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 Apostle therefore, reproving these false teachers, that did turn bread into stones, and fish into serpents, the good law into unprofitableness, lest this should be thought to traduce the law, he addeth, We know (as if that were without question to all.) So that there is a position, The Law is good, and a supposition, If a man use it lawfully; with a correction, The Law is not made to the righteous. As Austin said, It was hard to speak for free-will, and not to deny free-grace; or free-grace, and not to deny free-will: so it's hard to give the Law its due, and not to seem to prejudice the Gospel; or the Gospel, and not to prejudice the Law: For, take but these two Verses, Videtur Apostolus pugnantia dicere, The Apostle seemeth to speak contradictions, saith Martyr: For, seeing none can use the Law well, but a righteous man, how then is not the Law given to him? But this knot shall be untied in its proper place. I shall at this time handle the first proposition, that is conditional; only I might insist upon opening the word [Greek or Hebrew], or Law: For, I conceive, the neglect of the different use of this, doth breed many errors; for there is a law that we are to be Antinomians, or contrary to; and there is a law, that we must submit to: But of this I will speak in one particular caution.

The Apostle therefore, reproving these false teachers, that did turn bread into stones, and fish into serpents, the good law into unprofitablenesse, lest this should be thought to traduce the law, he addeth, We know (as if that were without question to all.) So that there is a position, The Law is good, and a supposition, If a man use it lawfully; with a correction, The Law is not made to the righteous. As Austin said, It was hard to speak for free-will, and not to deny free-grace; or free-grace, and not to deny free-will: so it's hard to give the Law its due, and not to seeme to prejudice the Gospel; or the Gospel, and not to prejudice the Law: For, take but these two Verses, Videtur Apostolus pugnantia dicere, The Apostle seemeth to speake contradictions, saith Martyr: For, seeing none can use the Law well, but a righteous man, how then is not the Law given to him? But this knot shall be untyed in its proper place. I shall at this time handle the first proposition, that is conditionall; only I might insist upon opening the word 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, or Law: For, I conceive, the neglect of the different use of this, doth breed many errours; for there is a law that we are to be Antinomians, or contrary to; and there is a law, that we must submit to: But of this I will speak in one particular caution.