience of doing her duty to her husband when he is dead, nay, when she herself is dead also? or, hath a debtor any need to make any conscience of paying that debt which is already fully discharged by his surety? Will any man be afraid of that obligation which is made void, the seal torn off, the writing defaced, nay, not only cancelled and crossed, but torn in pieces? ² I remember the apostle says, (Heb 10:1,2), That if the sacrifices which were offered in the Old Testament "could have made the comers thereunto perfect, and have purged the worshippers, then should they have had no more conscience of sin"; that is, their conscience would not have accused them of being guilty of sins. Now, the "blood of Christ" hath "purged the conscience" of a believer from all his sins, (9:14), as they are transgressions against the covenant of works; and, therefore, what needs his conscience be troubled about that covenant? But now, I pray you, observe and take notice, that although Luther and Calvin do thus exempt a believer from the law, in the case of justification, and as it is the law or covenant of works, yet they do not so, out of the case of justification, and as it is the law of Christ.

For thus saith Luther, on the Galatians, p. 182, "Out of the matter of justification, we ought, with Paul, (Rom 7:12,14), to think reverently of the law, to commend it highly to call it holy, righteous, just, good, spiritual, and divine. Yea, out of the case of justification, we ought to make a God of it." ³ And in another place, says he, on the Galatians, p. 5, "There is a civil righteousness, and a ceremonial righteousness; yea, and besides these, there is another righteousness, which is the righteousness of the law, or of the ten commandments, which Moses teacheth; this also we teach after the doctrine of faith." And in another place, he having showed that believers, through Christ, are far above the law, adds, "Howbeit, I will not deny but Moses showeth to them their duties, in which respect they are to be admonished and urged; wherefore such doctrines and admonitions ought to be among Christians, as it is certain there was among the apostles, whereby every man may be admonished of his estate and office."

And Calvin, having said, as I told you before, "That Christians, in the case of justification, must raise and advance themselves above the law," adds, "Neither can any man thereby gather that the law is superfluous to the faithful, whom, notwithstanding, it doth not cease to teach, exhort, and prick forward to goodness, although before God's judgment-seat it hath no place in their conscience."

Ant. But, sir, if I forget not, Musculus says, "That the law is utterly abrogated."

Evan. Indeed, Musculus, speaking of the ten commandments, says, If they be weak, if they be the letter, if they do work transgression, anger, curse, and death: and if Christ, by the law of the Spirit of life, delivered them that believed in him from the law of the letter, which was weak to justify, and strong to condemn, and from the curse, being made a curse for us, surely, they be abrogated. Now, this is most certain, that the ten commandments do no way work transgression, anger, curse, and death, but only as they are the covenant of works. ⁴ Neither hath Christ delivered believers any otherwise from them, than as they are the covenant of works. And therefore we may assuredly conclude, that they are no otherwise abrogated, than as they are the covenant of works. ⁵ Neither did Musculus intend any otherwise; for, says he, in the words following, it must not be understood, that the points of the substance of Moses' covenant are utterly brought to nothing; ⁶ God forbid. For a Christian man is not at liberty to do those things that are ungodly and wicked; and if the doing of those things the law forbids, do not displease Christ; if they be no much different, ⁷ yea contrary; if they be not repugnant to the righteousness which we received of him; let it be lawful for a Christian man to do them; or else not. ⁸ But a Christian man doing against those things which are commanded in the decalogue, doth sin more outrageously than he that should so do, being under the law; ⁹ so far off is he from being free from those things that be there commanded.

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[Back] [1] That is, the law of the ten commandments, commonly called the moral law, as it is the law of Christ, neither justifies nor condemns men's persons in the sight of God. How can it do either the one or the other as such, since to be under it, as it is the law of Christ, is the peculiar privilege of believers, already justified by grace, and set beyond the reach of condemnation; according to that of the apostle, (Rom 8:1), "There is, therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus"? But to say that this makes the law of Christ despicable, is to forget the sovereign authority of God in him, his matchless love in dying for sinners, the endearing relations wherein he stands to his people, and upon the one hand, the enjoyment of actual communion and fellowship with God, and the many precious tokens of his love, to be conferred on them, in the way of close walking with God; and upon the other hand, the want of that communion and fellowship, and the many fearful tokens of his anger against them for their sins. [See sec. 11.] All these belong to the law of Christ, and will never be despicable in the eyes of any gracious soul; though I doubt if ever hell and damnation were more despised in the eyes of others, than they are at this day, wherein believers and unbelievers are set so much on a level with respect to these awful things.

