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 first Heretics that opposed it, were the Marcionites and ¹Manichees, Marcion (whom Tertullian calls Mus potincus, because of his arroding and gnawing the Scripture, to make it serviceable to his errors; he, among other errors, broacheth this, That the old Law (as he calls it) was evil, and that it came from an evil god. To him in this opinion succeeded Manes, (who truly might be so called, because of his madness, although his followers to take away that reproach, called him Mannichaeus, as much as one that poured forth Manna, as some affirm.) This mans errors, though they were very gross, yet so propagated, that it was two hundred years ere they were quieted. These and their followers all agreed in this, to reject this Law of God. There were also Heretics called Anomi, (as it were sine lege) but their error was, to think that they could by ⟨p. 276⟩their knowledge comprehend the divine nature: And they gave so much to this their faith, that they held, Whosoever should imy brace it, though he committed heinous and atrocious sins, yet thes should do him no hurt, Epiphan. lib. 3. Haeres. 36. But to let past these, we may say, Popery is in a great part Antinomianism. And Antichrist he is called [Greek or Hebrew], that lawless One: for, is not their doctrine, that the Pope may dispense with the Laws of God, and that the Pope and Christ have the same Consistory, Antinomianism? and in particular, we may instance in their taking away the second Commandment out of some Catechisms, because it forbiddeth the worshipping of Images. Hence Vasquez, one of their Goliaths, doth expressly maintain, that the second Commandment did belong only to the Jews, and so not obliging us Christians, thinking it impossible to answer our arguments against their Image-worship, if that be acknowledged still in force.

The first Hereticks that opposed it, were the Marcionites and ¹Manichees, Marcion (whom Tertullian calls Mus potincus, because of his arroding and gnawing the Scripture, to make it serviceable to his errours; he, among other errours, broacheth this, That the old Law (as he calls it) was evill, and that it came from an evill god. To him in this opinion succeeded Manes, (who truly might be so called, because of his madness, although his followers to take away that reproach, called him Mannichaeus, as much as one that poured forth Manna, as some affirme.) This mans errours, though they were very gross, yet so propagated, that it was two hundred yeares ere they were quieted. These and their followers all agreed in this, to reject this Law of God. There were also Hereticks called Anomi, (as it were sine lege) but their errour was, to think that they could by