Imatges de pàgina
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1675.

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cerns of the life to come, and that under both these respects it ought to be again considered, either as the original law itself, or as the remedying law to it. And accordingly he hath four several notions and interpretations of the law. First, he considereth it in the external political sense, wherein it had only, as temporal punishments for offences, so only temporal promises of peace, prosperity, and long life in the land of Canaan, upon obedience to the law; and also had in this sense no spiritual or internal precepts. However, he maintaineth the law in this strict temporal sense to be a shadow both of future punishments to every transgression internal and external, and of future heavenly felicity to perfect obedience. Secondly, he considereth the same law, as comprehending in it a remedying law as to these temporal severities, or as affording pardon upon sacrifice, for the greatest number of transgressions. And so he will have it, that this political and temporal law was a sort of little Gospel in reality; being a law of pardon, as to the temporal punishment that was therein threatened; and a shadow also, or pattern and representation of its own gospel-favour in admitting the transgressors thereof to grace and pardon, with regard to eternal punishment, on the account of the great satisfaction to come, that was typified by such sacrifices. Thirdly, he considereth it as a law of conscience, essentially respecting the future state, and requiring obedience to all therein commanded, under the peril of future death or wrath to come; for that otherwise there would be no pardon or satisfaction by Christ, for the wrath to come, which by this law is due to sin. And in this strict sense he will have St. Paul to use the word law in the most of

those places in dispute, and which are insisted on by 1675. Mr. Bull to reconcile them to St. James. And in

this sense he saith the law was no type or shadow, nor to vanish away, but that it standeth in force to this very day. Lastly, he considereth it as a law of Page 35. grace, revealing that the punishment made due to the transgressor, by the law in its first and strict sense, might yet be pardoned; and he should enjoy, notwithstanding this, the promised life to come, on condition he did repent, and sincerely endeavour obedience for the future to all God's laws, with the whole bent of heart and soul. And in this sense he saith the law was no type or shadow at all, but the very Gospel itself, and that word of faith, which the apostles preached: and that in this very sense also David took the law in most of his encomiums of it. Whence he concludeth, that justification and salvation are not denied to it, or to the works of it, by the apostle, either to Jews or Christians; forasmuch as it still continueth the same for substance, having the same sanction and condition, or precept in general; namely, that upon our repentance and sincere obedience, God will justify and save us from all our sins. And accordingly,

pretation of

mises of the

ment with a

He interpreteth both the threatenings and pro- His intermises of the law, as having four different signi- the threats fications. Thus concerning that solemn maledic- and protion, Cursed is every one that continueth not in Old Testaall things written in the book of the law, to do fourfold them, he saith it did notify these four distinct sanctions, with their distinct conditions: viz. 1. Every one shall be punished with a violent temporal death, or such death shall be due to him, that observeth not every external precept of the law. 2.

respect.

1675. Every one shall be punished with the aforesaid death without remedy, that offendeth either in the great instances exempted from pardon, or in other lesser faults, not observing the sacrifices appointed for the expiation of these. 3. Future death, or wrath to come, is due to every one that obeyeth not every commandment both internal and external. And 4. This future or second death shall without remedy befal every such offender against the law, he not repenting of his sins, and sincerely endeavouring obedience to every precept thereof, internal and external. And to the like extensive import he will have also the promise or blessing annexed to the law, to be interpreted. Now he supposeth the not understanding this fourfold distinction of the Mosaical covenant, and of its cursings and blessings, or threats and promises, to have led Mr. Bull into some mistakes, in determining what St. Paul meaneth by works and by the law; and consequently in his denying justification by the works of the law.

His opinion of the Horeb co

venant, and that

made in the land of Moab.

Har. Apost.

cap. xi.

And whereas Mr. Bull is very particular and full in distinguishing between the Horeb covenant recorded in the 20th, 21st, 22d, and 23d chapters of Exodus, and the covenant made in the land of Moab, recorded in the 29th and 30th chapters of Deuteronomy; as having quite different promises and precepts, the one carnal and earthly, the other spiritual Endeavours and heavenly: Mr. Truman on the other side maintaineth, that they are not two but one and the same covenant, by many arguments which he bringeth from history, and the reason of fact. And whereas Mr. Bull also, after Episcopius, Dr. Hammond, bishop Taylor, and others of great name, doth assert the promises and threats of the Mosaic law to be only

to rectify,

P. 53.

202.

and properly temporal; his adversary hath inserted 1675. a pretty large dissertation concerning the spirituality P. 119. to of this law, and the sanction thereof, even by rewards and punishments in another life, which containeth some observations not to be despised.

ments con

Mo

He granteth the law of Moses to have no spiritual His senticommands, threats, or promises, as it was the instru-cerning the ment of the Jewish polity, but judgeth it cannot be nature of so meant in those passages of St. Paul in debate, to saic law. be reconciled to St. James, according to the principles he had before laid down and explained. He bringeth a great number of passages out of the Psalms, several of them being cited and referred to in the New Testament, with a design to shew that it is notoriously contrary to the expressions of David concerning the Judaical law, to deny that it had spiritual commands together with promises and threats, relating to the world to come. He confirmeth this by the encomiums of the law given by St. Paul himself, calling it spiritual and himself carnal, expressing his delight therein after the inward man, and declaring it to be holy, just, and good. He urgeth, that if the promises and threatenings of the law as such were only carnal and temporal, then none would have been bound to true piety by that law: but on the contrary, the Jews would have done well in suffering themselves to be bound to the earth by the profits and delights thereof; and in alienating their minds from true piety, by yielding to such an earthly and sordid temper, as such a law was apt in its own nature to beget. He insisteth that God would never have been angry with the Jews for not being wrought upon to real piety by the law, if that was so very defective. He saith

1675. farther, if by that law no future misery beyond this life was announced against the transgressor, there would have been no man bound to suffer it; yea, that Christ could not suffer any thing by way of satisfaction as to the curse of the life to come; nor any one be pardoned his transgression, as to punishment after this life, if no such punishment was ever threatened by it. He argueth that these threats and promises concerning a future life must have been so plain in the law, as people with the use of ordinary means might understand them. He asserteth, without this were so, they had been excusable before God, and would not have been condemned for not being truly pious. He maintaineth that this was the current opinion of the Jews, and that they did ordinarily believe that the law promised future life, and threatened future misery. For the truth of which he appealeth to all the old Jewish writers extant, and particularly to the Talmud; wherein among three sorts of men that are named to have no portion in the world to come, these are esteemed one who shall say, The resurrection of the dead is not taught by the law and to the ancient Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan, in both of which there is express mention of eternal life. Moreover he urgeth, that the error of the Sadducees in denying a future life was occasioned by their not understanding the Scriptures, thereby meaning the Old Testament, and more especially the books of Moses, or the Pentateuch; which could not be said, if the Scriptures revealed no such thing, as happiness to the obedient, and unhappiness to the disobedient in a future state. Yea, he confirmeth this by the very argument of our Lord himself; and by his command to search the

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