For the better opening of this, consider, that as the word 1[Law] so the word [Gospel] may be taken largely, or strictly. We will not trouble you with the many significations of the word (or whether it be used any where of a sorrowful message, as well as glad news, as some say, in two places it is used, 1. Sam. 4. 17. 2 Sam. 1. 10. according to that rule of Mercers, Non infrequens esse, specialia verba interdum generaliter sumi.) It is enough to our purpose, that in the Scripture it is sometimes taken more largely, and sometimes more strictly: when it's taken largely, it signifieth the whole doctrine, that the Apostles were to preach, Mar. 16. 15. Preach the Gospel to every creature: & so Mar. 1. 1. The beginning of the Gospel, i. e. the doctrine & preaching ⟨p. 241⟩of Christ. Or else it is taken most strictly, as when Luke 2. 10. Behold I bring you glad tidings, &c. In which strict sense it's called the Gospel of peace, and of the grace of God: So that you see, the word [Law] is taken differently, largely and strictly; thus also is the word [Gospel.] Now it's a great dispute, Whether the command of repentance belong unto the Gospel, or no? I find the Lutherans, Antinomians, and Calvinists to speak differently: but of that, when we take the Law and Gospel in their most strict sense. Bellarmine bringeth it as an argument, that the Protestants do deny the necessity of good works, because they hold that the Gospel hath no precepts, or threatenings in it, lib. 4. de Justif. cap. 2. And he urgeth against them, that Cap. 1. ad Rom. where the wrath of God is said to be revealed from heaven in the Gospel; but (as is to be showed) he there doth mistake the state of the controversy taking the word [Gospel] in a larger sense then they intended. Thus on the other side Islebius, the father of the Antinomians, he taught that repentance was not to be pressed from the Decalogue, but from the Gospel; & that, to preserve the purity of doctrine, we ought to resist all those who teach, the Gospel must not be preached but to those who are made contrite by the Law: whereas the right unfolding of the word [Gospel] would make up quickly those breaches.
For the better opening of this, consider, that as the word 1[Law] so the word [Gospel] may be taken largely, or strictly. We will not trouble you with the many significations of the word (or whether it be used any where of a sorrowfull message, as well as glad newes, as some say, in two places it is used, 1. Sam. 4. 17. 2 Sam. 1. 10. according to that rule of Mercers, Non infrequens esse, specialia verba interdum generaliter sumi.) It is enough to our purpose, that in the Scripture it is sometimes taken more largely, and sometimes more strictly: when it's taken largely, it signifieth the whole doctrine, that the Apostles were to preach, Mar. 16. 15. Preach the Gospel to every creature: & so Mar. 1. 1. The beginning of the Gospel, i. e. the doctrine & preaching ⟨p. 241⟩of Christ. Or else it is taken most strictly, as when Luke 2. 10. Behold I bring you glad tydings, &c. In which strict sence it's called the Gospel of peace, and of the grace of God: So that you see, the word [Law] is taken differently, largely and strictly; thus also is the word [Gospel.] Now it's a great dispute, Whether the command of repentance belong unto the Gospel, or no? I finde the Lutherans, Antinomians, and Calvinists to speak differently: but of that, when we take the Law and Gospel in their most strict sense. Bellarmine bringeth it as an argument, that the Protestants do deny the necessity of good works, because they hold that the Gospel hath no precepts, or threatnings in it, lib. 4. de Justif. cap. 2. And he urgeth against them, that Cap. 1. ad Rom. where the wrath of God is said to be revealed from heaven in the Gospel; but (as is to be shewed) he there doth mistake the state of the controversie taking the word [Gospel] in a larger sense then they intended. Thus on the other side Islebius, the father of the Antinomians, he taught that repentance was not to be pressed from the Decalogue, but from the Gospel; & that, to preserve the purity of doctrine, we ought to resist all those who teach, the Gospel must not be preached but to those who are made contrite by the Law: whereas the right unfolding of the word [Gospel] would make up quickly those breaches.
- 1What meant by Law taken largely and what strictly
