A. It is the legal power to condemn all such as are under the Law, as a Covenant of Works; as marriage is dissolved, if either of the parties be dead: So Rom. 7.4. Ye are dead to the Law through the body of Christ, and it is not every commanding power that Paul, Rom. 7. denies to the Law, but a Lordly dominion, such as Lords of life and death have and exercises,1 [Greek or Hebrew], and we are dead to the Law through the body of Christ, which mortification or dying is not understood subjective, as if it were in us, but legally and objectively in Christ, because Christ in his body on the tree did bear our sins, 1 Pet. 2.24. and was made a curse for us, in our place, Gal. 3.13. For Christ (saith Ambrose, 2clearing the place) giving his body as a Saviour, overcame death and condemned sin: Hence these two words, Rom. 7.4. Wherefore ye also my brethren, are become dead to the Law. Gal. 2.19, For I through the Law am dead to the Law, that I might live unto God; As the death to the Law is legal, I am no more under Law-condemnation then a dead man, so the living to God is a Law living to God on a Law-absolution (as the absolved malefactor cleared of a capital crime which might have cost him his head, liveth, and so is set free) so there is another most emphatic word which insinuates that Christ is dead to the Law, as Paul was, for after Paul saith, Gal. 2.19. I through the Law am dead to the Law, he adds, v. 20. I am crucified with Christ legally, that is, as Christ was crucified for sin by the sentence of the Law, so I am crucified with him. Rom. 6.8. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him, which is not only to be expounded of mortification and inherent newness of life, but also of legal dying with Christ: For Christ died no death but legal death, there is no inherent mortification or slaying of a body of sin in him as in us, though from his death there also flow a• merited and inherent personal mortification in us, for it is added, v. 9. knowing that Christ being raised ⟨p. 212⟩from death dieth no more, death hath no more dominion over him, then Christ, by Law, cannot die twice, so Christ being once crucified, the Law and death, which had once dominion over him, hath now no more dominion over him.
A. It is the legall power to condemn all such as are under the Law, as a Covenant of Works; as marriage is dissolved, if either of the parties be dead: So Rom. 7.4. Ye are dead to the Law through the body of Christ, and it is not every commanding power that Paul, Rom. 7. denies to the Law, but a Lordly dominion, such as Lords of life and death have and exercises,1 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, and we are dead to the Law through the body of Christ, which mortification or dying is not understood subjective, as if it were in us, but legally and objectively in Christ, because Christ in his body on the tree did bear our sins, 1 Pet. 2.24. and was made a curse for us, in our place, Gal. 3.13. For Christ (saith Ambrose, 2clearing the place) giving his body as a Saviour, overcame death and condemned sin: Hence these two words, Rom. 7.4. Wherefore ye also my brethren, are become dead to the Law. Gal. 2.19, For I through the Law am dead to the Law, that I might live unto God; As the death to the Law is legall, I am no more under Law-condemnation then a dead man, so the living to God is a Law living to God on a Law-absolution (as the absolved malefactor cleared of a capitall crime which might have cost him his head, liveth, and so is set free) so there is another most emphatick word which insinuats that Christ is dead to the Law, as Paul was, for after Paul saith, Gal. 2.19. I through the Law am dead to the Law, he adds, v. 20. I am crucified with Christ legally, that is, as Christ was crucified for sin by the sentence of the Law, so I am crucified with him. Rom. 6.8. Now if we be dead with Christ, we beleeve that we shall also live with him, which is not only to be expounded of mortification and inherent newnesse of life, but also of legall dying with Christ: For Christ died no death but legall death, there is no inherent mortification or slaying of a body of sin in him as in us, though from his death there also flow a merited and inherent personall mortification in us, for it is added, v. 9. knowing that Christ being raised
- 1Of the dominion of the Law.
- 2Ambro· Mori legi est vivere Deo, quia lex dominatur peccatoribus cui ergo dimittuntur peccata is moritur legi, boc est liberatur a Lege per corpus Christi, hoc consequimur beneficium […] tradens enim corpus suum Servator, mortem vicit & peccatum damnavi•.Ambro· Mori legi est vivere Deo, quia lex dominatur peccatoribus cui ergo dimittuntur peccata is moritur legi, boc est liberatur a Lege per corpus Christi, hoc consequimur beneficium 〈…〉 tradens enim corpus suum Servator, mortem vicit & peccatum damnavi•.
