But it may be all these are of no authority, 1they are of no power with them, and indeed if these things be not Evinced out of the word of God, they shall be of no power with us; we reverence them and their writings, but we must not Jurare in verba, build our faith upon them as a sure foundation; this is against our Christian liberty, to be enslaved to the judgements of any. To the Laws and to the Testimonies if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them: We will therefore give you some proofs out of the word, and then draw them into Arguments, or draw Arguments from them. Matth. 5.17.18. Think not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil; 2for verily I say unto you, atill heaven and earth shall pass away * one jot or one tittle shall not pass from the Law till all be fulfilled. The place seems to be very ⟨p. 81⟩full and very plain, for the continuance of and obligation to the Law, and yet there are bcorrupt readings of these words, and as sinister interpretations, some would have it to be understood that Christ would not abolish till he had fulfilled it. Indeed he was the end of the Law, as the Apostle speaks, Rom. 7.14. But finis perficiens, non interficiens, the perfecting and consummating end, not the destroying and abolishing end thereof; the Law had an end of perfection and consummation in Christ, not an end of destruction and abolition. You see here cChrist gives a stricter exposition of the Law, and vindicates it from the corrupt glosses of the Pharisees, which surely speaks the continuance, not the Abrogation of it. And agreeable to this place is that of the ⟨p. 82⟩Apostle, which speaks the same language, Rom. 3.31. Do we make dvoid the Law through Faith? God forbid, yea, we establish the Law. How? not for justification; for so Faith makes it void, but as a rule of obedience, and so Faith will establish it. The Apostle tells us, Rom. 7.13, 22, 25. That the Law is holy, just, good, and he delighted in the Law of God, &c. Yea with his mind he served the Law of God. So James 2.8. 7If you fulfil the royal law of liberty, ye do well, and what law that was, he she wes in the 11. Verse 11 verse, to be the Decalogue or the Moral law. 81 John 2.4. He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandments, 9is a liar. 1 John 3.4. Sin is the transgression of the Law.
But it may be all these are of no authoritie, 1they are of no power with them, and indeed if these things be not Evinced out of the word of God, they shall be of no power with us; wee reverence them and their writings, but wee must not Iurare in verba, build our faith upon them as a sure foundation; this is against our Christian libertie, to be inslaved to the judgements of any. To the Lawes and to the Testimonies if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them: We will therefore give you some proofes out of the word, and then draw them into Arguments, or draw Arguments from them. Matth. 5.17.18. Thinke not that I am come to destroy the Law, or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill; 2for verily I say unto you, atill heaven and earth shall passe away * one iot or one tittle shall not passe from the Law till all be fulfilled. The place seemes to be very ⟨p. 81⟩full and very plaine, for the continuance of and obligation to the Law, and yet there are bcorrupt readings of these words, and as sinister interpretations, some would have it to be understood that Christ would not abolish till he had fulfilled it. Indeed hee was the end of the Law, as the Apostle speakes, Rom. 7.14. But finis perficiens, non interficiens, the perfecting and consummating end, not the destroying and abolishing end thereof; the Law had an end of perfection and consummation in Christ, not an end of destruction and abolition. You see here cChrist gives a stricter exposition of the Law, and vindicates it from the corrupt glosses of the Pharisees, which surely speakes the continuance, not the Abrogation of it. And agreeable to this place is that of the ⟨p. 82⟩Apostle, which speaks the same language, Rom. 3.31. Doe wee make d
- 1In doctrinis quorumvis mortalium admittendis, adhibendum est examen. Daven. Ad ipsum verbum Dei oportet nos omnes disciplinas et opiniones tanquam ad lydium lapidem examinare. Corn. Agrip. de van. scienti. Isai. 8.20.
- 2Cum dogma aliquod proponitur credendum, aut agendum, si me hominem praestare velim examinare oportet quicquid proponitur, &c.
- a[Greek or Hebrew], non censemus hic respici tempus [Greek or Hebrew]. ut in Petri Epistola, 2. Pet. 3.10. sed dictum esse [Greek or Hebrew], quasi latine dicas, usque dumb coelum ruat: Grotius in locum. Lucas habet, faciltus sit coelum et terram perire, in quo loquendi genere non dei potentia, sed naturalis ordo respicitur. Lege Capel. spicileg. in locum, [Greek or Hebrew], &c. de his verbis. Lud. de dieu in loc. Capel. Spicileg. et Grotius, multa dicunt.〈non-Latin alphabet〉, non censemus hic respici tempus 〈non-Latin alphabet〉. ut in Petri Epistola, 2. Pet. 3.10. sed dictum esse 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, quasi latine dicas, usque dum coelum ruat: Grotius in locum. Lucas habet, faciltus sit coelum et terram perire, in quo loquendi genere non dei potentia, sed naturalis ordo respicitur. Lege Capel. spicileg. in locum, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, &c. de his verbis. Lud. de dieu in loc. Capel. Spicileg. et Grotius, multa dicunt.
- b[Greek or Hebrew]. Recensetur haec lectio inter sacrilegia Marcionis, in Evangelio suo. Heinsius in locum.〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Recensetur haec lectio inter sacrilegia Marcionis, in Evangelio suo. Heinsius in locum.
- cHoc autem vult Christus, vos putatis me venisse ut ego legem solvam, atque aboleam, at vero tantum abest, ut doctrina mea eam solvam, ut contra, sensum legis intimiorem et pleniorem longeque perfectiorem, et exactiorem ejus intelligentiam ego tradam quam solitum est bactenus vobis proponi a doctoribus vestris. Capel. Spicileg. in
