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…

The second part of injunction is higher then the former: Though they do not teach other things, yet they must not spend their gifts in an useless way; as, to give heed to fables: This they apply to the Jews, who had a world of fictions. So Tertullian of Valentinus, Multas introduxit fabulas; we see here the word fable in an ill sense: Therefore Grotius cannot be excused, who calleth our Saviours Parables fables, as that of the Prodigal who spent his portion, Haec sabula (saith he) nos decet, quod omnes ortu sunt filii Dei, where both his words and matter are very offensive to the truth. It is true, we find the Fathers, Gregory Nazianzen, and others, use sometimes a fable in their Orations, to denote some moral matter; but such the Jews did not use. As they must not give heed to fables, so neither to endless genealogies. We see a good use made of genealogies in the Scriptures, but here is reproved the sinful use of them; as those Grammarians among the Heathens, that spent their time about Hecuba's mother, or Achilles pedigree, and what it was that the Siren's sung: and these he calls endless, because vain curiosity is more unruly then the waves of the sea; it hath no limiting, Hitherto shalt thou go, and no further. Although some refer genealogy not so much to persons as things, for that the Jews called genealogy, when one thing was feigned to flow from, and, as it were, to be begotten of another; therefore (saith one) Paul, ver. 5. gives a short, but profitable genealogy, when he makes a good conscience to flow from a faith unfeigned. Now mark, the Apostle condemneth all these, because they do not edify. The shell-fish among the Jews was accounted unclean, because it had but a little meat, and a great deal of labour to get it: and this is true of all doctrines, which have no profit in them. The Apostle therefore tells us, what is the true use of the Law, the end of the precept. Scultetus, who ⟨p. 3⟩hath it out of Chrysostom, makes [Greek or Hebrew], not to be the law, but the ministry, or preaching; and so the Apostle useth the word, v. 3. But grant it be so, yet they all agree, he speaks of the Law strictly taken afterwards.

The second part of injunction is higher then the former: Though they doe not teach other things, yet they must not spend their gifts in an uselesse way; as, to give heed to fables: This they apply to the Jewes, who had a world of fictions. So Tertullian of Valentinus, Multas introduxit fabulas; we see here the word fable in an ill sense: Therefore Grotius cannot be excused, who calleth our Saviours Parables fables, as that of the Prodigall who spent his portion, Haec sabula (saith he) nos decet, quod omnes ortu sunt filii Dei, where both his words and matter are very offensive to the truth. It is true, we finde the Fathers, Gregory Nazianzen, and others, use sometimes a fable in their Orations, to denote some morall matter; but such the Jewes did not use. As they must not give heed to fables, so neither to endlesse genealogies. We see a good use made of genealogies in the Scriptures, but here is reproved the sinfull use of them; as those Grammarians among the Heathens, that spent their time about Heeuba's mother, or Achilles pedegree, and what it was that the Syren's sung: and these he calls endlesse, because vaine curiosity is more unruly then the waves of the sea; it hath no limiting, Hitherto shalt thou goe, and no further. Although some referre genealogy not so much to persons as things, for that the Jewes called genealogy, when one thing was fained to flow from, and, as it were, to be begotten of another; therefore (saith one) Paul, ver. 5. gives a short, but profitable genealogy, when he makes a good conscience to flow from a faith unfained. Now mark, the Apostle condemneth all these, because they doe not edifie. The shell-fish among the Jewes was accounted uncleane, because it had but a little meat, and a great deal of labour to get it: and this is true of all doctrines, which have no profit in them. The Apostle therefore tells us, what is the true use of the Law, the end of the precept. Scultetus, who