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…

1. In what sense the Apostle argueth against the Law; and ¹what was the proper state of the Question in those days. And that appeareth Act. 1. 5. where you have a relation made of some believing Jews that were of the sect of the Pharisees, who pressed the necessity of Circumcision: and so would join the mystery of Moses and Christ together. Now it seemeth, though the Apostles in this council had condemned that opinion, yet there were many that would still revive this error; and therefore the Apostle in this Epistle to the Romans, and in that to the Galatians doth reprove this false doctrine, and labour much against it. Stapleton, and other papists, they think that the controversy was only about the Ceremonial Law; and this they do, to maintain their justification by the works of the Law; when wrought by grace. But, though it must be granted, that the doubts about keeping the Ceremonial Law were the occasion of that great difference, and the most principal thing in question; yet the Apostle, to set forth the fullness of grace, and Christ, doth extend his arguments and instances even to the Moral Law: for the Jews did generally think, that the knowledge and observation of the Moral Law without Christ, was enough for their peace and comfort. That the Apostle argueth against the Law in their abused sense of it, is plain, because when he speaks of it in it's own nature, he commends it, and extols it. The Jews because they had the Law given them in such a Divine and glorious manner, attributing too much to themselves, ⟨p. 225⟩thought by the obedience to this alone, without Christ, to be justified, as appeareth Rom, 10. 1. Hence the Apostle speaketh against it in their sense, looking for Justification by it; as if a learned man confuting some Philosophers, which do hold that the second causes do work by their own proper strength, without any concourse of God; he must in his arguments, suppose such a power of the second cause, which the adversary pleadeth for in his mind, and in expressions sometimes, yet none can gather from that, therefore there is such a power in the second causes. And if they could persuade themselves, that the external performing of the Ceremonial Law was enough to make them acceptable with God, though they lived in gross disobedience to the Moral Law, (as