As to the point of condemnation, it is evident from Scripture, that no law can condemn those "who are in Christ Jesus," (Rom 8:1,33,34). And the law, as it is the covenant of works, condemns all those who are not in Christ, but under the law. (Gal 3:10, Rom 3:19) And particularly, it condemns every unbeliever, whose condemnation will be fearfully aggravated by his rejection of the gospel offer; the which rejected offer will be a witness against him in the judgment; in respect whereof our Lord says, (John 12:48), "The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." Compare (15:22), "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak for their sin." Therefore the law, which unbelievers still remain under, as a covenant of works, will condemn them with a double condemnation. (John 3:18), "He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And hence it appears that there is as little need of, as there is warrant for, a condemning gospel. The holy Scripture states it as the difference betwixt the law and the gospel, that the former is the ministration of condemnation and death, the latter, the ministration of righteousness and life." (2 Cor 3:6-9) Compare (John 12:47), "If any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not, for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world."

As to the point of justification; no man is, nor can be justified by the law. It is true, the Neonomians or Baxterians, to wind in a righteousness of our own into the case of justification, do turn the gospel into a law, properly so called; and do tell us, that the gospel justifieth as a law, and roundly own what is the necessary consequent of that doctrine, namely, that faith justifieth, as it is our evangelical righteousness, or our keeping the gospel law, which runs thus: He that believeth shall not perish. [Gibbon's Ser. Morn. Ex. Meth. p. 418-421.] But the holy Scripture teaches, that we are justified by grace, and by no law nor deed, [or work of a law, properly so called,] call it the law of Christ, or the gospel law, or what law one pleaseth; and thereby faith itself, considered as a deed or work of a law, is excluded from the justification of a sinner, and hath place therein, only as an instrument. (Gal 3:11), "That no man is justified by a law in the sight of God, it is evident."—(5:4), "Whosoever of you are justified by a law, ye are fallen from grace."—(Rom 3:28), "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith, without deeds of a law." (Gal 2:16), "Knowing that a man is not justified by works of a law." I read, a law, deeds, works, simply; because so the original words, used in these texts, do undeniably signify.

To this agrees Westm. Confess. chap. 11, art. 1, "These whom God effectually calleth, he also freely justifieth, not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone; not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience, to them, as their righteousness; but," &c. Larg. Cat. quest. 73.—"Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, not as if the grace of faith, or any act thereof, were imputed to him for his justification; but only as it is an instrument by which he receiveth and applieth Christ and his righteousness." West. Confess. chap. 19, art. 6.—"Although true believers be not under the law, as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified or condemned, yet it is of great use to them, as well as to others, in that, as a rule of life, informing them of the will of God and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly." From this last passage of the confession, two important points plainly offer themselves. (1.) That the law is a rule of life to believers, directing and binding them to duty, though they are neither justified nor condemned by it. (2.) That neither justifying nor condemning belong unto the law, as a rule of life simply, but as a covenant of works. And these are the very points here taught by our author.

[Back] [2] (Col 2:14), "Blotting out the hand-writing, nailing it to his cross."

[Back] [3] That is, raise our esteem of it to the highest pitch, and give it illimitable obedience.

