A41355:391
The Marrow of Modern Divinity
The marrow of modern divinity touching both the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, with their use and end, both in the time of the Old Testament, and in the time of the New : wherein every one may clearly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification, and so deserveth the name of legalist : and how far forth he rejecteth the law, in the case of sanctification, and so deserveth the name of Antinomist : with the middle path between them both, which by Jesus Christ leadeth to eternal life : in a dialogue, betwixt Evangelista, a minister of the Gospel, Nomista, a legalist, Antinomista, an Antinomian, and Neophytus, a young Christian / by the author, E.F. ; before the which there is prefixed the commendatory epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the city of London ; whereunto is also added, the substance of aThe marrow of modern divinity touching both the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, with their use and end, both in the time of the Old Testament, and in the time of the New : wherein every one may cleerly see how far forth he bringeth the law into the case of justification, and so deserverh the name of legalist : and how far forth he rejecteth the law, in the case of sanctification, and so deserveth the name of Antinomist : with the middle path between them both, which by Iesus Christ leadeth to eternall life : in a dialogue, betwixt Evangelista, a minister of the Gospel, Nomista, a legalist, Antinomista, an Antinomian, and Neophytus, a young Christian / by the author, E.F. ; before the which there is prefixed the commendatory epistles of divers divines of great esteem in the citie of London ; whereunto is also added, the substance of a
London: printed by R. Leybourn for Giles Calvert, 1646
THE MARROW OF Modern Divinity.THE MARROVV OF Modern Divinity.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
and indeed it is impossible for any man to love God,1 till by faith he know himself loved of God. Secondly, though a man before he believe Gods love to him in Christ, may have a great measure of legal humiliation, compunction, sorrow and grief, and be brought down (as it were) to the very gate of hell, and feel the very flashings of hell fire in his conscience for his sins; yet is it not because he hath thereby offended God, but rather because he hath thereby offended himself, that is, because he hath thereby brought himself into the danger of eternal death and condemnation: but when once he believes the love of God to him in Christ, in pardoning his iniquity, and passing by his transgression, then he sorrows & grieves for the offence of God by the sin, reasoning thus with himself, and is it so indeed, hath the Lord given his own Son to death for me, who hath been such ⟨p. 175⟩a vile, sinful wretch, and hath Christ borne all my sins?2 and was he wounded for my transgressions? ô then the working of his bowels! the stirring of his affections, the melting and relenting of his repenting heart, then he remembers his own evil ways, 3and his doings that were not good, and loathes himself in his own eyes, 4for all his abominations, and looking upon Christ whom he hath pierced, he mourns bitterly for him, as one mourneth for his only son, thus when faith hath bathed a mans heart in the blood of Christ, it is so mollified that it quickly dissolves into the tears of godly sorrow, so that if Christ do but turn and look upon him, ô then with Peter, he goes out and weeps bitterly! and this is true gospel mourning, and this is right evangelical repenting Thirdly, Though before a man do truly believe in Christ, he may so reform his life and amend his ways, that as touching the righteousness which is of the Law, he may be with the Apostle blameless, 5yet being under the covenant of works, all the obedience that he yields to the Law, all his leaving of sin and performance of duties, all his avoiding of what the law forbids, and all his doing of what the law commands, is begotten by the law of works,