Vindiciae legis, or, A vindication of the moral law and the covenants, from the…Vindiciae legis, or, A vindication of the morall law and the covenants, from the…

This Epistle to Timothy may be called, Paul's ¹Directory for the Church of God: and, in the first place, he enjoineth Timothy, to preserve the Truth against all false teachers, as he himself doth in all his Epistles. Though he derived much hatred upon his person thereby, yet this was his comfort and glory, as Hierome wrote to Austin, when he had vindicated the Truth against Pelagians, Quod signum majoris gloriae est, omnes haeretici te detestantur: It is a sign of thy greater glory, that all heretics hate thee. His injunction to Timothy begins, ver. 3. Charge them, not [Greek or Hebrew] Erasmus translates it, not to follow another doctrine, as if it did belong to the followers: but the words afterwards [Teachers of the Law] do plainly refute that. Now the word may be extended both to the ⟨p. 2⟩matter (as some) to teach no other thing; or to the manner (as others) not to teach in another way: Not to teach nova, new things; no, nor yet novè, after a new manner. The rule is, Qui fingit nova verba, nova gignit dogmata: And it was Melanchthon's wish, that men did not only teach the same things, but in iisdem verbis, in iisdem syllabis, in the same very words, and syllables.

THis Epistle to Timothy may be called, Paul's ¹Directory for the Church of God: and, in the first place, he enjoyneth Timothy, to preserve the Truth against all false teachers, as he himselfe doth in all his Epistles. Though he derived much hatred upon his person thereby, yet this was his comfort and glory, as Hierome wrote to Austin, when he had vindicated the Truth against Pelagians, Quod signum majoris gloriae est, omnes haeretici te detestantur: It is a signe of thy greater glory, that all heretiques hate thee. His injunction to Timothy begins, ver. 3. Charge them, not 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 Erasmus translates it, not to follow another doctrine, as if it did belong to the followers: but the words afterwards [Teachers of the Law] doe plainly refute that. Now the word may be extended both to the ⟨p. 2⟩matter (as some) to teach no other thing; or to the manner (as others) not to teach in another way: Not to teach nova, new things; no, nor yet novè, after a new manner. The rule is, Qui fingit nova verba, nova gignit dogmata: And it was Melancthons wish, that men did not onely teach the same things, but in iisdem verbis, in iisdem syllabis, in the same very words, and syllables.