[Back] [4] According to the holy Scripture, it is certain, that the law of the ten commandments has an irritating effect, whereby they increase sin; and a condemning and killing effect, so that they work curse, death, and wrath, called anger [it would seem] in the language of our forefathers, when Musculus' commonplaces were Englished. And it is no less certain, that Jesus Christ hath delivered believers from the law as it hath these effects, (Rom 14:15), "For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect, because the law worketh wrath."—(7:5,6), "For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins which were by the law, did work in our members, to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law that we should serve in newness of spirit," &c.—(8:2), "For the law of the spirit of life, in Christ Jesus, has made me free from the law of sin and death."—(Gal 3:13), "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." If then the ten commandments have these effects, not only as they are the covenant of works, but as they are the law of Christ, or a rule of life, then believers are altogether delivered from them, which is absurd and abominable doctrine. Therefore it evidently follows, that the ten commandments have these effects, only as they are the covenant of works. The truth is, unto a gracious soul, the strongest possible temptation to Antinomianism, or casting off the ten commandments for good and all, would be to labour to persuade him, that they have these effects, not only as they are the covenant of works, but as they are the law of Christ; so that, take them what way he will, he shall find they have not only a cursing, condemning, and killing power, but also an irritating effect, increasing sin in him. Nevertheless, a Christian man's doing against them [which is the reverend Musculus' phrase, as cited by the author in the following,] may be a transgression, for a man may transgress the law, though the motions of his sins be not by the law. And how such a man's sinning is more outrageous than an ungodly man's will convincingly appear, if one measures the outrageousness of sinning, by the obligations to duty lying on the sinner, and not by his personal hazard, which is a measure more becoming a slave than a son.

[Back] [5] Thus our author has proved, that the law of the ten commandments is a rule of life to believers; and hath vindicated Luther and Calvin from the opposite Antinomian error, as he does Musculus also, in the following words: and that from their express declarations, in their own words. And here is the conclusion of the whole matter. To show the judgment of other orthodox Protestant divines, on this head, against the Antinomians, it will not be amiss to adduce a passage out of a system of divinity, commonly put into the hands of students not very many years ago, I am sure. "It is one thing [says Turretine, disputing against the Antinomians] to be under the law as a covenant; another thing, to be under the law as a rule of life. In the former sense, Paul says, 'That we are not under the law, but under grace,' (Rom 6:14), as to its covenant relation, curse, and rigour; but in the latter sense we always remain bound unto it, though for a different end; for in the first covenant man was to do this, to the end that he might live; but in the other, he is bound to perform the same thing, not that he may live, but because he lives." Turret. loc. 11. quest. 24, thes. 7. View again, Westm. Confess. chap. 19, art. 6. Hereunto agreeth our author's conclusion, viz: That believers are no otherwise, not any otherwise delivered from the law of the ten commandments, but as they are the covenant of works. Now, how can those who oppose Antinomianism, on this head, contradict the author thereupon but by asserting, "That believers are not delivered from the law, as it is the covenant of works, but that they are still under the power of the covenant of works"? The which are principles as opposite to the received doctrine of orthodox Protestant divines and to the Confession of Faith, as they are to the doctrine of our author.

[Back] [6] That is, that the particular precepts of the law of the ten commandments, called by Musculus the substance of the law-covenant, are disannulled, and no more to be regarded.

[Back] [7] That is, very unsuitable.

[Back] [8] That is, or if they be, as certainly they are, displeasing to Christ: most unsuitable, contrary, and repugnant to the righteousness which the believer hath received from Christ, then they are by no means to be done.

[Back] [9] These are the words of Musculus still, adduced by the author to show, that that famous divine was no Antinomian; and if they will not serve to clear him, but he must still be on that side, I apprehend orthodox Protestants will be sorry for their loss of that great man. But though it be observed, that he speaks of doing against the things commanded in the law, but not against the law itself, there is no hazard: for it is evident, that by the law, Musculus understands the covenant of works, or, in his style, Moses' covenant; and since he was not of the opinion that believers are under the covenant of works, no, nor under the commanding power of that covenant, he could not say that they sinned against it. However, he still looks on the ten commandments, the substance of that covenant, to be also the law of Christ, binding the Christian man to obedience. From his saying, That a Christian doing against these things, sins more outrageously than one who is under the law; it does, indeed, follow, that a Christian's sin is more displeasing to God, and deserves a heavier curse in itself, though in the mean time, the law of Christ has no curse annexed unto the transgressions of it. For, sin's deserving of a curse, arises not from the threatening, but from its contrariety to the precept, and consequently, to the holy nature of God; since it is manifest that sin does not therefore deserve a curse, because a curse is threatened; but a curse is threatened, because sin deserves it. And the sins of believers do in themselves deserve a heavier curse than the sins of others. Yet the law of Christ has not a curse annexed to the transgressions of it; because the heavy curse, deserved by the sins of believers, was already laid on Christ, to whom they are united, and he bare it for them, and bore it away from them; so that they cannot be threatened with it over again, after their union with him.